24 Hours in Chicago

24 Hours in Chicago

Windy City layover? Here’s how to smash through Chicago’s best food, retail and cultural attractions in just 24 hours.

Morning

Tear yourself from The Peninsula’s sublime Egyptian cotton sheets and don your comfiest walking kicks for a day of whistlestop wonderment, starting with an acclaimed Chicago Architecture Center tour. Must-See Chicago is a quick 90-minute skip around the city via its most famous buildings and landmarks (Wrigley, Tribune and Sears Towers, Chicago Theatre, Millennium Park etc), and ideal for first-timers and busy bees. Hopping on and off the city's signature "L" trains with your guide will give you a one-of-a-kind perspective on Downtown Chi-town.

Whether shopping for yourself or searching out a gift, don’t miss a flick through Ikram Goldman’s wardrobe at the simply monikered Ikram. This mini three-storey box-like store on the Magnificent Mile is filled with all designers spanning big-hitters Chanel and Celine to modernista J.W. Anderson and local label Creatures of the Wind. Jewellery, totes and foot candy are also represented. There’s also a nifty cafe on the 2nd floor for a mid-retail caffeine hit.

Lunch

You must be getting pecky. Dash into Eataly, a vast gourmet wonderland, cramming in 23 restaurants and thousands of take-home deli products. The fish-centric Il Pesca serves responsibly-sourced seafood via daily chalkboard specials; casual La Carne specialises in artisanal, US-farmed meats; or queue up for pizza, pasta, gelati, wine, rotisserie and sweets at a number of enticing casual counters.

Afternoon

Just a 10-minute trot up the Magnificent Mile is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the historic City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. Worth a peek for its incongruous Gothic revival archi alone, it’s also home to a free-entry art venue showcasing local photographers and artists and offers peaceful respite from the Downtown bustle.

Dinner

If you’ve only got 24 hours in Chicago, there is – hands down – only one restaurant you need worry about; sauce-rer Grant Achatz’s three Michelin-starred playground, Alinea. Post-refresh, arrive promptly for your pre-booked table to take part in this world-renowned progressive 18- to 22-course degustations putting the astro in gastro. Make it one to remember with the generous wine pairing. Cin cin!

The Peninsula Chicago / 108 E Superior St / Near North Side / +1 312 337 2888 / peninsula.com

Chicago Architecture Center / 111 E Wacker Dr / The Loop / +1 312 922 3432 / 1.5 hrs / architecture.org

Ikram / 15 E Huron St / Near North Side / +1 312 587 1000 / 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, or by appt / ikram.com

Eataly / 43 E Ohio St / Near North Side / +1 312 521 8700 / 7.30am-10pm Sun-Thu, 7.30am-11pm Fri-Sat / eataly.com

City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower / 806 Michigan Ave / Near North Side / 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat-Sun / chicago.gov

Alinea / 1723 N Halsted / Lincoln Park / +1 312 867 0110  / dinner Wed-Sun / alinearestaurant.com