Overseas travel is a bear right now.
Foreign destinations are under myriad and ever-changing restrictions that in many places are becoming more rather than less prohibitive. The airports are holding spaces for the aggrieved and unruly. Closer to home, the National Parks are full. An ungodly portion of the country is literally on fire.
All this is to say: It might be the summer of staying close to home — but without burning out. Take a weekend to stay in your house and you’ll end up sitting through multiple seasons of Bosch while tucking into some work emails.
Book into one of these spots, and you can watch Bosch from the comfort of a corner suite overlooking Lake Michigan, and punctuate each season finale with a cocktail in a rooftop bar. Trust: It’s better than a middle seat on a flight to a place that’s objectively not quite as nice in July as Chicago … which is, obviously, basically all places.
Pendry Chicago, The Loop
An Art Deco masterpiece in black granite and gold leaf, the 1929 Carbide & Carbon Building — former home to the Hard Rock Hotel — may, as of this past January, finally have a resident hotel worthy of its location. The best view is undoubtedly from the rooftop lounge, Château Carbide, which continues the French theme of the hopping Venteux with rosé and charcuterie.
Sable at Navy Pier Chicago, Navy Pier
To get away without going away, consider the Sable, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. Opened in March, its location on the Navy Pier means that there’s killer views in every direction. Each of the 223 guest rooms has floor-to-ceiling windows to take advantage — though they’re maybe best appreciated from Offshore, the 20,000-square-foot rooftop bar and lounge.
Nobu Chicago, West Loop
While Nobu Chicago might have a singularly appealing in-room dining menu — we’ll have the ribeye with truffle butter, wagyu dumplings and lobster shiitake salad to accompany the season-seven finale of Bosch, thank you — the energy is unsurprisingly in the public spaces: the ground-floor restaurant or The Rooftop at Nobu Hotel Chicago. Valuable tidbit: Stay between now and the end of August and the parking’s on them, if that’s how you’re rolling.
21c Museum Hotel Chicago, River North
The Chicago edition of the 21c Museum Hotel chain opened … about a week before the entire world shut down, in March 2020. So it’s only now that the brand — more public-facing than most, with its well-promoted art collection — is really coming into its own. Each floor shows work by local artists, while a docent leads a tour through the space on Thursday evenings.
Coming soon: St. Regis Chicago
Rumored for a July opening that’s now looking more like third quarter, a 191-room hotel will soon join the already-operating Residences at the St. Regis Chicago. Of particular interest: The Alinea Group is handling the dining options — which should indicate good things to come.
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