Location: Chicago
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9 Shopping Malls in Chicago That You Shouldn't Miss
The windy city is a cornucopia of modern art, fine dining, cutting edge comedy, and die-hard sports fans. Snap a photo of your reflection in the silver Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park before heading to Grant Park to get hit with the refreshing spray of Buckingham Fountain. There are dozens of museums and theater companies in Chicago, so a cultural experience is never hard to find. You’re sure to laugh your head off at the Second City Theater, the professional launch pad of many famous comedians.
Restaurants in Chicago
1. Water Tower Place
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 783 reviews
Where downtown Chicago comes to life. At the pinnacle of Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile, Water Tower Place is Chicago's premier shopping destination. Its stunning eight-level atrium features more than 100 of your favorite stores and restaurants plus a mix of distinctive specialty shops and boutiques. It offers a unique, high-energy urban shopping experience you simply won't find anywhere else in the city. In short, Water Tower Place is the place to shop.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
As a native Chicago who is old enough to remember when the Hancock Building, Sears (now Willis) Tower, Water Tower Place and Millennium Park were built, when Navy Pier was renovated and when State Street was known as That Great Street, I think I'm qualified to recognize Chicago's leading tourist attractions--Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, Water Tower Place, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park and Cloud Gate and the Art Institute. Anyone visiting Chicago for the first time is encouraged to stay long enough to include those sites on your touring itinerary. For shoppers, Water Tower Place is a must. Located at 835 North Michigan Avenue, it was built in 1975 and named after the nearby Chicago Water Tower, one of the survivors of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. One of the first vertical malls in the world, the 78-story, multi-use gray marble structure includes an eight-story, 758,000-square-foot retail shopping mall with a lavish chrome-and-glass atrium with glass elevators, a 435-room Ritz-Carlton hotel, a motion picture theater, condominiums and office space. Water Tower Place is a primary destination for shoppers due to its size and wide variety of shops. It is anchored on the first floor by Macy's department store and the flagship American Girl store. Among the other 104 stores in the vast complex, which includes several restaurants and a food court, are Banana Republic, White House/Black Market, Coach, Forever 21, Aldo, Victoria's Secret, Lacoste, Ann Taylor, Oakley, Sephora, Lego, American Eagle Outfitters, Chico's, Abercrombie & Fitch, Chocolatier Godiva and J. Jill. The eighth floor is dominated by Harry Carey's baseball museum and the Chicago Cubs Clubhouse Shop. A visit to Chicago or a trip along the Magnificent Mile isn't complete without a stop at Water Tower Place.
2. Merchandise Mart
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 142 reviews
The largest commercial building in the world. First two floors are essentially a mall, and the rest is business offices.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
If you are a native Chicagoan or have ever visited the city, you probably walked past or drove past the Merchandise Mart. But have you ever spent any time inside the building? Have you ever been inside the world's largest commercial building, a structure so large that it once had its own zip code, a building so massive that it has been known as "a city within a city?" Located at 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, at Kinzie Street between Orleans and Wells, on the Chicago River just east of Chicago's original trading post at Wolf Point, the junction of the river's North and South Branches, in downtown Chicago, the Merchandise Mart is a leading retailing and wholesale destination that hosts 20,000 visitors and tenants per day. Built by Marshall Field & Company and owned by the Kennedy family for half a century, it centralized Chicago's wholesale goods business by consolidating architectural and interior design vendors and traders under a single roof. Opened in 1930, the 25-story Art Deco style structure is spread across two square city blocks and includes 4.2 million square feet of floor space. Its construction required 29 million bricks, 40 miles of plumbing, 380 miles of wiring, 4 million cubic yards of concrete and 4,000 windows. Visitors also marvel at the 7.5 miles of corridors and 30 elevators. In 1977, the Chicago Apparel Center was opened on the west side of Orleans Street, increasing the Merchandise Mart's total floor space to 6.2 million square feet. Since 2010, the design center showroom has been open to the public. The retail shopping area, named The Shops at the Mart, opened in 1991 and includes apparel shops, beauty services, news stands and bookstores, financial services, travel services, telecommunications services, specialty food and wine stores, photo services, a dry cleaner, shoe shine stand and food court. In addition, a 521-room Holiday Inn is housed in the Apparel Center. Since 1969, the Merchandise Mart has hosted the annual National Exposition of Contract Furnishings with over 1,000 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees, the largest trade show of his kind in North America. Oh, the building isn't just big. The first floor is beautiful, too. An architectural masterpiece. The lobby features artist Jules Guerin's frieze of 17 murals which graphically illustrate commerce throughout the world. Is a visit to the Merchandise Mart a once-in-a-lifetime experience? My wife and I vividly recall going on a day-long shopping trip with a home designer to buy new furniture for our apartment. One glitzy showroom after another. One purchase, a grand mirror for our entryway, took two weeks to be shipped from England. At the Merchandise Mart, everything is first-rate.
3. Newcity
4. The 900 Shops Mall
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 88 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Somewhere along the way, 900 North Michigan Shops Mall decided that it couldn't compete with its competitor Water Tower Place, located only a block away, so it decided to assume a new identity. It reinvented itself by becoming more upscale and adding some features to attract high-end shoppers and some attractions that you won't find anywhere else. The centerpiece of the shopping mall is a six-story atrium. The anchor store is Bloomingdale's. Another interesting feature is the kiosk located at the Michigan Avenue entrance that offers muffins, croissants, donuts, danish, pastries, sandwiches and other snacks. Other retail shops include Gucci, Club Monaco, J. Crew, St. Croix, Montblanc, Atlas Galleries, Banana Republic, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Church's English Shoes. If you're looking for a spa, Mario Trioci Salon is open to one and all. For fine dining, Allium Restaurant & Bar is located in the Four Seasons Hotel with access on level 6. Also on level 6, Bloomingdale's Forty Carrots restaurant offers light and healthy fare, including iconic frozen yogurt, natural breads, home-made soups and salads, designer sandwiches and grilled chicken and fish. Aster Hall Chicago is a 22,000-square-foot food hall on the fifth and sixth levels that features 16 food stations, including Small Cheval, Green Street Smoked Meats and 3 Green Market. In a mood to play, dine and relax in comfort while taking a break from shopping? You are sure to enjoy 900 Topgolf Swing Suite, a luxurious indoor sport simulator where you can swing golf clubs or play hockey, football, baseball and even a wild activity called zombie dodgeball.
5. The Shops at North Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 53 reviews
A four-level center anchored by a flagship Nordstrom and more than 50 world-class stores including: Neiman Marcus Last Call Studio, BOSS Hugo Boss, Stuart Weitzman, M∙A∙C Cosmetics, Louis Vuitton, Porsche Design, Microsoft, Swatch, A|X Armani Exchange, Sephora, Spa Nordstrom, Kiehl’s Since 1851, The Art of Shaving, Forever 21, Bose and Swarovski. This is a must-see on your list to The Magnificent Mile. With 20 sumptuous restaurants conveniently located on the premises, a casual lunch and a vibrant dinner are just steps away from the city’s style center. Offering a truly one-of-a-kind shopping and dining experience. Eataly provides the opportunity to shop, taste and enjoy the offerings of 23 eateries and 21 retail departments. Dine on a tasty array of international fare at Lao Sze Chuan, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen and the nationally-acclaimed, The Purple Pig.
Reviewed By Moneymasternow - Chicago, United States
They provide charging station for mobile devices. Clean place and location is on Michigan Avenue. Large selection of stores.
6. Roosevelt Collection Shops
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 5 reviews
Roosevelt Collection Shops is an open-air plaza located in the heart of Chicago’s South Loop. Home to premium retailers, restaurants and a premium 16-screen movie theatre with a vibrant kid-friendly central plaza and unique skyline views, Roosevelt Collection Shops is the ideal spot to shop, relax, and enjoy Chicago.
7. Block 37
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
It will take more time, of course, but I suspect that former Mayor Richard M. Daley's vision for Block 37 was to lure shoppers and tourists back to State Street, that Great Street of the past, and away from Water Tower Place and the Magnificent Mile. Block 37 is bounded by West Randolph, North State, West Washington and North Dearborn. The 54-story building includes 17 floors for the CBS Broadcast Center, three for a mall for shopping, dining and movie-going and 34 for residential apartments. It is a great location, in the heart of the Loop, and there are indications that the area is being revitalized. In 1989, the previous buildings on the block were demolished to make way for Mayor Daley's redevelopment plan. But the initial plan fell through. So did subsequent plans, leaving the block vacant for nearly a generation. Finally, in recent years, Block 37, or 108 North State Street, or Block Thirty-Seven, is attracting businesses and visitors. Open from 10 to 8 Monday through Saturday and from 11 to 6 on Sunday, Block 37 features such businesses as Banana Republic, Zara, Disney, Francesca's, Akira, Anthropologie, Made in Chicago, Amazon Lockers, Sephora, Local Charm and Sunglass Hut and such restaurants as Gayle's, The Dearborn, Starbucks, Magnolia Bakery, MacGuffins Bar & Grill, Godiva Chocolatier and Latinicity Food Hall and Lounge. In addition, AMC Theatres has installed an 11-screen, dine-in movie theatre. Remember when State Street was Chicago's shopping mecca, in the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s, before anyone heard of the Magnificent Mile? It could happen again. Block 37 is leading the way.
8. Macy's
9. Illinois Center
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 7 reviews
