Page 26 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – November 2019

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Like most big cities, Chicago has plenty of flagship stores, but nowhere will you find them more concentrated than you will in the Magnificent Mile.
This stretch of Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago boasts more than 450 retailers with three multilevel shopping centers.
Just three blocks south of Oak Street along Michigan Avenue is Water Tower Place, an eight-story mall inside a 74-story skyscraper. It is home to more than 100 retail stores, including a multilevel Macy’s and a flagship American Girl store as well as the Chicago Sports Museum and the Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse so that you can add some entertainment or culture to your shopping. Water Tower Place was one of the nation’s first mixed-use developments as it also features a hotel and condominiums.
The Shops at North Bridge are another multilevel shopping center, this one, however, is also multiblock, with enclosed multilevel walkways that cross streets. There are more than 50 upscale retail locations, anchored by Nordstrom, and 20 restaurants, with something to suit everyone’s taste from Eddie V’s Prime Seafood to Shake Shack.
Heading north up Michigan Avenue about three blocks, you will come across Dylan’s Candy Bar, the best place to unleash your inner child and grab your favorite candy flavors and get your sugar rush. Nearly across the street is the Cubs Team Store, if you are shopping for a fan of the team.
If you keep heading north along Michigan Avenue, you will come across 900 North Michigan Shops, yet another multilevel mixed-used building that houses a retail center. With Bloomingdale’s as its anchor, it is sometimes referred to as the Bloomingdale Building. It is home to more than 70 upscale stores, including a two-story Gucci, Montblanc and Tesla, as well as a 22,000-square-foot dining hall with 15 different stations offering food and drinks.
The newest tenant on the Mag Mile will be the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago, scheduled to
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open Nov. 15. It will be the largest Starbucks in the world in the former four-story Crate & Barrell space at North Michigan Avenue and Erie Street. The Roastery will include on-site roasting, tours, a full kitchen and offer drinks inspired by the city of Chicago, according to a news release.
But if you plan on visiting Chicago soon, you cannot miss the city’s largest open-air market, Christkindlmarket. Inspired by a Nuremberg, Germany, market that was founded in 1545, this market features iconic German items such as nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks and beer steins, as well as Christmas tree ornaments and handmade goods. Traditional German foods such as sausages, sauerkraut and potato pancakes are dished up and the drink flows freely. It runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 24 this year.
And to get in the holiday spirit even more, why not
take in some holiday classics as a break from shopping? The Goodman Theatre’s annual holiday production of
the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol,” will be performed for its 42nd year from Nov. 16-Dec. 29. You also can ring in the holiday cheer with the Music Box Christmas Show, with a sing-a-long and double feature of “White Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” from Dec. 12-24.
John T. Garcia is the Managing Editor of AAA Magazine.
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