This past weekend, a group of friends and I enjoyed a marvelous staycation at the historic Chicago Athletic Association. We, Jennifer, Jessica, Adrienne and I, were there to celebrate our beautiful friend, Sarah’s birthday with her. I have to say, it was by far one of the best hotel experiences I’ve had in a long time. I checked in first, as the room was under my name, and as soon I walked in I was lost.
The building is full of nooks and crannies and staircases leading to somewhere you’re not quite sure you’re supposed to be. I had to ask where the check in desk was, because it was not immediately apparent to me, at the information desk on the first floor, which also housed a Shake Shack, a gift shop through a labyrinth of hallways and a long, long line up to the famed Cindy’s Rooftop (more on that later).
Upon check-in, I received five tokens (one for each of us) for champagne in one of the six restaurants/bars at the Chicago Athletic Association, the Cherry Circle Room. After I got lost once again trying to find the elevators up to the guest rooms, I dropped off my bags in our double-bedded room and went back downstairs to get take some photos of the beautiful property.
Lo and behold, I was lost again and ran smack dab into one of my roommates for the evening, Adrienne. Gleefully, we made our way back up to the room together to set up for an evening of champagne and relaxation in our Wes Anderson meets your hip rich uncle’s spare bedroom room. We had snacks and booze and spa supplies and cards, all of which make for a perfect evening.
However, we did not get to much of what we planned in the room, as the Athletic Association had other plans for us. Once everyone had arrived, we left the room to get our free champagne and plan our evening in the Cherry Circle Room, which is adjacent to the Game Room, a bar with bocce ball and foosball and shuffleboard, on the second floor.
The Cherry Circle Room was fully committed for the evening which was fair, seeing how it was a beautiful, wood-paneled dream of a restaurant. They accommodated us in the small lounge just outside it’s doors, where they served us champagne in pretty flutes. We sipped and schemed; all of us agreed that we needed to see their ballroom before we did anything else.
After finishing the gratis bubbly, we took the elevator to the eighth floor and barged in on the set up of the evening’s event. As the staff graciously guided us back towards the elevator, we snuck peaks of the beautiful White City Ballroom. The gentleman who was ushering us good-naturedly back to approved areas overheard us talking about going up to Cindy’s and stopped what he was doing to personally escort us up via the back elevator, effectively saving us a good thirty minutes waiting in line on the ground floor.
That was the start of our good luck. Once in the bar, we ran into one of my old friends from work and the rest is a haze of champagne and charcuterie. We took the requisite photos on the terrace and marveled over the view from the top. We sipped champagne and cocktails and got a light dinner to share. It was amazing, and it was said more than once how unbelievable the service and libations were.
After having more than our fair share of expertly mixed cocktails, we made our way back to the room to continue the evening. After face masks (by Crude), nail polish, more champagne, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and drunk snacks, we all fell asleep in our cozy hotel robes.
The next morning, we awoke early to headaches and the need to see the sunrise from the ballroom we only got a small glimpse of the night before. The trip was a secret mission through the employee entrance but it was successful. The pink sky from the east facing windows was too pretty for words; it shined over the glass front buildings and the bean, with the turquoise lake in the background.
The ballroom was just stunning; a perfect mix of modern touches and classic architecture. We also peeped into the Madison Ballroom, which featured city views and grand chandeliers. When we got back to the room, we fell back asleep for a morning nap, then took turns enjoying the luxurious shower.
After pampering just a little bit more, we worked our way down to the Milk Room for a satisfying breakfast of toast, bacon, and the best hash brown cakes I’ve ever had. They were crispy on the outside and creamy with sliced green onions on the inside. The Milk Room was located in the hotel lobby, and was a warm collection of wood, mismatched chairs and colorful pillows.
The food, along with the restaurant’s amazing coffee, brought us back to life enough to pack up he room and check out. I think we all needed this weekend, it was perfectly restorative and fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Have you stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association? Which restaurant was your favorite?
I’d never been inside when it was the Tokyo Hotel, but always passed it and wondered what went on behind its dingy exterior. A month later, there I was checking in at the upscale hostel/hotel. I had walked over after work on Friday; it was just a short jaunt over to the River North Neighborhood. The check-in process was casual and easy, and after a brief orientation of the property, I was on my way up to the tenth floor in a painfully slow elevator. I chose to stay in one of their private rooms, which they offer along with shared and private bunk-bedded rooms.
two small shelves of books ranging from “The Help” to “The Mammoth of Best New Erotica”, as well as a house phone, hotel guide, and a mini bar in an interior cabinet. The blue-tiled bathroom featured a stand-up shower, hairdryer, fluffy
higan Avenue, looking at menus and turning them down, hunger forced us to stop into Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen. Right off the bat, I wasn’t crazy about this decision. It seemed like an upscale TGI Fridays, only without the moderate prices. We sat down and ordered a couple of beers and decided whether or not we should bail. Again, hunger won and we had our beers and a kale and artichoke dip which was good in the way that artichoke dip always is. After we paid, we walked back up to Michigan Avenue just in time to finally be summoned to The Purple Pig because our table was ready. We were sat at a table inside and immediately made work of reading and translating their extensive menu of share plates.
The Chorizo Stuffed Olives, Whipped Feta Dip, and Pork Belly Rillon looked best to us. They brought each dish out separately, which made for optimal enjoyment. We started with the feta, which was served with thick slices of delicious bread. The feta had cucumbers and peppers brunoise on top and was so tasty. For me, there is literally nothing better than cheese and bread so of course I loved this dish. Next came the olives, which were a little too salty for me, but my boyfriend very much enjoyed them. Finally, the Pork Belly Rillons, which were the perfect mixture of crispy and melt in your mouth. I only wish the serving was bigger.
After we finished the decadent dinner, we walked the few blocks across the river and walked down the steps to the River Walk. The brightly lit river-adjacent sidewalk was vibrant and teeming with the after-dinner crowd. We walked down a-ways and doubled back to pop into The Hideout for a beer.
There was an extravagant process to making it that ended with lighting the garnish on fire with a blowtorch. It was a hefty portion of booze worthy of two cocktails and priced accordingly. The bar was crowded, but not uncomfortably so. The bartenders were very attentive and continued to craft creative cocktails without the pretension of other “mixologists”. We spent a good amount of time enjoying the cozy atmosphere of The Broken Shaker before retiring to our room for the night.
Part of the beauty of a staycation is that every new thing that you discover and enjoy is easily accessible for revisiting. And I plan to go back to Café Integral often, specifically for the Avocado Smash.
Before we checked out, I wanted to explore the basement of the hotel, which is where the guest laundry and kitchen was located. The kitchen was brightly lit and happily buzzing with a few other guests preparing their meals. In addition to these in house amenities, The Freehand offers an activity calendar for their guests including workouts, walking tours, and other special events much like the pop-up gallery my friend was featured in.
We left the hotel at noon, after walking around and popping into a few shops in the area. We walked the two miles back to our apartment, across the river and over the line that separates blissful staycations and real life.
rebeccawanderlusting 