Weekender: Chicago
Urban Oasis
The Godfrey Hotel splashed onto the Chicago architecture scene this past February with its commanding cubist-inspired façade designed by the Chicago firm Valerio Dewalt Train. The inside is equally grand, with 221 luxury rooms styled by the Gettys Group, as well as a 15,000-square-foot rooftop lounge complete with a fire pit and panoramic views of the southern Chicago skyline.
Photo courtesy of MCA Chicago (Untitled #14, by Lari Pittman)
Garden of Eden
Featuring work from artists such as Balthus, Carol Bove, and Lari Pittman (pictured), the -Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s “Earthly -Delights” exhibit eschews minimalism in favor of sensual colors, diverse textures, and, above all, representations of passion in everything from painting and sculpture to full installations. After perusing the display, get your own creative juices flowing with a stroll on the museum’s terraced sculpture garden overlooking Lake Michigan.
Photograph by MARTHA WILLIAMS
Mediterranean Bliss
Escape to the sunny shores of Côte d’Azur by way of Lake Michigan at A10, which focuses on the cuisine of the French and Italian Rivieras—think handmade pastas, octopus panelle, and grilled quail with Treviso radicchio. The airy space, designed by FC Studio, is just as transporting, with exposed gray brick and European textile art in bright reds and oranges.
HOTELS
Hotel Indigo
The design of this Gold Coast spot was based on the golden ratio, and you’ll find the concept of “perfect proportion” throughout the property, which has a decidedly nautical vibe. Unwind with a spa treatment or a glass of wine at 1244 Bar and Bistro.
Kinzie Hotel
This contemporary River North boutique hotel, named after the Chicago settler John Kinzie, offers 215 sleek rooms designed by the Gettys Group.
Thompson Chicago
Newly renovated by the British designer Tara Bernard, this gem in the Gold Coast neighborhood features well-appointed rooms (Frette robes, rain showerheads, custom Sferra linens) as well as the restaurant Nico Osteria.
RESTAURANTS
Azzurra Enotavola
With its menu of house-made pastas and Mediterranean small plates, this recently opened Wicker Park spot by Marty Fosse—decked out with Victrola horn light fixtures under a tin ceiling—is a lovely place for a hearty Italian meal.
42 Grams
This Uptown restaurant offers a unique fine-dining concept: Customers pay for their meal in advance, then enjoy a rotating multi-course tasting menu at a communal table or chefs’ counter.
Kinmont
At this brand-new River North spot, chef Duncan Biddulph serves up sustainable seafood dishes with an eye toward ethical fishing practices.
EXHIBITS
Elana Gutmann
Gutmann studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and has work in the permanent collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. In her Perimeter Gallery exhibition, she’ll showcase her newest monoprints and oil paintings.
6/6–7/12, perimetergallery.com
Elizabeth Ernst: “Mirror Mirror”
Ernst tackles society’s idea of the abnormal in her mixed-media work, for which she sculpts figures out of clay, papier-mâché, and metal to be photographed and enhanced with acrylic paint. See her haunting images on display at the Catherine Edelman Gallery through July 3.
Simon Starling: “Metamorphology”
The British multimedia artist Simon -Starling presents his latest explorations in art history and film at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, dwelling on the science and technology behind filmmaking with 24-frame-per-second visuals.
6/7–11/2, mcachicago.org
