Shopping downtown Chicago style

A visit to Chicago wouldn't be complete without some shopping time. Shopping in Chicago began on State Street (that great street!) with the opening of the original Marshall Field’s Department store in 1852. Today, the former Field’s flagship store is known as Macy's on State Street and shoppers still find an outstanding selection of men’s and women’s apparel, an extensive house wares department, several fine restaurants, a food court and a visitor center.

Your shopping experience must include a stroll along the fabled “Magnificent Mile”. This strip runs along Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to the Chicago River. Amidst department store giants such as Marshall Field’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s, are hundreds of specialty shops and boutiques offering goods from around the world. Oak Street, just west of Michigan Avenue, is a boutique shopper’s dream.

An abundance of shopping can also be found at The Shops at North Bridge, Water Tower Place, the 900 North Michigan Avenue Shops, Chicago Place Shopping Center, Navy Pier and “The Shops at the Mart” located at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.

I've always wanted to return to the "Magnificent Mile" during the December holiday period to view the holiday decorations. I imagine that the displays will be stunning.

On this visit my window shopping excursion worked up an appetite. There are plenty of national chain restaurants and famous local eateries but I’ll save Chicago style dining for a separate post.