City Spotlight Series Volume 3: Chicago, Illinois
Migration Markets
At the Cynthia Froid Group, we carefully track the cities where new clients are relocating from, and cities where our clients are transferring to for new employment, or purchasing second homes, vacation or investment properties. In the business, we call these cities “Migration Markets.” In this blog post series, we will be highlighting some of the most notable Migration Markets across the country.
The Windy City
Chicago has all the offerings you'd expect from a major city: world-class museums, vibrant shopping districts and ample nightlife venues, just to name a few, and is a notable migration market where our clients are transferring to for new employment, purchasing second homes or investment properties. Check out some recommended stops for food (and don’t fret, we didn’t leave off the classic Chicago pizza suggestions) drinks, shopping, and things to do in the Windy City!
to eat:
Alinea
Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas’s three-Michelin-starred avant garde fine dining institution is quite simply one of the world’s best restaurants. Food obsessives make pilgrimages from around the globe to the 10-year-old Lincoln Park restaurant to experience Achatz’s emotional, interactive, and expensive tasting menus, which play out in a recently renovated backdrop that now features three distinct dining options. It clocked in at No. 37 on the most recent World’s 50 Best List in 2019 and was among Eater National’s best restaurants in America. Dishes change often on the tasting menus, but the edible balloon and tabletop dessert are among those that put it on the world stage.
Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen
The torchbearer for a dying breed of Jewish delis and diners in Chicago, Manny’shas endured for more than a half-century in the South Loop thanks to massive and delicious pastrami sandwiches, an array of hot homestyle dishes on steam tables, and family service cultivated over generations in a cafeteria-style setting plastered with decades-old newspaper clippings and letters from Chicago luminaries. The space also now houses a new deli expansion for bagels, sweets, coffee, and food to go.
Superdawg Drive-In
Superdawg’s founders, Maurie and Flaurie Berman, stand guard over this venerable Chicago drive-in as customers can spot those giant hot dog statues bearing their likenesses from miles away at the intersection of Devon, Nagle, and Milwaukee. Superdawg is a throwback dining experience where customers park their cars and talk to staff through crackling drive-in speakers and carhops bring out trays of food. Superdawg isn’t a traditional Chicago-style dog, but it is a tradition. It uses a proprietary thick all-beef sausage. This sausage comes with a mustard, pickled green tomato, and chopped Spanish onions. This is all cradled in a box of crinkle fries.
Pequod's Pizza
No visitor to the Windy City should leave without experiencing Chicago-style thick-crust pizza, and while Pequod’s isn’t exactly the deep dish that tourists expect, it has a local following that’s arguably greater and more respected than any traditional deep-dish spot. Pequod’s pizzas are technically of the pan variety, a deep, doughy pizza with a lauded crispy caramelized crust made by baking cheese on the outside to give it a look that may appear burnt, yet is a textural addition with crunch that sets it apart from many competitors. Its menu also offers Chicago-style thin-crust pizza at both the full-service city location in Lincoln Park and the suburban spot in Morton Grove. Delivery is also available.
Pizzeria Bebu
There isn’t a place like Pizzeria Bebu in Chicago, hidden near North and Clybourn in Lincoln Park. It’s a narrow and modern space, with ovens churning out some of the best pizzas in the city. No, it doesn’t serve Chicago deep dish or tavern-style crusts. Instead Bebu slays with gourmet thin crusts and a seasonal menu with selections like the “risk manager” (spicy Italian salami, mozzarella, Calabrian honey). The specials include “hot daisy” (vodka sauce, Calabrian chili, parmesan, mozzarella, basil). Reservations recommended on weekends.
to drink:
Mindy’s Hot Chocolate
While the savory food and the drinks are very good, the sweets and the hot chocolates are predictably not to be missed from an owner with a James Beard award for best pastry chef (Mindy Segal). Crowds flock to this Chicago icon for brunch and peak-hour dinner services, so lunch service is a great bet for minimal waits at the Bucktown superstar.
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
Famous for being Al Capone's former stomping grounds—complete with legendary subterranean pathways where the infamous mob boss used to run booze—the Green Mill endures on the North Side as perhaps the best throwback jazz scene in Chicago as well as classic cocktails and terrific people watching.
Murphy's Bleachers
The area around Wrigley Field is saturated with a head-spinning amount of sports bars and frat boy crowds, but historic Murphy's Bleachers is the pick for authenticity and a gameday experience like no other — within home run distance across the street from the ballpark. The bar, with extensive streetside space for people watching, has been in business since the 1930's under varied "Bleachers" names and has endured following a variety of renovations since the early 1980's.
Mordecai
Eater Chicago’s reigning Bar of the Year is across from Wrigley Field but is the antithesis of a typical Wrigleyville sports bar. Instead of Old Styles and Jameson, Mordecai offers terrific cocktails, outstanding creative food, a refined atmosphere, and America’s largest selection of Pappy Van Winkle. But Cubs fans shouldn’t worry — named after former Cub Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, the bar has subtle nods to baseball, and hidden TVs that will show the game.
Lost Lake
Paul McGee, without a doubt one of Chicago's most heralded cocktail stars, helms this low-key Logan Square tiki bar with some of the country's best drinks. Try the banana daiquiri (although all the drinks are standouts) and be prepared for a wait during peak hours.
to do:
Architecture River Cruise
A great way to see the city and learn some history at the same time is by doing a boat tours or river cruise. I did the architecture tour and it lasted 75 minutes. I got to see a lot of the city during this tour as well as learn about major events that have shaped the city and the different styles and types of architecture that make Chicago what it is today. It is one of the best Things To Do in Chicago.
Magnificent Mile
A great and free thing to do in Chicago – take a walk down magnificent mile (aka Michigan Avenue). It’s one of the best know areas of downtown Chicago. Michigan Ave/Magnificent Mile mile is 13 blocks that stretches from the Chicago River to Oak Street and is lined with shops, restaurants, and beautiful buildings. Wandering the Magnificent Mile is one of the best things to do in Chicago on a weekend.
Navy Pier
Another great place for a walk in Chicago is Navy Pier. In the summer months it’s buzzing with people and energy. Also, during the summer there are fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday evening. The pier was built 100 years ago in 1916 and is now one of the city’s most popular tourist’s sites.
Art Institute of Chicago
There are many museums in the city, but only one that’s been rated by TripAdvisor as the Best Museum in the World. The AIC is the perfect way to enjoy the indoors on a rainy or chilly day. You could easily spend all day here and still not see everything, so if you’re on a time crunch decide which exhibitions interest you the most so that you make the most efficient use of your time. You could even grab a Fast Pass to skip the lines.
PREFERRED AGENT IN CHICAGO, IL
Looking for a great real estate agent in Chicago? Alex Wolking is a friend and valued referral partner of the Cynthia Froid Group, and he is also a certified luxury home specialist. We always enjoy meeting up with Alex at our national Keller Williams conferences to network and share what's happening in our respective cities. If you're transferring to Chicago or looking for an investment property, you must contact Alex for the inside scoop on all things "Chicago"!
ALEX WOLKING | CLHMS, CNE
The Chicago real estate market is hot in 2020!
“In 2019, we saw more supply and less demand. Coupled with declining interest rates, this has created a market where buyers are not as pinched by multiple offer situations, especially in the $750k+ market. The increase in inventory is due to more than 50 new high rises being built in the city's center-most neighborhoods, which also means buyers will find some of the best deals the city has to offer in some of the older condos!” - Alex