48 hours in Fulton Market, planned by our front desk
Where to eat, drink, walk and rest when you only have a weekend, from the people who answer the question forty times a day.
Friday evening: start on the roof
Drop your bags, take the elevator to 14 and order something cold. The sun sets behind the West Side around 7 pm in September, which means the Loop towers to the east catch the last light while the sky behind you turns orange. It is the single best way to understand where you are in the city.
For dinner, stay close. Randolph Street restaurant row starts four minutes from our door and runs east for about half a mile. If you did not book ahead, ask the desk. We hold a few tables at neighbors for guests on Friday and Saturday nights, and we know which bars take walk-ins for dinner at the counter.
Saturday morning: coffee, then the river
Fulton Market wakes up slowly on weekends. Grab an espresso at the Ledger in our lobby, then walk east along Lake Street under the elevated tracks. The rattle of the Green Line overhead is part of the experience, and the old warehouses along the way show how the district looked before the restaurants arrived.
Cross the river at Lake Street and follow the Riverwalk east. By the time you reach Michigan Avenue you will have passed Wolf Point, where the three branches of the river meet, and a run of towers from nearly every decade of the last century.
- Allow 45 minutes for the walk from the hotel to Michigan Avenue at an easy pace.
- Architecture boat tours leave from docks near the Michigan Avenue bridge. Morning departures are the least crowded.
- Bring a layer. It is always cooler by the water than it is on Fulton.
Saturday afternoon: one big museum
Pick one museum and give it time. The Art Institute of Chicago is a short walk from the river and holds enough to fill a week, so we suggest choosing two wings and ignoring the rest. Most guests head for the Impressionist galleries and the modern wing, then take a break in the garden restaurant.
If you would rather stay outdoors, walk south through Millennium Park, past Cloud Gate, and keep going to the lakefront. The view back toward the skyline from the edge of Grant Park is the postcard shot, and on clear days you can see Indiana across the water.
Saturday night: dinner at Foundry, then music
We are biased, but Foundry on a Saturday is a good time. Sit at the counter facing the wood fire and let the cooks talk you through the menu. The oak-grilled short rib is the dish people come back for, and the grilled peaches with sweet corn ice cream are only around until the end of the season.
After dinner, head back up to Fourteen. Most weekends there is a DJ from 9 pm, and the roof is 21 and over after that time. If you want something smaller, River North has jazz rooms that have been open since before any of us were born.
Sunday: brunch, bikes and a slow checkout
Book brunch for 10 am, because the line starts early. Afterwards, borrow two of our loaner bikes and ride northwest to the 606 trail, an elevated path on an old rail line. It runs 2.7 miles through Bucktown and Wicker Park, and you can stop for vintage shopping on Milwaukee Avenue on the way back.
Direct bookings on our Loft Weekend package include checkout at 1 pm, which means you can get back from the ride, shower and still have time for one last coffee in the lobby before you go.
