CHICAGO
What makes Chicago great?
We think it's all about the girls!
Whether it's a right-this-moment restaurant with a
female chef, a hot boutique where the clothes were designed by and for girls, or a great women-only sports team (we're partial to the Chicago Sky), we've found a few unexpected things to see and places to go for girls and their favorite grownups.
Not so plain Jane: Jane Addams founded the social settlement Hull-House on Chicago's Near West Side in 1889, building her reputation as the country's most prominent woman through her writing, settlement work, and efforts for peace. Jane's story, and the museum that honors her, reminds us that a woman with a big idea (and heart) really can change the world. Bonus: the Hull-House Museum lecture series brings some of the country's most amazing women to Chicago (most recently, Marian Wright Edelman). Sign up for the museum mailing list so you don't
miss a thing!
Jane Addams Hull House
Let's hear it for the girls: Chicago's own WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) team, The Chicago Sky, is home to some of the country's best professional female basketball players. Le Bron James is so last decade -- check out Quianna Chaney, Armintie Price and Chastity Melvin instead!
Chicago Sky
T shirts made fresh daily: Designer (and uber-hipster) Ninel Pompushko's Bucktown T-Shirt Deli allows you to custom create your own way-cool, only-you t-shirts. Stop into the "deli" to check out the daily t-shirt special. Bonus: you can bring your pooch! Ninel, one of the coolest girls we know, is really into dogs and always welcomes them in her boutique.
T Shirt Deli
Frankly, we love Frankie’s! A tween and teen-oriented concept store (started by one of our very own Girl360 advisory board members!), Frankie’s on the Park offers 3,000 square feet of great gear -- and a graffiti bar! -- for girls and boys, ages 8-18. School’s out, fun's in, and at Frankie’s, all is groovy.
Frankie's on the Park
Make it (and don't break it): When it's time to summon our inner artist we head to Katie's Usedom's Glazed Expressions, Chicago's favorite paint-it-yourself pottery studio. With stamps, stencils and over 50 paint colors you can paint and create your own masterpiece. Prefer warm and fuzzy? You can make your own stuffed animals, too.
Glazed Expressions
We're changing. Are you? Bette Cerf Hill Gallery is a favorite weekend stop for us. Bette -- the world's best girlfriend -- shows work from and about women who are bold, beautiful and not afraid to break the rules. What to see now: Check out the "Festival of Changing Women," an exhibition that explores feminine beauty, wisdom, truth and what it means to get older. Yes. Change is good.
Bette Cerf Hill Gallery
Hot, Hot, Hot!: Meet our new favorite restaurant. Hot Chocolate Chef and Owner Mindy Segal has created a sweet and savory menu that is to die for. In a city with lots of male superstar chefs, Mindy says that getting noticed in the culinary world has nothing to do with being male or female: "If you're good at what you do, it doesn't matter—the proof is in the pudding." To that we say ...mmmmmm.
Hot Chocolate
Book it: Our favorite Chicago bookstore, Women and Children First, features an awesome collection of girl-friendly books, including our personal favs: the Anne of Green Gables series, Harry Potter and the right-this-moment Twilight Sagas. Bonus: Join their "Buffy" discussion group, where tween and teen girls weigh in on their favorite vampire books.
Women and Children First
Take a trip back in time: Who hasn't wondered what it was like to be a girl a hundred fifty years ago? We found out at the Clarke House Museum, Chicago's oldest home. Tours of this 1836 Greek Revival-style house reveal what life was like for a family (with daughters) during Chicago’s formative years before the Civil War.
Clarke House
Wow, that science experiment smells really good: At Aroma Workshop, in Chicago's Lincoln Park area, groups of 6 to 12 girls can create their very own Signature Scents, learning how to blend essential oils and fragrances to make a body spray or perfume that is essentially you.
Aroma Workshop
Next month: San Francisco!
Tell us what's great and girl friendly in your city. If we use your suggestion in a future issue of Girl360, you'll get a free Girl360 greeting card set. We can't wait to hear from you! Email us at: trips@girl360.net
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