I was followed around today by an associate who was very aggressive even when I told her I was…read morefine. She kept trying to take my clothes or get me in a fitting room and asking me numerous questions. Even in the fitting room she came in at one point when I have half dressed and overall I couldn't feel at peace while I was shopping. It was utterly annoying experience and I was the only one being harrassed, as when I heard other customers asking who helped them, all of them said no one, yet I had the displeasure of having someone following me into every freaking aisle. If you're going to think I'm stealing or whatever, please do so quietly!

Clean and pretty with many stores including the AMC with reclining seats and a bouldering gym. Food…read morecourt and many stores from clothing to jewelry and gadgets and Verse an Immersive experience. Elevators and escalators. Nice with AC in summer.

Great addition to the Streeterville neighborhood. We enjoy this side of the river because it's not…read morepacked with tourists so it's more laid back and usually you see neighbors out and about walking their dog. Nicely manicured and plants are a nice touch to the side of the canal.

Such a beautiful, clean and peaceful neighborhood. I love going to Starbucks inside Target and…read moreenjoy the views from the second floor down to the canal. Less touristy and more residential neighbors.

This is my favorite place to chillax during the work day…read more It's the best during the summer b/c you can sit outside by the fountain, steps or mosaic wall. Read a mag, space out, people watch, yap on the phone, sleep : ) During colder days I will hang in the main floor lobby. They have leather armchairs that are great to slip into a 20 minute cat nap. There's also a Starbucks with very friendly baristas. Plus, there's the cafeteria in the basement that has plenty of seating. And if you need an ATM, you're in luck b/c they're all over the place!

This is a great to take a break during the work day. Check out the cafeteria downstairs...so many…read morechoices for food! Seating is great in the summer, you can sit inside or out along the plaza.

The major retailers is Nordstrom…read more It offers charging stations, which is convenient. 4th floor food court has lao sez chuan restaurant.

The Shops at North Bridge is basically a nice shopping mall. Like all shopping malls, they have a…read morevariety of stores to buy all of those typical things that you want or that you need. This mall also offers a food court where you can get all of that, expected, style of mall food. This is a multi-level mall. The various floors are accessible via escalator. The overall space and feeling of this mall is that it is very clear and well maintained. Nothing spectacular, just a nice place to go and shop or eat.

Basically this is like Chicago's plaza, which is best known for the Flamingo sculpture by Alexander…read moreCalder. Federal Plaza is next to some important buildings for government. It gets its name because it's next to the Kluczynski Federal Building, which deals with immigration and other things. A lot to see around here. There's also the Old Post Office. It basically is kind of like a town square but instead of grass there's a lot of concrete and granite. Of course it's not completely barren of plant life as there's a few shrubs and trees. There's a few important buildings that you may need to go to if you need documents or whatever. One is the Old Post Office. Though it no longer is a working post office, this is a historically significant place and is now used for office and retail. In the Federal Building is where you deal with customs and immigration. This is where to get passports. Also there's events and festivals. It has a farmers market that goes from spring to fall that features handmade crafts and locally grown produce. The Flamingo statue is the part that gets all the attention but the plaza itself has lots to see too.

Less is more! This is sort of the town square for Chicago,…read moreI guess. It's in the International Style, designed by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe so that it's all black glass and steel, rectangles and straight lines, without a bunch of decorations or anything. Then in the center, you have the Alexander Calder statue, Flamingo, which is a bright pop of color in the center. It makes for a great place to sit and people watch and hang out in the shade on some of the public seating. It's kind of austere, and unwelcoming. It looks like it could be the center of Darth Vader's central offices for the bureaucratic side of running the Empire. There's three buildings that make up the Plaza- The Post Office which is a low flat building that matches all the others here. John C. Kluczynski Building that's known as the building where 'People go in, but don't come out' since it has Immigration and Customs Enforcement in here. Be weary if you need to go here to ask questions or 'get a document' or something. I don't know what happens at the third building, Everett McKinley Dirksen Building. The buildings all have the same motif- they have this rigid system of lines all running parallel or at even angles. You can find all kinds of spots where everything just aligns perfectly and makes a really cool scene with the black buildings and the Flamingo- it's absolutely worth checking out.

Located inside the OTC, MetraMarket is a small and old food hall with a handful of options,…read moreoutlets, tables, and restrooms. If you are in a pinch, it's a great spot for food and drinks.

What a cute place. Lots of good eats from American to sushi to dessert to juices. They also have a…read morecouple of markets where you can get some fresh fruits. This is location is also connect to outside eatery. The train is also connected and you can enter thru Oliva bar and restaurant. Parking is street but not sure if they have a private lot.

So much to do and see! It's a smaller area, but don't let that fool you. There are tons of food…read morespots, a variety of shops for souvenirs or unique finds, and fun pop-in stores with activities and more. As we waited for our table at Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings, we decided to walk around outside and by chance we literally stumbled upon an old-school car show. So..naturally, we joined the crowd and suddenly found ourselves weaving between classic exotic cars in the middle of Chinatown. See pictures for an old chevy with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the backseat. Yup, you read that right. A lot of parking around the area and super easy to get to by train if needed.

Quicktake: Chinatown…read more There's supposed to be an old and new Chinatown. I wouldn't be able to tell you which one was which. Great to experience walking through both Chinatowns. Lots of desserts, tea shops, eateries, souvenir shops. Very busy and festive. It is kinda grimy and smelly.

There's so many things to say about this building that I don't know where to begin....Let's start…read morewith it's name... 350 West Mart Center was the official name of this building although it was commonly referred to as the Apparel Center or the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. (No I'm not going to give you a history lesson! Lol) As of late, the building was acquired by Shorenstein Properties in 2012 and officially renamed River North Point in 2013. Now that we've established that the name is River North Point, on to what's inside.... The notables --- on the 15th floor you will find the lobby for the Holiday Inn (with nice views btw) and a restaurant, skipping down some...on the 10th floor you'll find the Chicago Sun-Times, then the 2nd floor you'll find what others describe as a "glass enclosed bridge/skywalk" but I call a pedway that connects this building to the Merchandise Mart (awesome!), and lastly the 1st floor where you'll find the Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, a convenient store (C&A News), and an informational desk in the lobby. All the other floors are filled with various office spaces that are leased by different companies. This building is located right off the river and easily accessed by the Merchandise Mart Brown/Purple Line. How do I know all of this??? Well I work in this building, duh!

As an up-and-coming hub for regional, national, and international fashion, Chicago has come a long…read moreway from its status as a redheaded stepchild to NYC and LA. The Apparel Center offers a convenient go-to for Chicago-area boutiques and wholesalers to meet without the hassle of business travel, and has quite literally changed the way I purchase clothing for my shop. Rather than schlep hither and yon for wholesale shows in Dallas or Attanta or New York, I can head downtown, put in some orders, and head back to work in the space of an hour. Efficient in layout and clustered on one floor, the showrooms range from spotlessly minimal ro chaotically cluttered, but that's part of the charm. The showrooms at the Apparel Center are staffed by helpful and honest people, and I can often see them within a day or two's notice. The Apparel Center also works in tandem with the Merchandise Mart for Stylemax, the quarterly wholesale show, so I can also see clothing representatives on a regular basis and have local go-to people for emergency orders and the like. I am immensely grateful that this resource exists for people like me and would love to see it grow into an even more vibrant locale for Chicago's burgeoning fashion scene. Until then, I wil continue to thank my lucky stars I can easily do this type of pivotal buying right downtown!