Drake Hotel Lobby Gets Frosted

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Margaret
For us, going to the Drake in Chicago was coming home for the holidays…

With the the kitchen as their workshop, spatulas and mixers their tools, Drake Hotel chefs and students from the French Pastry Sch0ol worked tirelessly this season to create a holiday display that makes our visitors drool. So what to your wondering eyes should appear when you enter into the magical atmosphere? A gingerbread village scene, an edible winter wondrous holiday dream.

During the Magnificent Mile’s Festival of Lights Drake staff revealed the stately gingerbread village where toy locomotives circle through tunnels and bridges of chocolate, marzipan and wondrous sweets. Stained glass windows made of sugar, ice-cream cone snowcapped pillars, and old fashioned Necco® candy roof tiles are among the edible details four building snowed-in village.

Executive Chef Baasim Zafar remarks that it’s “one of the most detailed gingerbread villages I’ve ever seen. Our team and the students from the French Pastry School did a spectacular job.” Textured exterior walls, frosting evergreen trees throughout and crystal glossed sugar snow are just some of the details that Pastry Chef Christina Schubert was adamant about including to make this a truly, one of a kind, gingerbread village.

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Reviews Reveal the Real Chicago

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Margaret

One of the most intriguing aspects of my job is reading the reviews from our visitors from today and of years past. With the extreme abundance of review sites out there it can often times be a daunting ask to analyze the feedback received on a daily basis re: our service, our amenities, our restaurants, and ultimately, us as a whole. However, through reading those reviews, we as an establishment are able to determine what we need to improve upon, keep consistent, and/or furthermore commend our team for. The incredibly rewarding feeling of being able to relay a top notch review or comment to our teams in hotel operations, concierge, front desk, or in our restaurants here at the hotel, is indescribable.

But the real thanks goes out to those who are willing to share their thoughts with us- good or bad, because everything we hear motivates us to be better. Review sites are often seen as that pesky poke in your side that’ll never cease to exist, or in good cases, amaze. However, good or bad, they’re a crucial element to self-improvement, and of course recognition.  They’ve been around forever and in their evolution I’ve been able to see The Drake’s evolution as a hotel, home, and destination. Through our renovations, our team member introductions, events, or our minor & major tweaks to menus and cuisine– the Drake has still remained home for so very many and we thank those who keep coming back and who tell their stories to others on these sites, through emails, and through general banter with our team at concierge and the front desk. I’d like to share some reviews that inspired this post. Let us know what you think, always, on Tripadvisor, Yelp, Opentable, Zagat, etc. etc.

Who said “You can never go home again”?. For me, dining at Cape Cod will forever be like coming home again and again. It was there I had my first raw oyster when I was nine and found a shiny black pearl inside. The Cape Cod Room hosted my sweet sixteenth birthday, numerous wedding anniversaries and last Saturday, I dined with my guests after my daughter’s wedding. For every one of life’s milestones, the Cape Cod Room has always welcomed me home. – Open Table

The hotel itself is beyond words. Just the experience of having that much history around you and the level of professional service at your fingertips is incomprehensible.
The rooms have everything you would expect. The Lakeview is breathtaking. The bar and restaurant is superb. The bar has REAL professional bar tenders, not drink slingers. The restaurant’s fair of steak and seafood was perfect, the staff, perfect and the food perfect. Decorated beyond words with finely appointed pieces throughout the hotel becomes an afterthought after a while. It’s everywhere you look, walk, see and touch. But you want to do one thing that you know not many people have done. Go downstairs to their restaurant, grab a drink at their small quaint bar and run your fingers over where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe carved their initials in the old wood bar.
To sum it up briefly, The Drake makes you feel like your somebody without even trying. Hats off to them. – TRIPADVISOR

The Cape Cod was amazing. The staff was super friendly and professional. The food is to die for!! The king crab legs are the best (and they already slice the shell for you!). This is a perfect atmosphere for a dinner date, business dinner, or just wanting to have a great dinner. My next visit to Chicago would include a stop at the Cape Cod!! OPENTABLE

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Falling into Tradition

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Margaret

Pumpkin spice lattes are back, candy bowls are filled, and Christmas commercials have begun to air. It’s that time of year again! 

As a prelude to what will be our Holiday Bucketlist, we’d like to introduce our Fall Bucketlist, as Chicago is now amidst the heart of its Autumn season.  With a bit of chill in the air, and not enough to get frostbite quite just yet, the weather is perfect for apple picking, pumpkin carving, trick or treating and many more enjoyable fall activities.  The hard part is getting out and actually doing all the festive outings, but with a Bucketlist like the one below you can check them off as you go!  So grab your main squeeze, your best friend, or your sister and start checking off your own fall Bucketlist!

Apple picking:

Take a break from the hustle and the bustle of the windy city and head just one hour south and you will discover County Line Orchard.  Not only can you pick apples at this orchard, you can enjoy live music, sip on hot apple cider and snag a freshly made doughnut from their bakery.

http://www.countylineorchard.com/default.asp

Pumpkin Carving:

Pumpkin Carving can get messy, and well, lets be honest, a little slimy, but the pride in seeing the pumpkin you’ve carved lighting up your stoop or window is like none other! Use the links below as resources for your next pumpkin carving crusade. 

http://www.pumpkincarving.org/

http://www.pumpkinfarm.com/

Picnic in the Park:

Stop by the local grocer and grab a bottle of wine, freshly baked bread, cheese, and some fall fruits and veggies and head over to Chicago’s “Front Yard”, otherwise known as Grant Park for a picnic.  Get together with friends, take a break from the workday with co-workers, or have a date night at a park nearby and enjoy the fall trees, colors, and weather!

http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/root.home/intHomeLink/1/home.cfm

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The Real Chicago Treat….

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Margaret

Some may not get the reference to the Rice Aroni jingle in today’s Real Chicago blog title… however if you’re keen to old jingles from the mid-90s– you know this tune is referencing a “San Francisco Treat…” But, let this be known…..you don’t have to be in San Francisco to experience this Chicago treat. While it may have originated in that famed West Coast inclined town, we here in Chicago made it more than transportation— we made it an itinerary item for your next vacation….. Elizabeth brings us her Real Chicago experience not to be missed in this week’s Real Chicago Blog:

Ever wonder how “the windy city” received its name Chicago, or how the street with the infamous “Magnificent Mile” received the name of Michigan Avenue?  Well, you can find these answers out and many more fun facts, while cruising around the beautiful city some of us are lucky to call home, Chicago.  The Hop on Hop Off Chicago Trolley Tours takes you around 13 miles of the historical, and architectural streets of the city of Chicago.  Sit back, relax, sip on a locally Chicago brewed 312, and let these old-fashioned San Francisco style trolleys show and teach you things even Chicago natives never knew!

The experience I had on the trolley ride was with 12 of my fondest co-workers, playing hooky, eh hem …I mean “training” one lovely Wednesday afternoon.  We started the tour at the tip top of the Mangificent Mile, and made our way South down Lakeshore Drive taking in the views of the lake and Navy Pier on a beautiful fall afternoon, then took a turn West bound and drove down Michigan Avenue, then making our way South to The Financial District, and topped off the tour with amazing city/water views from Solidarity Road, while receiving a crash course on the history of Chicago.  On the tour, while enjoying the views of amazing architecture, public art, hotels, restaurants, Willis Tower, and more we learned many educational facts about Chicago from a quite entertaining retired teacher as our guide.  Here are a few of the fun tid bits we learned on the tour….Now I won’t give them all away, because you will need to learn for yourself on a trolley tour adventure!

Chicago Fun Facts:

  • Chicago Tribune Building, a Chicago Landmark, has labeled stones from landmark buildings from all 50 states and all over the world, to include The Great Wall of China, the White House, as well as The original Twin Towers.
  • Merchandise Mart- in 1929 was considered so large it had its very own zip code.
  • Good Ol’ Mcy D’s, “McDonalds”, started in Des Plaines, IL.
  • Michigan Avenue- The streets between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan are manmade; the street got its name Michigan Avenue because that is originally where the shore of Lake Michigan came to.
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Vince Vaughn’s “Breakup” Business- Not a Myth

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Margaret
[Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise, Chicago, August 19, 2009 /Image & Artwork: designslinger] [Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise, Chicago, August 19, 2009 /Image & Artwork: designslinger

Why this Real Chicago experience has not come up until now is absurd. Absolutely absurd. Architecture is an integral part of this city; an integral part of its history, its development, its beauty. And when you see it all from the breezy bright white seat of a boat that cruises along the Chicago River and out beyond the shores of Lake Michigan, there’s no doubt this city’s skyline will leave more than an impression– it’ll leave you with an education- a Real Chicago experience not to be missed.  Today’s Real Chicago recap is provided by the voice of one of our team members, a resident of Chicago and Michigan native, Haley:

One of my favorite “Real Chicago” experiences is the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour. Whenever I have friends, family or clients in town I often recommend this tour. But it isn’t only for tourists. As a new resident of Chicago, there is still so much I want to learn about this great city- and the Architecture tour was a great place to start. The tour starts on the river right near the Wrigley Building, first you go west where you get the history behind Chicago’s studded skyline. The tour guides explain the history of the Merchandise Mart, the Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, Lyric Opera, 333 W. Wacker, Marina City and my personal favorite, the United building. Over 50 buildings are featured on the tour. The boat then turns around and takes you down the river into Lake Michigan. From here you can see Chicago’s great skyline together in all of its glory. You also get a fun story about the lighthouse located off of Oak Street Beach- Residents lived in the lighthouse in exchange for caring for the premises and a nominal fee of $10 dollars a month (I think I can’t remember exactly how much) until the 1960’s. It was then that after a wild night of partying out on the pier that caused some complaints from residents on shore. Unfortunately after that, the privilege was revoked, and there are no longer tenants of the lighthouse. Crazy Hippies! There are tons of great things to do in Chicago, and this is one of my favorites. So put on your fall jackets and spend one of our last sunny days learning a little bit more about the city you love.

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Real Chicago, Real People – “Coming home for the holidays”

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Margaret

With the implementation of this blog only a few months ago, it was a passion of ours to be a go-to-guide to all things Real Chicago- from the perspective of those who live Real Chicago each and every day. In its evolution over these past few months we have realized that, just as important to us as the “Real Chicago” experience of  the”Real Chicagoian” is, in fact, the memories made by visitors from around the country and our surrounding neighborhoods– memories made when they visit this city and experience its magic.

The memories experienced by Real People in Chicago = Real Chicago… and we want to hear these stories. We want to share these stories!!

These stories are what epitomize the concept of Real Chicago— and with that idea in mind we’ve created, via this blog, a Real Chicago, Real People series. Of course we will continue to include the “insider’s scoop” per concierge recommendations, resident references, and staff picks- but we’d like to expand upon the quandary- “What does Real Chicago mean to you?”

We start off with a recent email submitted to The Drake Hotel for inclusion in the Real Chicago Blog. This email encompasses the essence of all the things we want our visitors to feel when they come to Chicago, not just The Drake Hotel.  

Although it’s hard to fathom that summer has unofficially ended with the conclusion of Labor Day weekend, it’s even harder to contemplate the approach of the upcoming season. Some may think winter=snow, ice, cold….

We here at The Drake think Holidays— the cheer of the holidays— the cheer of family and friends, and the warmth one feels when they see a familiar face in an

oh so familiar place.

September 4, 2011

 
My real Chicago Experience is traveling to The Drake in December to celebrate the holiday season.  Taking a four hour train ride in to embrace the Big City, the Windy City, with beautiful holiday storefronts and tree lined streets decorated with white lights.  Shopping on Michigan Avenue, hoping to find that perfect gift.
 
In recent years, we walked arm in arm to stave off the gusts of wind and stay upright in slush filled streets.  We found special moments purchasing gifts we hoped would bring joy to others.  When age dictated we were no longer able to wander the streets of Chicago, we shopped in the gift store on the lower level of The Drake.  A store filled with all kinds of treasures.  Who needed to fight the snow, cold and crowds, when we could marvel at items there for hours?  One year we purchased a Mark Roberts “Peppermint Elf”.  Every holiday season our elf decorated the kitchen, keeping watch over our confections.  That year we were sure we had found the treasure from the trip, and indeed I thought we had, until I took my mother’s picture in front of old St. Nick and his reindeer located just off the lobby.  What a lovely picture!  It became her photo Christmas card, sent so all could see our fun filled journey.
 
Years of memories - the Dickens Carolers, the beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby with presents nestled below, the train set running for hours.  How we enjoyed sitting in the lobby watching the guests come and go.  I wonder how many other mothers and daughters have made this trip, able to create wonderful memories while staying at The Drake?
 
For us, going to the Drake in Chicago was coming home for the holidays…
Sadly, in July, my mother passed at the age of 88.  This year I hope to start a new tradition and celebrate the holiday season with my brother’s family at the Drake.  I look forward to sharing with my niece and nephew the fun that exists there; shopping, taking afternoon tea, seeing the beautiful holiday decorations, attending the Nutcracker ballet and enjoying a special evening at the Drake.  I will miss my Mom, but I know she will be there with us in spirit and in every story I tell them.
 
~Julie, Illinois

 

Thank you, Julie, for your contribution and taking our visitors on a warm and inviting walk through your Real Chicago memory. We hope this post inspires more people to submit their Real Chicago experience for inclusion in our Real Chicago ~ Real People Blog series- for every moment in this city is someone’s Real Chicago memory. Share yours.

To submit your memory for inclusion in the Real Chicago, Real People blog series, please email us your story. Your memory will be included in the blog that same week and your name will be entered into a drawing for a one night stay at The Drake Hotel. *Drawing to occur once The Drake receives 100 entries.

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Museum of Science and Industry

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Margaret

Whoever said “learning isn’t fun” surely hasn’t been to the Museum of Science and Industry. Mixing learning with hands-on, blood rushing exhibits, there is something for everyone!

Credit: Wikipedia

In 1893, the building was constructed as the Palace of Fine Arts for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Afterwards it was converted into the Field Museum until 1920 when a new building opened and the museum moved. 

Since the building was only built as a temporary structure for the World’s Fair, it began to

deteriorate until Julius Rosenwald, the president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, stepped in to save the building. It was 1926 when he contributed more than $5 million to the project which included recasting the building in limestone. 

The museum officially opened in 1933 as the Museum of Science and Industry. The museum has more than 800 exhibits and encompasses more than 300,000 square feet.  A few popular exhibits include a reconstruction of a 1933 coal mine, a U-505 Submarine and BODY WORLDS & The Cycle of Life.  

Julius Rosenwald once said his vision for the Museum of Science and Industry was to create an interactive museum where learning was possible. Nearly 80 years later, his vision is still the main focus at the museum. 

Credit: Wikipedia

Today the museum houses some of the most exciting and mind boggling exhibitions ranging from a display that allows you to witness, in real-time, a chick breaking through the hard shell of the egg that has housed it for 22 days, to an exhibit  displaying the actual formation of a vortex.

 If the word vortex has you in a tailspin then it is, without a doubt, essential you take the half hour ride of your life and strap in for the Museum’s OmniMax Theater’s “Tornado Alley.”  This informational, yet, highly entertaining film relays to its viewers what it’s like to be a tornado chaser in one of the United State’s most dangerous weather territories. Throughout the movie you’ll feel as though you’re in the passenger seat of a van traveling 90 miles down abandoned roads in pursuit of one of nature’s most fascinating phenomenons. With a 180 degree span of screen, and speakers that pulsate sound at a greater intensity than that of a Jet engine, you better hold on, because it’s going to be a wild ride.

The best way to get to the Museum of Science and Industry is to take public transportation. From the Drake you can walk to Michigan & Pearson and hop on the 10 bus towards Museum of Sciene and Industry. Once you get off, just walk towards S. Lake Shore Drive.

For more information regarding the Museum of Science and Industry, visit their website at http://www.msichicago.org/

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Lollapalooza

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Margaret

The massive summer music festival that is Lollapalooza has rocked Chicago once again.

Starting August 5th, over 240,000 people attended the three-day festival that sprawls out over Grant Park. With 130 acts on eight stages, Lollapalooza’s footprint keeps growing and reaching record breaking attendances.

It was a sold out festival to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza and what a celebration it was.

In 1991, Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Farrell conjured up the idea of Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for his band. It was to be a traveling music festival throughout the United States and Canada. The first year, it was received well by concert attendees but over the years people became less interested. In 2003, Perry Farrell reunited with Jane’s Addiction to revive Lollapalooza and bring it to 30 cities. However it wasn’t met with great success and in 2004 the music festival had to be cancelled due to lack of sales. But that didn’t stop Farrell from making Lollapalooza an extremely successful musical festival and in 2005 it was brought back to life as a two-day festival in Grant Park.

From 2005 till now, Lollapalooza has been received with much praise. Attendance keeps growing and so does the need for more musical acts and stages.

For the 20th celebration, huge musical acts descended upon Grant Park including Coldplay, Eminem, Girl Talk, Ce Lo Green and the Foo Fighters to name a few. Other acts included Muse, Kid Cudi, Sam Adams and Arctic Monkeys.

If you attended Lollapalooza than you know that almost nothing can beat this music festival. Being in the heart of the city with mouth-watering food and the cool breezes of Lake Michigan and shade of Grant Park, is what makes Lollapalooza a three-day music festival you won’t forget.

Be sure to read our blog for other great Real Chicago ideas from the Drake Hotel.

Ready to come? Book your hotel room in Chicago at the Drake Hotel.

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Real Chicago Air & Water Show

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Margaret

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…. It’s right outside our windows this weekend!

The Chicago Air & Water Show has quickly become the one of the oldest and largest free admission air and water exhibit in the United States. Over 2 million people will be blown away by the show this weekend and will most definitely inspire the Red Baron in all of us.

Commencing in 1959 as the “Lakeshore Park Air and Water Show”, the event has surely grown into a mind-blowing weekend. For 53 years, these daredevils have performed at North Avenue Beach and along the lakefront for millions upon millions of spectators- astounded always by the sights and sounds of air and watercraft.

Headlining this year will be the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Navy Parachute Team Leap Frogs and my personal favorite, the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights. These Golden Knights bravely jump out of a plane 12,500 feet above the ground and race to North Avenue Beach at speeds of 120 miles per hour!

Whether you prefer witnessing pilots maneuver small planes in tight circles, hearing the load roar of a B57, or simply enjoying the fresh air along Chicago’s scenic lakefront, this annual event is by far a Real Chicago occasion. Be sure to get to the beach early and save yourself a spot because it will get very crowded.

Be sure to read our blog for other great Real Chicago ideas from the Drake Hotel.

Ready to come? Book your hotel room in Chicago at the Drake Hotel.

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Real Chicago Director

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Margaret

What do Sixteen Candles, Home Alone, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles have in common?

Besides being four of the most iconic and widely known movies, they were all directed by the legendary John Hughes.

John Hughes

John Hughes and his family moved from Detroit to Chicago when he was 13 years old and from then on, his love of Chicago blossomed.

During the early 80s, while working as a script doctor and rewriter, he realized he could write better movies than the ones he was working on. After that, the rest was history.

Sixteen Candles was his directorial debut and instantaneously won praise. The string of movies that followed were just as successful and throughout time have remained classics.

Hughes made it a point to shoot most of his movies in Chicago because of his love for this great city. He has been quoted as saying, “Chicago is what I am”. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off really showcased just how much Chicago meant to him. The film was his love letter to the city and included famous landmarks like Wrigley Field and the Sears Tower. Hughes said, “I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but in the spirit”. John Hughes passed away in August of 2009 but his films have not been forgotten.

Tonight the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center is hosting their Free Movie Tuesdays and will be showing John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles. The movie will be shown in the Peter Pan tent and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The theater opens at 6:30 pm and the movie starts at 7 pm. However the best part is that it’s absolutely free!

Tonight is the perfect time to enjoy the last few weeks of summer we have left. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

777 W Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60654

Be sure to read our blog for other great Real Chicago ideas from the Drake Hotel.

Ready to come? Book your hotel room in Chicago at the Drake Hotel.

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