Top Shopping Spots in Chicago to make your Trip Memorable

hicago is one of the beautiful cities in the United States. Like any big city, Chicago has beautiful skyscrapers that rise into the open sky, such as the iconic John Hancock Center, Willis Tower, and the Neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. Besides tall buildings, the city is also popular for upscale shopping in the Magnificent Mile; Grant Park, a large urban park; Cloud Gate, a bean-shaped sculpture by Indian-born British artist Sir Anish Kapoor; and of course, Chicago’s very popular deep-dish pizza. 

When visiting a place, apart from sight-seeing and touring top tourist spots, shopping is definitely on the itinerary. And shopping in Chicago is no different. There are many shopping streets like State Street, Oak Street, Michigan Avenue in Chicago. As you go splurging from one store to another and from one street to another, utilize Luggage Storage Chicago to store your shopping bags for a couple of hours or more. Free your hands of shopping bags to make room for more. Don’t let the weight of your bags wear you down from shopping more. Make the best use of your Chicago trip to visit the best shopping streets in the city and go on a shopping rampage! 

A trip to any part of the world is incomplete if you don’t indulge in some sinful shopping. Purchasing great deals, souvenirs, and mementos is a pleasant reminder of a wonderful trip. Some of the popular souvenirs and gifts to bring back home from Chicago are Chicago Skyline Snow Globe, a Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bean Pendant, the famous Garrett’s Popcorn, a Lego Willis Tower, or pick your favorite team t-shirt from the five major sporting franchises – the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, White Sox, and Blackhawks.

Chicago’s Market

Chicago is a metropolitan city with abundant shopping opportunities for all. Although it is called a windy city with harsh winters, this does not cause a hindrance if you are out to have some fun shopping. If the weather is a bother, you can easily head to one of the magnificent shopping malls for an amazing shopping experience. Shop at Woodfield Mall, which is the largest shopping center in the city, and attracts a lot of tourists too. Shop-till-you-drop from the wide variety of stores here. Or choose to go to Water Tower Place and shop in stores like the American Girl Place or Riley Rose for accessories and cosmetics.

Don’t miss out shopping around the Magnificent Mile. It is the main shopping street in Chicago. It has many upscale shops and luxury fashion outlets. The Magnificent Mile is located on Michigan Avenue and is lined with departmental stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, shopping malls, and fancy high-end boutiques. 

If you are the kind who loves a good bargain and a deal, you should check out one of the many farmers’ markets that takes place year-round. Stroll around the markets and find the best locally grown fresh farm produce and interesting flea markets selling everything from antiques, hand-made jewelry, vintage clothing, and other souvenirs. Some of the popular farmers’ markets you can visit are Plant Chicago Farmers Market, Green City Market, Logan Square Farmers Market, Chicago French Market, Maxwell Street Market, and Randolph Street Market.

Where to Shop in Chicago?

Chicago is every shopper’s paradise when it comes to world-class fashion labels, chic fashion boutiques, department stores like Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom, high-rise malls, and shopping streets like Oak Street, Michigan Avenue, and State Street. It is a perfect shopping destination if you love to shop. You will surely be spoilt for choice. I have penned down some of the unmissable shopping spots to help navigate your shopping experience in Chicago. Look for Vertoe stores around these shopping destinations to help you with your excess bags.

1. Shopping in Chicago Downtown

When in Downtown Chicago, a popular shopping stop is Water Tower Place. It is an eight-level shopping center where you can shop for brands like American Girl Place, Riley Rose, Sephora, Macy’s, and other unique specialty shops and boutiques. It is a premier shopping destination. 

Another popular shopping spot is the Shops at North Bridge. This is a four-level shopping mall where you can shop for brands like Untuckit, shoes from luxury brand Stuart Weitzman, luxury leather goods from MCM Worldwide, and a Nordstrom flagship store.

2. Shopping in Chicago Michigan Ave

But of course, Chicago Michigan Avenue is famous for shopping on the Magnificent Mile. This cosmopolitan place is one of the best shopping spots in the world. It is lined up with high-end brands and luxury labels like Burberry, Tiffany & Co. Chanel, Cartier, and Giorgio Armani. Other brands include Overland, Pandora, Apple Store, Wolford, and many others. If you are in the mood to buy art, you can check out LIK Fine Art Gallery. When shopping on Magnificent Mile, you name it and you’ll get it. You will find department stores, multi-story retail centers, luxury boutiques, and brand-name retail chains. 

Check out Luggage Storage Union Station locations with Vertoe to put away your shopping bags for a few hours or days.  

3. Shopping in Chicago Chinatown

If you are looking for more affordable shopping, goods, and gifts, head to Chinatown for an exotic shopping experience. There are so many shops selling fun souvenirs and trinkets. You will be amazed by the wide variety of things on sale here. 

Chinatown has a small two-story outdoor mall called China Square. If you need a souvenir from China, this is the place to be. There is a broad selection of merchandise like paper lanterns, wood carvings, and dolls. You can find a nice selection of  Chinese dresses, shirts, and kimonos. There are lots of toys to buy for kids too. Chinatown is filled with shops selling everything from clothes to shoes to accessories and bags and other knick-knacks like good luck charms, junk jewelry, etc. If you are looking for shopping of an adventurous kind, head to Chinatown but be prepared to bring your best haggling skills and a lot of patience.

4. Shopping Malls in Chicago, Illinois

The construction of shopping malls has changed the way we shop nowadays. The availability of all big brand names and all other kinds of stores under a single roof has made it extremely convenient for urban shoppers. Some of the most popular shopping malls to shop in Chicago are:

Woodfield Mall – This is the largest shopping mall in Chicago and perhaps one of the biggest in the country. With nearly 300 stores you can shop for almost anything and any brand you want! 

Water Tower Place – This is an eight-level shopping center. It has about 104 stores and has a massive Lego Store. It is a go-to destination for shoppers due to the presence of a wide variety of stores like Adidas, Forever 21, Abercrombie and Fitch, Eileen Fisher, Aldo, Coach, American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, etc.

900 North Michigan Shops – This is a high-end mall with upscale stores like Gucci, Bloomingdale’s, Kate Spade of New York, and Marc Fond. The anchor store here is Bloomingdale’s. 

The Shops at North Bridge – This is a four-level shopping center with a Nordstrom flagship store. It has more than 50 world-class stores like Louis Vuitton, BOSS Hugo Boss, M.A.C Cosmetics, Armani Exchange, etc.

Click here for more information on Chicago Bag Storage. 

Tourist Attractions in Chicago

Listed below are some of the most popular tourist attractions in Chicago:

1. Grant Park 

Grant Park is a large urban park and includes Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Museum Campus. Escape the buzzing busy city and visit Grant Park. Relax in the beautiful greens of Millennium Park and admire Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains of the world. Or admire splendid works of art at the Art Institute of Chicago and visit the museums in the Museum Campus.

Leave your bags at any of the Luggage Storage Millennium Park Vertoe locations and enjoy your day out without any baggage worries.

2. Cloud Gate 

 

You will find the Cloud Gate at Millennium Park. It is a bean-shaped sculpture by an Indian-born British designer, Anish Kapoor. It is popular with tourists for a unique photo opportunity to snap in front of the bean.

3. Willis Tower 

 

Head to the Observation Deck on the Willis Tower to catch a bird’s eye view of the windy city.

4. Field Museum of Natural History 

 

The Museum has exhibits ranging from fossils to past and current cultures from around the world. Other exhibits include gems and meteorites but the most popular exhibit is the skeletal remains of a T-Rex which is popularly named “Sue.”

5. Take a boat tour on the Chicago River 

 

One of the best ways to see the city is to take an architectural boat tour of the city. Gently glide through the waters and marvel at the architectural beauty of the skyscrapers that adorn the Chicago Skyline.

Best Time to Visit Chicago 

Ideally, the best time to visit Chicago is in the Spring or the Fall. Many festivals take place during this time. Chicago experiences pleasant and warm weather conditions during the Spring. During the Fall, the city looks pretty in its colorful foliage. The weather is also cooler and pleasant making it the perfect time to go on a boat tour of the city. The temperatures are also comfortable for walking around the city.

The summer months are hot and sticky because of the humidity, although many tourists like to visit Chicago during the summers. Visitors like to take advantage of the warm weather and the many summer activities like summer music festivals and outdoor movie screenings.

Winters are the least popular time for tourists to visit Chicago as the city experiences frigid temperatures.  

Where to Stay in Chicago?

Listed below are some of the neighborhoods you can consider staying in on your visit to Chicago. If you are in town for a couple of days or are in transit and in need of luggage storage space, leave it at a Luggage Storage O’Hare Airport location.

1. The Loop – This neighborhood is good for tourists visiting Chicago for the first time. Grant Park is located around here.
2. Lincoln Park – If you are visiting Chicago with your family then this is an ideal neighborhood to stay in.
3. Streeterville – If you are on a budget trip then look for places to stay around here.
4. Magnificent Mile – Fancy staying in some posh hotels? Magnificent Mile has many posh hotels for you to choose from.
5. River North – River North is a good area to stay for people looking to enjoy the city’s nightlife. It has several famous nightclubs, lively bars, and interesting entertainment venues.

 This brings us to the end of the article. Hope you found it helpful and can use the information when you plan your trip to Chicago. Put on your most comfortable shoes and have fun shopping! Choose to store away your shopping bags with Baggage Storage Chicago and enjoy your time hands-free.