Hotel at a Glance: Best Western Plus Hawthorne Terrace

Lake Michigan’s picturesque shore is just steps from the Best Western Plus Hawthorne Terrace, a boutique hotel nestled in the Lakeview and Boystown neighborhoods. After a day out in the city, you’ll come back to a comfy, contemporary room, where you can brew a fresh cup of coffee from the Keurig machine. If you pick a suite, prepare to stretch out: they are more like apartments than hotel rooms, and you can cook dinner at the kitchenette or kick your feet up in the sitting area.

• Fuel up for fun-filled days with the complimentary continental breakfast spread, which features pastries, cereal, and fruit.
• Enjoy a detox session in the sauna, located in the hotel’s fitness center.
• Grab dinner: Lakeview is home to a vibrant dining scene. Barbecue, Vietnamese, and Mexican restaurants are all on the same block as the hotel.
• Go shopping at the many funky boutiques lining Clark Street and Southport Avenue.
• Recent accolades: CBS Chicago picked it as one of the city’s “Best Hotels with Free Breakfast,” and the hotel won a 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Chicago’s Lakeview: Upscale, Trendy Neighborhood Along Lake Michigan

Lakeview is situated about 5 miles north of the Loop. It’s a bustling neighborhood along Lake Michigan, bisected by major thoroughfares such as Clark and Broadway, which are lined with shops, restaurants, and galleries. It’s worth it to swing by nearby Wrigley Field even when the Cubs aren’t playing to take a historic tour of the ballpark, the second-oldest in the Majors. You’ll see the ivy-covered walls in the outfield, take a seat in the dugout, and survey the Friendly Confines from the press box.

Just around the corner, the Chicago History Museum houses thousands of artifacts, manuscripts, and photographs that detail the city’s colorful history. Check out the rotating lineup of exhibits such as Lincoln’s Chicago, which profiles the 16th president’s frequent visits to the Windy City, and Vivian Maier’s Chicago, a gallery by a nanny-turned-photographer that portrays life in Chicago in the ’60s and ’70s.

You can stretch your legs at the nearby Lincoln Park, which sprawls across 1,200 acres adjacent to Lake Michigan. Here, joggers and bicyclists use the paved pathway that runs parallel to the shoreline. Another must-see attraction: the Lincoln Park Zoo, which dates back to the 1870s, when park commissioners bought their first animal inhabitant—a bear cub—for $10. Today, the zoo—open daily and free to the public—houses more than 1,200 animals, including gorillas, bears, giraffes, tortoises, and pythons. Just outside the zoo’s entrance, the Lincoln Park Conservatory showcases exotic, tropical plants year-round.

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