Hotel at a Glance: dana hotel and spa

Landmark skyscrapers and high-end shops line Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, a stretch of Michigan Avenue just north of the Chicago River. The city’s iconic street is home to some 460 shops, including Armani, Chanel, Apple, American Girl, and Gap. Just three blocks from the Magnificent Mile, dana hotel and spa sits amidst the fine dining restaurants of the River North neighborhood. The 4-star boutique hotel has received accolades from Conde Nast Traveler (named one a reader’s choice top 200 U.S. hotel in 2011) and Forbes magazine (named Chicago’s Best Boutique Hotel).

• Luxury amenities: All guest rooms have plush Serta mattresses, a private chilled wine reserve, a Keurig coffeemaker, and a Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin sound system to play your mp3s.
• A room with a view: Corner king rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city.
• Vertigo Sky Lounge overlooks the city from the 26th floor. The indoor/outdoor lounge boasts an outdoor rooftop ice bar in the winter.
• 24-hour fitness center is stocked with Italian TechnoGym equipment and steam rooms
• Book an aromatherapy massage at spa at dana. It uses essential oils from India, Asia, and the Middle East.

Chicago’s River North: World-Class Art Galleries, Restaurants, and Nightlife near Downtown

Bordering the Loop on the northern side of the Chicago River, the River North neighborhood is where the skyscrapers of downtown give way to the award-winning restaurants and trendy nightspots of the North Side. Once an industrial area, River North is today home to architectural gems—look no further than The Contemporaine residential building on Wells Street—as well as eateries to suit every appetite and budget. Your options range from inventive Peruvian cuisine at Tanta Restaurant to Chicago classics such as Portillo’s. You could spend days working your way through the offerings at Eataly, an Italian mecca with 23 separate restaurants and food stalls.

In addition to its formidable culinary presence, River North boasts the country’s largest concentration of art galleries outside of Manhattan. Born around the same time that Jim Nutt and other Chicago Imagists rose to prominence, the River North Gallery District runs along Chicago, Superior and Huron Streets, occupying century-old, red brick warehouses that have been converted into lofts and exhibition spaces.

Amid River North’s restaurants, condos, nightclubs, and galleries, you’ll also find the leaders of Chicago’s rapidly growing tech sector. Among the companies that have offices here: Google, a gaggle of digital startups at the 1871 co-working space, and, yes, Groupon (we’re in the old Montgomery Ward building, where the mail-order catalog was born).

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