To say that Chicago is full of so many amazing spaces with incredible design is truly an understatement. What does it even more for me though is the rich history behind these spaces. Case in point:
The PUBLIC Hotel, formerly known as the historic Ambassador East Hotel. The hotel is one that celebrities of the past frequented, made a cameo in an Alfred Hitchcock movie and even referenced in a Frank Sinatra song. Fast forward 70 some years and enter Ian Schrager, the king of the boutique hotel (Gramercy Park, Studio 54, Mondrian anyone?) who bought, renovated and reopened the swanky new spot. Easy. Peasy. The classic bones of the property, with the simple, but luxurious design, just really transformed it into a pretty damn cool place to hang out.
When the property re-opened in 2011 as the PUBLIC hotel, so did the restaurant the
Pump Room, Pump Room Bar, and Hotel Coffee Bar/Library. According to a New York Times
article, which references the days of the past, very well apply today:
“A lot of visiting celebrities liked to go there and the next day you
would read about them in the gossip columns,” said Tim Samuelson, the
City of Chicago’s cultural historian. “The Pump Room always had an edge
of coolness to it.”
I've been wanting to make it in forever, so I bought a Gilt City deal for $40, which covered $40 in food and two cocktails, and mosied my way over to the Gold Coast when my mom was in town. We enjoyed some delicious cocktails, dinner from a very simple, but well done menu, and of course topped it off with dessert. It definitely doesn't hurt that the menu was conceptualized by Mr. Jean-Georges Vongerichten himself. *Muah* Absolutely exceeded the $40 to use towards food, but the menu was definitely appropriately priced for what we ate.
A perfect spot for a girls night, date night or to host an event!
XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO
