Chicago Archives - Life is Suite

What's Happening In and Around Chicago

6 Creative Mocktail Recipes for Your Next Soirée

Hello mocktails! Our bartenders share six easy recipes for your summer soirées.

Best U.S. Cities to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

From Chicago’s river dyeing ceremony to Philly’s lively pub scene, here’s where to go and what to do if you’re in search of St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

Travel Tips

Here’s How to Beat Jet Lag When Traveling

Follow these simple tips to feel fresh and fabulous no matter what time zone you’re in.

Destinations

The Best Summer Destinations in America

Here are the best cities to visit this summer for perfect weather, outdoor activities and beaches.

Celebrations

How LGBTQ+ History and Culture Have Shaped Chicago

Learn how LGBTQ+ culture helped mold Chicago into the modern, progressive, and inclusive metropolis it is today.

Eat + Drink

6 Cities with the Best Al Fresco Dining Scenes

Dining al fresco is in full swing and it’s better than ever before. From Coastal Cali to the tropical waters of Tulum, this is where you’ll find us dining this summer.

Entertaining

Dip Recipes for the Big Game From Our All-Star Chefs

No matter which team you’re rooting for (or if you’re just watching for the commercials), enjoy these yummy dip recipes from our Kimpton chefs.

Destinations

How Black History Has Shaped Chicago and 5 Black-Owned Restaurants Not to Miss

Let us be your guide to Black history and culture highlights on your next trip to Chi-town.

Destinations

The Best Place to Take a Photo 10 Cities

Stop by these 10 great photography spots for a perfect shot of your travels.

Destinations

Make the Most of Your Family’s Summer with These 5 Educational Destinations

Summer school just got an upgrade. Check out these five great history-loving cities that prove that learning can coexist with family fun.

Entertaining

13 Coffee Table Books for Art & Design Lovers

Sharing the Kimpton design team’s top picks—from our spaces to yours.

Entertaining

3 Ways to Make Large Meetings Feel Intimate

Here are a few creative ways to give bigger events the boutique treatment with a memorable welcome, interactive food & beverage options, and the chance to truly connect with fellow attendees.

Destinations

Chicago’s Must-See Art, Architecture + Design

From renowned architecture and museums to impressive outdoor public art displays from modern masters, these are some of our must-sees in Chicago.

Destinations

5 of the Best Surprising Wine-Tasting Destinations in the US

Try one of these surprising wine-tasting destinations all over the good ol’ USA to get your sniff, sip and spit on.

Travel Tips

Best Destinations for Girls Trips

From the beach to the mountains, and everywhere in between, weekend getaway ideas for your best girlfriends.

Travel Tips

Coolest Places to Travel with Kids

From the best beaches for families to family spring and summer vacation ideas, the best places to travel with kids come in cool shapes, sizes, and destinations.

Travel Tips

Five of the Most Instagrammable Bars

Add a little glam to your ‘gram with these 5 most IG-worthy bars.

Destinations

6 of the Coolest Women-Led Businesses

Celebrate Women’s Equality Day with a visit to these amazing women-owned and run businesses.

skydeck view looking down image credit cavasottiphoto via twenty

Destinations

Chicago’s Best Neighborhoods for Summer Fun

From the Loop to River North, check out attractions everyone will enjoy.

kimpton everly hotel photo credit @sunnybadger

Entertaining

5 Reasons to Have a Hotel Wedding

A whole wedding under one roof? Sounds dreamy.

christkindlmarket chicago image credit christkindlmarket chicago

Destinations

The Best Holiday Markets in Chicago, Milwaukee & Cleveland

The holiday season means pop-up markets. Here are our top picks.

actress ellie kemper answering some of lifes big questions courtesy chicago ideas week

Kimpton Buzz

4 Things We Learned at Chicago Ideas Week

Coined, “The Ideas Festival for Everyone,” Chicago Ideas Week just wrapped and these are our favorite takeaways.

Head Bartender Thomas Datema Mixes Gin Cocktail

Destinations

7 Travel Ideas to Inspire Your Next VIP Vacation

Here are some of our favorite ways to travel in style and feel like a VIP.

Eat + Drink

5 Fabulous Restaurants for Summer

Ready for summer? Whether you’re looking for your new favorite neighborhood spot or the best place for farmer’s market-inspired brunch, we’ve got you covered with one of these 5 restaurants that perfectly suit the season.

Destinations

Three Unexpected Winter Getaways

While everyone else is escaping to sunny vacation spots, why not try something new and explore these bustling cities this winter? Here’s an urban trio worth bundling up for.

Eat + Drink

2018’s Best New Cocktail Flavors + Recipes

Veggie-loaded cocktails? This is just one of the 3 hottest up-and-coming cocktail trends for 2018. Read on for recipes.

Eat + Drink

Northern Lights: Fresh Nordic-Inspired Recipes

Delicately smoked fish, hints of caraway and flavorful bursts of dill... here are a few ways to incorporate Nordic flavors into your cuisine.

Entertaining

3 Batch Cocktails to Serve This Season

Crafting cocktails for a crowd this holiday season? Take the stress out of hosting by preparing big batches of one of these boozy beverages in advance.

Eat + Drink

Raise a Glass to These 7 Essential Fall Cocktails

There's nothing like a boozy cocktail to warm the spirits. Here are 7 fall-inspired cocktails shared by some of the best bartenders from around the country.

Destinations

2 Midwest Festivals for the Summer

When it comes to festivals, Chicago and Minneapolis go all out. Here are 5 of their best festivals to check out this summer.

Eat + Drink

4 Ceviche + Poke Recipes You Need this Summer

Turn tonight's dinner prep into a no-cook affair with our chefs' best fresh ceviche and poke recipes. Just dice, mix, chill... and dinner's done!

Travel Tips

6 Can’t-Miss Races

Shorter than a marathon but long enough to get your sweat on, these 7 fun runs will keep you moving even when you're on the road.

Travel Tips

Stylish Hotel Services You’ll Love

We're partnering with four incredible fashion experts so you can take your personal style to the next level.

Travel Tips

How to Find Alternative Souvenirs

T-shirts and postcards are classic, but we think it's worth going the extra mile to find something special on your next trip.

Eat + Drink

4 Hot Chocolate Cocktails for Winter

It's gettin' cold outside - but cozy up to the fire with a hot chocolate cocktail and you'll forget all about snow in no time.

Eat + Drink

Sweet Updates: Savory Breakfast + Retro Desserts

Breakfast goes savory and kid-friendly desserts rise to the occasion. Say hello to 2017's reboot on sweets.

Eat + Drink

Culinary Techniques: Charring, Blistering & Searing

Move over, grilling - it's time to let other types of high-heat cooking shine.

Eat + Drink

Culinary-Inspired Cocktail Recipes

When the bar and kitchen meet, it's magic. Here are cocktail recipes borrowing a page from the culinary textbook.

Eat + Drink

Fat-Washed, Fermented & Resort 2.0 Cocktail Recipes

Fat-washing with coconut oils, elevating that tropical resort cocktail and fermentation are mainstays.

Entertaining

3 Cocktails to Spice Up Your Holiday Party

Turn up the volume on your next holiday party with these crowd-pleasing cocktails and punches. Spiced grenadine, vermouth or apple cider - it's up to you!

Eat + Drink

Women at the Helm: Mixing + Curating in Chicago

The Kimpton Gray pays homage to decades past while keeping an eye forward - thanks, in part, to the contributions of two very stylish and smart women.

Eat + Drink

Chefs’ Picks: Kitchen Essentials

Kimpton chefs spill the beans on the tools that make their kitchens flexible, creative and fully pro.

Destinations

A Neighborhood Spotlight: Chicago’s Loop

We're breaking ground in Chicago's stately and beautiful Financial District with our newest hotel, The Gray.

Entertaining

4 Bachelor Party Ideas That Aren’t Vegas

Alright fellas, time to think beyond The Strip. Today we’re coming at you with tips for planning a unique bachelor party.

Travel Tips

6 Classes to Switch Up Your Workout

Going to hit the treadmill again? Boring! When it comes to working out, shake things up with these unique workout classes.

Travel Tips

4 Bachelorette Parties She Won’t Regret Later

If you want to throw an unforgettable bachelorette party, think outside of Vegas. Chicago, Miami, Austin & Santa Barbara beckon

Travel Tips

4 Cities Embracing Bike Culture

To celebrate National Bike Month, we recommend hitting the streets in Chicago, Portland, NYC and DC–four cities offering safer, more vibrant biker-friendly streets.

Eat + Drink

A Spotlight on Shrub Cocktails

Shrubs—your one-stop shop for alternative acidity, history, and metathesis.

Travel Tips

5 Ways to Shake Up Family Spring Break

Read on for tips for planning a fun and fabulous family spring break.

Entertaining

Let It Glow: Best Holiday Lights From Coast to Coast

It isn't the holidays without that dazzle. You don't need to look far to find it. Holiday lights shows are springing up everywhere, from the Alexandria harbor to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo.

Eat + Drink

4 Healthy Recipes With Fall & Winter Veggies

Veggies are having a moment. Our chefs show you how to do magic with Guinness and leeks in a soup, dial up the comfort factor with sweet potato gnocchi, and evoke the flavors of fall with a squash, zucchini, corn and asparagus salad.

Eat + Drink

Martinis 101 — More Boozing Like Bond + Recipes

In Part II in a series, Kimpton's National Manager of Bar Education Mike Ryan serves up more martini goodness -- from ordering advice to serving etiquette to the answer to the old gin-versus-vodka debate.

Eat + Drink

Cooking With Scary (Sounding) Ingredients: 3 Thrilling Recipes

Forget ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. Kimpton chefs are afraid of nothing -- especially daunting ingredients like beet blood, duck fat and twilight peppers. Get the recipes here!

Travel Tips

The Wildest Places to Take Yoga Classes in the U.S.

"Om" on a boat? Child's pose in a church? In honor of National Yoga Month and our love of yoga, we show you 6 weird, wild and wonderful places where you can take a class.

Travel Tips

Beyond the Treadmill: Unique Travel Workouts at Kimpton

Finding time to exercise when you're on the road can be hard. That's why many of our hotels offer unique travel workouts that just might be a high point of your trip.

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Eat + Drink

Burger Bucket List: 5 of America’s Best Burgers

Don’t settle for a mediocre burger when traveling. Check a perfect patty off your list with a collection of America’s best burgers.

Travel Tips

We Take Hotel Workouts to the Next Level: The 17th Floor

Hotel Palomar Chicago has partnered with Shred415 fitness studio for a summer series of hotel workouts that will take you to new heights: The Palomar's view-enhanced 17th-floor terrace.

Eat + Drink

Grilling Tips and Recipes From Our Chefs

A few of our chefs offer their best grilling tips, as well as some flame-enhanced recipes. Get fired up for summer.

Eat + Drink

A Malört Cocktail Recipe for a Taste of Chicago

South Water Kitchen bartender Dan Rook offers a Malört cocktail recipe that takes this iconic Windy City liqueur from bitter to much, much better. Check out the video.

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Eat + Drink

A Strozzapreti Recipe From Chef Luca Corazzina

Chef Luca Corazzina of 312 Chicago restaurant offers an easy video lesson on how to prepare his strozzapreti recipe. It's knockout gnocchi straight from the Old Country.

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Eat + Drink

Bar Educator Mike Ryan Drafts His Fave Spring Beers

Mike Ryan is Kimpton's National Manager of Bar Education, and no, you can't have his job. But he will share with you his favorite spring beers this season.

Eat + Drink

Take the Chill Off With a Leatherneck Cocktail

Winter is stubbornly clinging on but we have the antidote with this video primer on the Leatherneck cocktail, a whiskey-centric drink served warm.

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Destinations

Attention Shoppers: Cool Boutiques We Love

From lovingly curated selections of designer threads to fantastic accessories for men and women, these cool boutiques are worth the extra spending limit.

Destinations

Six Under-the-Radar, Cool Neighborhoods to Explore

Looking to avoid the tourist crowd? Check out these six cool neighborhoods from around the country where you can hang with the locals.

Eat + Drink

Croquettes, Anyone? A Recipe for an International Favorite

Chef Brian Millman of Atwood restaurant in Chicago offers a quick video primer on how to make his zucchini, yellow squash and carrot croquettes with herb-cucumber sauce.

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Eat + Drink

It’s Alive! Four Riffs on the Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail

Our creative bar team at Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago offers four recipes that give unique twists to the classic Corpse Reviver, a go-to hangover cure.

Eat + Drink

Our Chef-Recommended, Must-Have Gifts for Cooks

Looking for the perfect present for the kitchen wizard in your life? We asked a few of our chefs for their must-have gifts for cooks.

Kimpton Buzz

Sleeping with the Artist (Again) at Palomar Chicago

Hotel Palomar Chicago's Sleeping With the Artist program showcases work created by the city's hottest young artists, taking over three floors of the hotel.

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Destinations

Five Must-Shop Vintage and Flea Markets

On the hunt for Mid-Century décor or quirky secondhand finds? Browse through our picks for America’s top vintage and flea markets. Then brush up on your negotiating skills.

Destinations

America’s Coolest Microbrewery Tours

Want to join us for a cold one? Check out one these four microbrewery tours worthy of including in your travel plans.

Travel Tips

Stay (Fit) With us During National Yoga Month

September is National Yoga Month and there are events taking place at yoga studios around the country. But if you’re on the road and on the go, you can celebrate and motivate with us.