Things to do / Travel Guide
Who needs Paris when you have Chicago? The Magnificent Mile, also known as Michigan Avenue, in downtown Chicago, has long been known as the Champs-Elysees of the Midwest for it's abundance of shops and fashion boutiques. Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward and Riverwalk are lined with artsy café's and unique boutiques. Wherever you turn, there will always be a place with something special to shop for.
Chicago
Most Midwesterners travel to Chicago to shop because it's easier than going to New York, and you get the same kind of unique shopping experience that you would in the Big Apple. From famed department stores, to exotic and alternative boutiques, farmers markets and ethnic specialty shops, Chicago has it all!
The Magnificent Mile section of Michigan Avenue, just north of the Loop, was best known for its department stores in Chicago's not too distant past, and still is to a certain extent. While now known mostly as a business district, it still boasts many great art galleries and music stores. You'll find every major international retailer on this strip, like Gucci, Prada, Bloomingdales, Chanel, Barneys, and many, many more.
Jewelers Row, one block over on Wabash north of East Monroe Street, is the historic and still best place to go for wholesale prices on jewels. On the southern outskirts of the Loop, just west of Grant Park, is the new Maxwell Street Market, which can provide you with everything you need in the flea market atmosphere. Fulton Market, west of the Loop downtown area, is known for some new excellent art galleries among the meatpacking factories.
Just north of the Loop is the River North Gallery District, around West Chicago Avenue, containing the highest concentration of art galleries in Chicago. In Lincoln Park, the boutiques tend to be more upscale and stylish, with a few well-stocked wine shops in the area. For Saturday excursions, continue northwest to check out the Near North Farmers Market for fresh fruit and vegetables. The posh Gold Coast is home to Oak Street, which has long been known for its high-end clothing imported from major Italian and French designers. Along with high-end clothing, you can find one-of-a-kind shoes and cutting edge fashion at the Gold Coast boutiques from local Chicago designers.
Farther north, Wicker Park boasts experimental and innovative boutiques with unique designs from exclusively Chicago designers. Bucktown is more mod by way of vintage shops, with throw-back clothing from almost every era of the twentieth century. Counter-culture fashion strikes Chicago best in Lakeview, while the area around the southern corner of Lakeview, near West Belmont Avenue and North Lincoln Avenue, boasts some of the greatest antique shops in the Midwest. When you travel to Andersonville, almost the northernmost neighborhood in Chicago, you get a mix of posh, trendy, vintage, and unique boutiques. While in this neighborhood take a look at some of the Swedish bakeries and ethnic stores.
On the western outskirts of Chicago is Oak Park. In the midst of scouting around for the very best of Frank Lloyd Wright, head to Oak Park Avenue, where at its intersection with Lake Street you'll find a lively retail center. It's known by the locals by the epithet “the Avenue.”
Southern Wisconsin
The fashion fairy graced Milwaukee with her presence in the form of the Historic Third Ward and Riverwalk. With these locations' upscale shops, unique boutiques, art galleries, antique stores, and cafés, it's great just to walk around, even if not to buy. There are plenty of places to buy Wisconsin's famous cheeses. For more alternative boutiques, try Jefferson Street - known for its unique stores and surroundings.
In Madison, the State Street Farmers Market is a big hit for shoppers. With over 200 farmers lining Capitol Square, you can find anything from fresh cheeses and dairy products, to organic herbs, greens, and vegetables. Just watch out for the jugglers and artisans that also set up their shop on the drag. Monroe Street is set in a very stylish area of Madison, southwest of the isthmus, and has everything from quaint boutiques and art galleries to home décor shops and antique stores. For the more alternative and off-beat shops, try Williamson Street, or “Willy” Street as it's normally referred to. Willy Street also offers the Williamson Street Co-op, a great organic grocery store.
If you want access to high-quality and authentic Swiss goods, and don't desire a cross-Atlantic plane ride, look no further than Wisconsin's New Glarus. You'll find things such as cuckoo clocks, alpine clothing, and handmade teas. The food shops offer a grand, opulent, decadent selection of cheeses, but also plenty of other things: home-blended teas, and specialty foods like Swiss fruit salsa. The Wisconsin Dells offers interesting shops like an old-time photography shop and craft stores. Also popular are the numerous wine and cheese shops that this little gem of a city has hidden inside.
Shopping Malls in Chicago, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells, Madison
Shopping
The Original Outlet Mall - Kenosha, Wisconsin
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