Magnificent Mile

Magnificent Mile continued...

And among the shops and restaurants and hotels, there is history here.

Old photographs taken after 1871 Great Chicago Fire show a ruined landscape with one soldier left standing. The historic Water Tower was one of just a handful of survivors of that fire. Though dwarfed now on three sides by more massive structures, it has been a symbol of resilience and resolve ever since. There may be no more beloved building in the city -- especially at Christmastime, when it sparkles like a jewel in a setting of twinkling lights.

The Fourth Presbyterian Church was born just months before the Great Fire -- and lost to the flames. What stands today, two blocks north of the Water Tower, is its third building, completed in 1914. It's open to all for prayer, reflection, or just a break from the Magnificent frenzy.

The art deco Palmolive Building dates to 1929. For more than 50 years, a rotating beacon -- visible from miles, sent a ray of light 360 degrees; it was extinguished in 1981 after neighbors in taller, newly constructed apartment towers grew weary of that ray entering their living room windows.

Opened in 1920, the elegant Drake Hotel -- with its incomparable view of Oak Street Beach -- was the first hotel in the city with air-conditioned rooms. Its guests have included royalty and film crews; scenes from "Risky Business" and "My Best Friend's Wedding" and other movies were shot here. And its Cape Cod Room, with its oysters and Dover sole, has been a fixture on the local dining scene since 1933.

The 94th-floor observation deck (and bar and restaurant on the 95th and 96th floors) at the John Hancock Center (1970) isn't as high as the one atop the Willis Tower -- but if you want a high-elevation photo that includes the Willis Tower, this is the place.

At the south end of the mile is Tribune Tower, completed in 1925. The architect's touches -- gargoyles and other mysterious and whimsical add-ons -- would take a detective (or really good tour guide) to decode. But the 100-plus stones stuck into the exterior walls from the Great Wall, Taj Mahal, Lincoln's Tomb, the White House. etc., are all labeled and, if you can reach them, touchable.

Finally (though we're skipping a few), across from Tribune Tower there's the Wrigley Building (1921). Gleaming white and floodlit after dark, it was attacked by giant screeching grasshoppers in "The Beginning of the End" (a 1957 film, not very good) but survived -- and remains one of Chicago's favorite landmarks.

But the business of Michigan Avenue is mainly retail. The big anchor-stores and their malls are easy to find -- Nordstroms/The Shops at North Bridge, Macy's/Water Tower Place, Bloomingdale's/The 900 Shops and more. The art is finding the hidden treasures -- including the ones selling art.

Galleries abound. Hilligoss and Cesar Russ share North Bridge with Nordstrom. Atlas Galleries has two locations on Michigan Avenue, one at 900 North. The Joel Oppenheimer Gallery, in the Wrigley Building, specializes in antique prints from nature (think "Audubon"). The work of international masters, old and new, can be found at R.S. Johnson Fine Art at 645 N. Michigan Ave. The list goes on -- as would a list of shops (furs, accessories, shoes, cashmere, men's wear, handbags) you won't find in your hometown mall -- but why spoil the pleasure of the search?

Restaurants? Some have earned national and even international recognition. Across from the Drake and the Cape Cod Room, Spiaggia -- and its lower-cost option down the hall, Spiaggia Cafe -- are much-honored Italians. NoMI, in the Park Hyatt, mixes French with Asian and adds sensational views of the Water Tower. Tru, a block east on St. Clair Street, ranks among the city's elite. A newcomer, The Purple Pig, has won raves for its small plates of meats and cheeses (and wines, of course).

Among the more casual options is Heaven on Seven, which isn't on the seventh floor of anything (there’s an original Loop location that is) but satisfies cravings for gumbos, jambalayas and other things Creole and Cajun. Sayat Nova has an exotic name, but its menu of Armenian and Middle Eastern specialties is as easy to handle as its prices. Bistro 110, near the Water Tower, is comfortable French with fairly comfortable tabs, especially at lunch.

But no list of Mag Mile eateries, incomplete as this one must be, can ignore the Billy Goat Tavern. This brightly lit bar-with-food (the flagship location; there are others), located on lower Michigan (you'll find the steps just north of the Wrigley Building), is the inspiration for the John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd "cheezborger-cheezborger, no fries, chips" sketches from those old "Saturday Night Live” shows. The grillmen will happily spew a few "cheezborger-cheezborgers" on request while cooking the same to order. Its walls are covered with pictures of celebrities who have eaten there and of newspaperpeople, many of whom have been known to close the joint from time to time.

The Goat is a long way from the Drake -- but a short walk. Less than a mile.

Magnificent.

For more information about the Magnificent Mile, please contact the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association at 312.642.3570.