Events

Ever seen a rock opera? Well, this weekend you should check out the Apollo Theater and see Baby Wants Candy. The best part is that the script is partially based on audience suggestion, so you never know exactly what will happen during the show!  Tickets are $15, get the details here.

Bring the kids this weekend and have Snow Much Fun at the Children’s Museum at Navy Pier. Children can build fabric snowmen, have pom-pom snowball fights, and skate in your socks on a slippery linoleum rink.

Get in shape, learn the Tango, and have fun while doing it! Tango Chicago is offering 6 classes at various levels for $300.00. Each class is 3 hours and in each class you will learn rhythm, posture and partner communication. Sounds like fun!

Restaurants

Restaurant Week 2010 is not over yet! Save cooking at your luxury condo for another time and choose from more than 165 restaurants are offering three course lunches and dinner menus starting at just $22. Want to see if your favorite restaurant or one you have wanted to try made the list? Check here.

Rockin’ Taco just opened in Lakeview and not only is this restaurant fast but the cooks are using made-from-scratch marinades to prepare the steak and chipotle garlic chicken. Want something to do while you wait? Pick up an electric guitar, bongos or one of the other instruments hanging on the wall and rock out.

Movies

Are you feeling comedy or thriller this weekend? Well, we have both!

If you are looking for something funny, check out Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. With these two, it has to be a good laugh.

As for horror, The Crazies opens this weekend. Here’s the synopsis of the movie: “Unknown toxin turns the peaceful citizens of Ogden Marsh into bloodthirsty lunatics.” Need we say more?

Whatever you decide to do have a fabulous and fun weekend!

Events

Although we don’t live in New Orleans, who’s to say that we can celebrate like they do? The Bead Quest 2010 Mardi Gras is happening this Saturday starting at 2pm. Come have fun and check out 9 different bars in Wrigleyville, including Murphy’s Bleachers and Sluggers.

The 101 Dalmatians was a huge favorite to so many of us in the early 90’s. Now, we can show our children the same classic in the Broadway adaption which is playing throughout this month at Cadillac Palace Theatre. Go to broadwayinchicago.com for more details.

Do something different this weekend, and explore the history of Chicago by visiting the first “modern” house in Chicago, the Charnley Persky House located in the Gold Coast. The tour opens at 10am on Saturdays and has 15 spots available. To see more information about this fascinating historic house, click here.

Restaurants

Save cooking in your luxury Chicago condo for another time and get ready for Restaurant Week 2010! More than 165 restaurants are offering three course lunch and dinner menus starting at just $22. Want to see if your favorite restaurant or one you have wanted to try made the list? Check here.

We already mentioned Bucktown/Wicker Park coffee house Filter, but now that we’ve visited it ourselves, we think you should get out of your downtown Chicago condo and head that way for breakfast!  There are lots of space to relax, drink coffee, chat with friends, or catch up on work. Filter features a variety of coffee drinks and food delicious for breakfast or lunch in a 195o’s setting.

Movies

You might have missed this movie over your actual Valentine’s Day weekend, but Valentine’s Day is still definitely one to check out. This movie is filled with tons of A-listers like Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, and Ashton Kutcher, just to name a few!

Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a suspense-drama by director Martin Scorsese. It premiers on Friday, so if you don’t want to see a romantic comedy, be sure to check this one out instead.

Whatever you decide to do have a fabulous and fun weekend!

Obviously, when it’s cold out in Chicago, our condos are a great place to congregate, warm up and reboot before you have to trek outside again. But snow adds a-whole-nother element to home ownership, and when the snow starts falling, you really begin to appreciate owning a Chicago condo.

Your Top 10 Reasons to Own Chicago Condos in a Blizzard

Downtown Chicago condos have their perks, and there are some definite ones when it comes to dealing with snow. Inspired by this article about Baltimore condos, we are thinking of the top 10 reasons it’s so great to live in luxury condos while snow coats Chicago.

10. Shoveling snow. The most obvious benefit is that you don’t have to do it! Or, if you wouldn’t have done it at your own home anyway, you don’t have to feel guilty when a neighbor tromps down your unshoveled sidewalk. Your total snow removal job is to brush off the patio railing.

9. Garages. No sitting in a cold car, digging out or ice scraping for you. Walk to your spot and hop in your car. You don’t even have to change your routine when it snows!

8. Avoiding repairs. Roof leaks and burst pipes probably aren’t going to be problem in your unit of your Chicago high rise condo building, even if they do occur. Since they are part of your communal space, your building’s maintenance or association should take care of them.

7. Help with repairs. If some damage does occur in your building, you’ll have plenty of help to fix it. Your association and the maintenance for your building will either help you with repairs to your unit or will handle them completely.

6. Great stuff nearby. On a lighter note, downtown Chicago condos are nothing if not in the middle of it all! If you DO have to head outside into the snow squall, you know you can get to what you need quickly, because it’s close to your Chicago condo.

5. Best views of the snowfall. In a Chicago high rise condo, especially in one of our Lakeshore East developments, you’ll find the best views of Chicago made even more beautiful by drifting snow. You can experience the beauty of the blizzard without being in it!

4. Snow drifts are unlikely to cover your windows. Yeah, you might get some snow on your balcony, but your windows are probably not going to be darkened by gathering snow.

3. Doors will still open. Even if the city gets three and a half feet of snow, your front door will still open! Along with not having to shovel your sidewalk or dig your car out, you won’t get stuck inside if the snow starts to stack up.

2. Cleaning up tracked in snow. Let’s keep talking about that front door… If you have people over to your home and they wear their snow boots over, there is no way that some of that snow isn’t coming in with them. But in a luxury condo, there’s a foyer, elevator and hallway between your pristine floors and the snowy outdoors. High rise condos keep you from having to mop anytime you or your guests come in from outside!

And the number one reason to live in a Chicago high rise building during a blizzard is:

1. There’s probably a party going on somewhere in your building! If everyone gets trapped indoors during heavy snowfall, you can imagine that you might get bored. And what better time is there to get to know your neighbors than when you can’t get away from them? You can bet on the fact that someone close by is having people over for warm drinks and good company when it’s wintry outside. Or you can invite over your floormates and be the host!

Events
If you haven’t seen it yet, get your tickets to see August: Osage County at the Cadillac Palace Theater. The theater is close to Chicago loop condos, and the Tony and Pulitzer prize winning play shows every day this weekend in the afternoon and evening!

If you love your luxury condo, you might love luxury automobiles, too– so stop by the Chicago Auto Show all this weekend and next week! It’s the largest show of its kind, and you’ll be able to check out domestic and imported cars, trucks and SUVs, and experimental and concept vehicles.

For a hands-on art experience, travel down south from your Chicago loop condo to discover Cocktails & Clay at the Hyde Park Art Center. “Think night on the town meets playing in the mud,” say the event’s organizers, because you’ll be treated to 45-minute clay sessions, a live DJ and drink specials for a suggested donation of $15.

Restaurants
If you didn’t get to stop by last weekend for the restaurant’s opening, stop by The Southern this weekend for fried green tomatoes, sweet tea, and a large selection of bourbon (along with some other great Southern-inspired fare).

Fried Green Tomatoes at Chicago restaurant The Southern, courtesy of Daily Candy

For a casual Asian lounge, Izakaya Hapa just opened in River North. Patterned after a Japanese izakaya (a casual style of bar that serves food alongside after-work drinks) and seating 250, it’s a great place for a Friday happy hour with friends. Brought to you by the owners of the beloved Rise and Shine restaurants in Lakeview and Lincoln Park, you know it will be good! We’re excited to see this chain move south and a little closer to Chicago loop condos.

Movies
If you are feeling a little too moody for a romantic Valentine’s Day flick, try action-thriller Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson. We won’t blame you if you feel like wearing all black and watching Mel beat up some bad guys on the 14th!

However, if you’re more prone to wearing pink and eating candy hearts on this holiday for lovers, maybe you’ll want to see the saccharine-sweet and appropriately named Valentine’s Day this weekend. It has just about every movie star we know in it, so it should be entertaining at the very least!

So whether you are celebrating New Orleans or Beijing style or just spending some time with the one you love on this long weekend, we hope you’ll have a fabulous few days inside and outside of your Chicago condos!

Guests

Since your condo is going to be filled with festive party-goers, make sure your furniture is arranged in a way that won’t inhibit movement. You want your guests to be able to drift from room to room and mingle without getting stuck in a bottle neck of traffic. Place food and beverages in a very open space where getting to and from them won’t be an issue.

Gimmicks

Maybe you used to love a good Ugly Holiday Sweater party, but more guests are going to be willing to come and enjoy themselves if they don’t have to find a ridiculous outfit. And since a holiday party is all about seeing the people you love, forgo the theme this year. If you manifest a holiday theme anywhere in your party, it should be in the food and beverages you serve. Your favorite warm holiday hors d’oeuvres, a nice wassail, or some Kahlua-eggnog will keep everyone feeling more excited for the holidays than any red and green garb ever would!

Setting the Festive Mood

You know what reminds you of the holidays best– it’s not giant, inflatable decorations or flashing lights. Rather, it’s the soft, warm colors and lighting of winter at night. To keep your holiday party stylish and luxe, opt for similar soft lighting. Dim or turn off the overhead lighting, and light faces of your guests with candles and white twinkle lights. Use reflective, metallic trimmings to prettily reflect and enhance the light.

Similarly, what sets the mood in your Chicago condo better than gaudy red and green seasonal knick-knacks? Festive music. Your favorite holiday and winter songs will fill people with the spirit; just make sure the tunes you choose match the style and attitude of your party. Plus, if you do a really good job with the music, you might just get people on their feet and dancing– just make sure there’s a place for them to cut a rug!

With the beautiful setting your Chicago condo already offers, the most important factor to throwing a great holiday party is, simply, simplicity. Focus on the friendships and family this year, instead of the glitz. Let your home and your hospitality shine, and people will refer to your holiday party like this– as the highlight of their season!

What luxury lifestyle perk should you definitely not pass up, especially in the chilly Chicago winter? How about spending one of those gray afternoons in one of the top five spas in the city? If you live in a Lakeshore East home, you’re just a short trip away from the best of the best.

About.com ranks these the best spas in Chicago:

The Spa at the Carlton Club – The Ritz Carlton has long been identified as a luxury destination– the one at Water Tower Place is no exception. The luxury feel of the hotel transfers right over to the spa, where you can take day off in a “tranquil oasis dedicated to personal well-being.” Sounds like a nice winter escape. (160 E. Pearson St. at Water Tower Place, 312-266-1000)

Urban Oasis - At the Maple Street location, you can find yourself enjoying the service of “Chicago’s premier massage spa” in your own neighborhood. If holiday stresses are hounding you, a long massage might be just the medicine you need to relax. Urban Oasis is even taking into account the economy with their special offers. (12 W. Maple St., 312-587-3500.)

Kiva Day Spa – Although it’s part of the nationwide chain of Halcyon Days Salons and Spas, Kiva provides one of the best day-spa experiences in Chicago. Focused on providing “innovative lifestyle experiences delivered with impeccable service,” the Kiva spa at Water Tower Place can certainly take you away from your winter blues. (196 E. Pearson, 312-840-8120.)

Red Door Spa - Right on Michigan Avenue in the historic Palmolive building is one of the country’s best spas, known all over for the quality of their services. Visit them for their specialties, sunless tanning, waxing and eyelash extension, or just take part in the traditional spa activities. (919 N. Michigan Ave., 312-988-9191)

Tiffani Kim Institute – This medical wellness spa can help your health during the winter months, and throughout the year! With two downtown locations, you can visit the spa yourself or plan an event there for yourself and friends. (310 W. Superior St. or Park Hyatt Hotel 800 N. Michigan Ave., 312-260-9040)

Read more about the top spas in the city, and consider taking some time off this winter to stop in!

RENT A LUXURIOUS CAR

Chicago is the perfect city for a drive. With beautiful architecture, more than seventy unique neighborhoods and the breathtaking Lakeshore Drive snaking its way along Lake Michigan, driving around can be heaven on Earth. Obviously no one wants to take a spin down Lakeshore Drive in a car that would’ve been perfect for Cash for Clunkers. In fact, opening up the magnificent power of a Porsche 911 Carrera S or the regal understatement of the Mercedes S50 AMG – 07 (or, if you’re feeling wild, the herculean engine of the Lamborghini Gallardo) would be just the ticket. Well, at Chicago Exotic Car Rentals, you can do just that. Or try Exotic Car Share or Curvy Road and own a time-share in certain luxury cars. After you put yourself behind the wheel of a timeless automobile, you’ll be living the high life and everyone will be watching as you zoom by in these acerbic beasts.

TAKE A VACATION IN YOUR OWN CITY

While owning one of our Chicago condos really can’t be beat, sometimes it’s nice to step away from your own home and take a trip … in your own city. And what better city to explore than Chicago. No matter how familiar you are with our downtown locale, there is always more to see. The city is bustling with people, activities, excitement, laughter—it is alive—and it has so many undiscovered gems that aren’t always obvious without a new perspective.  A great place to find a home away from home for a night or two is The City Suites Hotel, The Majestic Hotel and the Willows Hotel, all of which are part of the City Inns of Chicago.

After you’ve found a place to stay, check out some of the finer restaurants in the city, such as Cook-au-vin, which offers “the delicacies and spirit of French cuisine.” Or try some new world Asian cuisine at aria. Then, of course, there is the unique Alinea, where you will be guided through twelve to twenty-four courses, many consisting of just a bite. The hyper-modern restaurant is the place to be. Find yourself in the midst of everything, where everyone—tout le monde—is mingling, where things are happening without even ever having to leave your city.

TAKE ON SOME HIGH-END SHOPPING

Sometimes the best way to live the luxurious life, to be part of tout le monde, to be where things are happening is to take your car from your hotel, before your meal, and find what to wear for the evening, how to dress to the nines for the your dining experience at Everest on the 40^th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange.

The best place to start out is Chicago Place on Michigan. Anchored by the understated elegance of Saks Fifth Avenue and filled with shops of all sorts, you’ll feel like you just stepped onto 5^th Avenue itself without ever leaving Chicago.

Of course, Water Tower Place offers both national brands and local shops Chicago, so if you can’t decide exactly what you’re going for, it has the place for you somewhere in its stunning eight-level atrium.

When you’re done with living the glamorous life, tired of being where things are happen, bored with being part of tout le monde, then you can return to your Chicago real estate and settle in for relaxing night of (and maybe a good old-fashioned Old Style), and enjoy the comfort of your beautiful Lakeshore East home.

Events

Love jewelry, gems, and diamonds? The Field Museum has newly renovated the Grainger Hall of Gems featuring more than 700 sparkling objects. Then head over to their new exhibit The Nature of Diamonds and see dazzling diamonds from Cartier, Boucheron, Tiffany & Co. and other big names in the jewelry world.

From November 6^th to December 23^rd See More Shopping presents a pop up market  in the Illinois Center. Merchandise from local vendors will be featured, including Juliet Jewelry, Chic Gems etc., Brynn Capella Handbags, Objets d’ Envy, Phizza’z Designs and Susanne Segal Designs.

Having family visit you at your Chicago condo this holiday season, and want to knock their socks off with your culinary prowess? Invite Chef Kristine Subido to demonstrate a four course meal – you will learn how to stuff and roast a turkey and much much more. It’s $60 per person, $110 per couple, and includes wine pairings.

Restaurants

New spot in Streeterville The Atrium Wine Bar, come for an evening and enjoy cheese, bread, and select wines.

Leave your Chicago condo for the evening and head to Bucktown for Lokal,  a new restaurant and lounge that features European style with a menu best for sharing “bites”.

Movies

The Fourth Kind opens this Friday – it is a sci-fi thriller based on alien abduction, and could be one of the scariest alien movie to come out in years.

Calling all MJ fans – if you haven’t seen it yet this weekend might be your last chance to see Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

Have an amazing weekend!

The runners of this year’s marathon wound their way through many of Chicago’s lovely and unique neighborhoods, but once fatigue set in many participants probably didn’t notice much of their surroundings. Luckily they were fresh and alert at the starting line near beautiful Lakeshore East so they could appreciate the clean lines and sparkling glass and steel of our gorgeous Chicago condos.

Residents of Lakeshore East didn’t need to venture out into the cold weather to watch the runners gather on Sunday morning. Some of them may have rolled out of bed, turned up their heat and sipped a hot cup of coffee while they watched thousands of runners and spectators all bundled up and breathing out white puffs of breath. After the race started and the runners were out of view, Lakeshore East residents could slowly make their way out to Sunday brunch, or they could put their coffee cups in the sink and go right back to bed.

When you live in Lakeshore East you’re certainly given the opportunity to experience Chicago and its traditions, right from the comfort of your own home. From the Chicago Marathon to the Air & Water Show, the list goes on. The Lakeshore East area is a hotbed of activity in Chicago, all year round. Search for Chicago condos available now and own your piece of Lakeshore East today.

The benefits of Chicago are many, both for people looking to experience city life and those looking for a change-up from their typical urban existence. “After long playing second fiddle in the glamour game to coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles, Chicago has become a second- and vacation-home hot spot, fueled by its market of new condos and converted high-rise and loft buildings. Buyers are drawn to its revitalized neighborhoods, perennially strong theater scene, groundbreaking modern architecture and relative affordability.” Our luxury Chicago properties offer proximity to all of the alluring aspects of the city—especially in the summer, the downtown area features events and activities that are exciting to tourists and seasoned Chicago residents alike.

Buying the Chicago market may be a safer bet, too. If you are considering buying a second home as a getaway, but also as an investment, the relative stability of the Chicago real estate market makes a downtown condo a good buy. “…Buyers are looking for and finding slivers of opportunity. And they say they are buying with some confidence, knowing that the Chicago market has generally been more tempered than those on the coasts and in the Southwest, where the housing crisis has perhaps done the most damage.”

Chicago doesn’t just have appeal for empty nesters looking to relocate to a city or suburban families looking for a taste of Chicago—the draw is international. Being the hometown of our President and the potential site of the 2016 summer Olympics has lent Chicago a reputation that reverberates across the world, yet real estate prices are still low. Abdellatif Laasraoui, who recently relocated to Chicago, explained: “We could have picked London, could have picked Italy or another place in Switzerland, but we like the Gold Coast. There is no comparison in space or comfort. You’d have to pay 10 times more to get something comparable.”

A second home in Chicago makes more sense now than ever. With everything downtown Chicago offers, investing yourself in a property and in the community could be a great decision!