Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Start at the Damen El stop on the Blue Line, and walk north
along Damen to Armitage Avenue to scope out the trendiest shops.
If you've got time, some stores are also scattered along Milwaukee
Avenue south of North Avenue.
The friendly modern-day Marco Polos at
Pagoda Red,
1714 N.
Damen Ave., second floor (
&
773/235-1188
), have imported beau-
tiful (and expensive) antique furniture and art objects, including
Chinese concubine beds, painted Tibetan cabinets, Burmese rolling
water vessels, cast-iron lotus bowls, bronze Buddhas, and Chinese
inspiration stones. The upscale bazaar
Embelezar,
1639 N. Damen
Ave. (
&
773/645-9705
), carries exotic merchandise from around
the world, both old and new, including the famous Fortuny silk
lamps—hand-painted in Venice at the only studio allowed to repro-
duce the original Fortuny designs.
WEST DIVISION STREET
Once home to just a few pioneering restaurants, Division Street is
quickly being transformed from a desolate urban landscape to a hot
shopping destination. It's a work in progress (you'll still find some
boarded-up buildings among the cool boutiques), but for now this is
what Wicker Park used to be: a place where rents are still cheap
enough for eager young entrepreneurs. Start at the Division El stop on
the Blue Line, and head west along Division; most stores are concen-
trated between Milwaukee Avenue and Damen Avenue (a round-trip
walk will take about half-an-hour). Along the way, you'll stroll past
eclectic clothing and shoe boutiques, bath-and-beauty shops, and
home-decor stores such as
Porte Rouge,
1911 W. Division St. (
&
773/
269-2800
), which is filled with French antiques and housewares
(they'll even offer you a complimentary cup of tea). The mix of peo-
ple living here—from working-class Latino families to self-consciously
edgy young singles—makes the local cafes great for people-watching.
3 Shopping A to Z
Chicago has shops selling just about anything you could want or
need, be it functional or ornamental, whimsical or exotic.
ANTIQUES
The greatest concentration of antiques businesses, from packed-to-
the-rafters malls to idiosyncratic individual shops, can be found on
Belmont Avenue west of Southport Avenue, or stretching north and
south of Belmont Avenue along intersecting Lincoln Avenue. Here
are a few others:
