PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

This landmark building was built in 1897 to serve the jewelry and silver trade on Wabash Avenue. Fittingly, the hotel is a hidden gem, so rooms don't book up as quickly as other, hotter spots. Rooms come in varying configurations, with 12-foot-high ceilings, 10-foot picture windows, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired wrought-iron fixtures, armoires, homey bedding, and generous-size bathrooms. Rooms at the front on the fifth floor or higher have a quintessentially Chicago view: the El tracks along Wabash Avenue. Yes, the windows are extra thick to muffle the noise of the rumbling trains, but you'll want to avoid the lower-level floors if you like things quiet. Because buildings surround this very urban hotel, natural light is unfortunately limited in the rooms, and those along the hotel's main corridor tend to be quite dark. Complimentary desserts -- including the city's famous Eli's cheesecake -- are served weeknights from 9 to 10pm.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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