Blackstone Hotel

Chicago


This 1910 beaux-arts landmark is known as the ‘hotel of presidents’ (a dozen have slumbered here). The 23-story beauty now caters to an upmarket business crowd. Rooms are urban-stylish (downy bedding, monochrome bathrooms, abstract artworks); several have lake views (about $50 extra). The 5th-floor Art Hall features works by emerging local artists. Wi-fi costs $15 per day.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chicago attractions

1. Museum of Contemporary Photography

0.07 MILES

This small museum focuses on American and international photography from the early 20th century onward, and is the only institution of its kind between…

2. Fine Arts Building

0.23 MILES

This building has been an artists' haven for more than a century. You'll still hear opera voices and trumpet music drift out of the music studios, which…

3. Mergenthaler Lofts

0.23 MILES

Built in 1886, the former headquarters for the legendary Linotype company has been converted into snazzy loft-style condo apartments.

4. Second Franklin Building

0.25 MILES

This 1912 factory building displays the history of printing on its tiled facade – above the door is a large mural showing a medieval printer's shop at…

5. Dearborn Station

0.25 MILES

Once the Chicago terminal of the Santa Fe Railroad, this stately 1885 building used to be the premier station for trains to and from California. Today it…

6. Pontiac Building

0.27 MILES

A classic 1891 design by Holabird & Roche, the Pontiac features the same flowing masonry surfaces as the architects’ famed Monadnock Building in the Loop.

7. Harold Washington Library Center

0.29 MILES

This grand, art-filled building with free internet terminals and wi-fi is Chicago's whopping main library. Major authors give readings, and impressive…

8. Buckingham Fountain

0.34 MILES

Grant Park's centerpiece is one of the world's largest fountains, with a 1.5-million-gallon capacity and a 15-story-high spray. It lets loose on the hour…