As the pandemic ebbs in the United States, many travelers have been favoring outdoor, away-from-it-all getaways. According to the travel planning site TripIt, over Memorial Day weekend, major cities like Washington, D.C., and New York were trending down, while outdoorsy spots like Palm Springs, Calif., were newly popular. But as residents of big cities know, their hometowns are roaring back to life. Now, the area south of the Chicago River, known for its architecture and art-infused green spaces like Millennium Park, is abuzz with new hotels and restaurants and performances at Grant Park, which have returned after a pandemic hiatus. Incredibly, new hot spots emerged during the pandemic, including a groovy boîte modeled after an old school Chicago “slashie” (a hybrid liquor store and bar).

Source: New York Times July 09, 2021 09:00 UTC