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03
2020
The Best Neighborhoods in Chicago to Spend a Weekend
South Side A weekend on the South Side is not enough time to see everything, but it is enough time to fall in love with it. Neighborhoods Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore brim with art and culture, with many things to do open and free to the public. History continues to be made on Chicago’s South Side, and its lasting influences and traditions are being revived and celebrated almost daily by the folks that live there. Come see for yourself. Where to stay: The ultra-chic Sophy Hotel in Hyde Park, near the massive, always fun Museum of Science & Industry, offers specials and packages for visitors -- including the “SO - In Love” package, which recreates the Obamas’ first date in the neighborhood, the “SO - Cozy Package,” a discounted “Winter in Hyde Park” deal, and more. The hotel also houses Mesler Kitchen, which offers a full menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as brunch.
Visit Site Jan31
2020
Chicago hotel’s new romance package inspired by a famous couple’s first kiss
It started with a kiss. In this case, “it” is a new package being offered at the Sophy Hyde Park hotel. And it’s inspired by a first kiss. Not just any first kiss. The Obamas’ first kiss.
Visit Site Jan29
2020
SOPHY® Hyde Park Celebrates Barack and Michele’s First Kiss with SOPHY® SO-In Love
SOPHY® Hyde Park, the 98-room boutique hotel in Chicago’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood, sits right across the street from the so-called Kissing Rock, marking the spot where Barack and Michele Obama shared their first kiss. That moment is commemorated with a plaque that reads, “’On our first date, I treated her to the finest ice cream Baskin-Robbins had to offer, our dinner table doubling as the curb. I kissed her, and it tasted like chocolate.’ President Barack Obama from an interview in O, The Oprah Magazine, Feb. 2007.”
Read More Sep18
2019
Matthew Cappellini is appointed Executive Chef of Mesler Kitchen | Bar | Lounge at SOPHY® Hyde Park
Matthew Cappellini has been appointed the Executive Chef of Mesler Kitchen | Bar | Lounge at SOPHY® Hyde Park. Chef Cappellini was formerly the Executive Chef at Le Meridien Oak Brook and previously worked at the two Michelin star Sixteen restaurant at Trump International Hotel in Chicago. He also did stints at the University of Notre Dame’s Morris Inn and Harrah’s Joliet Chicago Hotel and Casino. A graduate of the culinary arts program at Joliet Junior College, Chef Cappellini is a member of the American Culinary Federation and is an active participant in ACF approved competitions.
Read More Aug15
2019
Mesler Kitchen Is More Than A Hotel Lobby
The Sophy Hotel’s in-house bar and lounge draws Hyde Parkers looking for everything from a date night destination to a stepped-up study break.
Visit Site Aug14
2019
Peak performance: The art of getting under the skin of Chicago
America’s third city may rank behind New York and Los Angeles in terms of size and limelight, but this midwestern delight, in the state of Illinois and on the shores of vast Lake Michigan, is one that ticks every box – and loads more you didn’t even know existed.
Visit Site Jul16
2019
Frank Lloyd Wright & Summer in the City at SOPHY® Hyde Park
SOPHY® Hyde Park welcomes its guests to explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, the Prairie-Style masterpiece recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Read More Jul11
2019
THE BEST HOTELS IN CHICAGO
The most American of all the big cities in the US, Chicago stands out not just for its ease of use (O’Hare airport is the world’s busiest) or its eminently friendly locals (they call it “Midwest Nice”), but also for its stunning architecture. Walk among its 77 distinct neighbourhoods and you’ll find International Style skyscrapers, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed single-family homes, and everything in between.
Visit Site Jul06
2019
Chicago Travel: Culture Club Thriving in the Art of the City
With its defining architecture, world-class museums and thriving arts scene, Chicago is America's favourite city break. Set on the banks of Lake Michigan, Illinois, it has all the buzz of New York as well as the sass of San Francisco but here there's space to breathe.
Visit Site May21
2019
Vacation in your own backyard: 5 summer staycations at Chicago's newest hotels
The South Side got a major hotel upgrade last fall with the debut of this 98-room boutique property that offers a “48 Hours in Hyde Park” package designed to get people out and about in this rapidly transforming neighborhood.
Visit Site May19
2019
Summer Sippin'
Put the Sophy, 1411 E. 53rd St., on your stay-cation must list. Hyde Park’s first upscale boutique hotel surrounds visitors with references to the neighborhood’s history and cultural contributions. See if you can spot the homage to the Ferris Wheel, introduced at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The Sophy’s smartly appointed patio, attached to the hotel’s restaurant, lends itself to sophisticated conversation while sipping a craft beer or cocktail. Given its proximity to the University of Chicago, it should come as no surprise that the Sophy’s bar has drinks down to a science: The menu features figurative drawings that settle once and for all what five- and eight-ounce pours should look like in a wine glass. Finally, math we can all use.
Visit Site Apr12
2019
Chicago's new Sophy Hotel is a boutique lodging option in Hyde Park
When I was young, my parents took my siblings and me to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood during visits to the Windy City. We always came away fascinated by the exhibits. But we never overnighted in Hyde Park — which has long been bereft of places to stay — and instead opted for hotels downtown. The lodging situation changed when the new Hyatt Place opened in 2013.
Visit Site