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25
2022
Celebrating Black History Month and a Valentine Sealed with a Presidential Kiss
Hyde Park is home to the future Obama Presidential Center, DuSable Museum of African American History, Muhammed Ali and a First Kiss SOPHY Hyde Park, the 98-room boutique hotel that was named one of “The Best New Hotels in the World” by the editors of Travel + Leisure, is located in the vibrant heart of Chicago’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood. This is one of the most dynamic and culturally diverse areas of the city, with locally-owned businesses and a large African American population. The rich and proud diversity of Hyde Park dates back to the Great Migration of the 1920’s when African-Americans moving north from the rural south were drawn to area for its diversity, jobs, gracious homes and the rich, creative cultural vibe of the neighborhood that remains present today.
Read More Jan13
2022
Top things to do for Valentine’s Day in Chicago
After a lot of time spent at home, switching up your surroundings for a night or two may be the perfect way to escape with your Valentine. It’s also a great time to score deals, from upgraded rooms to unique packages. Sophy Hyde Park: Get cozy with two souvenir mugs, hot cocoa, and a credit to the in-house Mesler restaurant.
Visit Site Dec21
2021
At Chicago’s SOPHY® Hyde Park, Every Girl is a Future CEO
As 2021 draws to a close, it’s the time of year when the SOPHY® Hyde Park team takes a moment to reflect on what mattered most, especially during a year that brought unprecedented challenges and instilled the passion and drive to overcome them. It was a year of the hotel doing what it does best – welcoming guests. In 2021, those included some of Chicago’s most promising young women, thanks to a new philanthropic partnership with Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program, a non-profit organization based on the South Side that helps young African-American and Latinx women ages 7-17 develop communication and business skills to prepare them for the future workplace.
Read More Dec14
2021
Chicago’s Neighborhoods Not to Miss
Chicago has some 77 neighborhoods, and numerous more sub-neighborhoods, each with its own charm. Explore a handful for a real insight into the third largest U.S. city. For a true experience of culture and history in Chicago, head south to Hyde Park, home to the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 (which spawned the Garden of the Phoenix and Museum of Science and Industry, where you can see a full-size submarine and go down into a coal mine) and Kenwood, home to some of Chicago’s grandest homes, including one belonging to Barack and Michelle Obama. This neighborhood is home to the University of Chicago and its striking Gothic campus, first designed by renowned architect Henry Ives Cobb and then added to by Eero Saarinen and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and others for a modern feel. The famed Frank Lloyd Wright Frederick C. Robie House sits on the campus, and you can take in one of the best views of the Chicago skyline from Promontory Point. Hyde Park has long been a center of Black culture in Chicago with the DuSable Museum of African American History but also with food at Virtue, a heralded Southern restaurant from famed chef Erick Williams, or Jamaican jerk chicken at Ja’Grill. Catch an array of live music—rock, electronic, dance, jazz, and more—at the Promontory. Where to stay in Hyde Park and Kenwood The Sophy Book now: from $229/night, expedia.com The Sophy, a boutique hotel, sits along 53rd Street near many restaurants and shops, like the Silver Room, owned by another Eric Williams, who is opening the Bronzeville Winery just north of Hyde Park in the historic neighborhood of Bronzeville.
Visit Site Nov15
2021
Appealing Chicago hotels that feature boutique vibes and amenities
How do you roll? Are you an art aficionado, history buff, workout fiend, interested in eating your way through a great restaurant city or just want to land in a genuine Chicago neighborhood and enjoy life as a native for a few days? No matter what, these properties dazzle in the details. For a stay that pins the needle at a solid ten on the cool meter,, consider Wicker Park's The Robey, near music venues, dive bars, boutique shopping and stellar restaurants (its own cafe serves excellent brunch seven-days-a-week, too). Publishing House Bed and Breakfast, in the restaurant-heavy West Loop, is ready for its close-up in Architectural Digest. 21C Museum Hotel has its own art museum within the hotel - a cost-free amenity perfect to peruse on a rainy/icy/sweaty day. Spend a day in historic Hyde Park and overnight at Sophy, a boutique hotel steeped in the culture of the south side neighborhood. Lincoln Park has the (still free) Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago History Museum, Chicago's largest park, nature museum, conservatory, lakefront trail and beaches. Choose Hotel Lincoln (with complimentary bike rentals) or the Neighborhood Hotel - an 1893 classic city walk-up transformed into a residential-style hotel. If your heart is set on nesting near downtown attractions, consider Nobu Hotel Chicago in the busy Fulton Market District; Pendry Chicago, housed in the gleaming 1920's Carbide & Carbon Building, a genuine American Art Deco landmark; the architecturally stunning Radisson Blu Aqua - nirvana for exercise enthusiasts; or Staypineapple, An Iconic Hotel, The Loop which works overtime for the sleep deprived (and isn't that just about all of us these days)?
Visit Site Sep19
2021
Chicago's Public Art Scene Is Like No Other — Here's What to See
One day this past June, I left my house on Chicago's South Side, where the leafy neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Kenwood meet, to take a walk with Adrienne Brown. A colleague at the University of Chicago, Brown studies architecture and the perception of race. We had a plan to look at the murals that run through about a mile of the underpasses in our neighborhood. Much of the public art near us has been made by Black, Latinx, and Indigenous artists, and its presence has seemed essential over the past five years of political upheaval and the pandemic. The South Side is a world away from the cultural institutions of downtown and the North Side, and while I still take pleasure in those grand halls and galleries, these days, I'm more often searching for art that reflects a sense of movement. Chicago's history can be told in migrations: the Great Migration of Black people from the American South; the passages from Mexico that have given the city the country's second-largest Mexican American population; the return migrations of Native people, who had been forced into exile and came back to labor here.
Visit Site Sep14
2021
The 7 Best Neighborhoods in Chicago to Spend a Weekend
Where to stay: The ultra-chic Sophy Hotel, stashed 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 hotel also houses Mesler Kitchen, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus help guests feel constantly catered to (outdoors, too, where a patio with enclosed igloos warms visitors in winter months). For a more private stay, check out the Hamlin House Bed & Breakfast. Built in 1905 for Chicago opera singer George Hamlin, the property is beautifully restored, with five guest rooms with ensuite bathrooms, plus a Victorian-style dining room, and gardens. Visit the Smart Museum of Art during your stay, just steps away from the B&B’s front door.
Visit Site Jul30
2021
6 Hyde Park Wedding Venues for Your South Side Nuptials
With the gorgeous Lake Michigan on the east and the serene Washington Park on the west, it’s no wonder that Hyde Park is a top wedding destination in the Chicagoland area for couples. Home to the historical University of Chicago campus and an array of scenic parks, Hyde Park has much to offer any couple who dreams of saying ‘I do’ in the Windy City. We get it – it can be overwhelming to know where to start when it comes to finding the Hyde Park wedding venue that ticks all your boxes. That’s why we’ve curated this all-in-one list of venues to help you find your perfect match, so keep scrolling to discover the must-see wedding venues of Hyde Park, Chicago.
Visit Site Jun07
2021
Summer in the City at Mesler Chicago
Summer in the city has arrived and Mesler Chicago at SOPHY® Hyde Park is launching a sizzling new menu and fun ways to experience food and drink at one of Hyde Park’s coolest spots. The popular Happy Hour is back and fresh, new lunch and dinner offerings have been added to the seasonal menu, while the neighborhood’s beloved brunch at Mesler remains a favorite for leisurely South Side weekends.
Read More Apr27
2021
Spring Fling: 3 Great Reasons to Visit Chicago’s SOPHY® Hyde Park
SOPHY® Hyde Park, the stylish boutique hotel in the cultural heart of Chicago’s South Side, is the social hub for the diverse urban community that is the very definition of the Hyde Park neighborhood. The lobby living room with its striking fireplace is a gathering space to mix and mingle, as is Mesler Chicago restaurant and bar, featuring design inspired by the iconic South Side. Art and science come together in SOPHY’s cutting-edge design and in Hyde Park itself. The hotel is close to the University of Chicago and the new David Rubenstein Forum, as well as the Museum of Science & Industry and Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmark Robie House. It’s also walking distance to the site of the future Obama Presidential Center in historic Jackson Park, which breaks ground in September 2021.
Read More Apr08
2021
Rachel Clark Named Director of Sales & Marketing of SOPHY Hyde Park in Chicago
Rachel Clark has been named the Director of Sales & Marketing for SOPHY® Hyde Park hotel in Chicago. The 98-room boutique hotel is home to Mesler Restaurant & Bar and is located in the dynamic Hyde Park community, close to the new David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago as well as the site of the future Obama Presidential Center. Ms. Clark is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry. A Pennsylvania State University graduate in Hospitality Management, Clark started her sales career with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place as a Corporate Management Trainee. She went on to work in sales and marketing for a number of Chicago properties, including the Hilton Chicago, Palmer House Hilton, Drake Hotel, Conrad Chicago and the Waldorf Astoria Chicago. She received Hilton’s Circle of Excellence award in 2014. “We are honored to welcome Rachel to SOPHY,” says Anthony Beach, General Manager of SOPHY Hyde Park. “She brings a depth of Chicago-based experience and a rich knowledge of the hotel landscape, as well as a genuine love of this city. Rachel’s exceptional talents are tremendous assets for a boutique hotel like SOPHY, a top lodging option, not only in Hyde Park, but within Chicago’s hotel market since opening in the fall of 2018.”
Visit Site Apr17
2020
These Hotel Brands are Helping First Responders During the COVID-19 Crisis
Travel for most of us may be significantly reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are some who have no choice but to travel due to their particular job. Some first responders, including doctors, nurses and other support staff, have had to ramp up travel to assist in areas that need it most. Many are doing so at their own personal expense (not to mention risking their own health).
Visit Site Apr08
2020
Hotels Open as ‘Comforting Refuge’ for Health Care Workers
Hotels, some high-end, that have closed in recent weeks because of the coronavirus have reopened as lodgings for workers on the front line.
Visit Site Apr03
2020
How Hotels and Airlines Are Helping During the Pandemic
Hotels are offering free or low-charge rooms to communities for housing both caregivers and non-COVID patients. Standout individual hotel offers in hard-hit New York City include those from the Four Seasons Hotel, which was the first hotel in New York City to begin providing free stays to healthcare workers responding to the pandemic.
Visit Site Feb03
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.
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