Shopping

This mall is the most upscale out of the rest of the malls. It has about 70 stores, a few good restaurants and a movie theatre on the lower level. Address: 900 N. Michigan Ave. Phone: 1-312-915-3916

For those of you with little girls, don’t give this one a miss, for it is more than just a store, it’s an experience. Incredible boutiques showcase contemporary and historical characters, beautiful dolls, accessories, and outfits for both girls and dolls. There’s also a café that serves brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The doll hair salon is especially popular and girls can watch as the stylists brush, braid, twist, and fix the dolls’ hair! A stage show brings stories from the American Girl books to life. Address: 111 East Chicago Avenue, across from Water Tower Park Phone: 1-877-AG PLACE www.americangirl.com

Several designer names begin at the intersection of Oak Street and Michigan Avenue. Clothing, home-décor and a food court are all available on the top floor. Address: 700 N. Michigan Ave. Phone: 1-312-642-4811

This block-long store is second only to the Macy’s flagship store at New York. Its breadth of merchandise is impressive, as is the interior. A number of exclusive miniboutiques within the store sell the latest designer wear and footwear. There are also a number of beauty stations where you can pamper yourself and pick up exclusive cosmetics. Take out time to sample Charlie Trotter’s gourmet food at the food department.

This area is about a mile long stretch of North Michigan Avenue between Oak Street and the Chicago River. This area is known to have the best stores and is simply a shopper’s paradise. If high-end designer stuff is what you’re looking out for, then this is the perfect place for you. From Bulgari jewelry, Prada bags, or Salvatore Ferragamo footwear, you’ll find it all. This area is also the heart of the city and walking down the streets you gives a distinctive feel of what it’s like to be a Chicagoan.

This is the first big indoor mall to open downtown. This mall is still very popular today. Address: 835 N. Michigan Ave. Phone: 1-312-440-3166

The mall is bright and spacious with high ceilings. There are jewelry, clothing, and bath and body shops here. Address: 520 N. Michigan Ave. Phone: 1-312-327-2300

Get a unique shopping experience at Armitage Avenue, where chic boutiques find homes in beautifully restored 19th century buildings. Here you can buy anything from unique furnishings to hard-to-find cosmetic brands to hip fashions and toys. Address: Between Halsted Street and Racine Avenue, Lincoln Park Near De Paul University www.armitageshopping.com

These side by side neighborhoods cater to the creative and hip crowd. Find hottest clothing styles from established and up-and-coming designers. Unearth that long lost gem at a used record store or vintage accessory shop, or browse independent art galleries. This shopping area though a bit gritty, is definitely trendy.

A suburbanite’s answer to Downtown shopping, Old Orchard, has a wide range of stores from Macy’s, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor and Bloomingdales to a host of specialty stores featuring jewelry, watches, gifts, home furnishings, etc. There is a food court plus full service restaurants. For family entertainment, there are a number of cinemas too within the complex. A large outlet of Barnes and Noble, the famous bookstore is also housed here. Address: 34, Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL 600077

Find an exciting collection of 120 outlet stores from the world’s leading designers and brand names, offering savings of 25% to 65% every day. Address: Chicago Area, Aurora, IL Phone: 630-585-2200 www.premiumoutlets.com/chicago

From Randolph Street south to Congress Parkway stretches State Street. It has become a hot destination for bargain hunters because of the popular discount stores located there, such as Loehmann’s, T.J. Maxx and Filene’s Basement. With a little patience and perseverance you can pick out some good designer-label deals.

Take home gifts from the Chicago Tribune Store with the newspaper logo on T-shirts, mugs, laptop briefcases and other items. Another unique way to commemorate your visit to this city is to get a Front Page reproduction or color prints of photos from the newspaper’s archives.

The City of Chicago Store is located in the Waterworks Visitors Center. Here you can find all sorts of Chicago related souvenirs. Also available are guidebooks and posters. A multitude of municipal related souvenirs can also be found, such as parking meters and street signs.

Who has not heard of the Oprah Winfrey Show? Well, just across the famous Harpo studios, is this shop that stocks all things Oprah. Gift items with the Oprah logo, T-shirts, teapots, baby clothes, handcrafted home accessories as well as books by Oprah-approved authors are available for you to purchase. There is also a small selection of designer outfits and shoes worn by the great lady herself. Though highly priced, take consolation in the fact that these are sold at a mere fraction of the original retail. Address: 37 N. Carpenter Street Washington Street Phone: 312-633-2100 www.oprah.com

This gallery displays modern works of art as well as Italian and French furniture from the 1920’s. Koppel specializes in 20th century photography. Address: 210 W. Chicago Ave. Phone: 1-312-640-0730

This gallery features a variety of work by artists from Latin America, Portugal and Spain. Address: 233 W. Huron St. Phone: 1-312-337-2536 Website: www.artaldo.com

Ann Nathan Gallery-this gallery displays exciting art pieces in clay, metal and wood, as well as photographs and paintings. Address: 212 W. Superior St. Phone: 1-312-337-2536 Website: www.annathangallery.com

It is well organized, bright, and features everything from garden ornaments to vintage bathroom hardware and American and French Art Deco lighting fixtures. Address: 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave. Phone: 1-773-348-0622 Website: www.architecturalartifacts.com

This is a two level vintage mega mart. You can find both expensive as well as affordable pieces here. Address: 6130 N. Broadway of Hollywood Ave. and Lake Shore Dr. Phone: 1-773-743-5444

This selection is diverse and includes unique pieces such as stained glass, statues, tapestries and fine furniture. Phone: 1-312-222-0167 Address: www.jayroberts.com