Get to the Peninsula Hotel

I am fortunate to have a very cush job in that while I've got my nose to the grindstone, I get to luxuriate in 5-star hotels. Last summer, I was lucky enough to stay at the Peninsula Hotel in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago. If I didn't think I was a hotel snob before the Peninsula, well, honey, I do now.

Upon flitting from the hallway into my room, I heard myself squeal like a newborn piglet. I can be a germophobe, but when my senses got a hold of this room, I wanted to take off my shoes, touch the TV's remote control w/my bare hands, throw away my hand sanitizer, and press my face against the glass windows. I did, however, run hot scalding water before taking a shower. (Some OCD habits are hard to kick.)

On top of having "her royal highness" service from all staff members I encountered, the food was incredible; the cleanliness of the meeting rooms was next to godliness; the surrounding restaurants and neighborhood were filled with top-rated options to dine, drink, dance, play, walk, tour, shop, and star gaze . . . if you're into that sort of thing, like (pathetically) me. Sidebar: On the weekend, I walked a couple blocks up in search of an airy-fairy dress, and I literally grazed Claire Danes and her fiance. I declare she checked me out from head to toe. I was rocking the cutest summer peach color skirt, a light cotton handkerchief top and my orange leather sandals from Anthro. Meanwhile, she was rocking an all-black ensemble with one of those summer scarves that are now so last year, aviator shades, freshly flat-ironed hair, and looking mighty thin. Nonetheless, she is gorgeous in a pale girl sort of way.

I'm going back to the Peninsula this July for another meeting, and now that I've started this blog, I'll be sure to carry my travelers notebook to record every spa, restaurant, store, and park I visit, to share with everyone.

Oh, if you're traveling with Fido, he/she is welcome to the Peninsula. Oh-oh, and the bar is a great place to mesh with Chicagoans and hotel guests. Everyone is so welcoming. The mood at the bar is sexy, dark, chic, and a perfect setting to make some new friends. Just remember to don your best cocktail dress and killer heels b/c the boys . . . they are a-lookin' ;). Keep in mind that Chicagoans in this neighborhood ooze class and status, so expect some great people watching opportunities.

Wrapping it up, you just can't go wrong with this hotel. It might cost you a bit more than most hotels in the area, but life's about indulging when you can. So, here's your license to indulge a little in the luxe life.

Get to staying at the Peninsula.