Slice of Life: Chicago Trip (and visit to a Bookstore)
This past weekend I took a short, but much needed vacation to Chicago. It was lots of fun!!! Besides visiting an awesome bookstore (which I’ll get to in a minute) I also got to visit:
The Bean (in Millineum Park)
Shedd Aquarium
I also did a bit of shopping along The Magnificent Mile, took (way) too many pictures, ate a delicious deep dish pizza at Giordano’s (food heaven), and went to the Hancock Observatory (except now it’s called 360 Chicago).Being the bibliophile that I am, my visit wouldn’t be complete with out going an awesome bookstore. I did a little research beforehand and decided to visit Selected Works, which is a used bookstore.
The bookstore is located on South Michigan Avenue (the Chicago loop area) in the lovely Fine Arts Building! (Pictured Below)
The bookstore can be found on the second floor of the building and you can ride in a old fashioned man-operated elevator to get there! How cool! The Fine Arts building not only has that marvelous marble interior with cool staircases, but also gives you a nolstagic feeling. Get off the elevator, make a right, and you’ll see the store in all its beauty along with it’s friendly cat Hodge (I seriously thought of City of Bones when I found out his name).
Sign on the first floor just in case you get lost! (picture on the right)
The store may be small, but it is in no shortage of books! The genres of books they have available are vast: history, fiction, poetry, sheet music, reference, classics, etc.
The owner/s were very friendly as well as Hodge, and honestly you could spend all day looking for books in this cozy little space. This store is what a real bookstore should be like and is why I love and cherish independent store over large chains.
From left to right: interior of first floor of Fine Arts Building, outside of store, and inside of bookstore
Because I was short on time I didn’t get to stay there as long as I wanted to, but I did end up purchasing one book:
“Krick Krak!” by Edwidge Danticat (only $5! yay!)
It’s a compilation of short stories by Danticat. I had read a short story (“A Wall of Fire Rising”) by her a year ago in my Fiction class so I decided to pick up the book since I really enjoy her writing style.
If you are ever in Downtown Chicago you should definitely check out Selected Works. You can find more information about them here: http://www.selworkschicago.com/_/Home.html
When I travel to the Windy City again, I’ll definitely have to check out some more book stores!
Have you traveled or visited any cool bookstores lately?
*Pictures taken by me with my Nikon camera
That looks like a wonderful bookstore!
If you’re into used books, Powell’s is another great find in Chicago. There’s no décor to speak of, and it’s not the cleanest place in town, but the shelves are extremely well organized and the books . . . I always find at least one treasure there!
I saw Powell’s listed as a good Chicago bookstore as well. I’ll have to visit there net time I travel there. Thank you for the suggestion! 🙂
That bookshop looks super cute, and how cool that you take an old-fashioned elevator to get there! I’m a sucker for mysterious buildings, and when they contain books it’s all the better. If I ever do a bookstore-quest of America, this will definitely be on my list. (And yay Edwidge Danticat! She’s such a beautiful writer.)
I know, old fashioned elevator are great! It would have been even better if he had worn a bellhop hat, lol. And yes Edwidge Danticat is a beautiful writer! 🙂