Chicago's Palmer House Hotel

The Palmer Hilton's famous lobby.  The escalators and people are new.  Everything else is 19th Century.

 After years of only flying through Chicago, I finally got to stop and visit.  Over five days, while attending a conference, I took a boat tour down the Chicago River; I stared at skyscrapers (including the Trump Tower); I walked underneath "The Bean;" I ate fudge pie at Joe's Seafood and Steak restaurant; I enjoyed cocktails and views on the 80th floor of the Aon Tower, and I walked The Magnificant Mile.

I did most of this while spending my nights at Chicago's oldest continuously operated hotel, the Palmer House.  The Palmer House was completed in 1871 for an enormous sum by industrialist Potter Palmer for his new bride Bertha, only to be destroyed in the great Chicago Fire 13 days later. But it was rebuilt from the ashes and it hosted many famous socialites and politicians thereafter. Pictures of musicians and comedians that performed at the Palmer over the years line the walls, including my favorite, Jimmy Durante. The hotel was subsequently expanded in the 1920s to accommodate more guests.

Bertha's brownies have gone up in price over the years.

When I checked in, the concierge gushed about the marble floors, the elevators, and the magnificent hand painted ceiling in the main lobby.  And gush he might, because it is all magnificent.  The lobby also contains gold peacock Tiffany doors, and a display of Bertha Palmer's china alongside some fresh samples of her famous brownies.  Legend has it that the Palmer House invented the brownie, at Bertha's urging for a suitable portable dessert.  Already stuffed with other Chicago desserts, I did not sample the famous brownies.  I also did not see a third of what Chicago has to offer (including several days exploring Chicago museums), so when I return, I promise to make a detour just for Bertha's brownies.