By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
July 31, 2015
The Langham Hotel was our home for the weekend. The location was very familiar to me. After all, I had worked for more than a dozen years at the Chicago Sun-Times, which used to be across the street. (Now, that site houses the Trump Hotel Chicago.) And before it became the Langham, the site was the home of the IBM Building, where I occasionally ate lunch.
Nothing about the building looked the same to me, except for the exterior, which was one of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s last designs. The hotel takes up 13 of the 52 stories in the anodized aluminum and bronze-tinted glass building. It has a very stark and sedate exterior.
However, inside is another story.
As you can see, the Langham is lovely inside.
One reason we picked the Langham was because it has a gorgeous swimming pool. And when you’re traveling with children, a pool is a big bonus.
There’s also a Kids’ Suite, which came in handy for #SonOfJae. Sightseeing is always fun, but children need a little downtime. Chilling out in this play area was just the right thing, especially because it offered one thing he doesn’t have at home: an X-Box 360. He spent a good hour or two over the course of our weekend stay playing “Minecraft.”
Seriously, I have no idea what kind of spell “Minecraft” has over children, but our kiddo and all his friends love that game. I honestly thought that the highlight of the trip would be the hotel pool or the Shedd Aquarium. But at one point, he said playing “Minecraft” in the Kids’ Suite was the most memorable part of the weekend.
Our child likes to travel. He has taken high-speed KTX “bullet” trains in Seoul, played in New York City’s Central Park and fed dolphins in Paradise Island (Bahamas). All of that was amazing. But it’s wonderful having a first-rate destination with skyscapers, museums and all the delicious dining choices right in our own back yard.
We’ll be back, Chicago, because we can’t quit you.
Where to eat: Definitely hit up Star of Siam. During my Sun-Times days, I ate there almost once or twice a week. Often, I’d get carryout and bring it home for dinner as well. I loved it so much. Although I hadn’t been there in at least a year, one of the staff (who now is higher up on the foodchain) remembered me. It’s that kind of place. We ordered shrimp shumai, gyoza, rice, pad siew and pad khee mao (and drinks) and spent about $50 (including tip).
For breakfast, we relied on online reviews and checked out Yolk on Ohio, which was within walking distance from our hotel. It was packed, and there was a 10-minute wait to get a table, which — honestly — was a lot shorter than we had anticipated. When my son’s $6 breakfast came out, my husband said, “This is the kid’s meal?” It was huge and included eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes and a pancake. My husband ordered the huevos rancheros, while I opted for the smoked salmon platter. (Again, the total bill came to about $45.)
Things to see: Like many children his age, #SonOfJae loves fish and dolphins and sharks and jellyfish and … well, you get the picture. His most recent visit to a marine exhibit was last October at the Sea Life Busan Aquarium in South Korea. He was excited about revisiting Chicago’s amazing Shedd Aquarium. We ran into one of his pre-school classmates there, as well as numerous Taylor Swift fans who were in town for her weekend concerts at Soldier Field.
Just the facts: Langham Chicago, 330 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611 (312-923-9988)
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