Chicago Shopping Tips by Bwana_Brown

Convenient Food Mart: A downtown 'hole-in-the-wall' store

Having arrived in Chicago on an overcast Saturday afternoon, after checking in at my hotel and making a short walk in the Magnificent Mile area of the city, I finally back-tracked to my room to settle in after a very long day of flying from Regina to Toronto to Chicago. But first, I noticed the Convenient Food Mart not far away from my Embassy Suites hotel - convenience stores like this seem to be quite popular in the downtown area!

After picking up a few items and paying for them, I pulled out my camera to take an inside photo of the store where the cashier was located. The person who turned out to be the owner asked me why I was doing this and, when I mentioned that I was going to put his store on a travel page, it bent over backwards to help me achieve my goal. He quickly rounded up his staff behind the delicatessen counter to take part in the photo session, but I warned him that it would be at least a few weeks before I would be able to post anything on the Virtual Tourist web-site! He seemed happy anyway.

What to buy: My purchases were quite simple, some fruit, crackers and cheese as well as a bottle of red wine to have something to snack on while in my room! The prices were quite reasonable too!

Address: 203 East Ohio Street, Chicago

Directions: Just a couple of blocks west of North Michigan Avenue, not far from the Marriot Hotel

Theme: Food and Drink

Grand Market Plaza by Jewel Osco: Great variety - easy to use

Once I had settled in and got my bearings in downtown Chicago, I realized that there was a fairly major supermarket just across the street from my hotel! As a result, this is the establishment I frequented for the remainder of my trip whenever I wanted to stock up on things. It is only a block away from Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse located where those construction cranes were carrying out city improvements!

What to buy: The Grand Market Plaza had just about everything you would need, but as with the Convenient Food Mart, my needs were simple. This store was equipped with self check-out machines which never seemed to be too busy and also had an ATM dispenser for when my US$ began to run low!

Address: 550 North State Street

Directions: Next door to the Embassy Suites hotel at 600 North State Street

Theme: Food and Drink