Illinois Shopping Tips by Faiza-Ifrah Top 5 Page for this destination

American Girl Place for Pre-teens: Shopping paradise for girls of ages 5 to 99 years

If you visit Chicago with children, do not forget American Girl Place. The three-story building is located off north Michigan Avenue and has proved to be an impressive Chicago tourist attraction -- at least for the preteen 5 to 12 year-old girls. But girls 13 to 99 years will also enjoy the place (hehehe).

The store has welcomed more than a million visitors ever since it opened in November 1998. Why?

American Girl Place is the only place in the world to shop for American Girl Dolls and the books, clothes and accessories from the American Girl catalog. There are contemporary dolls with skin, hair and eye colors chosen by their owners and clothes for every modern sport and occasion. Once the shopping is done, the girls can dine at a colorful cafe in which dolls get their very own seats. The menu features food, which itself is designed to be fun e.g. tic-tac-toe pizza, chocolate pudding flower pot, etc.

Finally, it's show time at "The American Girls revue," during which the dolls and their stories are brought to life through an hour long musical. Reservations are required and tickets are priced at $25.

Well all those girls 5 to 99 lets hit it.

What to pay: With kids around or you reverting to your girlish ways, expect credit card outstanding to pile up real fast. This is due to restaurant that becomes a must after so much of shopping.

Address: See elsewhere.

Directions: 737 North Michigan Avenue, Suite
1500 Chicago, IL 60611.

Other Contact: Fax: (312) 640-1279

Theme: Toys and Games

Sports Authority: A haven for sport shoppers

This is a multistorey store for sporting goods and clothing. We liked the location of the store and the stuff it had. Once you are tired and exhausted after shopping, you can drag yourselves and your newly acquired assets to Rock and Roll McDonald or the Rainforest Cafe for a lunch or dinner. They are loacetd just across the street.

What to buy: Footwear, casual clothes, professional clubs and university related clothes and stuff. In the picture, Rayyan shows off one of his purchase - a Northwestern Wildcat Football T-shirt. It seems the family tradition of supporting Wildcats has been passed on to the next generation.

What to pay: When we visited in March 2007, it was a sell-off at about 40% discount. We went crazy.

Address: 620 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60610

Phone: (312) 337-6151

Theme: Sporting Goods

Website: http://www.sportsauthority.com

Lincolnwood Mall: Economical shopping and dining

We have been shopping at Lincolnwood Mall since ages. It is a world class shopping destination, newly rebuilt and in one of the finest suburbs of Lincolnwood, just north of Chicago main city and south of the city we lived in.

This premier shopping mall provides three anchor stores, which are Old Navy, Kohls, and Carson Pirie Scott. The last two are conspicuous by their absence in Canada. These offer excellent shopping.

Lincolnwood Mall in Chicago has about 100 other stores, including Victoria Secret that had an excellent sale on perfumes and the Gap. There are no movie theater inside the Mall, but are there nearby. It has dining and restaurants include Olive Garden that offers good Italian cuisine, Quiznos, Red Lobster, and Ruby Tuesday.

What to buy: Local arts and crafts, clothings, perfumes, footwear, etc.

What to pay: Prices are comparable with those in other malls, but better than Canada's.

Directions: North Shore of Chicago, corner of McCormick and Touhy in Lincolnwood, east of I-94. From I-94 take Touhy street east exit.

Theme: Other

Woodfield Mall: A mall with Rainforest Cafe

This is reported to be Illinois' #1 Tourist Destination that is anchored by Nordstrom, Marshall Field's, Lord & Taylor, Sears and JC Penney. Woodfield has nearly 300 stores, restaurants, and specialty shops all under one roof. The beautiful and elegant Woodfield Mall in Woodfield has a Rainforest Cafe that a family with children can use to fill in empty and growling stomachs. It is a mall that compares well with many world class malls found in the middle east and elsewhere.

There is ample parking space and access is easy.

What to buy: Women clothing, footwear, jewellery. You name it, this mall has it.

What to pay: Comparable prices.

Directions: Golf Rd. at Route 53 (5 Woodfield Shopping Center) Schaumburg, IL 60173.

Other Contact: fax: 847-330-0251

Phone: 847-330-1537

Theme: Other

State's Best & Burlington Coat Factory at Glenview: Women's shopping paradise

All along we had thought that the UAE was the most economically priced country in the world due to its duty free nature. This was proven wrong at Burlington Coat Factory where quality and prices reigned supreme.

When the 5 of us (including my nephew) went in, we shopped for about 3 hours for all clothings and footwear. It was awesome.

Talisman Village Ctr.
2614 Golf Rd.
Glenview, IL 60025
847-998-3440
website: www.coat.com/locator/ship_stores_mw.shtml

REGION's BEST:
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HANDLE WITH CARE at 1706 N Wells St (312) 751-2929 has casual and dressy styles for women, plus bath and body luxuries.

DAFFODIL HILL at 2016 Central St Evanston (847) 424-8786 is located in the great suburb by the lake north of Chicago.

P.45 at 1643 N. Damen Avenue (773) 862-4523 is a loft like boutique that has season's hottest designer items.

What to buy: Women's clothing, designer dresses, skin care products and jewellery.

What to pay: Comparatively far less than any other retailer.

Address: See above

Directions: See above

Theme: Women's Clothes