June 20, 2008

US & Canada | US | Chicago

Chicago Confidential

By Suzanne Steinert

Your all-access pass to the Windy City.

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You don’t have to feel like an outsider when visiting Chicago: staying in the loop is as easy as checking into The James. Literally. The boutique bolthole (one of the city’s first design hotels) is right by the downtown district locals call The Loop, home to the Sears Tower, several historic theaters and Chicago’s “front yard,” Grant Park. Plus, starting this week, The James gives guests the inside track to the city’s most popular sites with a set of customized “VIP experiences.”

Recently, globorati went on The James’ private tour of the new Jeff Koons show on display through September at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The Neo-Pop artist’s first major US exhibit in 15 years, it includes one of his iconic 10-foot-tall, stainless-steel Balloon Dogs (pictured) and the Warholian oil-on-canvas, Triple Hulk Elvis I. You might consider leaving the kids at home, though: the installation (carefully arranged by the provocateur himself) also features the racy Made in Heaven series inspired by Koons’ porn-star-turned-Italian-parliamentarian ex-wife. Yet come July, you won’t even need to leave your hotel for a dose of modern art: The James will exhibit selections from the museum’s own collection.

For a VIP experience that’s a bit more PG, there’s the hotel’s exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to Buckingham Fountain (pictured) in the heart of Grant Park. One of the largest fountains in the world, the 1927 Versailles-inspired pool of pink marble is home to shows of water, music and light every summer evening. Your VIP pass takes you below the fountain (off limits to the general public) for an interactive glimpse behind this power-production: 134 jets spewing 14,000 gallons of water per minute.

Don’t be surprised though if during your stay at The James, you bump into some fellow VIPs, such as Kanye West. The Chicago homeboy, who’s crashed at the hotel’s spacious penthouse loft, will headline this August’s Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park — for which The James’ concierge can, naturally, arrange VIP tickets.