The Randolph Street Market Festival is home to the world-renowned Chicago Antique Market, Indie Designer Market, Modern Vintage Chicago and the Holiday Market. As seen in Travel & Leisure, the NY Times, Lucky Magazine and featured on TV news shows and web casts, the Randolph Street Market Festival is considered “a mecca of cool”, “the best hot spot for antiquing”, “the best Chicago venue for people watching”, and “the Barney’s of Vintage”. Celebrity designer Nate Berkus says, “I love this market…the quality is incredible!” As one of Chicago’s most happening monthly parties, Randolph Street Market has become the summer destination! This European-style, indoor-outdoor urban antique market in the historic West Loop neighborhood features 200 select purveyors of high quality, amazingly priced “finds”, offering unlimited creative inspiration and hours of fun. Shoppers can find furnishings, vintage clothing, jewelry, collectibles, etc. Visit randolphstreetmarket.com for more information.

A century ago, in 1913, the Art Institute of Chicago became the first art museum in the country to present the work of a young Spaniard who would become the preeminent artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso. This February the museum celebrates the special 100-year relationship between Picasso and Chicago by bringing together over 250 of the finest examples of the artist's paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and ceramics from private collections in the city, as well as from the museum's collection, for the first large-scale Picasso exhibition organized by the museum in almost 30 years. The show runs from February 20, 2013 through May 12, 2013. The exhibit shows such diverse and significant works from the museum's own exceptional holdings and from collections throughout the city, Picasso and Chicago not only charts the full gamut of Picasso's artistic career but also chronicles the growth of Chicago as a place for modern art and the storied moments of overlap that have contributed to the vibrant interest in Picasso from 1913 to today. Visit artic.edu for more information.he Art Institute is celebrating a 100 year relationship with the artist by bringing together over 250 of Picasso's finest works of Art.
View Larger Map

When she's not running the show at one of the nation's largest contemporary art museums, Museum of Contemporary Art Director Madeleine Grynsztejn can be seen at Lincoln Park. This area, which is also one of the coolest Chicago neighborhoods of which she is also a resident, is Madeleine's go-to place for some R & R. "I really like to go there and unwind and walk around the lake and take a look at the city from there," Madeleine told citybuzz. Apart from spectacular skyline views, the park boasts an impressive resume of renowned artists and architects that have made the it one of Chicago's most treasured places, like sculptor Augustus-Saint Gaudens, landscape designers Ossian Cole Simonds and Alfred Caldwell, and architects Joseph Lyman Silsbee and Dwight H. Perkins. You don't need to be a director of an art museum to appreciate the beauty of their work. A trip to this peaceful, shoreline park would not be complete without visiting the zoo. "I love the Lincoln Park Zoo," Madeleine said, and millions of visitors each year agree. The free, family oriented experience is absolutely breathtaking in both the beautiful animals (lions to swans) and incredible layout. A getaway to Chicago would not be complete without a trip to the breathtaking Lincoln Park and uber-hip neighborhood. *** Madeleine Grynsztejn is the Pritzker Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and is also a resident of the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago.