Take a shopping trip down Chicago's fashion store-lined Magnificent Mile or check out the trendy independent boutiques of Wicker Park. Make your own picnic lunch with fruit and cheese from Chicago's farmers markets. For a souvenir of Chicago culture, stop off at a sports store on your shopping trip and pick up a baseball shirt.
Save your money for shopping trips in Chicago, where you can browse nearly 400 clothing, shoe and toy shops along Michigan Avenue, more popularly known as the Magnificent Mile. You'll find glittering displays of Chicago's finest jewellery and watches downtown on Jeweler's Row. Head to the nearby River North district for a string of antiques and art galleries.
Make the trip to Lincoln Park on Lake Michigan to go shopping at Chicago's Green City Market - you'll find organically grown foods, live music, stuffed crêpes and cooking demonstrations. If your shopping trip ends up downtown, create a picnic of strawberries, blueberries and locally produced cheeses from the two downtown farmers markets on Federal Plaza and Daley Plaza. They both sell local produce and flowers in the summer.
Bring extra bags for shopping trips to Chicago so you can fill them with jewellery from Jeweler's Row or recordings of Chicago blues from music shops on the Magnificent Mile. Look for one-of-a-kind clothes, shoes and handbags in Chicago's sassy Wicker Park district, and Chicago baseball shirts at shops in The Loop.
