"How did it strike you on arrival?Old-school glamour, the kind they don't build anymore. What’s the crowd like?It's an inclusive lot. There's business travel during the week, loads of tourists on the weekend enjoying out-the-door access to Grant Park, the Art Institute, and Museum Campus. Architecture fans who appreciate the 1910-vintage lobby with ornate railings and marble by the yard prevail in both groups. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.The casing is old at the landmark Blackstone, but the guts are new. Rooms do a good job of combining crisp color schemes with touches of glamour in mid-century modern armchairs, velvet couches, and silver cocktail trays. Room sizes vary, but the best views face east and overlook Lake Michigan. How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that worth a mention?Nicely accessorized, with a silver cocktail tray and cut glass tumblers, plus coffee table books to peruse over that cocktail. I'd probably steal the art off the wall if I could. The hotel has about 1,600 pieces by local artists. Maybe the most important topic of all: Wi-Fi. What’s the word?Good and included in the rate. Food and drink: What's it like here?Head to Mercat a la Planxa for flavorful Spanish cooking in a sprawling and lively space. With an emphasis on Spain’s Catalonia region, the menu ranges to include street food-styled starters and meal-sized classics, rice, and grilled specialties from the planxa grill. Round it all out with the house sangria, or one of the team’s regional wine selections. Anything else we have to do if we stay?There are few better places to enjoy a snowy Chicago evening than camped out at a window-side table overlooking Grant Park at Mercat a la Planxa and grazing your way through the Spanish menu. The lobby is a lovely place for cocktails shaken up from a wheeled cart. And take a peek at the lower level, where there's a pool table outside of a former barbershop that Al Capone once frequented. What was most memorable—or heartbreaking—about your stay?Super location with immediate access to the Art Institute, Museum Campus, and Grant Park. Loads of style in the lobby. Bottom line: Why are we booking here?Definitely a good value for style and location." - Elaine Glusac
