190 North is Chicago's longest-running lifestyles and entertainment show! In Sunday's episode, desserts can soothe your sweet-tooth but we're checking out a couple spots for dessert-inspired dining. Then, try a couple new ways to get fit, from submerging for a 'spin' class to rowing on dry land! Check into a futuristic hotel with 'droid delivery'? Experience the fun at Chicago's newest nightlife concept, it will have you saying "abra-cadabra"! Then, we uncover an archaeological treasure trove on the city's South Side.
Dessert-inspired dining
Chicago is world-renowned for our dining scene! There's every cuisine you can imagine in the Windy City, but another trend is eateries that take their inspiration from sweets. We aren't talking about bakeries or ice cream shops. We found a couple spots inspired by desserts, but they are serving up some pretty impressive meals too! JoJo's Milk Bar in River North is an 80's nostalgia-themed spot where their specialty is definitely their Instagram-worthy milkshakes. But they also serve up elevated diner food too!
Next, we feature longtime Bucktown eatery, Mindy's Hot Chocolate, from James Beard award-winning pastry chef, Mindy Segal. Her specialty is, you guessed it, hot chocolate, but this spot is a full-service, farm to table restaurant.
190 North: JoJo's Milk Bar in River North
JoJo's Milk Bar
23 W. Hubbard
Chicago
(312) 624-8963
www.jojosmilkbar.com
190 North: Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Bucktown
Mindy's Hot Chocolate
1747 N. Damen
Chicago
(773) 489-1747
www.hotchocolatechicago.com
Chicago Magic Lounge
Did you know Chicago has its own style of magic? It was developed in the 1920s and is performed right at your table! The Chicago Magic Lounge in Andersonville lets you interact in the fun and experience tricks up-close, while enjoying cocktails, small plates and a variety of magicians and shows. The lounge has a false facade entrance and secret moving pathways that will make you believe in magic!
190 North: Chicago Magic Lounge in Andersonville
Chicago Magic Lounge
5050 N Clark St.
Chicago
(312) 366-4500
www.chicagomagiclounge.com
New Chicago Fitness
Anybody who works out gets into a fitness "rut" sometimes. So, we rounded up a couple fun, new ways to get fit in the Windy City! First, we checked out Hydro Cycle, which is offered in a west suburban health club. It's like a spin class, but set in a pool. It's more low-impact than traditional spin, and because you're in water, you don't sweat as much!
We also checked out Row House in Old Town. Rowing is one of the oldest workouts around, but Row House takes this age-old activity and brings it inside to a studio fitness setting. These high-tech rowing machines will work 86% of your muscles!
190 North: Hydro Cycle at Score Sports Center
Hydro Cycle at Score Sports Center
8300 Wolf Rd
Willow Springs, IL
(708) 330-5544
www.scoresportscenter.com
190 North: Row House in Old Town
Row House
1226 N. Wells
Chicago
(312) 819-2333
www.therowhouse.com
Hotel EMC2 Robot Room Service
With our world-class dining and attractions, it's no shock that millions of folks flock to the Windy City each year and there are so many trendy hotels for visitors to call home. But we found quite possibly the most futuristic accommodations around. At River North's Hotel EMC2, robots named Leo and Cleo handle the room service deliveries. They traverse the elevators and hallways of this science and technology-themed hotel all by themselves, bringing toiletry items and even snacks to hotel guests. The robots are such a hit for the hotel that they began selling toy Leos and Cleos.
190 North: Hotel EMC2 in River North
Hotel EMC2
228 E Ontario
Chicago
(312) 915-0000
www.hotelemc2.com
Broadway in Chicago summer concert roundup
For all the theater-buffs out there, if you think you have to head to New York City to catch the big shows, you would be wrong! In fact, musical theater lovers flocked to Millennium Park recently to get a sneak peek of some of the hits coming to Broadway in Chicago stages this season. The audience got to experience performances from "Mean Girls," "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical," "Frozen" and "Once On This Island," just to name a few! Even a couple cast members of Chicago's "Hamilton" company stopped by to deliver the very first Chicago performance of a Hamilton selection, outside the theater!
190 North: Broadway in Chicago summer concert roundup
For more information or to purchase tickets to an upcoming show: www.broadwayinchicago.com.
Oriental Institute
Chicago may be famous for its Museum Campus, but tucked away on the University of Chicago campus is a world-class museum filled with ancient artifacts. There are so many relics that only a small portion of the collection, unearthed by Oriental Institute archaeologists, is on display. The institute is home to the largest collection of Middle Eastern artifacts in the U.S. This hidden gem is also celebrating a big milestone this year: its 100th anniversary! The majority of this collection came from expeditions in the Middle East completed back in the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's. Donations are welcome but admission is free.
190 North: The Oriental Institute on the University of Chicago's campus
Oriental Institute
1155 E 58th St.
Chicago
872-208-2404
https://oi.uchicago.edu