[updated October 2019]
Rush Street in the Gold Coast is also colloquially known as the Viagra Triangle Chicago. Read more to find out why, and to see what to do around Rush Street!
Ah, Rush Street Chicago (aka the Viagra Triangle Chicago) in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Just north of downtown Chicago, the Gold Coast is not only one of Chicago’s wealthiest neighborhoods, it’s one of the most affluent in the nation.
It’s a beautiful. It’s swanky. It’s the home to some of Chicago’s most famous bars and restaurants. Think old-school martini bars like mainstay, Gibson’s, one of the most popular steak houses in the city. If you want to be a part of the scene, try popular spots like Tavern on Rush, Carmines, and Hugo’s Frog Bar.
Even if you’re not here for the “scene”, there are some really great restaurants here like Blue Door Farm Kitchen (don’t miss the really beautiful patio!), Three Arts Club Cafe (gorgeous atrium inside historical building turned into a Restoration Hardware), and Somerset inside the newly renovated Cedar Hotel.
For more ideas on where to eat in Chicago, check out these posts:
The Best Outdoor Dining in Chicago
The Viagra Triangle
Okay, so why the name? Before the name the blue pill even existed, the Viagra Triangle has been stereotyped as a place where “older” men with money hang out and pursue younger 20-30 somethings or women full of botox and silicone trying to look 20-something.
It also can be the home to drunken bachelorette parties complete with young ladies doing unladylike things. One recent night, I was showing a friend around town and we literally passed five of these gatherings with gaggles of girls adorned in too-tight, too-short, satiny dresses and tiaras….soon to be covered in vomit. Many are heading to the bars just north of the Triangle on infamous Division Street.
Division used to be one of the most vibrant nightlife areas in the country. Now, I would say it’s where you should go if you like blue fishbowl drinks and bro suburbanites coming into the city to get “lit.” I guess it can be fun, but frankly, it’s not my scene.
The Gold Coast
This beautiful Chicago neighborhood has always been the scene for the wealthy and wanna-be wealthy to fake it, flaunt it, or find it. The heart of the area is where Rush Street and State Street come together to form a triangular park area in the middle.
Besides the older crowd of gold-chain wearing sugar daddies, there is now a new crop of posers who all think they are in an episode of the HBO show, Entourage. Some might call them douchebags. ‘Nuff said. It’s not exactly my scene, but still, there are some great restaurants and gorgeous residential blocks, plus the beautiful lakefront is a five minute walk to the east.
The Gold Coast is said to be the nation’s second wealthiest city neighborhood, trailing only the Central Park East in Manhattan. Here you can find luxury hotels like the Drake, Peninsula Chicago, the Four Seasons Chicago, the Ambassador, the Waldorf Astoria and the newer Viceroy Chicago.
Some of the popular restaurants include the aforementioned Hugo’s Frog Bar, Gibson’s Steakhouse, Maple and Ash, Le Colonial (love this place!), Nico Osteria, and the stunning 3 Arts Club Cafe (a must-see!).
For more ideas on what to do in Chicago, check out these posts:
Kenwood – Barack Obama House Chicago
Chicago Architecture – Why Chicago is the Most Beautiful City in the World
What to do in the Gold Coast
The Viagra Triangle is just a few blocks from Chicago’s poshest shopping street, Oak Street, which is lined with some of the most famous designers, fancy boutiques, and expensive duds. The shoppers who’ve just come from Barney’s New York and Prada come here for lunch or dinner after dropping a few bucks on fancy shoes or purses.
Once you’ve shopped on Oak Street and hit the bars and restaurants around Rush Street, there is more to see in this pretty neighborhood. Take a stroll up and down the gorgeous, historical residential blocks of North State Parkway, Dearborn Parkway, and Astor Street. These streets are full of beautiful gardens and historical homes and mansions, some from the 19th century.
Along State Parkway (1340 N. State Pkwy), you will find the former residence of Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy Magazine. This was the original Playboy Mansion, famous for the legendary parties attended by iconic celebrities. Hefner purchased the mansion in 1959 and lived and worked there until 1971 before moving to California.
On the north end of State Parkway (at North Ave and State) you will find the a huge red Queen Anne-style mansion. This is the home to the current archbishop of Chicago and was originally built in 1885 for the first Chicago Archbishop, Patrick Feehan.
A surprising find is the International Museum of Surgical Science on Lake Shore Drive. It has 10,000 square feet of public galleries committed to the history of surgery, and a permanent collection of art and artifacts from the history of Medicine.
At the very south edge of the Gold Coast amidst all the shopping on Michigan Avenue, you will find the old Chicago Water Tower. Built in 1869, it is the second oldest water tower in the United States. It’s surrounded by skyscrapers, like the John Hancock Building (Now known as 875 North Michigan Avenue), Chicago’s fourth tallest building. Inside the water tower (whcih no longer pumps water) is a city gallery showing work of artists and local photographers. Just across the street in the historic Water Tower Water Works is the Lookingglass Theatre, an ensemble-based theater which was co-founded by native “friend,” David Schwimmer.
TIP: If you don’t want to pay to go to 360 Chicago, the observation deck at the top of the Hancock Center, just head to the 96th floor and the Signature Lounge for all the great views for the price of a cocktail!
Another gem in the ‘hood is the Newberry Library. Established in 1887, as most libraries, it’s free and open to the public. A world-renowned independent research library in Chicago, the Newberry builds, preserves, and makes accessible an extensive collection of rare books, maps, music, manuscripts, and other material spanning more than six centuries.
–> Need a place to stay? Use my airbnb link for $15-25 off your first stay!
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–> Take a local tour in Chicago with Viator, offering unique city tours all over the world.
Rush Street Chicago
Rush Street is one of the oldest thoroughfares in Chicago and was once was the home to the residence of Chicago’s first mayor. Rush Street was named after Benjamin Rush, one of the four physician signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. It continues to run through some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
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Wow – I can feel the love you have for this neighborhood – it oozes out through your eloquent words!
Oh how the little blue pill has changed commerce and the streetscape! Rumor has it that one old guy got the pill caught in his throat and had a stiff neck for 10 hours.
No report on whether he called a physician.
If this neighborhood is the home to some of Chicago’s most famous bars and restaurants I will definitely pay it a visit. Thanks for the wonderful guide Lisa, I definitely enjoyed reading it 🙂
Long before the Blue Pill State and Rush was the place to be. Hefner started just around the corner. The times were great. The people were beautiful. Enovid, the first widely used birth control pill released in the early 1960s was like unleashing the herds. Pent up sexual juices flowed as freely as the alcohol in this area. The Cave, Butch McGuire’s, The Lodge, and the Zebra Lounge were meccas of blatant sexual frivolity. There was a shot to cure you for any STD that might be around and you didn’t die from getting laid with a stranger. Unless she was a Mob girlfriend and then you could die from lead poisoning. Further up the street was The Pump Room where you might bump into Sinatra, Sammy Davis or Marilyn. In fact, I accidentally knocked Steve McQueen into the hedge in front of the Ambassador East Hotel door. One night THE Queen Elizabeth walked the Red Carpet down Goethe and into the Pump Room. There were more OG’s (Old Guys) hustling young girls then than now. You didn’t need the Blue Pill when you had freewheeling girls and CASH. Worked every time.
Time to revisit the area, thanks for the inspiration!