“And…there’s the blue door!” I could tell our Uber driver was quite relieved when we finally navigated our way past brick building upon brick building and pulled up to The Publishing House Bed & Breakfast. Located in an industrial but extremely hip part of Chicago’s West Loop, it’s not a traditional location for a bed and breakfast, but then again, The Publishing House is anything but traditional.
An Overview
This historic building was once home to Chicago’s Free Methodist Publishing House, built in 1909. Today, it is a thoughtfully designed, three-level urban loft complete with 11 bedrooms, a kitchen, a wine cellar, a library, and two levels of spacious shared living and dining areas. I would strongly suggest taking the time to poke around the beautiful space before picking a comfy spot to curl up with a book (which can be found throughout the space) with a nice big mug of coffee or tea.
And on the point of coffee and tea, you will find everything you need in the fully-stocked pantry, including large glass bottles of water, soft drinks (including La Croix), custom-blend coffees to be used with their French Presses, a variety of black and herbal teas, as well as a generous never-empty cookie jar.
The Puglishing House
Shawn Uldridge and Kimberly Lowery, the husband-and-wife innkeeper team behind The Publishing House B&B, have done an amazing job at creating a welcoming Chicago home-away-from-home retreat. And while guests are not allowed to bring their own pets, Shawn and Kimberly have two adorable pugs named Angus and Louie that live on site (who were unfortunately on a walk when I was with my camera). They are so much a part of the B&B that they have become an attraction in and of themselves!
Recently, general manager Marina Shortino has also added her adorable dachshund puppy named Toast to “The Puglishing House” family. I had to post two photos because, seriously, who can resist this little face?
The Bedroom Suites
While all of the rooms are excellent, we were very pleased to find ourselves in Sinclair (named after writer Upton Sinclair), one of the two suites. The platform beds were very large and felt like sleeping on a firm cloud. With waffle-weave robes, mints by the door, a stylish writing desk, universal electronic chargers, and blackout curtains, every detail of the Mid-Century Modern-Vintage room was perfect.
The Publishing House also surprised us with a welcome Madeira, which DW enjoyed wholeheartedly.
Another benefit (perhaps the best benefit) of booking a suite is the opportunity to enjoy a luxurious bath in one of their clawfoot tubs. The bathrooms are stocked with all the amenities you need, including liquid soaps and shampoos from Malin + Goetz.
Everleigh (the other big suite in The Publishing House located across the hall) has the same amenities as Sinclair, but with a more feminine design and configuration.
Breakfast
Each morning here starts with a leisurely stroll into the common area to pick a seat (among many options), and whet your appetite with some fruit, cereal, and freshly baked goods before being served one of (usually) three à la carte main course options. During our stay, we had the choice between scrambled eggs with bacon and onion jam on toast, smoked salmon crepes with a creamy dill sauce and tomatoes, and a quinoa and oat pancake stack with fruit (an obvious and thoughtful vegetarian and gluten-free option). DW and I ordered the two former options, which were both restaurant quality and just what we needed to start the day.
Final Thoughts
Getting around: The best way to get here from Chicago O’Hare International Airport is by Uber, Lyft or taxi, which took us around 40 minutes. Otherwise, the B&B is a 7-minute walk from the nearest El-Train Station (Morgan), and about a 10 minute ride from there to the Downtown Core.
You should stay here if: you appreciate high-quality experiences, creative design, slow travel, and plan on truly enjoying the space you’re in. You should really consider staying here if you love reading, clawfoot tubs, exposed brick, dogs, and having an unlimited supply of great tea and coffee.
You should not stay here if: you have young children (although well-behaved teenagers are okay), you need to be very close to the tourist attractions, or a view of the Downtown Core or Millenium Park (the views here are not ideal, but you will hardly notice the outside when there’s so much to experience inside).
To find out more about The Publishing House B&B or to book your stay, visit their website.
Please note: We were guests of The Publishing House B&B during this trip. However, I was not monetarily compensated for this post, and all photos, written material and opinions are my own.
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