"Why book? Let this South Side stunner with a strong art collection, clever restaurant. and neighborhood following be your entrée to one of the city’s most vibrant and undertouristed areas, Hyde Park. Set the scene The University of Chicago, anchor of Hyde Park, serves as inspiration for the Sophy, a 98-room gem on the community’s lively commercial strip, walking distance to campus, the Museum of Science and Industry and, sometime in the next few years, the Obama Presidential Center, now being built in nearby Jackson Park. The 44th president was a community organizer and teacher in the university law school before ascending to the highest office, and his presence, along with the other renowned Nobel laureates and MacArthur geniuses nurtured at the UC, are celebrated at Sophy. But there’s nothing stiff about the academic references to music, literature, and science; this hotel is, above all, a community gathering spot and the community that gathers here is diverse, active, and cultured. The backstory Sophy’s developers, Olympia Hotel Management, also run the nonprofit and similarly art-filled Alfond Inn in Winter Park, Florida, proving they have an affinity for campus audiences. The rooms Not afraid to go bold, Sophy’s rooms make a colorful first impression with murals behind the headboards. Love seats and ottomans, even in the entry level rooms, invite guests to relax and spin some of the records by local jazz artists supplied with the in-room turntable. Food and drink Mesler Chicago (coming from a Middle French term for “to mix and mingle”), draws a stylish neighborhood crowd at both the bar—is that your physics prof sipping spiked coffee by the fireplace?—and the restaurant, a comfort-food crowd-pleaser with house-made pastas, steaks, and a spicy, bleu-cheesy fried chicken sandwich. The neighborhood/area Some of Chicago’s oldest and most impressive architecture lies in Hyde Park and neighboring Kenwood; take one of the Chicago Architecture Center neighborhood walking tours to scope out the mansions built by 18th- and 19th- century retailers and meatpackers along with the Obama residence. 53rd is lined with interesting shops including the community-building Silver Room, where you can attend a reading or shop for apparel and gifts with social justice and equity themes. The service: Warm and personal. No concierge, but caring folks at reception who make the effort to help and direct guests. For families The hotel is hugely popular with UC prospects and their families touring the campus. Sophy’s large, light-filled suites are there for them with generous bathrooms and separate living areas with sleeper sofas. Eco effort Sophy was constructed in 2018 as a new-build and is engineered to achieve LEED certification. Accessibility Yes. Anything left to mention? Hyde Park is notable in the history of our 44th President—directly across from the hotel find the “Kissing Rock,” where Barack and Michele Obama shared their first kiss. Michelle Obama grew up in Hyde Park, and the Obamas still have a home in the neighborhood." - Elaine Glusac
