Best Chicago Souvenirs

August 8, 2008 1:23 PM

Can you recommend some good Chicago souvenirs?

I have 10 clients coming in from various countries in a couple weeks, and I need to get them Chicago souvenirs. Here are my criteria:

• something that costs $15 – 20
• not your typical keychain, t-shirt, or magnet
• not too heavy or cumbersome to take back on the plane
• non-refrigerated food is fine too
• has to have something to do with Chicago

Thanks!

posted by tenaciousd to Shopping (13 answers total)

Check out the shop in the Chicago Cultural Center. They have all sorts of unusual Chicago-centric tchotchkies from cheap to boi-oi-oing. There also used to be a shop like this in that North Pier building just west of Navy Pier and Lake Shore Drive, but strangely, North Pier has no website (or it's not called North Pier anymore), so I can't find it. You might also contact LillStreet Art Center (no longer on Lill Street) or the Hyde Park Art Center for local artisan-made Chicago goodies--something Hairy Who-ish from Hyde Park might be neat. There's also this, but it's the usual keychain, t-shirt and magnet. Very cool, however.

It was really fun shopping for you. Let's do it again sometime.
posted by nax at 1:52 PM on August 8, 2008

Screwed up the Hairy Who link. Here 'tis.
posted by nax at 1:53 PM on August 8, 2008

I'm partial to the Chicago flag bag, which, evidently is available for purchase at the Chicago History Museum.
posted by adrian_h at 1:59 PM on August 8, 2008

Vosges Chocolates is a Chicago-based company, and their stuff is tasty and giftable. I can't say it exactly screams "Chicago" like, for instance, a deep dish pizza, but it is local.
posted by HeroZero at 3:26 PM on August 8, 2008

Seconding the Chicago History Museum gift shop.
posted by lukemeister at 6:41 PM on August 8, 2008

I like the Picasso Horse sculpture. They are pocket-sized. I think they have them at the Architecture Foundation.
posted by nimsey lou at 9:02 PM on August 8, 2008

Yeah, hop into any of the museums' gift shops.
posted by IndigoRain at 5:19 AM on August 9, 2008

Vosges and Frango chocolates have always done well for us with foreign clients.
posted by MeetMegan at 11:19 AM on August 9, 2008

Garrett popcorn tins.
posted by melodykramer at 12:00 PM on August 9, 2008

$22 bucks, but I've been looking for an excuse to give the one of the Chicago entries in the new Lego Architecture line as a gift. Great for clients to take home to their kids, too. Other one here.
posted by j-dawg at 12:49 PM on August 9, 2008

melodykramer - I adore Garrett popcorn - I ship it to my national and international contacts for the holidays every year. However, those tins are very big, even the smallest 1 gallon tin is the size of a paint can. I am really sure that I wouldn't have room in my luggage to take something like that home.
posted by MeetMegan at 4:58 PM on August 9, 2008

Just ship it: Lou to Go is the best. It's Lou Malnotti's Pizza. And it is FABULOUS!
posted by TheArpenter at 11:45 AM on August 10, 2008

Prints from the Art Institute. Framed photos you've taken in the city (splurge and take a Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tour to get some unique shots). Sue figurines from the Field Museum.
posted by coppermoss at 6:56 PM on August 11, 2008