Living is easy

Art & Culture / Travel

When gallery owner Mariane Ibrahim was looking for a new center of life, Chicago was the obvious choice. For her, the city stands for America like no other.

“Summer in Chicago runs from the end of April to the end of October, when we have the most pleasant weather here,” says Ibrahim. The neighboring Lake Michigan is twice the size of Belgium, its shore is called the “third coast” in the USA. Ibrahim lives in Gold Coast, right next to the beach. “I go running along the lakeshore every day. When it’s very hot, I take a dip afterwards.” She likes to spend the less sunny days at the Art Institute of Chicago. “There are great sections on African art and ancient Egypt. I could spend days there,” Ibrahim admits with a laugh.

The Somali-French gallery owner came here from Seattle with her husband in 2019. Chicago, the city of Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan, and, not least, the cradle of house music – that really appealed to her. Ibrahim founded her first gallery for art by African or African-born artists in the industrial neighborhood of West Town, which has since blossomed into a creative hub. “It was the best decision of my life. It all started here,” says Ibrahim, who has opened further branches in Paris in 2021 and Mexico City in 2023. “None of this would have been possible without Chicago. There is no crazy competition here, but rather a collegial spirit of cooperation. And a multitude of great collectors.”

When friends come to visit, she takes them on a guided boat tour, which is dedicated to the city’s impressive architecture, on the Chicago River. Or she takes them to one of the oldest jazz clubs in the USA. Anita O’Day, Billie Holiday and Benny Goodman have all performed at the Green Mill. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the illegal speakeasy bars of the Prohibition era. “For me, Chicago stands for Americana, the American culture,” says Mariane Ibrahim. “The residents come from all over, the city is a real melting pot. The city is also not as pretentious as the glamorous US metropolises on the West and East Coasts. I like that.”

Chicago was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1871 and has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. “The Willis Tower with its antennas is simply breathtaking to look at at night. Its silhouette reminds me of Batman, and I feel like I’m in Gotham City,” enthuses Ibrahim. The view of the city from The Up Room in the Robey Hotel in an old Art Deco skyscraper is particularly spectacular. Or even better from the water: “We like to hire boats with friends and go out on Lake Michigan to eat and celebrate together,” says Ibrahim. “When you look out over Chicago, it’s a bit like a postcard.”

Virtue Restaurant

Eat blackened catfish at celebrity chef Erick Williams’ Virtue Restaurant.

Green Mill

Feel the spirit of Billie Holiday at the Green Mill jazz club.

The Up Room in the Robey Hotel

Watching Chicago turn red in the evening from the rooftop of the Robey Hotel.

Lufthansa Insights
No. 4, 2024