International designs, local chocolates

Some of my favorite type of travel is the kind that doesn’t involve security checks, rental cars, and jet-lag. A stop by Architectural Artifacts, at 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave. in Chicago, is like a world tour. Located in a huge brick building that was (according to their website), once a needle factory, you’ll find loads of impressive vintage decorative items: bronze wall sconces, Argentinian urns, English pub tables, ceramic tiles, a huge collection of fireplace mantels, a full bar, a red English phone booth, and vintage posters and signs. Architectural Artifacts is as sensibly arranged as a museum, but with the eclectic content of a flea market. A very, very expensive flea market, mind you. "Just looking", however, is free.

A visit to Architectural Artifacts may inspire you to try your hand at design. If so, check out the Lill Street Art Center, a block or two north of AA, which offers classes in metalworking, ceramics, painting, painting, glass, and more. There's also a gallery (free), shop, and cafe. When we visited, there were some pretty cool items in the gallery shop, including locally made purses and jewelry.

You can combine a visit to Architectural Artifacts or Lill Street Art Center with a visit to Margie's Candies, just under the Brown Line Montrose stop. They hand-make their candy daily and when we went, they stuffed our bag with free samples of their signature terrapin. We especially liked the chocolate mint, lemon chocolate, chocolate covered caramel, and chocolate covered honey candies.