The Wall Street Journal - 07.09.2019 - 08.09.2019

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Saturday/Sunday, September 7 - 8, 2019 |D5

THE WINDY CITY has long

been catnip for architects

and design buffs, and it’s

even more so this fall. The

third Chicago Architecture

Biennial kicks off Sept. 19

and runs through early Janu-

ary, unfurling more than 100

tours, events and exhibits,

including new work from

artist Theaster Gates. chica-

goarchitecturebiennial.org

Another incentive to fly

in? Frank Lloyd Wright’s re-

cently renovated and re-

opened 1909 Robie House,

which was just designated—

along with seven other of

the famed architect’s struc-

tures—as a UNESCO World

Heritage site.

The historic home has ex-

panded its tour schedule to

fit in all the curious Biennial

attendees, and introduced

new ways to obsess, includ-

ing a Friday evening “Au-

tumn After Hours” program

which invites you to sample

regional wine and beer and

explore the interiors. Cura-

tors will elaborate on every

detail, down to the plaster-

work, restored to its original

textures and (how seasonal!)

autumnal palettes.

flwright.org/visit/robiehouse

—Matthew Kronsberg

ADVENTURE & TRAVEL

Frank Lloyd Wright’s recently renovated Robie House.

JAMES CAUFIELD

SOUVENIR

MATTHEW COOK

GRAND STRANDS

Among the glassy high-rises of

the seafront Kakaako area,

seek out neighborhood stal-

wart Na Mea Hawaii. There,

among the trove of native Ha-

waiian crafts, you’ll find highly

coveted Niihau necklaces. The

multi-strands are strung with

hundreds of tiny shells, plucked

off the beaches of Niihau is-

land, Kauai’s reclusive neighbor.

From $2,000, 1200 Ala Moana

Blvd., nameahawaii.com

SUGAR HIGH

Long before sugar plantations

sprouted on the islands, Hawai-

ians used varieties of cane to

cast love spells. In a similar

spirit of intoxication, Manulele

Distillers grows those stalks as

well as other heirloom sugar

cane for its Ko Hana Hawaiian

rum agricole. At the distillery in

rural Kunia, just outside Hono-

lulu, tastings follow the farm

tours. From $30, 92-1770 Kunia

Rd., kohanarum.com

SCENT PACKING

The cheery botanical boutique

Paiko brings the forest into ur-

ban Honolulu with verdant foli-

age, waxy tropical blooms and

prehistoric-looking banana

blossoms. For a more packable

form of the tropics, sniff and

snatch up one of the indige-

nous Soap Company’s bars. The

earthy Aina soap, for one, made

with turmeric, plantain and

aloe was inspired by traditional

Hawaiian poultices $8.50, 675

Auahi St., paikohawaii.com

FINE PRINT

In the industrial Kalihi neigh-

borhood, former “Project Run-

way” contestant Ari South de-

signs, sews and sells superior

aloha shirts. The slimmer cuts

feature whimsical patterns, like

tiny sushi, while the breezier

styles don native Hawaiian

plants. From $98, 1809 Hau St.,

arisouth.com —Martha Cheng

Tropical

Takeaways

In Honolulu, skip the

tacky tokens and go

for these rarer finds

Wright Time

This fall, Chicago beckons—and not just for

the chance to ogle the architect’s designs