Trending: Go South (side) For Boat Drinks

As Chicagoans long for the sun on their faces and the summer breeze off the lake, a little piece of the tropics is now available in Bridgeport. The tiki cocktail trend is ramped on the coasts with Good Luck Bar and Tiki Ti in LA and Lani Kai in NYC. Here in the Chi, tiny umbrellas stand tall in frosty Tahitian glassware at a hip little spot called Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar (31st and Halsted). Try the Suicide Tiki, a blend of two rums and coconut, very boozy, sweet (but not too sweet) and instantly transfixing.

No time for a drink? Maria's sports a liquor store front which happens to be a craft beer lover's delight. Brewmasters can choose from hearty IPAs like Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Three Floyds Gumballhead (the wheat beer crowd pleaser) and unique fruity somethings like Unibroue Ephemere Cassis.

BTW, stop by Maria's and you'll get to meet Maria. The lovely mother of the two owners, she is the unofficial mother of Bridgeport. It's like coming home...if your home is hip, quirky and filled wtih delicious libations.

Because beautiful Bridgeport is off the beaten path for some, here's how to get there: Orange Line to the Halsted stop, Halsted 8 bus going south to 31st Street. You can also take a quick, reasonably inexpensive cab from the Loop.