Hot-dog tea towels, model CTA buses, and a table set to look like the city flag—this is how you show Chicago pride. Now pass the celery salt, please.
Da Bears. Da Bean. The patchwork of neighborhoods. The deep-dish pizza. Chicago means different things to different people, but its biggest icons are beloved by both locals and tourists. So why not incorporate them into a table setting that serves as both a celebration of—and an introduction to—all things Chicago?
Honor the city’s flag by layering a white runner over a blue tablecloth, then let red plates stand in for those iconic red stars. Used in place of napkins, tea towels detail every last component in a Chicago hot dog, from the steamed bun to the sport peppers to the ketchup (just kidding!), which any true Chicagoan can rattle off on command. As a nod to the city’s rich Prohibition-era history, hooch should be served as discreetly as possible—a flask hidden inside a book will help your guests imbibe inconspicuously.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Windy City–themed party without a little hot air. If the political conversation gets too heated, a retro jet fan will help everybody cool down. If anybody complains, just blame it on the “lake effect.”

1.
Como gauze linen tablecloth, Crate and Barrel; ($89.95+ on sale)
2.
Duo natural linen placemat for two (used as table runner), CB2; ($12.99 on sale)
3.
Red crafted dinner plates, West Elm; ($48 for four)
4.
Chicago hot-dog diagram tea towel, Girls Can Tell on Etsy; ($16)
5.
Hollow book safe and flask, Secret Safe Books on Etsy; ($45)
6.
CTA hybrid wooden bus, CTAGifts.com; ($12.95)
7.
Wide baby-blue Urbanjet table fan, Lamps Plus; ($149.91)