Keep the peace

Fern Room, Garfield Park Conservatory
If Chicago’s bleak wintertime landscape makes you cranky, the Garfield Park Conservatory has your cure: Stroll through the green, leafy Fern Room, Jens Jensen’s tribute to prehistoric Illinois. Pockets of sunlight from the atrium’s glass ceiling meet dark, damp nooks of lush vegetation on a brick path winding around a lagoon. Linger on a bench or let ferns from Australia and Thailand paw at your face as you explore the mossy wilderness. 300 N Central Park Ave, 312-746-5100. Free.

Ando Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago
Scout out room 109 on the east side of the first floor amid the permanent collection of ancient Asian artifacts, and your efforts will be rewarded with spalike serenity. Glass doors soundproof the minimalist gallery, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, and the display lighting’s soft glow has a calming effect. Pass through the geometric pattern of wood pillars at the entrance and feel as if you’ve discovered an Indiana Jones–style tomb. Curved benches lining the east wall are an ideal spot to contemplate the current display of contemporary and 14th-century Asian pottery. 111 S Michigan Ave, 312-443-3600, artic.edu/aic. $12, Thursdays 5–8pm free.

Palm Court, Drake Hotel
Take refuge from the harried, crowded Magnificent Mile at the Palm Court in the Drake Hotel. Cupids spitting water into a limestone fountain drown out the hushed voices of the WASPy clientele in this dignified lounge. Afternoons feature a live harpist (and tea, for a cost), but evenings are best. Claim a seat in the corner under a giant oil painting of a man and his hound and take in the grandiosity of the low-lit, plushly textured room. And if your idea of peace includes a cocktail, you’re definitely in the right place; a Tom Collins ($12) should set you at ease. 140 E Walton St, 312-787-2200.

Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center
Large upholstered chairs outfitted with pillows face a painting of a star (a symbol of the soul) in this quaint Roscoe Village meditation center that might also pass for an apartment living room, complete with a curio cabinet displaying literature and CDs. Quiet Hindu music lulls advanced practitioners into a meditative state, but novices also are welcome. Drop in for an open half-hour meditation any day of the week at 7pm, or call the center to register for a free foundation course in meditation. 3206 N Oakley Ave, 773-698-6339, bkchicago.org.

Winter Garden, Harold Washington Library
Potted trees drink in sunshine that pours through the glass ceiling on bright days on the ninth floor of the Harold Washington Library. Benches lining the ivy-carpeted walls of the perimeter in this three-story atrium are perfect for reading, thinking, even napping. The pleasantly dusty smell of books leaks into this room from other floors, but no noise; you’ll find the space quiet and still when lectures aren’t in session. 400 S State St, 312-747-4140.

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