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Sounds like you are going to be in DeKalb ... closest shopping thats nice is in Oak Brook - outdoor mall with upscale chains ... awesome Crate and Barrel store. Oak Brook is a western suburb maybe 30 to 45 minutes from NI; with Oak Brook Center its nice.
If you want to stay in suburbs but go a little north there is Woodfield in Schaumburg (again every retailer you could ask for) and a Cheesecake Factory and Rain Forest Cafe. There are also some bars - like the Curragh(Irish Bar), Alumni Club(very collegeish) and others that can be fun.
If you are going to make it into the city, there is Michigan Ave aka the Magnificent Mile with everything from Tiffany's to the Gap and back. There are also several shopping corriders in Lincoln Park and Lakeview that are more retro and not retail.
Check out Metromix.com(for entertainment in the city) and the Chicago Transit Authority webpages (how to get around via trains, buses, etc.) Just type in Chicago Transit in google.com and it should bring it up.
If you know what you are looking for specifically let me know and I will try to help. I have been up here for a year, but am still discovering cool things to do - like tonight I went to two bars in an area called Bucktown (where Real World was filmed) that I never have been to and had a blast.
Hope this helps!
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