edeevee

I posted earlier and got some great suggestions for restaurants/things to do. At the time I thought the four 17 & 18 year olds didn't want to do the museum thing, except for the Art Institute. I was wrong. Now I have to figure out how to cram shopping, jazz, pizza AND museums into 32 hours. Regardless of what THEY think, we'll have to sleep sometime too ;^)

We're arriving via the South Shore train @ Roosevelt station on a Sunday morning this month. We're staying at the Marriott Downtown. To save time, we're going to try to pack only one backpack each so we don't have to make a hotel stop first.

Here's the plan so far, any suggestions?
Sunday 9AM - Noon brief tours of Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium.
Catch the free trolley to Art Institute area. Grab a quick lunch at Giordano's @ 28 E. Jackson. Tour Art Institute until closing (5PM). Free trolley again for a nice ride through downtown then on to our hotel.
Dinner at Big Bowl (some Vietnamese on menu -by request- and close/cheap. Stroll up Michigan Ave to John Hancock Building. I'd like to do the lounge on 96th floor, if only for the view from the women's restroom ;^) but I'm not sure if they allow under 21? If not, we'll do the Observatory. Dessert at Cheesecake Factory. Wander back to hotel.

Monday -- Breakfast is a mystery to me still. We'll probably do Corner Bakery or grab a bagel somewhere. Shopping to noon-ish. Lunch at Andy's Jazz. I'm counting on the kids being museum'd out at this point so we'll probably continue to shop/wander, then grab a cheeborger and chips at Billy Goat. Train home leaves at 5PM, Randolph St Station. If they haven't got enough of the museums, we'll cab it to Science & Industry after lunch and catch the train home at the 59th St station. Any quick restaurant recs nearby?
Thanks for all your help so far.

Rachel

Sounds like an ambitious agenda. You might do the Art Institute on Monday (if it's open-i'm not sure). I'm not sure what's left of your Sunday afternoon will be enough time. Or consider splitting up and having everyone choose either the Shedd or the Field. You can easily spend a full day at each of these musuems. Have a great trip.

CoCo_Chanel

edeevee: I agree with Rachel - this agenda would be waaaay too ambitious for me...pick either the Shedd or the Field Museum (Sue the dinosaur or fish - I'd pick the Shedd). Have lunch at Giordano's, then Art Institute. Hotel to freshen up - dinner at Big Bowl...if it's nice, take a stroll, if too cold, up to the Hancock. Back to hotel & SLEEP.
Go to Grand Luxe Cafe on Michigan and Ontario rather than the Billy Goat (never saw the appeal of the Goat - and the hamburgers are average at best). Great views at Grand Luxe (it's on the second floor), very cool atmosphere and a varied menu.
IF you go to the Museum of Science & Industry, try Pizza Capri/Kentada at 1501 E. 53rd - excellent food.
Have fun & hope the weather is warmer than today!

patg

You won't be able to do both the Shedd and the Field in 3 hours. Pick one - the Field is much more diverse, if you're trying to please a crowd. The walk from the Field to the Art Institute is all open park land and quite pleasant. I'd recommend it. There is an underpass to avoid Lake Shore Drive.

Billy Goat's appeal is a mystery to me. There are plenty of other options. FYI, Monday jazz at Andy's is not usually a top-drawer act; the better ones play through the weekend. The Jazz Showcase Sunday 4 p.m. show is almost always first class, but there is a cover charge, reduced for teens.

edeevee

Hmmmm, no Billy Goat? These kids have grown up watching old Saturday Night Live reruns so I thought the cheeborger cheeborger chip thing would be a kick -- although the Grand Luxe sounds like something they might enjoy too. I guess it doesn't matter, since they've all voted on Science & Industry Museum for Monday afternoon. We'll check outthe Capri for dinner before heading home.

We will definitely only do one activity at the museum campus on Sunday. Right now they're still undecided between Shedd/Field. Can you sway their opinions for one or the other?

How far is the walk between the museum campus and the Art Institute? I know it won't bother the kids but last year's late night hike through DC - from Washington Monument to White House to Lincoln/Korean/Vietnam memorials then back to Smithsonian Metro Station - wore me out. The kids, of course, were still ready to rock when we got back to our hotel room @ 2AM ;^)

I was disappointed to hear the Andy's Jazz acts for Monday lunch aren't usually high quality. I'd love to do the Showcase on Sunday @ 4 but I can't figure out how to fit it in with the rest of our schedule. We have to leave plenty of time for the Art Institute since that was the reason for the trip in the first place.

You've been so helpful already but if you have any further suggestions, I'd appreciate it. Thanks again.

Rachel

How about this to fit everything in-one musuem on Sunday, then andy's 4 pm show. Dessert at Grande Luxe or Cheesecake Factory-both of which may be less busy on a Sunday night. Cheesecake has more flavors of cheeseake, but Grand Luxe has custom baked goodies-they dont put them in the oven until you order them. Say hello to my nephew, Michael, one of the managers there. Monday, another musuem, pizza, burgers, or vietnamese food, (you'llhave to decide which 2)(lunch and early dinner) and some shopping mixed in. Its too far to walk from Shedd/field to the Art Institute, but you can easily walk from your hotel to the Art INstitute, shopping, Grande Luxe, cheesecake, Billy Goat, Pizza. Best advice-keep your options open, be willing to change depending on what everyone is enjoying and accept that you'll probably have to knock a couple of things off your itinerary.

patg

From the Field to the Art Institute is a little over a mile, if you take the north exit from the Field Museum (the far side from Soldier Field.) Naturally, it is more pleasant in summer (you'll go past Buckingham Fountain, but there's no display until May). You might also skip this walk and instead walk from the Art Institute to the Marriot, across the Michigan Avenue bridge and past the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower (look for the fragmants of famous buildings embedded in the walls of the Trib building.)

To save time, you might want to eat at the Corner Bakery inside the Field, or at the Art Institute cafeteria. The latter is just inside the Columbus Drive/Monroe Street entrance (facing the park.)

To settle the Field/Shedd dispute, why not preview their websites? The Field has many different types of exhibits and is very easy to find your way around. When you get to the Museum of Science and Industry, you'll see the difference - it's really easy to get lost there. Good luck, your thorough planning is about to pay off!

edeevee

At this point, I don't know if my thorough planning will pay off or drive me nuts ;^) I think I'm going to nix the Science and Industry Museum. How about this?

Arrive at Roosevelt Metra Station 9AM. head over to Shedd. Buy CityPass. Spend a couple of hours at Shedd. Walk over to Field. Lunch inside museum at Corner Bakery. View Egyptian display and Sue -- others as time allows.

Free trolley to hotel (Marriott Downtown). Check in, freshen up. Walk to Jazz Showcase 4PM show. Dinner at Big Bowl -- the two girls in our group are Vietnamese and like the idea of eating somewhere with noodle soup on the menu.

Walk to Hancock. Do the Observatory. Dessert at Cheesecake Factory or if we're still full, we'll walk first and have dessert at Grand Luxe. Hotel. Sleep.

Breakfast? Shopping until noon. Lunch at Giordano's. Art Institute. Board train home @ 5:15.

I'm still looking for reccomendations for breakfast on Monday and I welcome any other advice. Thanks again for all your help.

patg

Great plan! One misjudgement, though, noted by looking at the free trolley map:
http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Transportation/trolleys/ (this should be the link, but it's not working this a.m.)

The trolley doesn't go directly from the Field Museum to the Marriott. You will have to go out of your way and transfer to the red trolley at Adams and LaSalle or at the train stations. Note that they only run every half-hour, so you may waste time. With tired teens and backpacks, just grab a cab. It will be less than $8. You could also get off at the Art Institute and walk straight north on Michigan; it's about a mile to the Marriott, but a great walk, as I've mentioned above