Hi, we will be 3 weekdays in Chicago and would love your input. We would like to do the aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Millenium Park. We are staying close to Michigan Ave.

Is it pretty easy to catch the train/metro from Chicago Middway airport?
Should we do the Sears Tower or Hancock Bld?
We would like to do a boatride, which company???
Is the Trolley tour worth it??
Or is it easy to ride the subway (metro)? Is it safe at night or are taxis better?
Any other things I must see?
Best pizza? TIA

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35103865

The orange line you pick up at Midway, L is safe imo. Do Drinks at the signature room on 95th floor, instead of Sears. Architecture boat tour, Michigan Ave at the river. I did the trolley once can't say it was many years ago. Pizza Giodano deep dish. They have bands on Thur at Millenium during summer, when are you traveling? If you are here on Wednesday fireworks at Navy Pier.

The pizza debate rages on and on. Bacino's, Lou Malnati's, Giordano's...

The above post answers most of the questions you're asking. You should also do some research on your own. Do a search on Chicago Visitors and you'll find more information than you'd ever want.

Search for "Chicago pizza" in this forum and you'll find endless discussions on this also. The best is very much a matter of personal taste.

Have a good time.

www.metromix.com for some restaurant reviews. The sit down restaurant called Soundings in the Shedd with the views is good for lunch and is not over-pricey at all.

There are many, many good threads here to give you walking ideas- search with Chicago downtown walk.

Midway is a breeze.

The only distance you need to go on your list is for M.of S.& I.

Thank you all.

Is the architectural boat tour this one?? http://www.architecture.org/tour_view.aspx?TourID=8

2 came up when I search; I want to pick the correct one. thanks

Very easy to catch the train from Midway. Take the orange line to Roosevelt, then change to red line and figure out what stop you want. We do it every time, with kids and rolling suitcases.

DEFINITELY the Hancock Bldg., not Sears. Above poster is right, go to the Signature Room, not the observation deck. (On entering the lobby, head to the right, not to the right, for the Signature Room elevators.) Thanks to good tips like this, we knew to do Hancock, and visited on each trip. Then one year kids found out the Sears Tower was taller, and clamored to go. We did. Stood in line for well over an hour and it was so not worth it. Much better to have a meal at a table by the window in the restaurant at Hancock, or drinks at night. (But if you do go to Sears, I found I could have saved a lot of time in line if I had bought tickets online in advance.)

Agree with above advice to choose a boat tour through the Archicture Society, not one of the others. Have done 3 and that was the best.

For deep dish pizza, head to the restaurant before you are starving. There are often long lines and a long wait.

Science and Industry Museum is good, but far from North Michigan so you'll need a cab. We're always there on a weekend with an enormous wait so we buy a membership and go right in, but if you're there on a weekday morning it might not be crowded. Do reserve in advance a tour of the submarine -- they sell timed entry tickets and can sell out.

Millenium Park is great; be sure to see the Bean (Cloud Gate) and the fountains. Check to see if anything is being rehearsed or performed in the concert hall and time your visit for that. There's a pleasant place for lunch nearby with outdoor tables and putting greens my children enjoyed.

Will you be with children? Favorites of our children:

Navy Pier
Ed Debevic's restaurant (diner)
ESPN Zone
Cubs game
"Wicked" play

Without children? Our favorites:
Charlie Trotter's restaurant
North Michigan Ave. shopping
Second City comedy

Have fun! Tell us what you did when you get back.

Bakerstreet, thank you; that was perfect!!! No children here.


I also loved the tip on the fireworks on Weds!! Thank you.


So the aquarium isn't worth it??

Do most of you ride the L to get around or buses or cabs?? I think I will buy a travel book too.
Thank you

Ride the El wherever it goes - take cabs or walk where it doesn't. (I'm a tourist there but have been many times, and have taken the El from Midway -- it's great, you get to sit in the train and watch the traffic at a standstill )

The CAF river cruise you linked to is excellent.

Don't leave out a walk to Oak Street Beach and a stroll along the lake, or a bike ride (you can end up at Millenium Park).

I'm not a deep dish pizza fan, so i can't help you there!

The Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium are two different places. The aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Field Museum (Natural History) are at the southern edge of the city center on what's known as The Museum Campus. It's a short walk or bus ride from most hotels.

The Museum of Science & Industry is about 6-7 miles south. If you decide to go, you can catch the Number 10 bus southbound on Michigan Avenue. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, it runs daily between downtown and the museum. (The remainder of the year, it runs weekends only.)

I'd strongly advise visitor passes. They allow unlimited rides on all CTA trains and buses. A 3-day pass is $12. You can purchase it from the vending machine at Midway with cash or plastic.

Great great info w/bus numbers, thank you that helps a ton!!!

Anyone do Bobby's bike hike? Where should we rent bikes? Thanks a million everyone.

The Shedd aquarium is definitely worth your time! And the restaurant there that JJ5 recommended for lunch has great views.

I also second the Hancock building (you enter from the side) instead of Sears tower for views. The Signature lounge is great! one floor down is the restaurant offering a daily lunch buffet that is very good and costs only $18.00 pp. They offer a Sunday brunch but it is expensive.

Shedd is totally worth it and right there, no transportation time to speak of. You can do it after your walk through Millenium and Grant Park- if you want to. I think that and the Art Institute or musts, for me.

I've been to about 7 or 8 Aquariums, Monterey CA and Milan Italy and Baltimore etc. and also some Sea Worlds and it is PRIMO.

Plus look at the stonework for the genus titles on the walls- fabulous, fabulous period work.

If you walk over the bridge (MI AVE) to State St. area observe the walls of the building- there are pieces of many other places and entities within those walls. (Berlin Wall, Great Wall of China etc. etc.)

Skippy,

Great advice so far. If I could add anything to your list it would be the Art Institute. I'm not a big culture-type, but it is truly world class.

Kevin

"Do most of you ride the L to get around or buses or cabs??" I rode L once in the city, and it was enough. Of course no problems, easy to use, I didn't feel threatened, but I didn't like to be underground.

The metro takes you from point A to point B. You don't see anything.

The buses are a bit slower, but you see the city. Also I had a 3-day pass (was in the city for 3.5 days) and could get off and on at will. If I saw something out of the bus window, I'd get off the bus to explore.

I remember, on the website, there is a list of places selling those passes. I got mine in a small produce shop across the street from the hotel.

Awesome, you all seriously rock with your suggestions, thanks!!!

Must do parks??? Millennium, Lincoln, others?

Spivonious did you do a trip report? I was curious what you thought of the places you saw.

Some would disagree with me, but most would not on this, SkippyW.

For a first time trip to Chicago, I would do the stuff that didn't need the commute times. Art Institute, Shedd, a play/live performance downtown (I suggest Wicked)all have no commute times or logistics to learn difficulties. You can also get a boat tour right near the River or on areas just adjacent to your hotel area.

Remember there are actually several different kinds of boat tours and architectural tours.

Some go DOWN the River and really highlight the downtown/LOOP/history and are 1 to 2 hours (CAF- Chicago Architectural Foundation I think is fab)and some go OUT through the locks into Lake Michigan proper and you don't really view anything but the whole skyline FROM the lakeview, something entirely different. These have wait times to get through the locks and may be bumpy rides.

If it was good weather I would want to do one of these on a 1st time trip.

If you can, before you come, get the great PBS video of "Chicago, City of the Century" and watch it. You can get it lots of places, and almost any public library near you could connect you to it, if they don't own it themselves.

When you see Grant Park and so much else, like the LaSalle Street Station, or the Board of Trade adjacent to it, you would understand SO MUCH MORE. And you would know what you are looking at, for the most part.

Or you might want to go to Printers Row downtown, or Historical Society or one of the other places that you see as associated to your interests from the film.

Chicago is very, very singular in that it has had growth within the industrialized 1900's from the near scratch it became in 1871- that October of the big fire. Before that cities were wood primarily and had much narrower streets.

Chicago is one of the only, also, that has kept its prime location downtown waterfront as "owned by the people" for the most part. And this is so rare, rare- almost impossible to find in any size close to its size.

Where that Buckingham Fountain is- where it is located- happened for a bunch of reasons. All the museums you see, all the park areas, all the landfill buildings and reversed river are planned. It doesn't happen often that way, on this earth.

It was thanks to about 4 or 5 robber barons that this occurred and will probably not ever happen again. Just wanted to give Montgomery Ward, Potter Palmer, and the bunch some credit- before the land they ruled sacrosanct for any construction, has bulldozers move on it- probably this year.

Heh, I haven't gone yet! I was just pointing out my thread since your questions and mine seemed very similar. If you haven't gone by mid-August, then I'll have a trip report for you.