August weekend in Chicago
 

We will be in Chicago the second weekend in August, staying at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on the Riverwalk. The only plans we have so far are tickets to Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon. This is our first visit to Chicago - what should we see and do? Where are good places to eat (great views or great food or Chicago-noteworthy)? Any suggestions would be great!! Thanks.

Hi, <BR> <BR>Have been to Chicago a few times, will be there again this weekend. Great city! lots to see and do, dont' miss Navy Pier <BR>which is Art, shopping, crafts, IMAX, etc. Michigan Ave is the place for shopping which has all the large stores. <BR>Also, for food I hear Volare's is exceptional Italian. Don't miss Morton's (of Chicago) for steak, very expensive but extremely good. <BR> <BR>Chicago is a nice city to walk around, I have always found the people very friendly. <BR> <BR>and finally, are you a "blues" fan? Some of the best "Blues" I have ever <BR>heard radiates out of this city. My <BR>personal favorite is Blue Chicago on <BR>Clark Blvd. Not very classy interior <BR>but great entertainment. Arrive before 8:30pm for a good seat. <BR> <BR>Have fun! <BR>

Margaret, <BR>WOW! Are you in for a treat! What a great city. With just a weekend, you will be going crazy trying to fit in the high points. You are right on target with a Wrigley Field game. I don't even like baseball, but have a ball each time we go there! We usually prefer the less formal type of eating. The Hot Dogs in Chicago are to die for!!! One again, I don't even like hot dogs and I eat them when we go. Try Gold Coast or Portillos (spelling??). We love to eat turkey and dressing on Sunday or Monday nights (it's the special on those nights) at Mity Nice. It is a "nicer" restaurant located in the Water Tower Place, but not so nice that you have to dress up. I could go on and on and on, but my time is short. Visit the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau website. It has lots of things. Also, if you love fish, don't miss the Shedd Aquarium!!! Have a great time!!! I'm jealous!!!

You are at a nice hotel and located near everything you want to see...You can certainly do much damage to your credit card from shopping on Michigan Ave. and the famed ' Miracle Mile'... <BR>Restaurants are too many to name...but a few that come to mind are...The Chop House ..or Chop Shop...best steak in Chicago...also Gene and Giorgetties..(?)..or Rosebuds on Rush St...a great hot dog is at the 'Downtown Dog just north of Chicago Ave @ Rush St..next to Pippen's Bar..Chicago is a great town...you are gonna have a great time..

Don't miss Sue the dinosaur @ the Field Museum. It won't take too much of your precious time & it will be well worth it.

As a Chicago native, these are my weekend must-do's: <BR> <BR>Art Institute of Chicago - for the best collection of Impressionist art around. See "Saturday Afternoon in the Park" and all sorts of other things even non-art-lovers will recognize and appreciate. <BR> <BR>Architecture Tour - do the walking tour or the boat tour that goes down the Chicago River. Contact the Chicago Architecture Society (its at the bottom of the Hancock Bldg on Michigan Ave if you want to walk by and get tickets). <BR> <BR>Dinner/lunch - get a steak at one of the places recommended by other posters, and a deep dish Chicago pizza, either at Giordano's (everyone's favorite) or Bacino's (my favorite). <BR> <BR>Drinks - have a margarita martini at Frontera Grill. PERFECT in the August heat. Get there early afternoon to beat happy hour crowds and score an outdoor table. Have Rick Bayless's fantastic gourmet Mexican, even if its just appetizers. (He was Best New Chef several years back.) <BR> <BR>Ask a friendly cabbie to take you the scenic route through the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, maybe on your way to the game. Note: this will not be the most efficient way to get there, but plan on taking time to scope the neighborhoods at some point. <BR> <BR>Kids will love Navy Pier and the Children's Museum there. And I've heard Sue is spectacular, too. <BR> <BR>If you are from a big city, shopping on Michigan Ave/Oak Street may not be a big thrill, since everyone seems to have the same stores these days... better to see what is ONLY in Chicago, in my humble opinion! Have a blast!

I'm afraid you're coming right between two of the best summer events, Venetian night (better fireworks than the 4th) and the Air & Water Show which is the 3rd weekend in August. You can check at www.ci.chi.il.us/tourism for more festival information once the dates get closer, there are also a lot of little festivals. www.metromix.com is also an excellent source of information, especially when you get closer to August. <BR> <BR>Depending on your interests, you can't go wrong with the Art Institute or the Shedd Aquarium or the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Field Museum has been getting a lot of interesting special exhibits, I find the rest of the museum a bit dull (bones and cavemen). <BR> <BR>Navy Pier is a lot of fun in the summer and I think they may have fireworks on Saturday nights in the summer, you can get more info at www.navypier.com. <BR> <BR>Chicago has a lot of late night theater. Second City is usually worth the trip and there are also a couple of improv places. We recently tried Comedy Sportz on Halsted (1/2 price tickets from Hot Tix, it's BYOB), there's also Improv Olympics a bit further north. There's a good cajun place near Comdey Sportz called the Louisiana Kitchen. You might also look into Blue Man Group, website www.blueman.com. <BR> <BR>Carson's Ribs never misses and one of my favorites is Cafe Iberico on LaSalle St. for Spanish tapas. Not too far from Michigan Avenue, we've walked it before or its a short cab ride. I've also recently had a very tasty meal at Wildfire on Erie, you can check out their menu at www.leye.com. And you have to try a pizza. Everyone has their favorite, mine currently is Pizzeria Uno's Chicago Classic. Also on lots of people's top lists are Giordano's, Leona's, Edwardo's, Nancy's and Gino's. <BR> <BR>A caution on Frontera Grill, it is very busy on weekends so go early if you want to try it or maybe try a week night. <BR> <BR>For a great view of Chicago, go to the top of the Hancock Building which is near Water Tower place on Michigan Avenue. Lots of people go to the floor right beneath the observatory and get a drink and enjoy the view that way.

Aloha Margaret, <BR>We just scored tickets for the entire weekend series of the Cubbies v. SF Giants. May see you there on Saturday? <BR> <BR>It looks like Sat's game starts at 3:05, you may want to get there around noonish just to take in all of the hub- bub going on around Wrigley. A lot of bars and restaurants across the street and down the block. Walk all around the Field and take it in. <BR> <BR>My fave is the Cubby Bear because you sit right across the street from the famous red "Wrigley Field" sign. Decent "sports grub" menu-nothing fancy. BUT IT GETS VERY LOUD! They also crank up a band after the games. <BR> <BR>From your hotel, I'd take a taxi to Wrigley. I think it runs maybe $10-15. Nice drive up along Lakeshore Dr. then over thru some nice old neighborhoods. You have to ride the "El" at least once,tho so consider taking it too. <BR> <BR>Gino's East (not the other Gino's on Rush)is our favorite pizza place. <BR>Giordano's a close second. We usually start our Chi-trips with a cocktail at the lounge at the top of the John Hancock Tower, as posted above. Beautiful views. <BR> <BR>One other poster was also correct in that Chicago is a great walking around city and since you are at the Hyatt, a walk down to The Navy Pier and then down to all of the museums isn't out of the question. <BR> <BR>A walking tour of downtown to see the outdoor art works of Picasso, Miro, Calder, et al is a good way to see the city. <BR> <BR>We enjoyed the river/lake cruise. You can pick up a tour boat right across the street, below the bridge on Mich. Ave. <BR>Takes you down the river then thru the lock and out on the lake. Take your camera. <BR> <BR>Check out the House of Blues web and see who is in town as it's only a few blocks down the riverwalk from the Hyatt. Sunday's Gospel Brunch was very nice. <BR> <BR>I'm sorry we're going to miss the Air and Water show. We were at a SF/Cubs game 2 yrs ago when the Thunderbirds buzzed the field a few times, once almost knocking the pitcher off the mound! At dinner that night (Riva's on the Navy Pier-great city view-good grub-go) they buzzed the Pier and then took off straight up. The afterburners lit up the sky. <BR> <BR>And as also mentioned, a lot of friendly people in that town. But, remember, it is a big city so always be aware of your surroundings. <BR>Kal

Just go and see. It's a beautiful city and Wrigley is a baseball shrine!

Take the El to Wrigley! Although the Hyatt is a few blocks from the nearest stop (Grand and State) it's an interesting walk and you won't get frustrated from paying a meter to sit in traffic. Just head north (towards Howard St.) and get off at Addison Street - all trains stop there. The park is spitting distance away. (map at www.chicagotransit.com) <BR> To get home, I'd suggest walking south as you leave Wrigley - it feels great after an afternoon in those hard seats. And the El stop is PACKED after the games - it can be kind of unpleasant, depending on how much the everyone's been drinking. Stroll south on Clark Street towards downtown, or east/southeast to the lakefront, and find a little neighborhood restaurant when you need to break for dinner. Grab a cab home when you need one. <BR> Be sure you learn about the city's address numbering system - once you do, it's easy to find your way around. Basically, all blocks are numbered beginning downtown at State and Madison. So Wrigley, at Addison (3600 North) is 36 blocks north of Madison St. (Figure roughly 8 blocks to a mile.) The Hyatt is about 300 N and 300 E. Clark is trickier because it slants NW to SE. <BR> If you get hooked on walking, and I can't think of a better thing to do on a summer evening, you must try: the lakefront; the neighborhood east of Dearborn and north of Division; Dearborn Street in the Loop; Michigan Avenue, especially from the river to about 300 south. If you take a Chicago Architecture Foundation tour (www.architecture.org) you'll probably tour some of the downtown areas mentioned. Lastly, I recommend Atwood Cafe at State and Washington for lunch or dinner - stylish but not intimidating. Prairie, Russian Tea Time and Cafe Iberico are some other favorites in the downtown/near north. Enjoy your visit!

Margaret, I am from the suburbs of Chicago and work downtown. You have a lot of good suggestions here. I would definetly do the architectural boat cruise. It is a good idea to order tickets ahead of time. The "Magnificent Mile" is great for upscale shopping but Marshall Field's on State Street is Chicago. Be aware that the Hyatt is near Wacker Drive and they have it pretty torn apart (Wacker that is) right now. You are probably far enough east that you won't hear the noise but it would interfer with some travel plans down Wacker. Frontera Grill is an excellent Mexican restaurant but it is very crowded. They open at 5:00 for dinner and people are usually lined up at 4:45. There are numerous other great restaurants depending on what you like. You might want to take a cab to Taylor Street for excellent Italian food: Tuscany, Francesca's, Rosebud (there is also one on Rush Street). Check out Zagat's guide - they rate the restaurants pretty well. Also, check out Metromix for things to do. Blue Man Group is very good. The gospel brunch at House of Blues is fun but order tickets a week or so early. There are usually several good plays/musicals at the downtown theaters. If you want more info, feel free to e-mail me.