Chicago 4-day trip report
 

Took 9 and 13 yr old girls for return trip. Stayed at Omni Chicago for 124/night through quickbook.com Almost got stuck with 1 King- there's no guarantee on that site! They gave us a room w/sofabed. The toilet ran; I fixed it 3 times. The door to the bathroom was off hinges and "unfixable." Breakfast for 3 cost $40.However, service was friendly and we enjoyed the hot tub and pool at end of day. The museum and aquarium also were high- suggest getting a "City Pass" if doing these. We enjoyed Foodlife in Water Tower for healthy food selections- good with kids and special tastes. Really enjoyed the Egyptian exhibit at Field Museum. The Reef exhibit at Shedd Aquarium was just okay, not worth the crowd and hassle. Try to go at a quiet time! We did the MetroDuck tour, which was fun for all- good way to tour the city- lots of silly jokes and we all had "Duck whistles" to blow for silliness! We spent a day at Gurnee outlet stores- enjoyed some ice skating (25 dollars for 3)Pretty much the same as lots of outlet places, though. We walked many miles instead of taking taxis. That was a great way to enjoy sights and stay in shape. We felt quite safe in the city- many families this time of year. Though I prefer doing Chicago as an "adult trip", LOL...it is a great place for a family. Just be prepared to spend some cash!

Great report Linda. I'm planning on going to Chicago next month and staying at the Omni. I heard it's in a good location. Hopefully, it will be ok without a car.

Linda, hotel restaurants are notoriously expensive.

Yes, I know hotel restaurants are, LOL! The kids were begging...ya know. Omni is a great locale, and a friendly staff. I really wanted to use my points at the Holiday Inn- that's a great location- but have never been able to book them ! Last time, I used my Hyatt points and stayed at the top of the Mile.It wasn't worth the bucks, IMO. Omni was much more personable. i am really spoiled- my hubby and I spent 11 days in S Africa and paid about 80% less per day than Chicago!

We love Chicago and take a long weekend from Indiana at least annually. But, hotels including the high tax, parking, eating, seeing a play is expensive. We joke that we have become so efficient that we can spend same $$ for a weekend in Chgo that it takes us a whole week to spend elsewhere.

Linda, glad you enjoyed your trip!

Missy2000, no need to have a car in Chicago. There are buses, the el, taxis and of course your feet that you can use to get around.

Chicago doesn't need to be that expensive, there are plenty of free things going on all the time, there are 1/2 price tickets for theater, hotel deals on Priceline, the free Chicago greeter program, free el tours on weekends and inexpensive guided tours of the neighborhoods through the Architecture Foundation. Some of the museums have free days-Art Institute is on Tuesdays, Terra Museum is free every day. Restaurants in the hotels and the tourist area tend to be expensive but there are plenty of good low cost options in the neighborhoods.