BE

I am bringing my mother to Chicago Christmas week for a few days to see the sights and shop. Does anyone have any advise as what to see and do? Also, does anyone have any feedback on Le Meridien?

swalter518

Le Meridien is very nice and is connected to a huge mall on Michigan Ave. so that's a good place to start shopping. All of Michigan Ave. will be lit up for the holidays and Fields and Carsons on State Street decorate their windows too.

flamingomonkey

The windows at Fields are stunning, a Chicago tradition. Also, make reservations to eat lunch in Field's Walnut Room, under the giant Christmas tree, another local institution. Try and make time for one the city's museums. The museum of science and industry would be a good choice. It's outside of downtown, but has some fascinating exhibits, and a special exhibit of dozens of decorated Christmas trees from around the world. You also can't go wrong with the Field Museum of Natural History, The Art Institute, or the Shedd Aquarium. Keep in mind, these are huge museums. Depending on how much you want to see, you could easily spend at least a day in each one. If it's a nice day, head up to the renovated John Hancock Tower observation deck. It's much better than the overrated Sears Tower, imho. Depending on how you feel about the cold, check out architecture.org for info about the numerous Chicago Architectural Foundation tours. If you don't have kids, Navy Pier is an overrated tourist trap.

Also check out broadwayinchicago.com and metromix.com. You may want to attend the theatre, opera, or a symphony while in town. These sites can let you know what's going on when you'll be here.

As for shopping, just head down Michigan Ave. and State Street. You'll also want to stop for pizza. Personally, I think Pizzaria Uno and Gino's East are highly overrated. Giordano's is popular with tourists and locals alike, and has some awesome pizza. Metromix is also a great place for dining information. You can find cusine from anywhere on earth in Chicago.

jlm_mi

You won't likely be able to make reservations for the Walnut Room as they are walk-in only during the holidays. But, we found that lines were horrendously long for lunch but arriving very near opening time for breakfast got us seated immediately. You could also just go there for a snack mid-afternoon and may find shorter lines.

If the weather is reasonable (which will always be cold, but I mean dry) Lincoln Park Zoo also has a Christmas lights exhibit, I believe.

And I don't consider Pizzeria Uno overrated at all, but I agree that Gino's is not my favorite. Chicago pizza is such a personal thing.

eroz

I stayed there the first night of my honeymoon!
It's new, large, huge marble bathrooms, great location, you'll like it!

Jed

We are going to Chicago next month for a few days.

In Philly, there is a site, phillyfunguide.com where you can buy tickets at half-price for various entertainment venues when they are not sold out. Does anyone have info about a similar site for Chicago, or if a place exists for discounted tickets?

Kristi

For theater and some performances, there are several Hot Tix booths in Chicago where you can buy same day 1/2 price tickets (on Friday you can buy for the whole weekend). You can check out a sample of their offerings at www.hottix.org

patg

Jed -
You might also be interested in knowing that all the Chicago museums have free days throughout the year. There is a schedule at choosechicago.com

Kate2

Sorry, the word is adviCe.
You need advice.
We will advise you.
Cheers.

Jed

Thanks to all for your adviCe.