Chicago for Seniors
 

I am attempting to plan a surprise trip to Chicago this upcoming July for my "68-69" year old parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I've done all the massive research and have a rough itinerary planned out into events (Chisox game, architectural boat trip), parks (Millenium/Grant - including free movies/concerts, the fountains and gardens), museums/etc. (the Pier, Sears/Adler/Shedd), food (Tommy Gun's, Signature, Fox & Obel, Park Cafe, Joe's Be-Bop),etc. and have a rough itinerary planned. I have narrowed it down to 3 hotels (Essex, Palmer House, Hilton near Grant Park). I want to be able to hand them over an entire packet and not have to worry about a thing! Any suggestions on what more to do or not to do. They are fairly active so walking will not be a problem.

We have a really good Shakespeare theater here & it's on Navy Pier (where they'll be anyway to eat at Joe's Be-Bop). If they enjoy that sort of thing I'd arrange tickets to a play. Just the views from the lobby during intermission are amazing...

We stayed at the Essex for a girls' weekend last summer and liked it fine. The bathroom was a bit small and old, so if that's important one of the others might be a better choice. But overall I'd recommend it - it's directly across from Grant Park and close to the museums. It's a long walk to the river area or the Mag Mile, but the #3 bus runs that route and comes fairly frequently.

Just in case - the steps down to the architecture cruise are pretty steep, and I don't remember seeing an elevator. Since your parents are pretty active I'm guessing that's not a big concern, but just wanted to give you a heads up. The cruise is fantastic, though. I'm sure your parents will have a great time! What a great idea.

How did you choose the hotels you listed? IMHO, the Palmer House is old and some of the rooms are tiny with not so uptodate amenities. Also, all 3 are near a stretch of Michigan Ave. that might be not so lively for them at night. I would have recommended hotels in the Magnificent Mile or River West that are closer to some "action" and fine restaurants. If by the Signature Room you mean the restaurant, the food is extremely average and the best view (I am not joking) is from the women's rest room, where you might encounter some women escorting significant others for the view. It sounds like they won't have access to a car, so suburban sights are out. That's too bad, because a summer outdoor concert at Ravinia can be lots of fun. They used to run a concert train from Northwestern station, but I'm not sure if they do that anymore. How are they going to go to Chicago Sox? The Glass Dome Hickory Pit restaurant was an insitution for years near Sox stadium. But check to see if still open. If they are Frank Lloyd Wright fans and have transportation, a trip to his home in River Forest/Oak Park and of the many homes he designed in the area can be lots of fun on a nice day. One of my personal favorites is lunch outside in the sculpture garden at the Art Institute. Hope that gives you some suggestions.

Hi Nina,
At the risk of being one of those posters who suggests an alternative to already-in-place plans, can I suggest that you look at the Marriott. Not so much for the hotel itself (but they're generally quite nice) but the fact that Marriotts give excellent discounts for seniors (at least 15% but I've heard of some quite higher). You may be able to get a more special room for your parents at a Marriott than you would for the same price at another hotel.

Just a thought.

You did super, they'll enjoy. Any of those three are fine and the location is fine too. I almost bought a condo across the street from the Art Institute in the late '90's (and rented there awhile so I do know) and have friends on Printer's Row. No problem with any aspect of it, night or otherwise. Or restaurants either.

They can take the Red line directly to the Sox game and back. And by 2009 or 10 I'll be able to do the same with Metra Rock Island Line from the opposite direction, when we FINALLY get a stop/train platform put in there. Right now only the red line el has a platform/stop at U.S. Cellular Field. It's extremely simple- easier than taking any buses at all.

Sixty-eight and sixty-nine are pretty young for a 50th! It doen't sound as though they have any mobility problems either,luckily. Best wishes to your parents on their anniversary!

Of the hotels, the Essex is pretty basic, whereas the Hilton is large and grand (with some terrific views, especially from the rooftop pool) and the Palmer House has a great location for State Street subway, shopping and theatres. The Hilton has (or had) a free shuttle to North Michigan Avnenue - definitely something to look into.

I doubt if you have to plan every visit and restaurant at this point. Maybe a printed page about a museum,for instance, followed by directions and restaurants in the area would be better. You can't know how heat, rain or crowds will affect their plans - or they may just want to play hooky.

If they grew up in Chicago, they will certainly want to visit old neighborhoods, or go to places they've dreamed of but couldn't afford when young. There are a lot of restaurant choices that aren't as touristy as a Tommy Guns or even Joe's.

The first thing I thought when I read this post was, why the White Sox?

Obviously, if they grew up in Chicago and are big Sox fans, then great for them.

But if they will take in a game as part of the Chicago experience, then may I humbly suggest (at the risk of inciting Sox fans, which is not my intent) that you also consider a Cubs game? Wrigley Field is absolutely beautiful, and if they are fans of the game, that is something to consider.

Maybe they want to see a winning team with excellent quality players. And there are Sox fans outside of the City, believe it or not- I happen to know multitudes. From IN and MI as well, actually.

Chisox game- wording- they are Sox fans. Deal with it.

You might have a look at those three hotels over on Trip Advisor, the Essex is listed as a 1*, the Palmer House Hilton as a 4* and the Hilton near Grant Park as a 5*. And the user reviews are more favorable for the two Hiltons.

I really like patg's suggestion about printing out the museum information followed by several suggestions for meals in case they don't have a taste for a particular type of cuisine, they also know of some alternatives in the area.

Nina14, that's a wonderful gift you have given then for their anniversary. Just don't plan the schedule down to the nth degree, so that they can do some exploring on their own. And the schedule should be flexible because we can have some mighty hot/humid weather here in July. Being outside then in the middle of the day is not pleasant.

That being said, I agree that you might want to rethink a couple of items. For example, Navy Pier (unless they are going to the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, a lake cruise - which I doubt if they are taking the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise as well, or going to the beer garden for a performance outside) - and I recommend eating at an establishment away from Navy Pier.

When are they coming? If during the Taste of Chicago, they may not want to be in Grant Park with the huge crowds. (Millennium Park also is packed at that time.)

I also agree that they may enjoy some time in the neighborhoods more than going to Tommy Gun's. This is where the Chicago Greeter program or an organized tour into one of the neighborhoods from the Chicago Cultural Center or the Chicago History Museum might be something to consider.

And, with all due respect to other posters regarding the ball game, this isn't Chisox vs. Cubs matter - unless YOUR parents have particular team preference. I personally always recommend a trip to Wrigley Field for visitors to Chicago. At least think about a tour of Wrigley Field, if not a game, because there are only a couple of ballparks like this left in existence.

Lastly, if your parents are going to the John Hancock Building Signature Lounge or Restaurant, they really don't need to go to Sears Tower as well. They might still wish to, but you'll have to plan in waiting time in the lines there, as a rule, as it may be more than an hour, depending on the day and time they go.

You put my thoughts about Wrigley Field exactly right Exiledprincess. Thank you!

UPDATE and FILLERS:

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. To answer the multiply-asked question: they went to Chicago for their senior trip in HS and have never been back. They saw a White Sox game then and have been fans ever since (even though they live in Michigan!). I chose those 3 hotels mostly because I wanted them to be south of the river and also heard that there were "free" trolleys that would take them up Michigan - when they needed to. I've been keeping track of various sites' comments about the 3 hotels and they all have varied good and bad. I've done the $ shopping and can get all within $30 of each other. Although none really specify "senior" rates online. They are not shoppers and would do more in 4 days at the parks, Shedd/MSI/Adler, etc. than they would north of the river. I chose dinner at the Signature Room for their "special" anniversary dinner. I do know their tastes so I researched the various places I thought they might like. I want to give them either gift cards for the specific places, or one big loaded card so they can pay for everything from that - then just print out menus for them to look at. They will be coming in on the Megabus from Cleveland (where I live) to save money and eliminate the hassles of the airports. Thanks again!

Just remember that when you are looking at hotel reviews, esp. user reviews, that people tend to review based on their expectations. Most people would have a much higher expectation from a 4* or 5* than they would of a budget hotel like the Essex. If they are similarly priced, I would knock the Essex out.

There are a couple of city passes that you might check out that you could probably purchase in advance for Chicago's attractions.

http://www.citypass.com/city/chicago.html?id=8gmrULrS

http://www.gochicagocard.com/

And there's a large network of restaurants, around 30 or so, under the same umbrella that you could get gift certificates for (unfortunately none of the restaurants you list are part of it)but there are many good restaurants of all prices and cuisines

http://www.leye.com/welcome.html

Hi Nina,
Sorry, I don't mean to be a pest, but just in case you missed it online:

http://marriott.com/specials/senior/default.mi

Thanks HDM. I had called one of the Marriotts (on Wacker) and with the senior discount it was $365/nt! I can get a room at the Palmer or S. Michigan Hilton through skoosh for less than $190/nt. And I really think they'd be much better off south of the river. But thanks, just the same.

Yikes! Oh well, good on you for trying anyway.

It sounds like a great gift for your parents!