I am going to be in Chicago for 3 nights this week for a conference. Unfortunately, I won't get to see much of the city because I will be in workshops all day. However, we will have a chance to go out in the evening for dinner, drinks, etc. We will be at the Westin O'Hare hotel.

I will be there with 2 other women & I assume that we will go out in the evening together after the workshops (taking a cab from the hotel, I suppose). I think that none of us will want anything very expensive & we like all types of food except for steakhouse places.

Any ideas? None of us have been to Chicago.

Thanks!

(taking a cab from the hotel, I suppose).

do you mean you will take a cab from the hotel to a restaurant near O'Hare, or you will take a cab into the city and back each evening? It's quite a haul (and very expensive) to do the latter, so since you mentioned that you wouldn't want anything very expensive, I thought I'd better point that out. I'm not sure how much a cab ride would be to the city (we always take the L), but I'm guessing close to $100 round trip.

~$45 each direction from O'Hare to downtown. Take the El, if you are going downtown.

Thanks for that info! I had no idea! Since it is not a pleasure trip (more of an educational kind of thing), I wasn't really planning ahead like I usually do.

Is there other transportation that we can take from the Westin to anywhere worth going?

Thanks!

You can get on the L right at O'Hare, it will take you to the heart of the city. O'Hare is in the middle of industrial suburbia, it's not walkable. If you want to stay near O'Hare, I would suggest Rosemont for dining or take a cab to Oak Brook shopping center.

http://www.fronterakitchens.com/

We ate at Rick Bayless's Mexican Restaurant - there are actually two - check out the web site. Reservations in advance would be a good idea, otherwise the wait will be very long.
It's a fun, festive place with interesting authentic food from the heart of Mexico. Rick Bayless (I think) is a local Chicago guy.

Thanks again! We have to stay at the Westin b/c the conference (Autism One) is there & that's where we will be all day.

Thanks again for any suggestions!

Hi KEC -- You may want to check out The Chicago Reader www.chicagoreader.com. They have a restaurant search where you can limit places to near the O'Hare area. If you don't feel like trekking downtown for dinner, there are plenty of outposts of well-known restaurants near the airport. Harry Caray's is good, as is Nick's Fishmarket. Harry Caray's will have something for everyone.