Chicago Trip- Mid July
 

Mid July, I plan to visit Chicago. I have a few questions:

1. Hotel-I was thinking of staying at the Best Western River North Hotel on West Ohio St. What do you think? I don't need anything fancy. As long as the hotel is clean and it is in a neighborhood that is both safe and convenient to the local attractions.

2. Attractions- I was thinking of the following: tour of the city (any company you can recommend?), Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, John Hancock Observatory, Lincoln Park Zoo, Art Institute, walk Michigan Avenue. What do you think and do you have any suggestions?

3. Public transportation- I was planning to take the subway or a bus to all destinations. Are there any areas I mentioned visiting above that can't be gotten to safely on the subway or a bus?

4. Restaurants- Any recommendations? I am not looking for very fancy places and would like to sample foods that Chicago is known for

Thanks.

1. I don't really know anything about Best Western River North. So I can't help you there. It is in a nice area so I don't think you need to worry.

2. & 3. &4. If you do a search on Chicago you will find a lot of info - restaurants, bus routes, nightlife, etc.

I do know that there is a red double decker bus, the "Hop On Hop Off Trolley" allows you the chance to get on and off the Trolley Bus in order to visit the Field Museum, the Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute and other famous city attractions such as the Sears Tower, the John Hancock Tower, Navy Pier, the North Pier, Water Tower shops, etc.

A 1 day ticket is $25 and a 2 day ticket is $30. You have to book in advance.

If you dont'd want to take the trolley I know that Citylghts posted a great explanation how to take public transportation to all the sights you mentioned. Patg also posted some great info on public transportation. Just search the US board on Chicago.

Have fun in my city!

The BW is in a nice area. Another one, that should be reasonable is the red roof inn. It used to be a darling little boutique hotel, very small that we liked a number of yrs ago. I think it is on St clair and Ontario, The location of both is perfect. You could also try priceline. I recommend the boat tour that you pick up on Michigan avenue at the Wriggley bldg. One of our favorite places to look at is the Tribune bldg. The bldg has rocks/bricks from famous places all over the world. (Cubs store just inside!) The architectural boat tour along the cgo river is great. It is nice to take the boat tour on a hot cgo day. One of the things I've always wanted to do is the Gospel brunch at the House of Blues. Check out the Metromix website for what's going on.
Try a cgo hot dog at Gold coast dogs. We also love the Italian roast beef sandwiches. (Is it Mannys? on Ohio on the way to the expressway? Of course there is always Pizza Uno and Due if you are into deep dish pizza. Navy Pier doesn't do anything for me, but it is a fun walk. Might be some concerts at Millenium park too. It's really old fashioned, but there is the Berghoff restaurant near the sears tower Adams street I think. Great for German food. Really an old world atmosphere. We could go on...

NY,
1. Sorry, no advice here.
2. For attractions I would make the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute priorities. I'm not even all that in to art, but it is something to see all of these famous works of art 5 feet in front of you. I agree that a double decker bus would be a great way to see the city.
3. Almost all of these areas that you are looking at are super safe, so any form of transportation is fine.
4. Personally, my favorite is deep dish pizza from Giordanos.

The huge advantage to Best Western River North is the free parking during your stay. Ordinarily parking is close to $40 a night. But it's about a 5 block walk to Michigan Avenue, which can get tiring, if you are walking all day then trudging back to the hotel a couple of times.

If you are flying in and planning to use mass transit, I'd go for a Priceline or Hotwire hotel. Most of the Loop, and Michigan Av hotels are more centrally/conventiently located.

Public transportation is available to everything you listed. And if a walk seems too far, it's pretty easy to hop in a cab. Make sure you get a multi day pass for the el/bus. It's a big money saver.

I agree with the priceline and hotwire suggestions, especially if you aren't going to be driving. If you are, the free parking at the Best Western is fantastic.

I'd check out the Cultural Center, which is very convenient and free! It will be hot and sticky in July, and it's nice to get out of the sun for awhile. Plus, it often has interesting rotating exhibits. The Cultural Center also has a visitors center that I've found.

I'd add the Museum of Science and Industry - I prefer this to the planetarium.

Food - agree with Giordanos for pizza. Cafe Iberico is fun for tapas and sangria.

Look in to the Architecture Boat tour.

Walk down Oak street for high-end shopping (Jimmy Choo, Hermes, Prada, etc.) It's fun to window shop.

Happy travels!

K: the Bergoff closed this past winter (unfortunately). Also, the Italian beef place I think you're thinking of is Portillo's. Although Manny's is a fantastic deli in the west loop. Check metromix.com for great Chicago info.

As others have said, you may be able to get a nicer hotel on Priceline for about the same money. Of course, it all depends when you'll be here as there are several large conventions this summer.

I have no suggestions for bus tours of the city. For the river cruises, the Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tours are the best. Their site is www.architecture.org and the boats leave from the docks at the SE corner of Michigan and Wacker.

You can purchase a multi-day pass at either of the visitor centers, either airport, any currency exchange or online at www.transitchicago.com. They begin at $5 for a 1-day pass. The site also has a trip planner.

If you opt for the Museum of Science and Industry, the Number 10 bus begins running weekdays after Memorial Day. You can catch it southbound on Michigan Avenue north of the river or on State Street south of the river. After it leaves the loop, it runs express to the museum and returns via the same route.

For restaurants, check www.metromix.com. You can enter a cuisine, price range and neighborhood (Loop and River North) and get a list of suggested places. One of my fav places near the BW is Reza's on Ontario at Orleans. It's Arabic, reasonably priced and huge so I've rarely had to wait for a table.

For deep dish pizza, there are several Giordano's locations and Lou Malnati's near the Merchandise Mart.

The Burghoff is closed, but the Cafe 21 opened in its basement and is open for weekday lunches. It serves a limited selection of the Burghoff's favorites cafeteria-style.

You don't say how long. I hope you have time to do most of what you mention.

When you're walking in the area you might want to time it one night to see the Buckingham Foundation display. When I was a kid we would wait for an hour and loved to go when it was windy to catch the sprays. Now I hear they are doing it every hour. But if you see a nighttime one, you will not regret it. Colors and ambiance and the crowd all together is quite nice. Better than Millenium Park, IMHO- not far either.

All you are doing is not distant, don't worry about the logistics of that. The only trek of any signnificance would be to the Mus.of Sci.& Ind. If you have a full week- do try to get there.

www.metromix.com and also lots of threads on this site- do search- for the past restaurant rec's. There are numerous others, many never mentioned here on Fodors, that are available also. Some are low cost and good quality- and also some real gems are not far from your lodging or places of interest at all.

And not all the venues you will visit, only have low end, fast food, or cafeteria options. The sit down at the Shedd, for instance, Landings- has white tablecloth mid-range choices with a great view. I ate there with my daughter and two grand-sons and it was an excellent affordable by anyone lunch. Those places ARE there, but mixed in with very high end. I know if you are budgeting, you might want to read some lists on metromix re $$$.

The food in WaterTower in the Court is an excellent choice. Also, IMHO, don't eat at all at Navy Pier, unless you go all the way to the end of the entire and go to Riva. But there are most probably in any day's schedule better choices elsewhere.

Read on Fodors about the pizza and hot dog wars- lots of choices.

If you're looking for a more active sort of tour, I would recommend Bobby's Bike Hike. I did this in 2005 and our tour guide was fantastic. Biking in a busy city sounded a little terrifying but the traffic wasn't bad at all.

http://www.bobbysbikehike.com/

I also did a Segway tour with these folks http://www.citysegwaytours.com/chicago/ which I would recommend too.

We went to Chicago in April. You might like my trip report for some ideas.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...go+trip+report

I went to college there and it's been a long time but Giordano's was everyone's favorite. We also really liked Gino's East, but it didn't have more than one or two locations.

The Art Institute really is something, if nothing else, go see the Seurat (you know the one, from "Ferris Buehler's Day Off"). If you played the game Masterpiece growing up, all of the paintings in that game are in the Art Institute.

I did like the Museum of Science and Industry, especially the Apollo capsule.

After I moved away, someone told me I should have gone to the Frank Lloyd Wright House near the University of Chicago...don't know if it's a must see but thought I'd throw that out there.

(By the way that bike tour looks fun!)

Excellent information! Thanks so much.

I was planning to spend two and one-half days in Chicago, but I am now thinking of spending three and one-half days.
The architectural tour sounds fascinating. I also like the idea of the Hop on Hop Off Trolley. I think I will take the bus to the Museum of Science and Industry. I hear it is an incredible museum. I will check into Giordano's and Lou Malnati's. I still need to look at the posts on public transportation. Thanks for mentioning that cheribob.

Where is the Buckingham Foundation display located?

Thanks again.

Buckingham Fountain is in the south part of Grant Park at Columbus Drive and Congress Pkwy.

I would also make the Art Institute a top priority. For restaurants, the BEST deep dish pizza I have ever eaten is Pizzeria Uno and Lou Malnatis. I would also recommend the Wendella Tour boats; both day and night. My boyfriend and I went on the day cruise and observed the buildings and learned about them. At night we were able to sit back and enjoy the beauty of the city at night from the lake. One of the best things I have ever done in Chicago!

I've only been to Chicago once or twice, so I am by no means an expert, however, Travelistic has videos from all of the city's major tourist attractions (Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, Art Institute, Millennium Mile, the Water Tower, etc.)

Might have you some inspiration:
http://www.travelistic.com/places/48...er_by-featured

Enjoy!

Hi,

I just got back from Chicago yesterday after spending 4 terrific days there. I'll offer my two cents.

Get a multi-day CTA pass. It's a good deal and reduces hassles.

The Art Institute offers free admission from 5 pm until 9 pm on both Thursday and Friday nights. It's normally $15, so this a bargain. Along with the Seurat, they have a bunch of other famous pieces. Well worth the visit.

Two wine bars to consider:
Juicy Wine Co. at 694 N. Milwaukee Ave. (312)492-6620. Closest el stop is Grand on the Blue line. No more than a 10-minute walk. Cool atmosphere, great wine selection.
The Tasting Room at 1415 W. Randolph. (312)942-1313. You can get a wide variety of plates, there are set flights of wines, or you can order "tastes", which are 3 oz. pours.
At both these spots, the upstairs area is more relaxing. Juicy has a DJ on Friday nights.

The river cruise from the Chicago Architecture Foundation was excellent, I would absolutely recommend it. The walking tours are good too.

Have a great time!

Just got back today from Chicago-got a recommendation from this board for www.priceline.com - GREAT ADVICE! I chose a 3.5 star hotel in the Millenium Park area for $79 and we stayed at the Hyatt. Flat screen TVs, iHome radios for your iPod, comfy beds, small food shop on main level for beverages/snacks, great concierge - parking was $41/day, but even with parking costs still a great deal. The location was PERFECT. We walked to Navy Pier (no good food choices there), "Wicked", got on the "L" train to Wrigley Field, walked to Millenium Park and Buckingham Fountain and Art Institute. Busy hotel, but extremely convenient. I don't walk a lot normally, and all of the above were easy walks for me.

Used to live in Chicago (13 yrs ago) so loved seeing Millenium Park - the Bean is incredible! Bridge is fun - concert area is wild! Gardens are beautiful and the two waterfall towers that display faces are really cool.

If you take the "L" don't be afraid to ask for help to make sure you're on the right train, as everyone is helpful.

Ed Debevics - we walked to this restaurant - food was ok, but atmosphere was hilarious! Giordanos was our fav pizza place -highly recommended!

If you can take time to cab it down to the Museum of Science and Industry - what a place! A German sub (get tickets for the inside tour IMMEDIATELY when you enter the museum, as we missed out on this), a fun coal mine trip, amazing model of the city with numerous toy trains running through it - so much to see and so little time.

Try www.tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews - we were pleasantly surprised that priceline worked so well, as it was our first time trying it.

Have a wonderful trip - it's a great city!

As it is now July 16 this may be too late. But I would say that a lot of the advice has been good. I would add:

If you go to Navy Pier make time to see the stained glass window display. The ferris wheel can give good skyline views. It is cheaper than the top of Sears or Hancock, but not as good.

If you would rather not do the Architecture Tour (which is excellent)on the river, take a water taxi to Navy Pier for the views without the narration.

If you are into theatre I would recommend catching a show (if you can get tickets) at the Chicago Theatre or the Oriental (Ford Ceneter for the Performing Arts). Wicked is currently playing at the Oriental. The Oriental also has tours of the building if that is of interest.

You could also go see what used to be Marshall Field's on State St. (now Macy's) and the famous clock. Similarly, Soldier Field is still worth a look even with the addition most Chicagoans hate. Wrigley Field is another landmark.

When in Chicago you should eat:
Chicago style pizza (I prefer Giordano's or Gino's East), a Chicago Hot Dog with everything, an Italian Beef sandwich from Portillo's or Buena Beef, a slice of Eli's Cheescake, and Garrett's Popcorn. If you can stand to eat more I would add a steak at Chicago Chophouse, a Maxwell St Polish (sausage), an Italian Sausage with pepers, a gyro in Greektown, and eating in any other ethnic neighborhoods you can (Chinatown, Pilsen, etc.)

We also were in Chicago last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather--along with all of Chicago. Everyone was out enjoying the lake, the parks, the sunshine and outdoor dining. I attribute this to no yardwork and long winters--Chicagoans do know how to enjoy summer.

We used Hotwire and stayed at the Embassy Suites Lakefront for $89/nt. They include a made to order breakfast and 2 hour Managers reception with free drinks and appetizers. We were very pleased with the hotel.

I try to see one museum each visit and the Art Institute is free every Thurs. and Fri. evening this summer. I walked up the steps Thurs. night at 5:00, picked up the audio tour ($6)and walked through the museum. I have never been a big museum person but I really enjoy walking through a museum on a docent tour or having an audio tour--it really enhances the visit. Maybe I should have done this years ago and I would be a museum person. (Loved the docent led Highlights Tour at the Natural History Museum) For those visiting with children, there is a wonderful childrens tour on the audio. I thought it was very well done.

The restaurant in the courtyard has been recommended on Fodors--it really looks beautiful--we have it on our list for our next visit.

I had made reservations at the Park Grill right next door at Millenium Park for our group of moms and daughters, but the girls wanted to eat outside. After quite a long wait we had a nice dinner and enjoyed the beautiful evening. Outside dining is limited to sandwiches.

We also saw Ragtime at the Apollo Theater in Lincoln Park. The very intimate theater was only about half filled--we were in the second row--a bit close. This show was very well done.
We were also hoping to see 500 Clowns Macbeth. Seems like it would be a very interesting and unusual show.

We had a great time riding bikes along the lakefront. We rented bikes at the very crowded Navy Pier and rode north to Lincoln Park. I love this ride.

More later...