Just got back from five days in Chicago and would like to pass on some of our experiences while we were there. We opted to stay at a few different hotels for comparison purposes. The Red Roof in downtown (this was formerly Motel 6) was $149 a night, is very conveniently located, close to both shopping and within walking distance to Navy Pier. The room was extremely small, but serviceable. The Omni, just a few blocks away, was twice as expensive, but oh so wonderful. We had a corner mini-suite consisting of a sitting room, divided by french doors into the bedroom. Lush towels, great pool and workout room. TV's in both the sitting room and bedroom. We could have gotten better prices on both these hotels through Hotrooms if it weren't for a huge convention in town. We did get a Hotrooms price ($169) for the Lowe's House of Blues Hotel. What a great place! The decor is so cool and each room is different and fun. The Kaz bar is like walking into another world. No pool, but access to Crunch, a huge fitness club (warning - they do charge you $10 to use this facility). It is also farther from the center of downtown, about 12 blocks back to the Omni area.

Our favorite "find" was a little bistro called Cyrano's which we spotted while on the Architectural River Cruise. Little picnic tables with colorful umbrellas line the river bank, french music wafts through the air, while pleasure craft wend their way to the lake. A bistro menu includes ratatouille with olive tapenade on bruschetta. I was told this place just opened by the same chef who runs Cyrano's in town. We had the feeling of being in Paris. Another day before the theater we tried Primavera in the Fairmont Hotel. The waiters and waitresses are professional vocalists and take turns singing Broadway and operatic favorites. At 6:00 we were almost the only ones there. This would have been more fun had the restaurant been full. It fills up later in the evening. The food was great, from the beef carpaccio and the caesar salad to the veal scallopini. Right around the corner from the House of Blues is Harry Carey's. This was another great find, as evidenced by the crowds. Not too pricey, with huge portions. The chicken vesuvio was especially good.

We took the advice of readers of this forum who recommended the Architectural River Cruise. We were fortunate to have a great docent, Karen Ambrose, who made the history of the city and it's builders come alive to us. My attention never flagged during this 1-1/2 hour cruise. It was fascinating. The docents are scheduled a month in advance, so you can request her tour if you like. We did have a little trouble finding the right location. Originally I thought we were supposed to board at Navy Pier and had a hectic cab ride to the southeast corner of Wacker and Michigan. You look at the city quite differently after this experience. A stroll to the beach and Navy Pier with a ride on the Ferris Wheel are a must, as is the Buckingham fountain in Grant Park. We had tickets to "Mamma Mia" at the Cadillac Palace Theater, which was fun, but certainly not a "great" musical.

Finally, the reason we came to Chicago this month in the first place: the Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts (with Russell Crowe) concerts at the House of Blues. The house was jammed with a ratio of five women to every man. The excitement in the air was tangible as we waited for the band to come on. We caught glimpses of Russell up in one of the boxes during the opening acts. One reviewer said the audience would have been just as excited if he had been reading the Illinois penal code. Well, maybe for the first five minutes anyway. The band truly rocks and we enjoyed every minute, including the three encores. We just didn't want to see the evening end. Russell looked and sounded great and can carry his own in this creative outlet. He is a master entertainer who really connects with the audience. He had the house lights brought up so he could see everyone and interacted with the audience between sets. The best part was being close to the stage (about 10 feet away), the worst was standing for hours because there is no seating. My legs are still aching three days later. But the aching just reminds me of the wonderful time we had in this beautiful city. I am so glad we are within easy driving distance (5 hours) so we can return often to explore the many place we have not yet seen.

Can anyone tell me why this doesn't show up on a search of "Chicago"? Since Chicago is in both the title and text, I would expect it to.