elmom

Quick weekend in Chicago - no kids - so we passed up Navy Pier, but stayed in a nice hotel - Amalfi- brand new, beautiful rooms, free breakfast and free martini hour! but staff not too knowledgable abt. city locales. We like to explore neighborhoods so had a nice (but quickly served) dinner in Greektown (Halstead Street) and then a great time exploring the Hispanic neighborhood - ate at Neuvo Leon - the best, freshest, largest $5 burrriton I ever had. Recommend the boat cruise on the river and walk down Armitage Street (shopping)Mag Mile is all the same store (Gap, Ann Taylor, Nike) etc that you have at home.

makai1

Hi elmom,

Glad you had a great time... I love to take my 19 yr old niece shopping on Armitage... GREAT shops and a fun day.

The boat cruise on the river, too... you hit it right!!

It IS a great city! ><

dln

Thanks for the tips, elmom. We visit Chicago as often as we can and like poking around neighborhoods, too. We're always on the lookout for new places. Have you explored Chinatown (Dragon Court restaurant is wonderful, and voted most authentic by Chicago magazine) or the Italian neighborhood? Both are worth a look!

yutha

Hi elmom,

My husband and I are visiting Chicago July 14-18 for the first time (no kids too!) and I have a reservation at the Amalfi as well! I've been reading the postings to see if anybody had any comments on this hotel and there you are! I'm glad you recommend it...is it walking distance to some good restaurants and attractions? As I mentioned, we've never been to Chicago (we're Canadian, flying in from Ontario) and I want to make the most of our 4 days!

Kristi

dln, if you come by car and like ethnic food you might try Paprikash, a lovely Hungarian place on Diversey at Laramie. Not sure how easy it would be to get to via public transport. The entire family from young kids to my mother in law loved it!

Lincoln Square is also a neighborhood worth looking into, we've recently eaten at Chicago Brauhaus and at Simplon Orient Express (Serbian and foods from the places the Orient Express stopped) and Lincoln Ave. has a lot of interesting shops.

Yutha, the Amalfi is so new I've never heard of it, it's the same address as Keefer's Restaurant, I didn't care for it but lots of people like it. You are close to Michigan Avenue shopping and to the River North area where there are a ton of restaurants, a few places I like close by are Joe's Seafood on Grand(not crab shack) for awesome crabcakes, Grand Lux on Michigan, Wildfire on Erie for steaks, Big Bowl on Ohio for Thai, Cafe Iberico on LaSalle for tapas, Frontera Grill or Topolobampo on Clark for Mexican (Frontera is more reasonable but no reservations).

For a great tour through Chicago, try one of the architecture river cruises, you can find them at the corner of Michigan and Wacker. I've only done the ones given by the Architecture Foundation, they were very well done.

You might look into the chicago Greeter program if you want to get outside of the downtown area and see one of Chicago's neighborhoods, Hyde Park is a lovely place to explore, some beautiful architecture at the University of Chicago and the mansions on Woodlawn

www.chicagogreeter.com

yutha

Kristi - Yes, I gathered from the comments on tripadvisor.com that the hotel has only been open for a short time, but everyone seemed to have positive comments and the rate wasn't bad for a small "luxury" hotel ($169.00 US) per night for a King room. As much as I would love to stay at the Four Seasons, the cost is prohibitive on our budget! I'm assuming the Amalfi is in a nice neighbourhood! Thanks so much for the restaurant suggestions - we love dining out and especially love Mexican food so we'll be sure to try those restaurants!

Kristi

The Amalfi is in a fine neighborhood, close to the Michigan Avenue tourist area, close to the river, lots of restaurants in the surrounding area.

Frontera Grill is very popular, it's one of celebrity chef Rick Bayless' restaurant, and they only take reservations for parties of 5 or more. So if it's a weekend go early or be prepared to wait.

Topolobampo is also a Bayless restaurant but it is more expensive and they do take reservations, they recommend 2 weeks in advance.

Here's the website for both:
http://www.fronterakitchens.com/

elmom

Yutha-
I hadn't checked my report - so sisn't see your question. The Amalfi is in a fine location -- several restaurants near/walking disr=tance. We ate at PiliPili - on the same street as the hotel, 4 blocks further. It was VERY nice, elegant, not too expensive. Also enjoyed Andy's jazz club - 2 blocks away. The jazz club was very newbie friendly - and also served dinners. several people were eating there - we had coffee/beer
Have fun.

2ndtimer

Oooh, Frontera Grill! Yum.

yutha

Thanks elmom and kristi - looking forward to trying those restaurants too...sigh...so many restaurants, so little time!