Have 2 days in Chicago
Jul 25th, 2002 | 09:34 PM
#1
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Have 2 days in Chicago
I have read some of the messages on this site and one of them mentioned a Chicago greeter, what is a greeter? I have a family of 5, 3 kids from 9 to 2 years old and are meeting some friends in Chicago with children the exact same age. We are Canadians and have never been there and have a very short time to see things.
We are staying in Northbrook. We need some advice on what to see, where to eat. We are going one day to the Museum of Science and Industry...what else do we do...Navy Pier at night? do we take the train, is it safe on the weekend? Please help
We are staying in Northbrook. We need some advice on what to see, where to eat. We are going one day to the Museum of Science and Industry...what else do we do...Navy Pier at night? do we take the train, is it safe on the weekend? Please help
Jul 25th, 2002 | 11:46 PM
#2
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Check out www.chicagogreeter.com.
See Navy Pier, childens museum or else there is always something going on, day and night, (Wed. and Sat, fireworks). Michigan Aveneue, kids will like FAO Schwartz and American Girl. Train is probably safe, I prefer to drive and pay to park. Once, on venetian night we missed our train and had to wait 2 hours with children till the next train. Didn't get home till 2:00am. Couldn't help missing the train, the police closed the road for pedestrians. Go to the Signature Lounge in the Hancock building, for a great view. Lincoln park zoo is nice and it's free. See who's playing at Ravinia in Higland Park(www.ravinia.org) and do a moonlight picnic. At the museum of Science and Industry, it's hard to see everything in a day. So review their website (www.msichicago.org) and pick your favorites, since I was a child I've always loved Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle. The Chicago Botanical Gardens are very nice. The Ed Debevic's Diner is a fun place for kids to eat. My favorite pizza is Gino's East, but of coarse every Chicago pizza place is the best. The aquarium is very nice. The planetarium is interesting, but tends to put me to sleep. I love the art institute, but your kids are kind of young for that. Take a boat tour. The kids will like the sea dogs (high speed), or do a nighttime lakefront tour (boats in front of Buckinghan fountian) Buckingham fountian at night is fun to see in the summer. On fodors do a "Chicago" search, in case I forgot anything. Have Fun!
See Navy Pier, childens museum or else there is always something going on, day and night, (Wed. and Sat, fireworks). Michigan Aveneue, kids will like FAO Schwartz and American Girl. Train is probably safe, I prefer to drive and pay to park. Once, on venetian night we missed our train and had to wait 2 hours with children till the next train. Didn't get home till 2:00am. Couldn't help missing the train, the police closed the road for pedestrians. Go to the Signature Lounge in the Hancock building, for a great view. Lincoln park zoo is nice and it's free. See who's playing at Ravinia in Higland Park(www.ravinia.org) and do a moonlight picnic. At the museum of Science and Industry, it's hard to see everything in a day. So review their website (www.msichicago.org) and pick your favorites, since I was a child I've always loved Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle. The Chicago Botanical Gardens are very nice. The Ed Debevic's Diner is a fun place for kids to eat. My favorite pizza is Gino's East, but of coarse every Chicago pizza place is the best. The aquarium is very nice. The planetarium is interesting, but tends to put me to sleep. I love the art institute, but your kids are kind of young for that. Take a boat tour. The kids will like the sea dogs (high speed), or do a nighttime lakefront tour (boats in front of Buckinghan fountian) Buckingham fountian at night is fun to see in the summer. On fodors do a "Chicago" search, in case I forgot anything. Have Fun!
Jul 26th, 2002 | 05:53 AM
#3
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The Chicago Botanic Gardens are up near Northbrook in Glencoe. There's a Big Bug exhibit and Jr. Railroad exhibit going through October 27 that your kids might enjoy. www.chicagobotanic.org
Lincoln Park Zoo is also a good suggestion as is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for the Butterfly Garden which is close to the zoo.
My young nieces and nephews love Rainforest Cafe (605 N. Clark). I know it's a chain but they make a point of visiting every time there are in the city. Ed Debevic's (640 N. Wells) is also good for kids for burgers, fries, milkshakes. Portillo's Hot Dogs(100 W. Ontario) and the Cheesecake Factory (875 N. Michigan) are a couple of other suggestions.
The trains from Northbrook should be safe even at night and on the weekends. Look at the website at www.metrarail.com. There are special fares for kids, weekend passes, sometimes kids can ride free, etc. The Milwaukee District North Line is the one that stops in Northbrook. Driving into the city is expensive, parking sometimes difficult and can be frustrating on the weekends.
There are free trolleys that will get you from the train station into the city. Here's the link http://www.ci.chi.il.us/transportation/trolleys/ If you take the train in, you will go into Union Station.
For more ideas, check out these websites
www.metromix.com
www.877chicago.com
http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/
Lincoln Park Zoo is also a good suggestion as is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for the Butterfly Garden which is close to the zoo.
My young nieces and nephews love Rainforest Cafe (605 N. Clark). I know it's a chain but they make a point of visiting every time there are in the city. Ed Debevic's (640 N. Wells) is also good for kids for burgers, fries, milkshakes. Portillo's Hot Dogs(100 W. Ontario) and the Cheesecake Factory (875 N. Michigan) are a couple of other suggestions.
The trains from Northbrook should be safe even at night and on the weekends. Look at the website at www.metrarail.com. There are special fares for kids, weekend passes, sometimes kids can ride free, etc. The Milwaukee District North Line is the one that stops in Northbrook. Driving into the city is expensive, parking sometimes difficult and can be frustrating on the weekends.
There are free trolleys that will get you from the train station into the city. Here's the link http://www.ci.chi.il.us/transportation/trolleys/ If you take the train in, you will go into Union Station.
For more ideas, check out these websites
www.metromix.com
www.877chicago.com
http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/
Jul 26th, 2002 | 06:25 AM
#4
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Great advice you've received though I wouldn't be tempted to drive in Chicago. Not for the faint of heart!
Given the short time you've got available, is there any way you can swing staying downtown off of Michigan Ave? We recently got a room at one of the Suites hotels for $99 USD a night. You're within walking distance to great shopping, restaurants and sights. Public transport to the other places you're likely to visit (Sci Museum, Navy Pier, Zoo) is a snap from Mich. Ave.
Cheesecake Factory is a good choice for kids and can accommodate groups. It's also located at the base of the John Hancock Center if you're interested in taking in the view.
If you like asian cuisine, I'd add Big Bowl (60 E. Ohio, 159 W. Erie, and 6 E. Cedar) to the food list. They really cater to kids. They have a website if you want to check out the menu (bigbowl.com).
We love Chicago. Have a great time!
Given the short time you've got available, is there any way you can swing staying downtown off of Michigan Ave? We recently got a room at one of the Suites hotels for $99 USD a night. You're within walking distance to great shopping, restaurants and sights. Public transport to the other places you're likely to visit (Sci Museum, Navy Pier, Zoo) is a snap from Mich. Ave.
Cheesecake Factory is a good choice for kids and can accommodate groups. It's also located at the base of the John Hancock Center if you're interested in taking in the view.
If you like asian cuisine, I'd add Big Bowl (60 E. Ohio, 159 W. Erie, and 6 E. Cedar) to the food list. They really cater to kids. They have a website if you want to check out the menu (bigbowl.com).
We love Chicago. Have a great time!
Jul 26th, 2002 | 07:33 AM
#5
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Well, if they're staying in Northbrook and want to get to the MSI, driving may not be avoidable. As the MSI is located in Hyde Park and not downtown, there is no really effective way to get there via public transport (I don't think the free trolleys go all the way down there, just to the Field/Shedd/Adler area). It IS possible, but it's not gonna be fun and will involve a 5-block walk and a bus.
The train exhibit at the Botanical Gardens is cute, but I don't know how much else there will interest children, unless they have a specific interest in botany. I really did enjoy the butterfly garden at the nature museum, which has kid-oriented exhibits.
As a Chicago native, it hurts me that people come to this great restaurant town only to eat at The Cheesecake Factory (and I worked on Mich. Ave for a while, so it seemed like that was the ONLY place tourists dine). There are so many places where you can get better values without waiting 2 hours!
Dao Thai is a fun place (and most kids will eat pad thai) on Ohio betwen St. Clair and Fairbanks, or Star of Siam on Grand and Hubbard.
Boston Blackie's on Grand and St. Clair has awesome burgers. Or the Billy Goat underneath the Wrigley Building (although the kids won't know the Ceeeezeboooger SNL skits that made it nationally famous).
HTH,
Racy
The train exhibit at the Botanical Gardens is cute, but I don't know how much else there will interest children, unless they have a specific interest in botany. I really did enjoy the butterfly garden at the nature museum, which has kid-oriented exhibits.
As a Chicago native, it hurts me that people come to this great restaurant town only to eat at The Cheesecake Factory (and I worked on Mich. Ave for a while, so it seemed like that was the ONLY place tourists dine). There are so many places where you can get better values without waiting 2 hours!
Dao Thai is a fun place (and most kids will eat pad thai) on Ohio betwen St. Clair and Fairbanks, or Star of Siam on Grand and Hubbard.
Boston Blackie's on Grand and St. Clair has awesome burgers. Or the Billy Goat underneath the Wrigley Building (although the kids won't know the Ceeeezeboooger SNL skits that made it nationally famous).
HTH,
Racy
Jul 26th, 2002 | 08:42 AM
#6
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The Chicago Greeter program is a new started by the city's tourism office. You can sign up on their website. The program pairs you with a Chicagoan and gives you an insight into the city that you do not get from guidebooks and tours.
The visits are geared toward your interests and can range from Loop architecture to neighborhood tours. With children I don't know how valuable the greeter program would be, as my guess is that they would get bored of walking around town.
Have fun in Chicago.
The visits are geared toward your interests and can range from Loop architecture to neighborhood tours. With children I don't know how valuable the greeter program would be, as my guess is that they would get bored of walking around town.
Have fun in Chicago.
