<i> I wouldn't be surprised if it fizzled out and we end-up with just enough snow to cover the grass.

</i>

I guess not... :-D

We were suppose to go to Chicago but cancelled our trip and it seems like a smart move.

If only I'd been wrong. :| The odd thing is that because of the wind, my car has no snow on it but there's a drift a few feet away that's about 4 feet high.

Yeah, I didn't want to say anything, but we were watching it pretty close as it was difficult to cut the trip short even by four hours, but I'm glad we did. It was really bad in Omaha when we landed and had to scrape a quarter inch of ice off the car before we could leave the lot. De-icer wouldn't touch it!

Correction here: I meant to write La Madia, up above, sorry.... :-)

So we did end up walking to the hotel from the Chicago/State L stop. It wasn't THAT far, I think I just got spoiled from when we were less than a block from the Grand stop a year ago. On better weather days and with normal feet it would be no issue at all. We were running late going back, though, so took a cab - about 4 or 5 minute ride but worth it with the foot, which was screaming after two and a half days of walking!

All in all we loved the location of the hotel and it was much quieter - we recalled hearing a lot of sirens when we stayed right on Michigan Ave. Had breakfasts right in the hotel at Cafe Med.

Loved the Express bus! Took it up the lake to Broadway Antiques market, which I had to see as a fan of mid-century design. That seems to be a nice up and coming neighborhood, but what do I know? ;-)

I'm not sure if anyone has questions, but feel free to ask. We just love Chicago. Doesn't hurt that it's a 55 minute flight from where we live, either!

Anyway - thank you again, everyone, on your input. Really appreciate the great ideas.

I am putting the Hilton Suites on my hotel list for our May anniversary trip. Still looking at the James Hotel which looks like a good location also and a short list of others.

What type of food is at the Purple Pig and La Media? We do want one italian night for sure.

You must go to Fontera Grill...rick bayless restuarant...wonderful food!!!!

Frontera is fabulous, I have been there a few times, but if you don't have a reservation several weeks out, you're out of luck!

vittoria - as much as I recommend the Hilton Suites in our location, I recommend Priceline more! I've always chosen River North and gotten unbelievable deals. Our rate for this Jan. 30 trip was $55 a night! Yes, $55! My last trip I hit on $72 at Marriot Magnificent Mile.

As long as you choose 3.5 or 4 stars, you should be OK. Unless you really, really want to choose your place. I won't say that the Hilton Suites was super romantic - but again, that's all relative.

Purple Pig is a small plate and wine place, very bustling - my husband asked them to turn down the music - it really was obnoxiously loud. But we'd go again in a heartbeat because the dishes were outstanding. The menus for all these places are online.

La Madia is a flat-crust pizza place with great wines and wonderful salads, too.

We enjoyed Volare, it's Italian and just off Mich ave on Grand, I think... But if we had felt like going farther afield, I'd choose one from the recommendations above, too.

OK vittoria- I checked out the James Hotel and if I had to choose based on what I see online, I'd choose the James. If love the design of that place, and it looks more "happening." If you want more peace and quiet, Hilton Suites on Delaware Place would be great. Hopefully others will chime in about this hotel, but it's very close to La Madia, Purple Pig, all the shops, Frontera Grill.... and closer to an L stop. For me, it's more about what I plan to do. If you plan to walk along the lake a lot, the Hilton makes sense as it's just a couple blocks up from the waterfront. Google map Chicago and make the plan that makes the most sense. (That's what I try to do.....) ;-) Now I'm just rambling...

We prefer staying in Streeterville where the Hilton Suites is located vs the River North area. It's near the famous Drake Hotel..Actually used to live in the neighborhood and prefer the quieter location. You can always walk or get a cab to wherever else you want to go.

It really was a nice spot, HappyTrvlr, and I am envious you lived around there! The only thing was that it was farther from some of the eateries and things we wanted to go to, so after a day of walking in the cold and wind, we could either go to dinner looking bedraggled, or traipse back to the hotel and back out again after getting cleaned up. Not the biggest deal in the world, but a tiny hassle nonetheless.

Also to mention, Citylghts, we did use the CTA site's trip planner to map out our destinations, and it was a great, great tool. Thanks for the tip on that! But the Broadway Antiques Market (BAM) wasn't an hour away, just FYI. More like 20 minutes on the express bus.

Thanks rocket79 the James hotel looks like it might be my choice because of location and the design like you mentioned.

Will be posting soon with my final choices.