My husband and I are flying from Charlotte to Tokyo on Friday, with a 5.5 hour layover in Chicago. Originally my husband's best friend was supposed to pick us up and we were going to catch up over breakfast but he now has an appointment scheduled so that isn't going to work.

So basically we would like to leave the airport for breakfast. We arrive in Chicago at 7:10 and our flight leaves at 12:30, so we have a good 2-3 hours to kill. We have been to Chicago many, many times as we are originally from St. Louis and have family members and friends that live in Chicago. We are also all too familiar with the airport because it seems like every flight we take anymore has a layover in O'Hare. We don't want to spend any more time in ORD, especially the international terminal, then we have to.

As familiar I am with Chicago, I don't have much experience with the trains or the airport area. Is there anywhere to go to have breakfast and get out of the airport for a few hours? And can we take the train or should we use a cab? I'm hoping for suggestions somewhere fairly close to the airport; we have plenty of time but I don't want to risk it by straying too far away.

Thanks much!
Tracy

First option: Why not the ORD Hilton? I'm sure they have couple of nice restaurants set up for breakfast and all you need to do is walk there.

Second option: Take the train. Many of the stops have great breakfast places. I can't recommend any but I'm sure if you post this question on the US board somebody there will point you towards a great place. Depending on the stop, it may take anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes each way, but what the hell, you have to leave airside anyway so why not have some fun!

Have a great trip!

btw, if you post this on US forum ask for a "great breakfast place near a Chicago CTA Blue line stop between O'Hare and downtown".

You might like the Bong Room on North Milwukee Avenue, just a couple of blocks from the Damen stop on the Blue Line. You'll be sharing the train with a lot of commuters at that hour, though. If it's too far, try Collette's in the Sofitel Hotel near O'Hare (either a very short cab ride or take the Blue Line to River Road and walk a half-mile south.)

Sorry, I meant the BONGO Room. Check it out on metromix.com

Thank you guys so much! I found the CTA website and the blue line that you both mentioned; very helpful!

If you don't mind my asking, how long does it take to get to, say, the Damen stop from O'Hare? I'm assuming the trains run fairly often? I may have to repost with specific questions about this.

Thanks again!
Tracy

~30 minutes...

Enjoy!

I'd be afraid to leave with that short of time.

It has never taken me less than an hour to get downtown or the Loop from O'Hare.

I would honestly stick to the restaurant at The Hilton and stretch out with a newspaper and have brunch.

Don't forget that you'll have to go back through security.

GoTravel, we aren't really looking to go downtown, as we've been there plenty of times. We will be spending so much time at the airport and on planes that day (I think our flight to Tokyo is about 13 hours), and I hate the international terminal in O'Hare so the thought of spending all of that time sitting around is dreadful. With that being said, we will definitely look into the Hilton. I got on their website but couldn't find much info so I may call them to see if they would e-mail or faxe me a copy of their menu. We also looked into Collette at the Sofitel and it looks pretty good so we may go that route. Anything is better than sitting in that airport!

Tracy

Tracy, the Damen/North/Milwaukee area is only 2/3 of the way downtown. It has a lot of offbeat shops, galleries, that sort of thing. You would be returning at a calm time of day, although the ride down there will be crowded. Since you are familiar with O'Hare, you should know how much time to allow to get back safely.

It doesn't take 30 minutes to get to Damen right now. There's a lot of construction on the blue line, causing delays. I'd budget close to an hour each direction to give yourself time to wait for the train and any potential delays.

But if you don't want to go to a hotel or go as far as the Bongo Room, I've heard Mac's is excellent and it's very close to the airport.

Here are some reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/zAKsnKXu8-rBxZ1GKCfVhA

To get there, take the blue line from O'Hare and get off at the second stop (Cumberland). Walk north on Cumberland, make a right on Higgins and the address is 812 Higgins.

The airport Hilton is closer to O'Hare than the Sofitel airport hotel (the Hilton is right at the airport), but the Sofitel is much nicer, IMHO.

Sofitel's restaurant is better, too, so going there for breakfast sounds like a good idea. It wouldn't hurt to make reservations for breakfast, just in case. There is a free shuttle from the airport to the Sofitel, no need to take a cab.

The Sofitel has a (smallish) indoor pool, ask if you can use it (for an extra fee). You could take a quick dip and then have a shower before heading back to the airport.

I tell you what, though, one of the best breakfasts-while-traveling I've had lately was in that airport, I kid you not. I'm pretty sure it was the Billy Goat Tavern in the food court, concourse C. They have a grill right there where they cook up eggs, omelets, and home fries to order. Not at all upscale, but very tasty.

Tracy, as much as I love the Damen/North/Milwaukee area, I think, considering your time constraints, I'd go with one of the hotels near the airport. Sarsaparilla's post about the Sofitel sounds well worth checking into.

Have a great trip!

Thank you to everyone for your replies! You all have been so kind and helpful.

As of right now our plan is to go to the Sofitel for breakfast. We leave tomorrow morning, so I will be sure to report back.

Thanks!
Tracy

Hello everyone! I'm reporting from O'Hare and wanted to let everyone know that we decided to just stay in the airport for breakfast. We arrived this morning to gloomy, overcast and drizzly weather and decided that we weren't really in the mood to deal with it. We ended up at Chilis for breakfast; not the best but it ate up an hour of our long layover.

Only one more hour to go before boarding!

Tracy

I'm glad the weather isn't causing any flight problems for you, Tracy. There were wind delays yesterday.

Enjoy your trip!

Have a great time!