one night in Chicago
 

Hi Chicago experts! I am hoping for advice for a very short stay. My husband and I arrive at O'Hare at 8pm and leave the next day at 9am. I am looking for a place to stay that is easy to get to from the airport and near (or on site) a good restaurant. I want to get a feel for the city and have a romantic night with him with out it being too much trouble or stress. Thank you so much for any advice!

unge:

Your time is short. You will not arrive at 8PM...there will be a delay. If your departure flight is at 9AM, you need to be at O'Hare by 7:30.

You do not have time to get into the city proper and have a romantic dinner and a good nights sleep and get back to the airport in some type of good mood.

Now the good news: There are plenty of nice hotels and restaurants near the airport...do a search for Rosemont, IL hotels.

Sorry you won't get the "real city" thing but there is nothing wrong with the Rosemont neighborhood.

I have to agree. I fly into Chicago a lot for business and even if your plane did get in at 8 by the time you got your luggage and got into the city it would be 10pm if you are lucky. If it's a weeknight restaurants stop serving dinner around this time- if it's a weekend you have about an hour more tops.

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With that schedule, I'd advise making reservations at the Hilton, which is the only hotel connected to the airport. Even with your late arrival, you could check in, drop your bags and grab a cab to a wine bar that's open late, like Swirl (downtown) or Enoteca Piattini (Lincoln Park.) From there, you could take a long cab ride back to O'Hare, driving along the lakefront and downtown to see some of the sights.

If you are looking for something closer to O'Hare, try Edison Park, a genuine Chicago neighborhood about 15 minutes drive. Zia's or Don Juan's would have some of the atmosphere you crave. Be sure to call the restaurant in advance to confirm their hours for serving food. See metromix.com for reviews and more information.