dschwartz83

Hi,

My wife and I along with our son who will be just over one year old will be traveling to Cleveland this August for the football hall of fame's induction weekend. I asked my wife if we could extend our vacation by then traveling to Chicago for a few days. She asked me to do some research before we commit to this. I was looking for a hotel in the city but I haven't been able to find a hotel for under $200 a night which would be way over budget. I started looking at some suburbs and found a reasonably priced hotel in Oakbrook Terrace about 20 miles out of the city. I'm getting nervous about doing this though because all I have read about the traffic getting in and out of the city as well as the high prices for parking around the city. I'm also quite overwhelmed about organizing what to do on what days while visiting. There seems like there is So much to do! Some things I would like to see/do include the zoo, aquarium, Willis tower, navy pier, children's museum, millennium park , cubs game, boat tour, field museum... (We would be in town 4/5 days.) We would pretty much just want to maximize our time in town.

Any help in getting my thoughts/plans organized would be appreciated so very much!

ChallengerGrey

I work in Oakbrook. If you want to see the city, then stay in the city. We spent last weekend downtown near the Hancock Center and Water Tower Place for $88 / night at the Whitehall. The breakfast was terrific and reasonably priced. It is steps away from Michigan Avenue.

There are so many things to do, but focus on things for your son. Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, the beach, Shedd Acquarium...

I think your bigger issue is the distance between Cleveland and Chicago. I think it's over 5 hours.

DebitNM

A major advantage to staying IN city is that you can easily go back to hotel for naps etc and then head back out. Or one can stay in with baby and pther go out.

You can't drive back and forth to 'burbs more than once a day. Parking, time, aggregation will eat up savings. If budget is really tight, do 3 days. (Feb. hotel room rates are meaningless for August).

And to be honest, a 1year old isn't going to know the difference between kid or adult things for the most part, So I would pick the things you want to do. Also keep in mind it's going to be HOT in August.

kja

Have you looked at the Red Roof Inn @ 162 E Ontario St? It might not be the most fantastic hotel, but it is certainly well located. I haven't been there for a few years, but it certainly met my limited needs.

Chicagocardsfan

There should be a few places cheaper than that. Do be careful about parking rates at the hotel. They can be $40 a night. There are some okay hotels in Lincoln Park which do not cost too much. Buses and trains can get you anywhere you need to go.

http://chicagovisitor.net/ChicagoHotels.html

dschwartz83

Thanks for the tips. It's starting to become clear that planning a trip in Chicago is similar to planning one for Manhattan and I didn't realize this. Staying in the city would give us the best shot to maximize our time in town. Also as someone mentioned, it would be easier to get our son back for naps. I did look up the red roof inn that was mentioned and their rates were a little more reasonable. I also saw on expedia that the whitehall hotel had some rates under $150 a night. These hotel parking fees that I keep reading about are insane but it is what it is I guess.

The drive from Cleveland is no big deal, we would stop off at Notre dame as well as a brewery that I want to go to in Indiana on the way and make a day out of if. It's the drive back to NJ from Chicago that is gona be rough but I think we would break it up over 2 days.

Thanks for all the tips so far. Any other suggestions on things we must do while in town would be greatly appreciated!

HappyTrvlr

There are much cheaper options for parking downtown than through the hotels. Look at Millennium Park where we sent friends and relatives to park when visiting us in the city. Hotels charge exorbitant rates.
To do:
Chicago architecture Foundation's river cruise.
Art Institute of Chicago
Shedd Aquarium
Field Museum( Natural History)
Lincoln Park Zoo, small and perfect for your son. At the zoo, see The Farm in the Zoo, again perfect for your son at his age.
Walk along the lakefront, walking paths for 30 miles.
Walk along the Chicago River.
Look at the embedded pieces of history in the base of the Tribune Tower on Michigan Ave. It would never be allowed today but interesting. Architectural remnants for the world's treasures as well as something from every state.

Queenie

Because of your sons age, and what you want to do, consider staying at Hotel Lincoln.

http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/illi.../hotel-lincoln

Watch for the parking specials.

Its literally across the street from the Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Farmers Market on Weds & Saturdays (tons of kids there). And you can walk to North Ave Beach.

There are many restaurants walking distance from the hotel on Wells (Nookies is a favorite, and kid friendly).

You are 1.5 miles from Wrigley. The 22 bus is on the street in front of the hotel and will drop you off in front of Wrigley.

Not sure when you are coming but Aug 16-17 is the Air and Water Show. It will be crazy. If those are your dates, disregard what I wrote above.

ChgoGal

Hotels can be pricey, especially in August when there's likely some weekend festival or convention. But a suburban hotel with a little tyke is not a good idea. Maybe check out these hotels that are well located:

Four Points Sheraton (check rates offered at Quikbook.com which offer lots of Chicago hotels; don't pre-pay for any of the hotels on this site, they offer the book-now, pay-later option on many hotels, too)
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpo...ropertyID=1592
http://www.quikbook.com

Inn of Chicago (Magnifcent Mile)
http://www.innofchicago.com

Holiday Inn Express-Cass Hotel
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress...mm/hoteldetail

BEst Western River North (offers free parking; a couple blocks west of the main restaurant/shopping drags, but still what I consider well located)
http://www.rivernorthhotel.com

(For easier access to your hotel to get your son down for a nap, the first three would be easiest in terms of location, but the Best Western does offer that free parking. And don't park at the hotels if you're on a budget. Once you're in the city, you won't need or want to drive places. You can drop off your family and bags and let her check in, then park, and make some sort of plan to either meet on Michigan Avenue or back at the hotel.)

Your list sounds great. You'll be able to get everywhere mostly by bus, and sometimes with trains. You'll want to get a Ventra card for you and your wife. The ventra card is a plastic card that will allow you to ride both the city buses and the subway/elevated trains in the city (the CTA/Chicago Transit Authority.
https://www.ventrachicago.com

Just bring your patience when it comes to traveling around the city. Getting anywhere takes times. That was the biggest surprise for my family who live in a smaller community where they drive everywhere.

Good luck with the hotel. Once you rough out an itinerary, for your days, we can help with tips. A few things to consider: maybe try to schedule your Lincoln Park Zoo day on a Saturday late morning, so you can wander through the Green City Market first. Navy Pier is very commercial and over-stimulating. Bad restaurants and trinkets on sale everywhere. The Children's museum is there, but what's a baby going to remember? This is an easy pass. The only thing the Pier offers is a great view of the skyline, but there are plenty of options to see skylines (the Architecture Foundation boat tour, the view from Oak Street Beach, the view from South Pond (at Lincoln Park Zoo).

I've never been to a Cubs game with a baby, but if your seats are not in the shade, this could be awful. Maybe someone else can speak to this. I think bringing a child on the train to that park would be unpleasant and stressful. Cellular Field (the White Sox) seems more "family friendly," but I'm no expert on this.

Consider: Instead of Willis Tower, you can get a drink at the John Hancock Bldg.'s Signature Room on the 95th Lounge with a great view of the skyline and lake. Is more convenient for most visitors than Willis.

Here's a rough plan that sounds manageable to me:

Saturday: am bus to Green City Market, start at SOuth Pond/FArm at the Zoo, walk north to Lincoln Park Zoo, walk south through Old Town for lunch, bus back to City for Architecture Foundation Boat Tour

Day: Bus/Walk to the Loop (State & Lake area); brunch along the way, Willis Tower view/State Street shopping, #6 or #146 bus from State STreet to Field Museum/Shedd Aquarium.

Day: Walk Michigan AVe. south to Millenium Park (SKy Cloud sculpture, Gehry outdoor auditorium, Chicago Cultural Center), walk east through Grant Park to see Buckingham Fountain, continue on to Field Museum/Shedd Aquarium.

Day: Walk Michigan Ave. north to John Hancock Bldg., b'fast/Italian gelato at L'Appetito Deli, continue north to Oak Street Beach, wander north on Beach, cross west on Division to see pretty buildings in the "Gold Coast" on Dearboarn Parkway & State Parkway, then south on State Street, veering east on Rush for some high-end boutique window shopping. (tack on a bus ride to Navy Pier if energized.)

DAy: baseball game (would take up the bulk of your day, so I'd only plan for some laid-back meal before/after

Good luck with the planning! Chicago is wonderful in the summertime and I hope the trip works out for you.

HappyTrvlr

Once your Chicago dates are set, check for any neighborhood festivals or fairs that might be going on. Summertime in Chicago is filled with so many things to do.

kja

Consider leaving your car well outside the city at /near a stop along a Chicago transit line. You won't need a car while in the city, nor do you need to pay city prices for parking it!

Bitter

If my info is dated, forgive me, but years ago we went to the Children's museum at Navy Pier and there was a toddler area/room, perhaps on the second floor.

cd

The Football Hall of Fame is in North Canton, which is 50-60 miles from Cleveland so I would think travel from NJ straight to N Canton would be better than going to Cleveland and then going on to South Bend from N Canton, not Cleveland. Just sayin.

Citylghts

When are you planning to visit Chicago? Be aware that Lollapalooza is August 1-5. It's a huge music festival in Grant Park that draws upwards of 100,000 people and books many hotel rooms in the city.

You may want to consider visiting Chicago before Canton as the largest gathering is a clinical researcher's convention July 27-31. It will have around 19,000 attendees and is relatively small by Chicago stardards.

In addition to the hotels mentioned, you may want to look into all-suite properties so you can put your son in one room and watch TV or relax in the other. The downtown area has 2 Residence Inns, 2 Embassy Suites, Spring Hill Suites, Homewood Suites, Double Tree and the Omni.

Most hotels charge around $50 per night for parking. Check www.spothero.com for less expensive parking near whatever hotel you choose.

For transit info, a trip planner and how to track buses and trains with your smartphone, check the CTA site at www.transitchicago.com.

For info on events and restaurants, check www.chicagomag.com or www.chicagoreader.com. Both allow you to search restaurants by cuisine, price or location.

dschwartz83

We would be in Chicago from August 4th through August 9th. We would leave Cleveland the morning of the 4th to make our way to Chicago with stops at Notre Dame and a brewery in Munster, Indiana. The reason we are staying in Cleveland and not Canton is because we also went on vacation to Cleveland last summer and had a great time. We were hoping to revisit some of our favorite attractions/restaurants in between the festivities at the Hall of Fame. Everyone in Cleveland last summer asked us the same question: Who comes to Cleveland on vacation?! Wait until they hear about the family who did it two summers in a row! We are finding with the little one that traveling by car is much easier for now so we enjoy taking these road trips.

I have really been looking into the hotels in Chicago and the one place with the most decent prices I keep coming across would be the Whitehall Hotel on Delaware Pl. Their rates around $140 per night and they seem to have pretty good reviews. If anyone is familiar with this place, any tips would be great. I would try to find offsite parking near by at a more reasonable rate.

As far as the itinerary: We wouldn't get into town until Monday night and the plan would be to see the Cubs came that Friday when they return to town. That gives us 3 full days to explore. I came across the Chicago City Pass which seems like a good deal for getting into some of the major attractions.

http://www.citypass.com/chicago?crea...FW964godHToAZg

Thanks again for all of your input, it really seems we are going to have a jam packed vacation if I can make it all work!

Citylghts

The Whitehall is well located about a block west of the Mag Mile shopping district on Michigan Avenue. The CTA Red Line to Wrigley Field is a couple blocks south and several bus routes operate along Michigan that will take you to the Museum Campus or Wrigley.

I agree that you should visit the Lounge at the Hancock Building and skip Willis Tower. It would be closer to the Whitehall and for about the same price as either observation deck, you'd also have a cocktail and and appetizer.

The Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum are adjacent on the Museum Campus at the south end of Grant Park. You would do well to visit the Shedd first thing in the morning as it gets very crowded and lines get very long.

As for the City Pass, list the places you want to visit, then do the math to see what it would cost if you paid separately. The Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium have various prices depending on what special exhibits you want to see. You probably couldn't see all the places on City Pass in three-days, so it may not be a bargain.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is nice, but pretty average for a zoo. The biggest draw is that it's free, so if your son falls asleep after 15-minutes, you won't feel obligated to spend the entire afternoon to get your money's worth. It's also sort of isolated from the rest of the places you want to visit, so I'd put it at the bottom of the list.

cd

The view from the Hancock Building is fantastic. The lounge is on the 96th and the restaurant is on the 95th. I would recommend a lunch with a table by the window OR brunch. Sunday brunch is expensive but they offer brunch on Friday and Sat for $20.00. Check out their menus for lunch and brunch here: http://www.signatureroom.com/Menus

Citylghts

The food at the Signature Room is ok, but you can do much better for the same amount of money elsewhere.

cd

The food is ok but you can't get that view at any other restaurant and that is why I recommended it. The view.

Citylghts

But they can get the same view from the lounge while having a cocktail, then head elsewhere for dinner.