Any moderate places to have dinner by myself? Any not-to-be-missed activities, places to visit? (I'm in my early thirties, if that helps).

You can get 1/2 price tickets to shows.(Tickets are available at the visitor center across from the Hancock Tower.) I would recommend going to see whatever is playing at the Steppenwolf Theatre. You should also check out the view from the Hancock Tower. A fun view of the city is from from the ferris wheel at the Navy Pier. If you are interested in Chicago Pizza, check out Gino's West or Giordano's.

Do a search for Chicago. Many folks have made great recommendations on this website.

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of our country's best museums and definitely worth a visit.

What kind of food do you like/not like? When are you coming and what area are you going to be staying in/having meetings in?

Would agree both with the Steppenwolf and Art Institute recommendations.

Post again here or drop me an email at [email protected].

In the lower level of the Hancock is a "Cheesecake Factory". I love that place. It takes you forever to decide what to order, so much food choices. If you are alone, you can eat in the bar area, or at one of the cosy tables. The architecture is really out there and you will love the desert menu! Dinners aren't that expensive, and the portions are huge, I mean huge! We go there everytime we're in Chicago.
You should take the river tour, it is great, and see the Art Museum for sure. Walk Michigan Ave. shopping is out of this world. I love Chicago!
Have fun! All that stuff is pretty inexpensive.

Thanks for the recommendations, enjoylife, Howard, beachkomber. I have on the list Art Institute, Steppenwolf Theatre, Michigan Ave., Gino's West, Giordano and Cheasecake Factory.

Chicago_Heather - I like ALL foods. I would welcome, though, recommendations for lighter Asian fare, such as Sushi, Vietnamese or Thai to balance out the Chicago pizza.

P.S. - I'm staying at the Sheraton.

Mariarosa,
Please consider Vong's Thai Kithen on Hubbard. It's causal yet upscale and considering how great the food is - quite affordable. Make sure you try the appetizer assortment.
JoeG

Just off the top of my head ... for sushi:
Kamehachi (locations at 1400 North Wells and Ontario just east of Michigan Avenue),
Tsunami (on Dearborn just south of Division Street), and
on the 800 block of West Randolph - either Starfish and Sushi Wabi.

For Vietnamese,
Pasteur (way north at Broadway south of Bryn Mawr but so worth it),
Le Colonial (Rush & Walton Streets - 1 block west of Michigan),
Red Light, again on 800 block W. Randolph,
and I know I'm forgetting one I really like.

Will post with more as I remember them.

The Cheesecake Factory is a chain and really doesn't have extraordinary food that is "typical" Chicago or even that you can't find in any other city. Would suggest hitting more local restaurants instead.

Don't forget to visit Sue at the Field Museum = ) Just curious, which meeting will you be attending? We'll be there at the end of the month for the heart meetings.

The Blue Crab Lounge. It's inside Shaw's Crab House on Hubbard. All the same restaurant, but the bar area as a more affordable menu and funner atmosphere.

Have you seen Blue Man Group? I haven't met anyone who didn't enjoy it? Second City is fun too.

I have dined by myself at Topolobampo (upscale Mexican by the celebrity chef Rick Bayless) and made friends at the bar. Beware the margaritas, apparently "artisinal" tequila is serious stuff. It is also very close to the prime shopping.

Also, Blackbird, a trendy little place that has been on some "best new chef/restaurant" lists. They also served a full meal at the bar when I was there, if you feel more comfortable not staring at the other empty chair at a table.

Please don't eat at Cheesecake Factory, a wretched chain.

Really appreciate the responses! - I had never heard of Cheesecake Factory, having lived the last 8 years in NYC and Philly. Interestingly enough never saw Blue Man Group, although have heard great things about it. Maybe this is my chance to finally see it.

cnmiranda - I' m going to an Education Research and Measurement conference - Hoping to touch base with other geeks like myself who are into psychometrics and institutional research!

Any other suggestions for moderate places to eat by myself? (I'm in non-profit and $25 entrees are completely out of the question in my conference budget).

Sure ... there are loads of places for less than $25 an entree. A great place to try a lot for little money is Cafe Iberico on LaSalle just south of Chicago Avenue. You can order 1/2 pitcher of sangria and really go to town for the whole meal under $25.

A nice "local" Italian place off Michigan is Pizano's on Rush just north of Chestnut. Across from Pizano's is Tempo, home of the famous "fluffy omlettes" (good for breakfast, but still prefer the Pancake House on Bellvue off Rush - not IHOP). A couple doors south of Pizano's is Akai Hana, which is good quality but inexpensive sushi (lunch specials).

If you like cajun, Heaven on Seven (any of the locations - closest to Michigan is Ohio & Rush) is good and inexpensive. Houston's, directly across the street, is another small chain with decent food but has become grossly overpriced for what you get.

A really good deal is the happy hour (3:30-6:00 p.m., M-Th) in McCormick & Schmick's bar area (Chestnut, 1 block west of Michigan). You have to spend min. of $2.50 on drinks, but they have a list of daily $1.95 appetizers and you can really fill up for little $$. Plus, really easy to meet people while you're munching. Some nights, they have a live piano player.

If you're interested, you can email me about meeting up for a drink while you're in town. I live a few blocks of Michigan and would love to show off the city. [email protected]

Other good sushi places are Mirai (slightly pricey, but you can do a meal for 1 for under $25) and Rise on the northside of Chicago. Those are my favorite places for sushi in the city.
I agree with the Vong's Thai Kitchen recommendation. I go there for lunch a lot. It used to be a very upscale restaurant, but they have recently toned it down. The food is very good, but the best part is the $2 mini desserts! Just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth at the end of the meal.
Hi Ricky's and Penny's Noodle Shop have cheap (under $10) but yummy take-out kind of Thai food.
You should meet up with Chicago_Heather - she definitely has a lot of good suggestions.

I enjoyed Cy's Crab House on North Ashland avenue, they have really good steak and lobsters. Check out the Chicago Art Museum and Michigan Avenue for shopping. Gino's has great pizza and I think (but I'm not sure) that Gino's East has the entire place "decorated" with visitors' signatures throughout the entire restaurant.

I second the vote for Topolobampo-- and the bar is a great place to have dinner. The margaritas are wonderful too, but yeah, they do sneak up on you.

There's a huge number of great eateries on the North Side, and the concierge at your hotel can point you in the direction of the best ones (I've always gotten good recommendations).

I took one of the Architectural Tours (riding a boat on the river), and that was really cool. The Art Institute is an absolute must-see. A play at the Steppenwolf, or a night of improv at the Second City, is always a good thing.

It's been a while since I've been to Chicago, and I miss it...! Have fun.

There is a new resturant right off Michigan Ave, called Grand Lux Cafe. It's by the same company who does Cheesecake but the food is far more varied and very delicious. I highly recomend the Crispy Carmel Chicken. It is to die for and melts in your mouth. I'm getting hungry just thinking of it.

Blue Man Group is great, everyone should see it once.

Other really great places to visit is the Shedd Aquarium and the Natural History Museum which are right next to each other = )

Wow! Great tips, thanks everyone!

Chicago_heather - Thank you for the offer!