Any itinerary suggestions for a trip to Chicago?

Question

I am going there in August for 3 days (during the week) with my Dad. I am 26 and he is 58. We already have Cubs tickets. We both love to eat. Was wondering maybe about some restaurants, museums and natural attractions. Also what is a good neighborhood to stay in?

Answer 1

If you'll be there on a Tuesday, the Art Institute will have free admission. You can check out their website here: http://www.artic.edu/aic/

Millenium Park is literally right down the street from there. When you leave the building head to your right (that's north). It's a little bit of a walk, but nothing killer.


The Shedd Aquarium is also pretty sweet, though I don't think there are any discounted days in August. You can check out their website here: http://www.sheddaquarium.org/

If it's food you want, you'll have to be sure to eat at the Billy Goat Tavern and Grill and order their famous "cheezborger" (made famous by an old appearing on SNL). I would recommend visiting the one on 430 N. Michigan, though there is also one at Navy Pier.

Speaking of Navy Pier, there's always the famous Ferris Wheel. with its breathtaking view of the city and the shoreline. And it's a great place to get good funnel cakes. It's like being a kid again. You can see the full list of activities there, including the IMAX theatre, by clicking here: http://www.navypier.com/

Watch for the free trolleys that run a circuit that includes Navy Pier. It's a great way to save on transportation costs. All you'd want to know about Chicago's free trolley system, including tips and routes, can be viewed here: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalDeptCategoryAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1619927802.1151414828@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfaddidejildhcefecelldffhdfgn.0&deptCategoryOID=-536896557&contentType=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&entityName=Transportation&deptMainCategoryOID=-536896085

And when possible, take a bus rather than a cab. Cab's are obsenely expensive. A ten minute ride for two people will easily cost $15 or more, and that adds up fast. That same ride by bus would be $2 each.

If you do want to visit the Sears Tower, it will cost about $10 a person to ride the elevator to the 103rd floor. You can view ticket pricing info and even purchase tickets online here: http://www.the-skydeck.com/homeDefault.htm

Another great restaurant is Porter's. I haven't eat there in years, but to my last recollection it had fabulous food, great atmosphere, etc. I'd describe it myself, but I think this brief column did a much better job than I could have: http://centerstage.net/bars/porters-oyster.html

Sure, there's the Rainforest cafe and whatnot, but those are chains. It would be like going to China and eating at McDonald's. Why come all this way...? The exception to that rule would be the Cheesecake Factory, located actually in the John Hancock building. You can read a great little article on it here: http://centerstage.net/restaurants/cheesecake-factory.html

Chinatown is a lot of fun, but I would take a taxi if you go there. It's an exception to the rule because of the neighborhood you'd have to go through to get there.

However, if you want a little adventure and danger, ride the "L" downtown. They say you're more likely to get shot on the L than in war-torn Bosnia, but I think a lot of that is hype to scare tourists. But it certainly is an experience. And it's a good way to get around downtown. For route and pricing info, go here: http://www.chicago-l.org/

Now, as for neighborhoods, that's where I'm not sure. I know to avoid southside (there's not as much down there anyway, unless you're a Sox fan), but there are bad neighborhoods northside, too. I would recommend doing a net search for hotels in Chicago. I don't know what your budget is.

I hope this all gives you some good tips and leads. I would recommend picking up a map either before you go or when you get there. Enjoy the city!

Answer 2

You might want to check out the Green Mill jazz lounge. Not sure if you or your dad is a jazz fan, but the atmosphere alone is worth checking it out. It was Al Capone's hang out back in the day and has some funky period design on the wall, including some story telling mural and poem about the shooting of a famous gangster, McGurn I think the name is. There's no food served but if you're going to the Cubs game, you can eat at one of the 5 million places there and check out the Mill after the game. The Mill is not too far from Wrigley Field, but since you're new in town, you'd probably want to take a cab (about eight bucks with tip I'm guessing). The jazz isn't too avant-garde. Just cool stuff and a great vibe in the place. The bartenders all wear white shirts, ties and aprons. The crowd buzzes and celebrities are always dropping in. One night a few years ago I was there drinking and look up and found myself flanked on either side by Jeremy Piven, Ani DiFranco and Nora Dunn (ex-SNL). anyway, it's a cool place to hang if your with your dad. he may appreciate the jukebox too. Great old stuff.

As for restaurants that two guys would like (as opposed to something that can be described as "romantic"), try the restaurant in the House of Blues in Marina City downtown (great southern inspired food), the Weber Grill restaurant (for meat eaters only), also downtown, Heaven on Seven near Michigan Ave (great cajun food)...

Grab a Chicago Reader (a free newspaper) when you get here or some other Chicago based magazine. it can give you specific addresses of these restaurants, average prices, etc.

As for museums, everyone else here has named them. and natural attractions (other than the Green Mill) might include the lakefront bike path (just be careful there on weekend. Bike, rollerbladers and runners make it kind of dangerous), Greek town (an area west of the Loop with great Greek restaurants) and the Belmont-Lincoln Park area.

BTW, why doen't anyone have WHITE SOX tickets when the come to town? What's up with that? Ahem.. World Series Champs!!!

Answer 3

Laurie Jennifer gave you good information. You may also enjoy Lincoln Park. There is a zoo, beautiful flower displays, and nice grounds. Good restaurants in the area. A nice one in the park. It's not far from Lake Shore Drive. If you want to go by the beach, Oak Street Beach is at the north end of Michigan Avenue. North Michigan Avenue is where the nicer stores are located. Rush Street area, just a few blocks NW, is a place where the singles enjoy outside restaurants and small shops on Oak Street are nice to look at also. A little further north on LaSalle is Dave and Buster's, you can eat and play games if you enjoy that. Further north toward where the Cubs play, from Belmont down toward Addison on Southport, are many small restaurants, less expensive and casual, which you would probably enjoy. Julius Mienl on Southport & Addison is an Austrian coffee house, the only one in the U.S. They are all over Austria. Good pastries. On Roscoe & Damen, Brett's for breakfast and lunch, John's Place, on Racine and Webster is also good for breakfast and lunch, and Toast on Halstad and Webster. Westin Hotel, near Michigan Avenue, will be a good place to stay. Transportation will take you to the game near there. Geja's is a restaurant that is often mentioned in Chicago. They serve fondue. Grant Park has concerts all summer and if you get to go out toward the North Shore, where Northwestern University is located, in Evanston, and take Sheridan Road, it's a nice ride and a beautiful area. Ravinia Park has concerts all summer, check the schedules. Back in Chicago, you will find that the Art Institute is not too far from the aquarium, planetarium, and Field Museum. All near the lake. Hotels are less money the further you are out of the city. If you are driving and don't mind the distance you can get a nice room at the hotels located between Dundee and Willow Road on Milwaukee. It's a long drive though-at least 1 hr. Hilton is there and a few others. In Skokie, about 30 minutes out, there is a hotel on Skokie Hwy and Golf Road.,next to Westfield Mall,A nice area, which is probably less than Michigan Ave. hotels. Closer in, on Lincoln and Touhy is The Purple Hotel, which is also less money and in an ok area. Hope you have a great time!

Answer 4

Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park and the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours are usually my top picks when friends and family come to visit.

The Museum of Science & Industry is on the South Side, getting there takes a little longer, but it's not hard, and they have a phenomenal exhibit on the U-505 submarine. You don't even have to be interested in military history to be awed by it.

If you can, try to stay in Lakeview - you'll be closer to Wrigley Field, and it's a vibrant neighborhood with tons of great restaurants and shopping. Fun to just walk around there. There's a Best Western (Hawthorne Terrace) and several smaller boutique hotels in the area.

As for food? Too many to list. Send an update with a couple favorite types of cuisine and how much you want to spend.

http://www.lpzoo.com/index2.html
http://www.millenniumpark.org/
http://msichicago.org/exhibit/exhome.html
http://www.architecture.org/tours.aspx
http://www.cityinns.com/

Answer 5

A good and inexpensive place to stay is the Red Roof Inn on Ontario Street, right off Michigan Avenue. Avoid Navy Pier, which is nothing more than a tourist trap. The Art Institute and the Field Museum should be on your list. And you might care to head out west about 10 miles to visits all the Frank Lloyd Wright landmark homes in Oak Park. Eating on Rush Street is fun, especially at night.

Don't listen to the person who said to stay in Schaumburg. It's a treeless, antiseptic mini-L.A.

Answer 6

If I were to travel to Chicago in the summer, I'd for sure want to take in a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Nothing would beat an afternoon in the stands!

Answer 7

I would make the trip to the outskirts of Chicago to Schaumberg to the huge mall there. I ate at the Rainforest Cafe on a business trip and the food was great! Didn't really have time for attractions, so I'm not sure. But have fun.

Answer 8

Chicago has great tapas restaurants-- check out Cafe BaBaReeba in Lincoln Park if you like tapas.

Devon Street is basically "Indiatown." Awesome place to visit if you're into culture and curry.

Wrigleyville has a lot of fun bars, since you'll be out that way!

Answer 9

Welcome to the windy city! Great to have ya! Wonderful things to experience here but its hard to tell you where to go, its more of a go downtown and walk around and discover yourself kind of city. Best musuem in my opinion is the Field Musuem of Science and Industry. The Sears Tower downtown is our equivilant to the empire state in new york so try to make a trip to the skydeck. Natural attractions are hard to come by as its a metropolitan area but the canal running through the downtown area is always nice to take a bench seat and watch the boats go by on their way out to or in from lake michigan. Remember to enjoy the city for what it is and just walk around alot and randomly just walk in and look around places. We're a very friendly city. Have fun!

Answer 10

Go to Goggle and put in information on Chicago ILL, I'm sure there will be more information then you will know what to do with but it will give u a concept on what you and your father would like to do.