Hi Chicago People:
Southern couple coming up for conference. We are staying at Hyatt Regency and flying in early on a Saturday in July. Will have Sat and Sun before conference to explore together and me (the wife) will be at hotel and hubby in conference Mon and Tues.
Conf has offered a Chicago First Lady Cruise one night which we will do. Bottom line, we can%26#39;t wait to explore your town, but will have no car for most of visit. If we must, we could rent one on Saturday and keep it for the day before checking into hotel. Not HUGE ball fans, but looking for what you want us to experience.
Can you help me plan what we should see? I think hotel is near shopping so I can do that if I want to. What should we see? Thanks as always for your help.
Hyatt Regency Chicago-No Car-4 Days-Plan?
You shouldn%26#39;t need a car-Chicago has a great transit system. You may want to try to get a chicago greeter for your trip. From all accounts this looks like a great program and a great way to see the town
Hyatt Regency Chicago-No Car-4 Days-Plan?
You won%26#39;t need a car in the city. Check www.transitchicago.com for maps and a trip planner. You can take the L/subway into the central city from either airport. There are vending machines at the rail stations where you can purchase 3-day passes that allow unlimited rides on all CTA trains and buses. The passes are $14. You can also purchase 1-day passes from many locations for $5.75 to cover the remaining time you%26#39;ll be here. The passes are valid for a 24-period from the first use.
Most sights are within about a mile or so of your hotel. For ideas on what to see, check the overview section or check www.choosechicago.com. If you don%26#39;t want to head to the ballparks, you could go to any number of museums, the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium or architectural tours. For listings of events, concerts or plays check www.metromix.com or www.chicagoreader.com
The Hyatt is at the southern end of the Magnificent Mile, the city%26#39;s prime shopping district which is populated by stores like The Gap, Nordstrom, Tiffany%26#39;s Cartier, Saks, Bloomingdale%26#39;s, Marshall%26#39;s, H%26amp;M and just about anything else you could want.
Also make sure to head to State Street to Macy%26#39;s/Marshall Field%26#39;s, Nordstrom Rack, Filene%26#39;s Basement and TJ Maxx.
Also check out www.explorechicago.org for ideas.
This is a narrowed down travel site.
http://chicagovisitor.net/
For a couple I like to reccomend getting drinks at the top of the Hancock tower. They have a lounge up there with $12 drinks - expensive, but it%26#39;s fun to do.
The cruise will be great, glad to hear you%26#39;re doing it. You could walk along the bike/walking path up the lake and even stop at one of the beaches if you like. They also have bike rentals if you%26#39;d enjoy that.
Tons of museums if that%26#39;s your cup of tea. They%26#39;ll be on the websites others suggested.
If you%26#39;re not huge ball fans then don%26#39;t go to wrigley. It%26#39;s a fun experience, but maybe that%26#39;s because I like baseball!
I would definitely walk up the magnificent mile - very close to your hotel. Lots of shopping, eating and tourists. The streets right off of the mag mile have lots of good restaurant/bar options.
While your hubby is at the conference on monday/tuesday you could even go check out some of the neighborhoods by hopping on the El. You could head to the Armitage stop on the brown line and check out the boutiques, or do the same at the Damen stop on the blue line. It might be fun for you to see the city away from the tourists!
Have fun!
Glad you will be visiting us!
Do *not* get a rental vehicle - you will just be wasting your money.
The Chicago First Lady Cruise - by any chance, is that given in conjunction with the Chicago Architecture Foundation? I think you%26#39;ll really enjoy this activity.
The thing which most first-time visitors miss about Chicago is the more laid-back atmosphere. They are spending so much of their time running around, trying to fit in seeing all of their selected highlights that they just don%26#39;t get the real essence. Please don%26#39;t get yourselves into that mindset. Take some time and just savor.
You can easily fill all of your days without any trouble at all. Please keep in mind that the days can be pretty hot/muggy during that time of the year here in Chicago, so plan any strenuous activities during the early morning or later.
My suggestions:
1) You probably know from reading these threads that the whole waterfront of Chicago is one big park system. So my #1 suggestion is that you celebrate that fact. Here are three walks where you can do so:
A) Go to the Museum Campus via the #146 SB. You can pick it up just west of the Michigan/Wacker intersection, north sidewalk. Start your walk at the Shedd Aquarium. Stroll northbound along the Lakefront Trail, past Monroe Harbor. Stop at Buckingham Fountain (just underwent a multi-million dollar renovation), perhaps have an ice-cream cone from the Bobtail kiosk there - but do wait for the water show (on the top of the hour, until 11:00 p.m.). You%26#39;ve probably seen photos of this fountain at night on most travel books, forums and the like. Then continue on to Millennium Park, which is to the NW a few blocks. You can usually see the tops of the steel ribbons of the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion (see suggestion #5) over the tree tops to help guide the way. But, if you can%26#39;t, just walk west to Michigan Avenue and then north.
B) Take a stroll north on Astor Street (4 blocks long) in the Gold Coast neighborhood, arguably the prettiest street in Chicago. At the north end of the street, you will see the Cardinal%26#39;s Mansion to your left, between N. State and Astor. To your far left is the Chicago History Museum, and you could stop in if you wish. Between the two, you will see lovely garden areas - take a little time and walk there. Then, continue north through the grassy area and go through the underpass and you are in Lincoln Park (the neighborhood and the park). Stroll north 1 mile and you are at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Lincoln Park Conservatory is just to the NW of the Zoo. If you are ambitious and wanted to continue your walk: Walk north from the main entrance of the Zoo. At Fullerton (1 block to the north), you will see the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to your right. There is a path between the pond ahead of you and the Nature Museum. Take this path north 4 blocks and you will come out at North Pond (restaurant). This is a lovely place to dine, if you wish - take a look at their menu. Let%26#39;s say you don%26#39;t want to walk all the way back to your hotel. Just pick up the #151 SB CTA bus anywhere along this route on Stockton. It goes southbound to Michigan Avenue and you can disembark at the bus stop very near your hotel.
C) Are you early risers? (Yes, I know, I know - you%26#39;re on vacation.) But watching the sun come up over the lake is a beautiful thing and it%26#39;s really wonderful to enjoy the Lakefront Trail before it becomes soooo congested. Your hotel is just across Wacker from the Chicago River. Chicago has a River Walk along the Chicago River. To get to the River Walk, all you have to do is cross Wacker and you will see staircases descending to the river level at several points to your east. When you descend, this is the boarding area for a couple of the river cruises, as well, to your left. So now all you have to do is walk east (right). As you continue along, going through the Riverwalk Gateway pedestrian tunnel (enjoy the artwork, the murals depict Chicago%26#39;s history), the path will curve to the south and joins up with the Lakefront Trail. DuSable Harbor is at this juncture.
2) The Chicago Greeter is an excellent suggestion, as is
3) Renting a bike (or you two might want to go on a bike tour, perhaps in the evening)
4) Take a tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. They have many walking tours from which to choose. Stop in at the ArchiCenter on S. Michigan.
5) Check and see if there is a free concert happening at Millennium Park when you are here. If so, get a picnic basket and enjoy. (Suggest getting a picnic basket at the Loop location of Pastoral: Artisan Cheese, Bread %26amp; Wine, pretty close to your hotel.) There are going to be a couple of new temporary pavilions erected there designed by two world-renown architects. Take a walk through the Lurie Gardens - lovely to do, and something which we don%26#39;t mention enough here.
6) The Art Institute is, IMHO, a ';must do'; attraction. Their new Modern Wing will be opening in a couple of weeks. To put everything in its proper perspective, Millennium Park is immediately to the north of the AI. The Chicago Cultural Center (a wonderful place to stop in - has exhibits, tours, free concerts and a visitor%26#39;s center - look at their website for details) is just across Michigan Avenue from the north end of Millennium Park. The Chicago Architecture Foundation%26#39;s main location, the ArchiCenter is just across Michigan Avenue from the Art Institute.
7) Pick a neighborhood you find interesting and visit. The natives are friendly. (Here%26#39;s where I put in a plug for my own - East Lakeview aka Boystown, which is immediately to the north of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, adjacent to Lake Michigan. Wrigleyville is to the immediate west.) Have breakfast at a nice spot with outdoor seating. Keep in mind this is a really popular thing with Chicagoans - so try to go *early* or you will be waiting in line, especially on weekends. A couple more plugs now: The original locations of Intelligentsia (coffee), Pastoral (see #5 above) and the Lakeshore Theater are located here as well as many boutique shops and restaurants (and do try Ann Sathers%26#39; cinnamon rolls if you come up this way).
If you did want to come up to Lakeview, suggest that you stroll east from N. Broadway on Hawthorne Terrace (a historic landmark area - again, usually voted in the top two or three most beautiful streets of Chicago). When you get to the eastern end of the street, you will be at Sheridan (aka the inner Lake Shore Drive), which you can easily tell by all the highrises. To the east of the outer LSD, you will see Belmont Harbor (a sailboat harbor). Walk south 1 block to Roscoe; cross at the light. To your right, you will see the underpass to gain access to the Lakefront Trail. If you wish, you could walk all the way back south to Michigan Avenue (a little over 3 miles), going past the Lincoln Park Zoo area (over to your right - you just look for the statue of Grant in Lincoln Park. There%26#39;s also a statue of Lincoln in Grant Park - perhaps you%26#39;ll find them both during your explorations.)
Depending on when you are coming:
8) You two could take in a movie during the Outdoor Film Festival (Grant Park) on Tuesday. For example, the city is showing Sunset Boulevard on July 14 and Duck Soup on July 21.
9) Enjoy the SummerDance series. Check the City of Chicago%26#39;s website for the performance schedule. (I don%26#39;t think they have it finalized yet but the series will be returning this year.)
10) Check the City%26#39;s website to see what neighborhood festivals are happening when you are here. This is probably *after* you are slated to be here, but special mention for the Sheffield Garden Walk, which is in the DePaul University area of the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
These are only a few of your choices to help you enjoy the city.
that ';narrowed down site'; is a bit outdated.
especially with the hotel info
Wow! What a wealth of information has come to me!!! Thank you so much. I have been swamped and not checked the boards till now and I am very grateful for your help. I will print all out and re-read.
Thank you again!
