Chicago - Eat, see and be happy

 Chicago, in my opinion, is the greatest city out there, both to visit and to live.  All four seasons are distinctly represented, and each has its own personality and aura about it. The 3 million people who call Chicago home cant be wrong, if you haven't been, or even just havent explored the city, I hope you find the following helpful.




TRANSPORTATION 
Both major airports have trains that connect to downtown.  O'hare has the Blue Line, and Midway has the Orange Line.  This is the proffered mode of yours truely, unless we get in after 10pm.  More on that later....   The train will get you into downtown, and has transfers to red and brown lines that will get you to most downtown areas.  Chicago is a great walking city - even with a bag in tow, a mile walk is not that bad, and usually rather interesting and beautiful.  Why not start your adventure in Chicago as early as possible?  Walking is also a great way to get a lay of the land.  If you are anything like us you will want to know where the nearest 7-11 or (White Hen in Chicago) is when you figure out that you forgot your toothpaste on the bathroom counter back home.  Don't act like I'm the only one who has ever done that.....  The train can be challenging though, and will be more difficult if you are a "heavy packer," as most of the stations are elevated or in subways (up or down stairs).  So if you checked a bag, the train might not be the&  way to go.  At $3 a head on the train vs $40 for a cab, you will have to be the judge on which way to go.
The Lake Street Station (sometimes called Clark & Lake)  is the major hub where all the train lines come together, and is a pretty major area downtown where I usually get off, and then will take a cab or walk to my final destination.  I am a lite traveler - have found that although there are times I wish I had 4 pairs of shoes, lugging a huge bag around is a bigger pain than the convenience of having your whole closet with you.  But thats just me. 

OK, jump back to that "after 10 pm I dont take the train" comment above.....The blue line gets a little dicey, as many public transportation systems do, at night.  (Of course I have a great story as to why I will not take at night, suffice it to say the homeless use the train and stations as a place to sleep with air-conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.  If you would like the full, un-edited story, feel free to e-mail me and I will gladly oblige - as it is rather entertaining, however inappropriate coming of age tale, ugh).  So what do you do if getting in late??  - we use a share ride shuttle like Go Airport Shuttle.  For about $25 a head they will load you and luggage up in a van with others and drop you off at door of your hotel.  Cheaper than the $40 per person for a share ride in a taxi, but will take a little longer as makes multiple stops.  More on the trains below in getting around - I put a simple set of directions that should take some of the anxiety away. 
If we can help it - we use the train - at $3 per person you cant beat the price.

If you are planning to rent a car - some things to consider - many hotels charge up to $25 per night for parking, and each place you go near downtown will charge for parking in lot or garage.  You can chance with street parking, and may get lucky, but is hit or miss, and in my experience- more miss than hit.  Let me tell you,  I have spent more hours looking for street parking than I care to share.  What with all the one way streets and all, we usually get fed up and wind up walking quite a distance anyway.  Now, we take cabs, trains, or walk.  The parking, in my mind - not worth the aggravation or the money.  As I said above - if attraction is within a mile - take the walk, if further, or is really unpleasant (rain, hot, cold, or windy outside), will grab a train to get us close and walk from there, or cab it right to the front door of our location.  Rental car $50 per day, $20 a night to park, and say $20 to park near attraction, is $90 bucks - can take a lot of cab rides for half that price.....  Just something to think about, especially if sticking in the downtown area for your stay.  Also - leave yourself some time to get out to the airport.  Traffic gets weird - for no rhyme or reason.  Of course rush hour is bad - but also consider that a lot of emergency construction is done at night, usually unannounced.  So do yourself a favor and leave an hour to get there.  That said - both airports have most rental car companies off site.  That is you will have to take a shuttle back to airport upon returning car.  So leave a few minutes for that as well. 

The Trains
I know the whole train situation can be overwhelming, and a bit confusing.  My first couple of jaunts were rather nerve racking, I will admit.  It clicked with me while I was rather young,  Just as you don't get out your atlas at home when going to the grocery store, the same applies here, we just need to know how to get from point A to B.  No need to understand the whole system.  So lets make sure you can get into downtown from the airport on the trains, and then back out to a few major points from downtown, and call it a day, easy peasy.
So here it is - from each airport, step by step.

Our home when we lived in Chicago - River City

Upon reaching the security checkpoint at Midway - proceed straight down the hall towards baggage claim and parking garage. We will assume you carried on - so proceed past the escalators down to the baggage claim and up to ticketing on left and right - straight to garage past video monitor board.  Proceed out of the elevator lobby, follow long hall and walkway ( there is plenty of signage)  to Orange Line train station. Be sure to buy your pass at the kiosk just inside the station.. They are automated machienes, and feel free to toss a few extra bucks on for the return trip, if not, you can always add more money to the card later.  Upon receiving your CTA card, move to the turnstiles, and slide the card in - (if there are multiple people in your party, you can swipe the card for each person before entering the turnstile, and it will allow party through.  Watchout for the bag!  If you have the wheeled variety carry through the turnstile WITH you- cant tell you how many times I have seen people walk through with the bag behind them, only to be "stuffed" by the turnstile.  About 20 minutes after boarding train you will hit downtown ( the loop ).  The view on the way in is pretty amazing - the Orange line remains elevated and is part of the famous downtown El Train - also known as The Loop.  The Loop refers to the circular route the El takes through the main business district of downtown.  From Lake to the North, Van Buren to the South, West to Wells and East to Wabash. 
In from O'Hare - follow signs for Ground transportation out of terminal - then when near baggage claim - pick up signage for trains to downtown. You will be getting on the Blue Line Same deal as mentioned above, get ticket at kiosk and don't forget to put in enough for the return trip if you plan to take train back.  About 45 minutes later - Viola - you are downtown.  The Blue line starts you off down the middle of the Kennedy expressway, and then dives underground on approach to the city.  So when you get downtown you will be in the subway, so it is important to pay attention to the stops. 
Weather you take the Orange line in from Midway, or the Blue line in from O'hare, both will intersect with all the other lines at Clark & Lake Street station where transfers are free.  If nothing else when you get to Lake, you are in downtown and can walk or cab to your destination if staying downtown.
See, that wasn't that hard, and you can take the $75 you just saved and spend it on having some fun!  





PLACES TO STAY:

Carrie and I in Palmer House Hilton Lobby 

We have stayed downtown a few times.  Palmer House Hilton is a classic hotel, south loop location near grant and millenia park.  Can walk to either park, Michigan Ave shops, and Sears tower.  Rooms were extremely small for standard rooms, but the suites are amazing ( according to wife who stayed there on a bachelorette  party).  The lobby is simply amazing.  First impression is "we cant afford this" but alas, the standard rooms were priced reasonably and we did enjoy our stay.
The Hampton inn  - 33 West Illinois St and the Hilton Garden Inn - 10 E. Grand Avenue - both in the river north neighborhood ( just north of chicago river very close to "tourist zone") of  downtown.  Close by you will find rainforest cafe, navy pier, portillos, genos east, Excalibur dance club, hard rock cafe, and rock and roll mcdonalds, trader joes, AMC Movie Theater, Ed Debevics, Pizza Uno, Geno's Ease etc.  ( all located on ( from north to south) Ontario, ohio, grand and illinois, between wells street (west) and lake shore drive (east). Both good, clean, reasonably priced hotels when we stayed, am sure prices vary widely week to week.  No frills places that were clean and right in the mix of things to do.

Hard Rock Hotel - 230 N Michigan Ave - very close to Millenia Park and Michigan Avenue shopping.  Is housed in the old Carbon and Carbide building, which was designed to look like a bottle of Champagne.  Take a step back and see for yourself.  Tall slender green building - with gold foil cap......I have heard stories that the top floor was one of Al Capones personal hideout speak easy's.  Legend has it that when they guests were upstairs (37th floor) that the lookouts would shut off the elevators and make the cops walk up the stairs.  Thus providing ample time for the crowd to disperse throughout the building and the liquor to be hidden away.  Others have told me that was not the case - but as with anything of that time, those who really knew, weren't talking.  Naturally we made our way up- and found the area now used for storage.  Was still interesting to see, and imagine what it must have been like in there 90 years back.  Ahh but I digress, back to the hotel, the rooms were great - service was friendly - and great location, and overall just fun to be at.  The lobby bar was hopping - not too common for a lobby bar, but in the Hardrock...Common!!  I highly recommend, and they do run specials from time to time - which is how we wound up there, so be patient and jump on it when they pop up!
 

The Wit Hotel

Natalie &Nick enjoying the view ar ROOF

Our Favorite place to stay when in town however - is The Wit Hotel ( a Doubletree property on the corner of State and Lake),  Is a brand new property - very trendy, and has all the amenities.  Is close to State Street shopping and Millenia Park.  The facade has a green glass lightning bolt running up it - all 27 floors, that sets the tone from the moment you lay eyes on the building.  The rooms were great, although rather pricey.  There are three restaurants in the hotel: State and Lake downstairs where we had a great breakfast, Cibomatto - where we did not dine ( dinner service), and The Roof, located - where else, but on the roof.  Need to be dressed - nice shoes, collar shirt, no shorts to get in at night - just an FYI - and to our amazement, the line was around the block.  The good news, if staying there get to skip the lines, and is a great place to hang out on a nice day or evening.  If you do not stay - I recommend a least heading up there at lunch. The view alone was worth the price of the mojito.  As you can see in the photos, we made it up in the afternoon - luckily we found the dress code to be more relaxed early in the day- and had some apps as well - which were halfway reasonably priced.

View from Roof- 28 floors up!

A Lesson Learned
 We got an amazing deal to stay at the Hyatt out near O'Hare - just adjacent to the blue line train stop.  Was less than half the price of the lowest downtown hotel a night.  I thought we could make work for our trip.  The hotel was amazing - but with a 30 minute train ride each way to get into downtown, we spent over 4 hours of our weekend trip on the train.  I forgot that on weekends the train runs much less frequently, and spent a decent amount of time waiting for the train as well.  Would not do again, pony up for the higher priced places downtown (good deals to be had in south loop ) in the interest of time. 

 

PLACES TO EAT
You hear a lot about Chicago Pizza, and rightly so, it is the best in the country, hands down.. - My personal favorite is Geno's East.  The one on wells that is near the afore mentioned "Tourist Area" is at 633 North Wells Street is one of a few in town, but the only one I have been to.  The Deepdish is the best I have had.  Pizza Uno and Giordonnos have good deep dish as well, in fact Uno claims to be the originator.  The story goes that Ike Sewell in 1943 opened his pizza joint - in the very location it is now, and invented the deep dish pizza.  In 1955 he opened up Pizza Due across the street as the increased patronage wasn't able to be contained at the original location.  The rest - as they say, is history.  So if the nostalgia bug hits you - drop on in to Pizza Uno, or Duo for that matter and have a pizza pie.  Hint; Order the pizza ahead if no wait - or while waiting for table - as the deep dish pizzas take apprx 35 minutes to make - due to the deep dishiness of the pie.
But just as we don't drive around in Model T's anymore, I am all for the improvement on the original, and feel the same way towards Chicago Pizza.  I have had Uno - not bad - in fact I'd even say good.  Geno's East is just flat out better, in my opinion.  They do a pie with sausage - but as a patty so every bite you get some.  And the cheese is just a bit better than its competitors.
My other favorite Pizza joint was recommended by a friend Eric -and that is Lou Malnati's, 439 North Wells Street - which was surprisingly good.  Havent had their deep dish - but the "regular" pizza is pretty darned good.
My other Favorites eateries when in town - in no particular order - are:




• Portillos -100 West Ontario Street - If want a Chicago Dog, this is the place - My favorite is the Italian beef and sausage combo.  They put both on a roll and serve up with peppers, hot or mild.
• Ricobenes  252 W. 26th Street ( south of china town dont get lost down here ) - they have a breaded steak sandwich that is awesome.  There are some ricobenes pizza places downtown that are different restaurant with same name - dont be fooled!!
• Ed Debevics - 50's diner - with the waitstaff in costume and charracter.  Some are rude, some nerdy - some too cool for school.  Burgers are good - shakes awesome as well.  If looking for something a little different - a good place. 
• Signature Room - At 95th floor of the Hancock building - go for dinner or better yet go to the bar for a cocktail instead of paying the price to go up to the observatory.  The views are stunning.  Enter on the south side of the building, and tell the guy at desk you are going to signature room, the bar is accessible on the same elevator floor, just up the stairs.  Check dress code - we had just come from a graduation and were dressed nice - would think flipflops and fanny pack might be frowned upon, especially later in the evening.
• The Billy Goat Tavern - Under Michigan ave - near the Wrigley building (lower Michigan to locals ) you will find a set of stairs in the sidewalk just north of Wrigley Building - that seem a little out of place.  Take them down to, what looks scary - but reveals the billygoat tavern.  Yup, the same billygoat of SNL fame and cursed the cubs.  The original is at 430 N. Michigan Ave at Lower Level.  Get The Double Cheese, its Da Best. 
• Casey Morans - Sit on the rooftop - directly across the street from Wrigley Field.  It doesen't get a whole lot better than that!  If the Cubbies are in town will be crowded - but worth a trip in if on the North Side - or if going on a Wrigley tour.  Great bar on a game or non game day.  Food is surprisingly good.

Honorable mention - The Rainforest Cafe, Hardrock Cafe and Mc Donalds (near Ed Debevics and Portillos in "tourist area") are all of the nicer locations of their chains I have seen. There is a Bubba Gump at Navy Pier, and an ESPN zone and Webber Grill near there as well.  One of our favortie places at night is Rock Bottom - a microbrewery chain that has a rooftop beer garden - a nice place if you don't want the crowds or craziness of the ROOF at the Wit.  Food is standard American fare, nothing great, very laid back place place with nice view for a drink though.

THINGS TO DO
Chicago, in my mind - has the most things to do of any city in the country.  And when they do them, they do them big.  With multiple theaters, sports teams, traveling shows and festivals, concert venues, there is always something going on.  The Taste of Chicago is the largest festival of its kind in America, same goes for the airshow and lalapalooza.  Tack on the blues fest, jazz fest, and numerous others you cant beat it with a stick.  In the summer there are neighborhood festivals as well.  Check out the weekender guide link at the bottom of the page before you head out, to see what is going on around town.  You will be surprised at how many free events go on each and every weekend. 
As you may have noticed by now, Chicago has a vast array of skyscrapers, from classic to post modern, to art deco.  What you may not know, is that Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper.  A title worn proudly ever since, as evident by the dynamic architecture and sheer quantity of towers throughout the city.
If you head over to the corner of Clark and Adams, you will be at the site of the original skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building.  Erected in 1885 it is said to be the first building to utilize structural steel framing (previous buildings utilized cement and stone).  At a whopping 10 storys and 138 feet - it towered over the city.  Hard to imagine while standing in present day Chicago - isn't it?? .  Sadly, the Home Insurance Building was demolished in 1931 to make way for the building you now see before you,  The Lasalle Bank Building.

View from Architectural River Tour Boat

Now if you find yourself marveling at the buildings and architecture, I can assure you that you aren't alone, well then, you might want to try an architecture tour.  There are a few variety's, including train, double decker bus, walking, and trolley.  By far, my favorite are the Chicago River boat tours.  I lived in the city for a few years, and seeing it from the river was a new and amazing experience, a perspective of the city you just can't get otherwise.  Plus, what better than a nice boat ride on a hot afternoon?  I cant think of anything either.  I prefer the tours that depart near the Michigan Ave bridge (at the chicago river near the corner of Michigan and Wacker), as they seem to have more frequent departures.   We have been on most of the different company's tours over the years, all are decent.  Pick one that catches your eye - whichever you choose, - my advice, sit on the top deck, or outside (depending on the configuration of the boat), and on the outside edge (on the rail) as the tour will be an out and back route.  This will guarantee you an unobstructed view without anyone in your way.  You see, people have a tendency congregate at the rail of the boat to take pictures, and the worst thing that can happen is to have some goofus and his family jibber jawing with his minolta camera taking pictures of every building, completely blocking your view.  My first tour I sat in the middle - thinking "I can see both sides well from here, lets do that".... that will never happen again.  My two personal favorites are the Architecture Society Tour (SE corner of mich & wacker down steps) and the Wendella tours on the NW Corner near the Wrigley Building - again down the steps.  We have done the Shoreline tour, and the Seadog powerboat tour as well ( they depart from navy pier) both were ok, just not as good as the earlier mentioned.  Please see the  List of Tours and Map provided for the river architecture tours.

The Chicago River runs right through downtown.  Can you pick out the Hard Rock Hotel??

Well after the architecture, which I think everyone should do, there are still loads of things to get to.  Feeling like you are lacking culture, junior really into that dinosaur phase???
There are 6 Major Museums / Zoos in Town - to choose from: 

• The Art Institute - (111 S. Michigan Ave) - The famous bronze lion statues out front will let you know you have arrived - I myself am not into art, but found the museum well worth the trip - and was actually impressed.  The stained glass display is amazing, and it was fun to try to find the locations from Ferris Buehler.
• The Museum of Science and Industry - (57th Street and Lake Shore Dr) While well south (57 blocks worth) of downtown Chicago, is a great museum, tour a real Russian captured sub, see a film in a real Imax theater ( by real I mean the spherical variety where picture goes up on ceiling). and go down into a coal mine.  Also has traveling exhibits that come through.  Check site for those.
• Natural History Museum - Home to the worlds most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton - Sue - has some great displays, including a great one on ancient Egypt - and is close to downtown to boot - just south of loop, near soldier field.
• Shedd Aquarium - Also located on the south east side of downtown - year after year is listed as one of the best aquariums in the US - the dolphin show is great if Seaworld not in the budget this year ( is an extra charge but worth it.  
• Lincoln Park Zoo - Is a little older zoo - but the price is right!!  Free admission - open year round and has a great Christmas lite display in the winter, and many other events throughout the year, including concerts and yoga.  Nestled in Lincoln Park, bring a picnic lunch and eat in the park, just outside the zoo.
• Brookfield Zoo - Located a little more than 15 miles west of downtown - only makes the list due to the fact that it is a great zoo.  Has some spectacular rainforest displays where you walk through habitats that are so convincing - you would swear you had been swept off the continent straight to the jungle.  If want to hit a zoo - and want high quality - have to go to Brookfield.  Well worth the trip - especially if you have a car. 

If sports is your thing - you are in luck!  Chicago has 2 baseball teams, the Cubs and Whitesox.  The Red Line Train will get you to both parks (Get on train going South to 95th street - get off at Sox / 35th street for Comiskey Park.   Conversely, go North to Howard and get off at Addison for Wrigley Field). 
Comiskey - a much more modern park - got a recent facelift when US Cellular bought the naming rights a few years back.  Not much around the neighborhood to hang out at before or after the game - better to head back into town to celebrate the win, or loss ( lets be real, its the sox ).  The Bullpen Sports bar is a great way to see a game.  They put a bar in the outfield wall below the bleachers, where you can watch game though the outfield fence - and see the bullpen too!  You have your own bathrooms and bar / food counter.  Plus can get out of the sun on those hot days.  Any ticket gets you in to the bar if you want (pending capacity of course) - and for an extra $18 you can go up top to the picnic tables and watch the game ( buy wristband from the food counter after get into bar.  There are only about 80 wristbands sold per game - and all day of game when gates open - so line up on at gate 2 of stadium  and blitz it to the counter.  Was a great way to watch a game - especially for a bigger group. I myself - while not a Sox fan - always hit a few games a year, and they really hit a homerun with the bullpen bar.
For all you baseball historians, home plate from old Comiskey is still in the parking lot north of the new stadium, and is sectioned off for pictures.  A cool stop if you have a few minutes.

In the Bleachers at Wrigley

Wrigley Field on the other hand home of the Loveable Loser Cubs  - is nestled in a residential neighborhood and has no shortage of hangouts serving everything from martini's to old style.  Tickets can be a little hard to come by and have been expensive to buy on the streets lately (as many games sell out).
My favorite place to sit - hands down - the  Bleachers.  Out in the sun, most days its a big party - with a baseball game to boot.  Not a great place for the young ones as in the latter innings the razzing of opposing team outfielders does get a bit vulger.  My old man wouldnt take us out there till I was 15 years old and he thought I could handle it.  Not uncommon to have beer spilled on you and to be crammed in like sardines.  The Bleachers are open seating.  Meaning the earlier you get there the better your seats will be.  It is not uncommon for a line to form on the walls of the stadium on Waveland and Sheffield.
Located on the corner of Clark and Addison, is the Harry Caray Statue, a great photo op.  Harry was the eccentric announcer famous for drinking Bud durring the telecast and singing the 7th inning stretch.  Although it is popular to make fun of Harry, he had a way of making a 9-1 drubbing entertaining.  I can still hear him trying to sound out Gallaraga spelled backwards.   

Carrie and I in the press box, on the Wrigley Tour

Even if the boys are out of town you might still in luck.  They run tours of Wrigley when the team is out of town, and is by far one of the coolest things we have done.  You get to go in the dugouts, sit in the press box, and visit the clubhouse.  For $12 a head it can't be beatten.  You can even stop in a few of the bars around Wrigley, which I can assure you will have the away games on one of the numerous TV's    Murphys Bleachers, Casey Morans, The Cubbie Bear and Sluggers  are a few of my personal favorites.  All four establishments are within a balls toss of the stadium.  Sluggers is about a block away - but makes the list as it has batting cages upstairs - just in case you get the itch to hit a few balls - Ala Ryne Sandberg.

Of course - the Hawks and Bulls play out west of town on Madison at the United Center, where you can get your picture with Mike.  Thats right, if you made it to the Harry Caray statue at Wrigley, its brother, Air Jordan, is located out front of the United Center.  The venue also hosts concerts and the ringling bros. circus when in town.  Lots of parking - but not much else in this part of town, so adventure in the area not for faint of heart.
Chicago Speedway has Nascar and formula one races in the warm months.  The Chicago Fire professional Major League Soccer team has a new stadium south of downtown play in the summer and fall months, usually on weekends.
And dont forget about,,,,, Da Bears!!  They play at newly renovated Soldier Field.  Originally built in 1924 and used for worlds fair in 1933, it was not the home of the Bears for many years of its history.  It is a relatively little known fact that they originally played at Wrigley Field, from 1921 all the way up to 1970.  Hard to imagine, but the football field ran from the left field brick wall, down the third base line - past the Cubs dugout - to the visitor dugout.  Needless to say - it would have been a site to see.  Now, after its 2003 renovation, although its historic outer shell is still intact at the base, (they kept the pillars and all) it appears as though an alien spaceship has landed in the middle of the old stadium.  Dont get me wrong, it was a much needed renovation.  The stadium was lined with port-a potties on the inside walls of the concourses, and food carts on the outside edge.  Was rather interesting, and is now up to speed with all the modern amenities of other, newer professional stadiums, like actual bathrooms!!  Go Bears!

There is a gangster tour that claims to delve into Chicago's past as a mob city.  Part of the history that I love.  We reserved and paid for the tour- upfront unfortunately.  A crappy school bus ride, very basic history lesson, a piece of garlic (dont even bother asking) a few corrections on building names to the tour guide (remember I lived there) and 60 bucks ( $30 each) later - we were both dumber and wished we had just done our own walking tour with a book.  (I will work on writing a short tour up so you dont have to pay these clowns).  So do yourself a favor - skip it and get a book and go at it yourself.

Enjoying some drinks at Millennium Park

Millennium Park is one of my favorite new places downtown.  Just north of grant park and the art institute - (think Michigan and Randolph).  Has great park for picnics, and the outdoor bar / restaurant on the ice skating rink ( in the summer) is a great place to stop for lunch or a drink and a few apps.  The park is relatively new and boasts "the bean" or as known by locals "cloud gate" and is a beautiful walk through the park.  The best part, minus the restaurant, everything is free!  So feel free to walk over and spend some time in a great lakefront park.  If you feel like it, Buckingham Fountain is just a few blocks south and is another great free stop, and photo opp.

Navy Pier from the river

Navy Pier is always a favorite of many tourists.  It is something to see if you have the time, and is neat.  The Chicago Childrens Museum, a great interactive area is located there as well.  There are free shuttles around town that will take you there (departing from up and down State Street).  They also have traveling displays (old style sailing ships, concerts, etc).  A fun place to visit, can rent bikes and ride up and down the pier.  A great view of the City from the Pier as well!

Sears Tower - you can see the glass bumpouts up top.

Sears Tower - One of the classics - if you must go up in a building- and decided not to hit the signature room you might as well go big.  And the sears tower is the biggest around.  There are some advantages to the sears tower vs the hancock observatory.  Notably the newly installed glass floor bumpout!!  Stand over 103 floors of nothing but glass and air!!  Is open till 10 PM - and is a neat place to see sunset and then stay to see the city at night.

China Town - located just south of downtown - Chinatown really puts on the show.  Authentic buildings and Chinese restaurants coming out your ears.  We usually stop thru and get a bag of fortune cookies from one of the bakeries.  For about 5 bucks you can get more than you can eat in a weekend!!  If want to use the train - the redline (stops all up and down state street, as subway) South to Cermak/ Chinatown stop.  Is just west of 22 South and State area. 

Shopping - There are two main areas - State street shops in the loop (bargain hunters area) where you can find Nordstrom Rack, Filenes Basement, and other stores of the like.  And then there is the world famous Magnificent Mile area of Michigan Ave (michigan ave, north of river to the water tower).  This area is more opulent - you will find Burrberry and others of that caliber.  The watertower place shops is a 7 story vertical mall where the shopping district culminates.  Either way you go - Chicago has great shopping - so leave some room in your luggage for purchases while you are in town! 

There is a new concert venue and park at Northerly Island (formerly Meigs field).  The old airport site, the default start location in Flight Simulator is now a giant lakefront park, complete with biking and running trails. Also the home of Adler Planetarium.  One of the great places to see a concert in the city on a summer evening.  Check for concerts while you are in town, many national tours stop through.   


Summer is the peak of tourism for the city.  My friend Nick said it best..." There is something about those long harsh winters seem to make the summers that much more great!!"

Almost every weekend there is something of interest going on.  There are a few major festivals, taste of chicago , the air and water show and lalapalooza.  I mention them because I love them, but rooms and parking can be hard to come by, and may be a little more crowded than you may be ready for around town.

The Taste of Chicago is one of my favorites - a few tips

1. bring your own water and pop in an insulated backpack.  They are allowed and you will save a boatload.
2. get tickets presale at dominicks or other location.  no cash is accepted - all works on tickets - and the lines at the booths are usually rather long.
3. There is usually a "Taste of the Taste" day - usually a tuesday - that offers two for one "taste" portions.  That is for half the tickets, you can get a smaller portion of the establishments specialty to try.  My vote so you dont fill up on one place.
4. The fireworks are awesome - but you dont have to watch from lake shore drive.  and there will be a few million people there that know it, not much advice here - just be ready for it and make sure hit the bathroom before you commit to going to your spot - the lines will be huge.
5. Check the music line-up, the concerts are free and some big acts come through.  You might get lucky and catch one of your favorite performers, for free!!

AIR AND WATER SHOW

View out our apartment window.

My Preference is to be around downtown for the air and water show as opposed to the beach.  Seeing the blue angels swoop around the city and hearing the afterburners thunder between the buildings is something I couldnt believe.  If you can get yourself to a rooftop, even better.  If you have never been to an airshow may want to hit the beach for the full effect  - but you have to be able to handle big crowds.  I dont mind myself, but have heard " that was cool but I dont think I'd come again, the crowds were just crazy" more than a few times.  Center stage is North Ave Beach ( North of the Loop) but you can see most of the planes on approach just fine from as far south as Grant Park.  Usually they broadcast the show on a few radio stations as well - so bring a small radio and some batteries, and enjoy.

LALAPALOOZA is the premier outdoor music festival in the country.  Grant Park is over taken by hundreds of thousands to see over 40 bands, on 7 stages. So if you dont like the band on the stage you are at - there are plenty of other options.  If Music is your thing, the $200 a head 3 day admission ticket sounds like a bargain.  



Christmas time in Chicago
Yeah - summer is great and all, but there is also something uniquely special about Chicago around Christmas time.  The city is blanketed in snow, and the windows at Marshall Fields are decorated with Christmas scenes and are really a sight.  We try to make it in from Florida, for a taste of "real christmas" as it just donest feel like christmas to me without snow.  The Daley Center (Clark and Washington) courtyard has the city Christmas tree and a village of arts and crafts, complete with hot coco and all.
At Millennium Park - they have Ice Skating where the restaurant and bar are located, right under the bean.  Rental skates are available.  The buildings are lit up and the city does a great job of getting into the season with decorations and lights. 


Links
Chicago Tourism
Chicago Tribune Weekender
Chicago Theatre Scene