<p>Wondering if anyone familiar with Chicago can help me with an upcoming week-end we’ll be spending in Chicago. We’re meeting good friends that moved away and this is the logical meeting place requiring only one flight for each of the couples. The primary goal is to spend time together–seeing the sites of Chicago is secondary (although I know it’s a great city). </p>
<p>Hotels downtown were astronomically priced so we’re staying at a suite-type hotel not too far from O’hare but right on the blue line.</p>
<p>Friday night we’ll go to to the hotel and have dinner somewhere in that vicinity and catch up. Saturday and Sunday we’ll plan to take the train downtown (is it called downtown?) and spend the day there…flights out of O’hare start at 7 pm Sunday.</p>
<p>The one thing we’ve decided to do is the river architecture tour which seems to leave frequently from the Michigan Ave Bridge and Wacker on both Saturdays and Sundays. Other than the river tour, does anyone have suggestions for lunch, dinner (no real need for an ‘over the top’ place but we do enjoy good food or something Chicago’s known for would be nice) or 1 or 2 additional activities for us? Again, the main focus is to spend time with our friends rather than be entertained so things like walking around or maybe one museum might fit the bill. Would love any suggestions as to how to plan our our two days as none of us are very familiar with Chicago.</p>
<p>We really loved walking around Grant Park (if the weather is nice, as it was when we were there). The museum of science and industry is a fun and amazing place, as is the Chicago Art Institute. There is just so much to see and do!</p>
<p>Ditto on the number of things to see/do. A sightseeing bus trip or lakefront cruise (the same as the river cruise??) is also good. Navy Pier is a good place to hang out- include the free stained glass museum and perhaps fireworks on Saturday evenings I believe. One of the major museums- M of Science and Industry, Art Institute, M of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium. Walking Michigan Ave to window shop. Seeing the views from the Hancock or Sears (new name now) towers. Millenium Park/Grant Park. Check to see which events are on your weekend there. All of these areas are tourist friendly and likely to be filled with those and locals. No need to dress fancy unless your plans include a fancy restaurant. </p>
<p>Check the Illinois/Chicago tourism websites. </p>
<p>We usually stayed near Woodfield Mall or in other outer suburbs and drove in to downtown on our many Chicago trips. Catching the express lanes going our way when traveling there or through was always nice, taking public transport even better for you. Too much to do in one trip. Look at various exhibit offerings to choose your museum. Gems? water creatures? art? So many to choose from…</p>
<p>Where are you and the other couple coming from? That will help me come up with suggestions. (If you live in Arizona, it’s probably not exciting to get Mexican food.)</p>
<p>The Architecture Center boat tour is outstanding; great choice! A few of my other favorites:</p>
<ol>
<li>Chicago Art Institute. World class.</li>
<li>Cubs game at Wrigley Field. One of a kind.</li>
<li>Stroll up Michigan Avenue’s “Magnificent Mile” for high-end shopping.</li>
<li>Free concert at Grant Park.</li>
<li>Walk or bike along the lakefront. From Oak Street Beach (just across Lakeshore Drive from the northern end of Michigan Avenue) you can stroll or bike for miles along Chicago’s beautiful northside lakefront. An optional part of the walk: Lincoln Park Zoo (free), a delightful little zoo in the heart of the city.</li>
<li>Take in a show at Second City, a Chicago original, the improv/comedy group that gave us an extraordinary roster of top comedians and comic actors over the last 50 years.</li>
<li>Observation deck at the John Hancock Building or the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower.</li>
<li>Blues at a Chicago blues bar. Buddy Guy’s Legends is most convenient to downtown.</li>
<li>Chicago Shakespeare Theater (“Chicago Shakes”) does both straight Shakespeare and comic send-ups; now showing, “Othello, the Remix,” sounds like a hoot.</li>
<li> Chicago also has the best straight theater in the country after New York, and to be honest, often rivaling New York in that category as New York these days is more given to glitzy musicals with many of the top straight plays on Broadway being Chicago imports. The Steppenwolf Theatre Company is especially good, but others are worthy of attention as well.</li>
<li> Eat! Local favorites include the Chicago-style hot dog, Italian beef (sandwich), and Chicago-style deep-dish or stuffed pizza, but you can find everything from the most exotic ethnic fare to cutting-edge foodie havens. </li>
</ol>
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<p>It’s acceptable to call it “downtown” but the traditional name for the heart of downtown is “the Loop,” so named for the loop that elevated CTA transit trains (“the El”) make around the central business district. (By the way, CTA transit trains are called “the El” even where they’re not elevated, e.g., running underground in subways). But there are downtownish areas that are not in the Loop, e.g., North Michigan Avenue, Streeterville (the near north side areas adjacent to Michigan Avenue), River North (near north side a bit west of Michigan Avenue, across the Chicago River from the Loop), the South Loop (near south side, immediately south of the Loop), etc. So “downtown” is a reasonable, all-encompassing term; the Loop is the core of downtown.</p>
<p>We just visited the Museum of Sci and Industry and I have to say, I was underwhelmed. It felt dated. I’d stick with the Art Museum and / or the museums out on the lake (Shedd, Adler, Field) if you are museum-y.</p>
<p>If this trip is really mostly to hang with friends, I would skip museums (gasp! I love them too, but some of them are far afoot) and do the river tour, then stay downtown and wander Michigan Ave, Navy Pier, maybe Millenium Park (and the Bean), eat good food and drink good drink.</p>
<p>I agree with jaylynn. The river tour is really quite nice and then just wandering up and down Millennium Park / Grant Park / Buckingham Fountain area and / or Michigan Avenue and popping into whatever stores catch your fancy is pleasant enough. Unless the Tall Ships are in town (which I don’t think they are), or unless there are kids in tow, you could skip Navy Pier – it is a little cheesy and kid-oriented IMO.</p>
<p>If you do do the Art Museum, there’s a nice restaurant called Gage right across the street that I would recommend.</p>
<p>I also recommend the Billy Goat Tavern, which was a must stop place for us on a weekend trip to Chicago. Also, you’ve got to get some Chicago Pizza! If you go to the Art Museum, you can also do the Sears Tower. We did both the same day on our long weekend trip to Chicago.</p>
<p>If you go to the Chicago Art institute, their restaurants are good–we dined at each of them and enjoyed it. There is a self-guided app you can download to help you see some of their major treasures. </p>
<p>Don’t try to do or see everything. Get a nice taste of the city and return. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Skip the Navy Pier, it’s a tourist trap and well away from most everything else you’ll want to see. </p>
<p>A museum is actually a great idea because you can talk to your friends while strolling the halls of paintings, there are plenty of places to sit etc. The Art Institute is not far afield, it is right downtown. Michigan Avenue has nice stores and is fun to shop but doesn’t lend itself to conversation other than at a low shout.</p>
<p>The miniature rooms at the Art Institute are amazing and well worth viewing if you go. H and I only went to this museum as an afterthought, but we enjoyed it so much that H returned for a second day and we joined so we can return again in October at no extra cost. Love the Monets, Rembrandts, Van Goughs and more. It’s a huge place, so be sure to have comfortable shoes.</p>
<p>Wherever you end up visiting, I always recommend Giordano’s Pizza to folks visiting Chicago. Their deep dish pizza is outstanding!! There are several locations around the Chicago area so wherever you end up you’ll more than likely be near one. Happy eating!!</p>
<p>I would also skip the Navy Pier. The river cruise, lakeshore walk, and the zoo are great fun. The aquarium is also fun and you can feel free to talk and visit. OTOH, I hate it when people yak and visit in an art museum!</p>
<p>I can’t imagine not going to the Art Institute. Not sure about the schedule, but there are free concerts in Grant Park some evenings, and you could buy a picnic to take. I wouldn’t bother with the Museum of Science and Industry. It is okay, but way down in Hyde Park and not terribly convenient via public transportation. Unless you wanted to spend one of your days down there, wandering around the University Quads, the great bookstores–Seminary and Powells–the Oriental Institute and so on. There are some pleasant places to eat in Hyde Park nowadays, but The Medici is an institution.</p>