OT: Going to Chicago -- Lots of Questions!

[schums]

We live in Michigan and are planning on taking DC to Chicago for vacation this year. We're going to get the City Pass, so that takes care of most (all?) of the pay attractions we're planning on seeing (Aquarium, Field Museum, Planetarium, maybe Science & Industry).

My questions:
- Suggestions on where to stay? Areas to avoid?
- We'll be driving, so should we plan on parking the car or using it to get from activity to activity?
- Is public transit safe, affordable, reliable?
- Other places to see/things to do? Kid friendly activites that won't bust the budget?
- Restaurants we shouldn't miss (only DC friendly, please!)?

It's been forever since I've been to Chicago, and have never been with kids, so I'm trying to remember/figure out the city!

TIA,
Sarah
Mom to Alex (3/2002) and Catherine (8/2003)

[DebbieJ]

All the places you want to see are in the downtown area and surrouding, so that's probably where you'll want to stay. Hotels can be $$$, but there are some budget chains in the city (Travelodge and Comfort Inn or Days Inn come to mind).

I would park the car and take public transit, except maybe to MSI. Public transit is safe, affordable, and reliable.

Other suggestions are Lincoln Park Zoo, the Peggy N_______ Nature Museum, and maybe going up the Sears Tower or John Hancock Building on a clear day. A lake or river cruise might be fun too. Navy Pier is always a hit.

Have fun!

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[Roleysmom]

Debbie gave great advice and hit on all the biggies. I'll mention a couple of other things.

Transitchicago.com is the CTA's website. It might help to check it out beforehand. They have visitor passes so you won't spend a fortune going back and forth on the el (the kids are free, so just you and your DH will need passes.) I agree about taking public transportation depending on where you end up staying.

If you are going to the Museum of Science and Industry, you can take the commuter rail line, Metra (metrarail.com). The 57th Street stop is a quick quick walk to the MSI and 10 minutes from downtown. If you are going to the MSI and want to drive, try the free parking on Science Drive off of Lake Shore Drive just past the Museum. It will look like you are passing the Museum but then you'll see the quick turn off for Science Drive and the parking spaces. It's free and I've not had a problem even in the summer getting a space. If you read Devil in the White City, maybe you'll want to check out the Wooded Island, which is just behind the Museum.

A kid friendly restaurant which is great and visually appealing to kids is Orange on Harrison in the Printer's Row area of the Loop. There are several Oranges but I've only been to the one on Harrison, so I can't speak to the others. It's a breakfast place. It's fantastic and very kid friendly. www.metromix.com is a good site to check for restaurants and other doings.

Don't miss Millennium Park in the loop, www.millenniumpark.org. There are lots of free kid friendly activities (story time, short kid concerts, a craft tent) happening all summer. And the fountain is a blast.

Have a great time!

Paula, mom to Roley, January '02

[Momof3Labs]

There is a free trolley in the downtown area that will get you to most of those attractions (probably not MSI, you'll want to drive to that). Lines can be long on summer weekends, though. There is also a city bus that runs down to the aquarium (get there early!!! the lines are long!) and Field museum; I'd do that over parking down there ($15 and quite a hike to the museum/aquarium).

Olive Park is small and nice, and there is a small beach (Ohio St, I think) all close to Navy Pier. Navy Pier has a great (free) fountain for the kids to play in, but IMO the rest of it is a tourist trap. On Michigan Avenue, just north of the river by the Tribune Tower, there are stairs that take you down to a walkway that runs along the river. DS1 loves to run along here and watch the boats (it is usually very, very empty) plus the water cannons down by McClurg are fun.

How about taking a bus up to Lincoln Park Zoo? An el train ride is fun for the kids, safe and cheap. If you are there during the week, you can take the water taxi run by Wendella from the river by Michigan Avenue - it's a couple bucks for an adult for a 15 minute ride, then you pay to ride back again.

DS1's favorite place to eat is Grand Luxe Cafe on Michigan Avenue.

DS1 loves driving lower Wacker Drive if you have a chance. Silly, but it just thrills him.

[alexsmommy]

DS loves Millenium Park - there is a fountain they can play in. If you go, take a swimming suit (or change of clothes) and a towel. They get pretty wet. We tend to plan to get to the museum and paying attractions EARLY b/c on weekends they get very, very busy. If you can get in and through most things by 11am though, it tends to work well. Then I'd do the free activities like Millenium Park in the afternoon at a leisurely pace.
Restaurants are hard - there are soooo many great options. I haven't been to the Chicago Rain Forest Cafe, but several friends have given it two thumbs up and we were thinking it might be a good post-new baby trip for DS.
Navy Pier is nice to walk along but as Lori said, it's a tourist trap so I would make it clear to the kids you aren't doing the waaay overpriced rides. We take DS to look at the boats and get funnel cakes :).
Have fun.
Alaina
Alex Feb '03
and #2 in early summer '07

[Lolagirl]

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, I have to say Chicago is a really a great city to to live in and to visit! I would definitely recommend staying somewhere downtown (generally anywhere from Congress Street north to Oak Street, and from Michigan Avenue west to about Wells.) There are lots of reasonably priced, nice hotels to choose from. I would definitely recommend using a search engine like Travelocity or Expedia to find one in your price range and in the right geographical area.

Please do visit some of Chicago's Museums while you are here. The Children's Museum at Navy Pier is very popular, as is the Art Institute, the Aquarium, the Planetarium, the Field Museum, and the Museum of Science and Industry. Really you can't go wrong with any of those choices, although the Aquarium and Science and Industry are arguably the most fun for the whole family. The Lincoln Park Zoo is also fantastic, and it's probably one of my favorite attractions in the city. If you decide to check it out you might also want to plan a trip to the Nature Museum because it's right down the street from the Zoo. If you're coming in the summer you definitely have to check out the lakefront. Oak Street beach is quite nice, and the walking path on the lake is a great way to enjoy views of the city and the lakefront at the same time.

I also think it's best to stick to public transit and the occasional cab as much as possible, traffic can be pretty bad in the downtown area and parking is often difficult to find/expensive. Public transportation is very safe and generally pretty reliable here. As far as food is concerned, the recommendation for Orange on Harrison is a really good one. Some other good/family friendly places are the Bongo Room on Wabash, Eleven City Diner, FoodLife at Water Tower Place, Grand Lux Cafe, and either of the Pizano's Pizza locations downtown. I would actually steer clear of the Rainforest Cafe because of the crazy crowds, ridiculously long wait times, and just ok food.

Edited to also ditto the suggestion to check out Millenium Park! It's a lot of fun and very interactive for kids.
Hope that helps!

[Jen841]

Does the City Pass include public transportation too? I vaguely think it may. Don't move your car once you get to town. Bus and/or train it all around town. Be prepared to carry the stroller up and down stairs for the trains, but do fun for the kids!

We loved living in Chicago, and love to visit. I can recommend a few hotels...
Lenox Suites (can get deals)
Seneca Hotel (or is it Inn)
Spring Hill Suites -or something like that -great free breakfast

All have separate sleeping areas for adults and quiet spots for naps.

All of the hot spots we like were mentioned, plus a few more...
Rock and Roll McDonalds - any McD's is a hit with my kids
Originals Uno's - so early to avoid a wait
Pottbelly Sandwiches - many locations, DH is so excited they just opened one in Philly
TOAST on Webster, and I think on Chicago Ave have the best ever stuffed french toast... gosh my mouth is watering just thinking about it

Walking around Wrigleyville around game time is fun. If you kids will sit through a game do it, otherwise just enjoy the fun. Southport Ave. has lots of cute shops and restaurants for you to check out.

City parks are on all of the tree lines streets.

Have a great time!

[ilovetivo]

the only thing i don't see in the great ideas is an architectural cruise - different from the other cruises. Pretty cool to see all the amazing architecture so close up

oh and Blue Man Group show

and Ed Debevic's restaurant
http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/eds_p3.shtml?L+scstore+ywyx7933debevicffca74ca+118 3000539
Downtown Chicago
640 N. Wells St.
Chicago, Il 60620
Restaurant Phone: (312)-664-1707

[bensmom]

You've gotten great advice. Just wanted to add (since the lines get really long at some of the places) - when I used the City Pass a few years ago in Chicago (we were living there, but had family in visiting), you could use the "member" lines for a lot of the places and avoid the really long ticket lines. So, make sure to check when you get to an attraction (before you wait forever!)