I%26#39;ll be coming to Chicago at the end of August. I know the weather will be hot and humid, just like NYC, but it%26#39;s when I can do it. I have a hotel reserved on Mag Mile (Hampton Inn %26amp; Suites) a few questions:
1. flying into Midway. What is the easiest way into the city and what will it cost?
2. Interested primarily in Art Institute, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and possibly the zoo. Is Mag Mile within walking distance of any of these. If not, what is best way to travel within Chi: subway, bus, taxi?
3. Only have Fri, Sat, Sun for sightseeing. Anything I%26#39;m missing? Anything must see that I can%26#39;t see anywhere else?
Thanks. Hydrokitty
Chicago in August
The end of August may not be as bad as the beginning of August (which is usually pretty bad) weather-wise, but who knows.
1. Orange Line ';L'; from Midway to Roosevelt Station. Transfer to Red Line at Roosevelt and continue to head North to Grand. The hotel is a block from that station. $2.
2. I could walk to the Art Institute from that Hampton Inn about 15-20 minutes, and it%26#39;s quite a pleasant walk.
The Field and Shedd are to the South of the Loop and are best reached by public transit.
';L';: Walk to the Grand Red Line station and take that South to Harrison. Walk a couple of blocks East to Michigan Ave. and a block North to Congress. Walk East on Congress over the bridge and you%26#39;ll see Buckingham Fountain. Walk around the fountain and continue East a few steps and you%26#39;ll see Lake Shore Drive. Cross at the crosswalk and you%26#39;ll be at the lakefront. The museum campus (Field, Shedd, Adler) is a brief walk further South along the lakefront. You can also go further South on the ';L'; to Roosevelt and walk East from there to the Museum Campus (it will be quicker), but you won%26#39;t go past Buckingham Fountain.
Bus: Walk about 4 blocks East to Michigan Ave. and get the 146 bus. That will take you directly to the Museum Campus.
The Zoo is North of the downtown area in Lincoln Park.
';L';: Walk to the Grand Red Line ';L'; station by your hotel and take that North to Fullerton. At one point during this ride, the train will come up from the underground and go above-ground for the remainder. Once you get off at Fullerton, walk about 15-17 minutes East on Fullerton. You%26#39;ll go through the lovely Lincoln Park neighborhood and finally reach the park area. Once you reach the park area (Fullerton and Stockton), you%26#39;ll see North Pond on the North side of the street and the Peggy Notabert Nature Center (which does have a neat live butterfly exhibit; there is an admission fee) and, if you walk down Stockton a block South, you%26#39;ll see the Zoo gate on the East side of the street and next to the gate is the Lincoln Park Conservatory (which often has great flower shows - no admission.)
Bus: Walk to Michigan Ave. and take the 151 bus going North - that will go past the Zoo.
Millennium Park (next to the Art Institute) and the Chicago Cultural Center (free and across the street of Millennium Park; there%26#39;s also a visitor%26#39;s center here) can be combined with the Art Institute.
A wide variety of restaurant choices by your hotel.
You could do something like this if you had all of Friday/Saturday/Sunday:
Friday: Field and Shedd during the day. Hancock Observatory and browse Michigan Ave. in the evening.
Saturday: Lincoln Park Zoo. If you wanted to make a whole day out of it, you could start by going further North to Belmont, then walking East to Broadway and South on Broadway until Clark and then South to Fullerton and over to the Zoo. This would be a long neighborhood walking trip, detailed a bit more here: 鈥ripadvisor.com/Travel-g35805-c4059/Chicago鈥?/a>
Sunday: Art Institute, Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Boat Tour (Chicago Architectural Foundation or Wendella, both leave from the Michigan Ave. bridge just a short distance - 4 blocks or so - North of the Cultural Center.) You could then walk over to Navy Pier to take a stroll in the evening.
Chicago in August
You got some great advice from dvdmovie1, but here%26#39;s a few more suggestions:
1. Check out the website for the Chicago Transit Authority. They have a Trip Planner feature in which you can plug in your present location, desired location and preferred departure time and you%26#39;ll get subway and bus info with the times that they depart. I printed up copies before I went to Chicago for the museums we intended to visit and the times I expected we%26#39;d be going so that I could have a handy reference for bus routes/subway routes and departure times. (It kept me from having ';just missed'; the bus!)
2. Check out the website for the City Pass for Chicago. Since you plan to visit at least 3 of the museums covered by the City Pass, it might be more economical for you to get the pass. Also, with the City Pass, you can avoid the long lines to buy tickets--just show your pass at the special entrance. The pass can be purchased online before you depart or at the first museum you visit.
3. Check out a show one night at Second City--very much associated with Chicago. If you%26#39;re not into improv comedy, there%26#39;s also excellent theatres (e.g. Steppenwolf Theatre Company).
Thank you both so much! Very helpful info. It%26#39;s good to know the hotel is centrally located...it%26#39;s hard when you%26#39;re picking something out for a place you%26#39;ve never been! I checked into Steppenwolf before and I%26#39;m definitely planning on Second City! I love improv. taking public transit from Midway seems a little complicated....do they have like the ';blue van'; or other downtown ground transportation that you pay for?
Hydrokitty, the things that you can only see in Chicago:
1. The architecture. That%26#39;s why you so often see the recommendation for going on an architectural river cruise as a ';must do';. If you have the opportunity do go on the Chicago Architecture Foundation%26#39;s.
2. Wrigley Field. That and Fenway Park are two of the last oldtime ballparks left in existence. If you go, take the El there (Red Line).
3. Speaking of the El, why not take the FREE Loop Train Tour on Saturday (available morning to early afternoon) - sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation and CTA. The ride is free but you have to pick up the tickets in advance on that day. Take a look at the Chicago Architecture Foundation%26#39;s website for details.
4. The U505 Submarine at the Museum of Science and Industry. It%26#39;s the real deal - the only WWII German submarine in the US - (captured during WWII - see the history of it on the MSI website) - and you can actually board it, if you wish ($5 extra charge). Now, unfortunately, the Museum of Science and Industry is HUGE and it is a few miles south of the Loop, taking the better part of a day to see; so I really wouldn%26#39;t recommend it for your trip, since you%26#39;re only here three days. But I thought I%26#39;d mention it for others who review these post.
5. Sears Tower and/or the John Hancock Building. The view is better (IMHO) at the John Hancock Building and you%26#39;re only up 95, 96 or 97 stories (depending if you go to the Signature Lounge, Signature Room or the observatory) over the city, but the Sears Tower is still the tallest building in the US.
6. The cuisine. Haute cuisine is everywhere nowadays. From the premier restaurants such as Alinea, Moto and Avenues to more humble establishments such as Hot Doug%26#39;s, the Encased Meats Emporium and Sausage Superstore (and on Fridays and Saturdays. duck-fat fries are served).
7. Buckingham Fountain. Only one of the largest in the world - and is located at the very start of Historic Route 66. And it%26#39;s located very close to the Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum, so you can easily walk there. Lovely by day but spectacular by night when the light show is in progress (on the hour, every hour until 11 pm). TRIVIA NOTE: The four horses of the fountain symbolize Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, the four states which touch Lake Michigan.
8. If you are coming at the very end of August, the Chicago Jazz Festival occurs. World-class entertainment for FREE.
9. For the History: The Green Mill (jazz club) is located in Uptown. It has a quite a history, was a speakeasy frequented by Al Capone and his cronies. Take a look at their website for history information. If you go to the Lincoln Park Zoo (and the Lincoln Park Conservatory immediately north of it - also free), go two blocks west to Clark Street, turn south and go 1/2 block - Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder (recommended restaurant) is located right across the street from where the St. Valentine%26#39;s Day Massacre occurred. Take at look at the history of its building on their website. And if you are traveling around Lincoln Park and happen to be on N. Lincoln Avenue, the alley behind the Biograph Theatre (which is now the home for the Victory Gardens theatre troupe) is where Dillinger was killed after being betrayed by the Lady in Red.
10. Millennium Park. Again, the architecture and outdoor sculpture are unique. There are free concerts and events at the Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Case in point: I was wandering around in the beautiful weather yesterday mid-afternoon (a day off) and decided that I would stop by Millennium Park (although I%26#39;ve been there many, many times). There was a rehersal in progress of ';The Stone Horse';, a selection from the Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble concert, which was going to be performed that evening. Simply wonderful to experience. That%26#39;s what makes Chicago so great - so many extraordinary things around town that you just happen on by chance.
Have fun exploring!
thank you Chitown....I looked into Wrigley Field, being a baseball fan, but the Cubbies are on the road the whole time I%26#39;m there and the Sox are playing in one of those new corporate arenas although they are playing Boston, no seats available anyway! I think we%26#39;re going to skip the zoo this time, too much else and we%26#39;ve been to zoos all over the world. Only reason I wanted to go to Lincoln Park is ';Wild Kingdom and Marlin Perkins';!!! we will definitely take the free loop ride on Saturday, but we%26#39;re leaning towards the boat ride that does both the river and the lake.
Hope the weather is good, I%26#39;m really looking forward to seeing your city. I know your airport like the back of my hand!!!
Hydrokitty
For transportation, what about the free trolley? You can get to the website through cityofchicago.org. It has a list of the route with all the stops.
Hydrokitty, when the Cubs are on the road, there are tours of Wrigley Field given on specific dates. If you look at the Chicago Cubs website, go to the pull-down section for Wrigley Field and you will find the information on them.
If you are interested in going, recommend getting reservations, as the tours do sell out.
With respect to the free trolley system, recommend that you use it as supplemental transportation only. Don%26#39;t depend on it entirely. The demand is exceeding the availability at peak times.
I definitely agree with ChiTownFriend above on the free trolleys. If you can get on one that is going where you want to go, then by all means take it. If there is any kind of line, then don%26#39;t bother. You probably won%26#39;t be able to get on the trolley once it arrives
You may also want to consider getting a CTA visitor pass when you arrive at Midway, rather than paying a fare each time you use a train or bus. There is a vending machine at the airport train station. A 3-day pass is $12. (Note that the visitor pass vending machine does not make change.)
I also highly recommend the multi-day visitor pass as it is easier to have this than to worry about having enough fare money later. I%26#39;ve found that things that look pretty far away from each other on Chicago maps are really within walking distance. I guess it%26#39;s because there%26#39;s so much to see along the streets that it doesn%26#39;t feel like such a long walk. Have a great time!!
If you make it to the north side, the Lincoln Park Zoo is a great place to visit on a summer day. If you like flowers, there%26#39;s also the LP Conservatory adjacent. You can also walk along North Avenue Beach from there, which is a nice stretch of the lakefront.
