trip report fri 1st--fri 8th

fri 1st checked into hotel (club quarters on adams) in aft..started

pouring down ! ate at hotels bar(elephant and castle) in eve.

sat 2nd out early for 9am open top bus from sears.also did the ethnic tour which is included.lunch at bennigans(just off wacker)check out the mini cheeseburgers !! navy pier in aft..water taxi back to sears.back to np at night.ate at riva and watched the fireworks

sun 3rd bf at lou mitchells which was great.it was already busy at 8am ! went to wrigley field as the cubs were playing.didnt go to the game as i have been to a game before in s.f. and didnt understand it...seemed to be a good atmosphere around the ground.went to castaways bar for lunch on north beach.down to navy pier late aft and went on seadog speedboat(didnt seem to go as fast as we thought it might)the gospel music festival was on in mp so we shot over and sat and watched that for a while.ate at lou malnattis at night which was good(great cheese garlic bread)

mon 4th aquarium and field museum in morning(ate at corner bakery in mus) tried to get into soldier field for a look round but all locked up.why no ground tours? shopping in aft...usual suspects -levi store,niketown,adidas,macys. went on the odyssey dinner cruise in evening.good food and service.we paid the extra to book a window table and thought it was worth it.

tue 5th c/out hotel and moved to hilton towers on michigan(dvd put us on to a good deal but more about that later) fox and obel for lunch.very good.shopped at np for chicago souvenirs and got water taxi to aquarium.10 mins walk from hotel.ate at hotel bar,kitty o sheas and went to see wicked in eve..very good show.nice theatre.

wed 6th lincoln park zoo in morn.great zoo for no admission fee.lovely park.walked back to beachstro on north beach for lunch(great waffle fries)on the way up we walked thru gold coast area houses and down the beach on way back.both great walks. aft architectural boat tour..spoilt slightly as it started raining.in eve went to chinatown which we would say was dissapointing. seemed a bit rough and not all restaurants were open.having said that we did have a nice meal in royal dragon.

thurs 7th easy day ! boiling hot.sat out on oak beach in morning.went to signature room for lunch.we opted for the buffet at $18 which was good. rode the el round loop in aft on brown line just to see things differently.stopped off at grant park to watch some bands at the blues festival not really my thing but they were good.ate at carmines on rush st in eve.we thought that was only ok.

fri 8th packing in the morn.went to grill in the park for lunch(great kobe burger) and thats it..all thats left for me to say is thanks to all you local experts but especially dvd and dave 148...they really do know their stuff...chicago is a great city and anybody thinking about going stop thinking and book it

trip report fri 1st--fri 8th

also forgot to say....went down to the oceans 13 prem on illinois st.didnt really see much but it was a laugh..and also saw jerry springer in the hancock centre !!! go jerry

Thank you, Chicago experts!

We had a GREAT vacation in Chicago, thanks to the advice on this board. Hotel was an incredible value and in a very convenient location (Hotwire%26#39;s mystery 4-star on Michigan Ave, aka Westin), and the restaurants suggested here suited our needs and tastes perfectly.

I also have to say that the helpfulness of strangers was remarkable. You only have to stand on the sidewalk and look confused for a second before someone asks if they can help. Not what we expected in a big city.

Thank you to all who advised us. We look forward to returning soon.

Thank you, Chicago experts!

Yay! :) Glad the Westin worked out and glad you enjoyed your trip!

Hope you%26#39;ll be able to make it back to Chicago soon and glad we could help.

EL Parking?

We%26#39;re planning a trip to Chicago that would include the Brookfield Zoo and Oak Park F.L . Wright district, so our best lodging option might be to stay in that area and commute downtown on the days we want to visit.

What%26#39;s parking like for non-regulars at CTA stations on the Forest Park, Cermak or Midway lines on weekdays? I mean, do the regular commuters fill them up by 8:00 each morning, or is there a station where there%26#39;s pretty much always some parking available?

EL Parking?

I don%26#39;t believe that it will be a problem to park at Forest Park during the week. While I don%26#39;t regularly take the ';L'; during the week, the times I have there has been plenty of parking. The Forest Park station has room for over 1000 cars. I think that most ';L'; commuters tend to either walk or take a bus to the stations.

make word remember

Best Bars

My husband and I are going to Chicago with 6 others and want to go out on the town and drink the night away. We are wanting to have a decent dinner somewhere to start the night out. Suggestions on dinner are welcome. We of course will most likely be going to the Rush Street area and I would like a few suggestions from those who have experianced different bars themselves. We like more laid back bars where we can actually hear each other when we talk to one another. I wouldn%26#39;t mind dancing too but maybe something still where they have a seperate area to relax and hear one another talk. We would prefere ones without cover charges if at all possible.

Best Bars

Rockit Bar and Finn Mccools are exactly what you describe, except I don%26#39;t know if there are any bars that aren%26#39;t loud on the weekends in the rush street area.

Best Bars

They%26#39;re all loud on Rush St, and the people who come to those bars really leave that area a mess afterwards. The River North area (such as Rockit, mentioned above) is what I%26#39;d recommend more.

If your more interested in Lounges and Wine Bars than Bars. And want to stay in the area.

I would suggest:

BIN 36

339 North Dearborn

Pops for Champagne

601 N. State St.

Lounge at

SushiSamba Rio

504 N. Wells St.

Where to stay?

My wife are making our first trip to Chicago in mid July. We are taking in a cubs game and going to enjoy the city for a weekend. We have looked and looked for a quality hotel at a reasonable price. Could anyone give some advice

Where to stay?

What are your dates of travel and what is the max you want to spend per night on a room? Once you provide these details, I%26#39;d be happy to do some research and make some suggestions.

Where to stay?

We are flying in on July 13th and staying until the 16th. I would love to stay around $150 but not sure that is possible. I have checked several places out but just not sure... Best Western Grant Park? Any others?

Wyndham Glenview Suites

Hi everyone! As an anniversary gift, I was thinking about planning a trip to Chicago. I was hoping for some feedback on this idea. I was searching for a location that is close to all of Chicago鈥檚 museums and theaters, but also a relaxing environment since we are both always on the go. I came across the Wyndham Glenview Suites and was wondering if anyone has stayed there before and if this hotel would suit our interests? I would appreciate any information regarding the Glenview Suites. Thanks. Ben

Wyndham Glenview Suites

I haven%26#39;t stayed there, but Glenview is a nice area and it is close to the train. I would also highly, highly recommend heading over to the nearby Chicago Botanic Gardens (chicagobotanic.org) in Glencoe, which is a beautiful place for a romantic walk (quite a few weddings take place there, too.) Depending on when you%26#39;re coming, you could also take in a concert at the famed Ravinia Festival (ravinia.org.)

A really nice newer hotel (although one that would be further North) is the Westin North Shore. Aside from the Wyndham, other nearby hotels include the Hilton Northbrook and, in nearby Skokie, the recently renovated Doubletree.

Wyndham Glenview Suites

Actually, what that hotel is close to is Hwy. 294. It is near the forest preserve, though, and a nice historic area owned by the Glenview Park District. It isn%26#39;t a bad area, but it%26#39;s not what I would call ';close to Chicago%26#39;s museums and theaters.'; I

Staybridge Suites in Glenview is right next to the North Glenview (';The Glen';) train station. That will get you downtown in 40 minutes, but you%26#39;ll be tied to the train schedule. If you really want to be out at night, and have only a short visit, get a room downtown via Hotwire, hotrooms.com or another discount site.

good makeup

Nice but Inexpensive Dinner Suggestions?

My husband and I will be going to Chicago during the 4th and are staying at the W Chicago Lakeshore. I am wanting to go to dinner at a place where we are not going to spend $100 to $200. Can anybody suggest a good resturant moderatly priced in the Magnificant Mile area or close to our hotel? We like casual settings with a good atmosphere and style of food is limitless.

Nice but Inexpensive Dinner Suggestions?

Mag mile for dinner will be expensive. You can probably stretch your money a little bit further if at lunch if you%26#39;re really looking for a bargain.

OYSY is a sushi place on Grand just east of Rush street. They have a good, creative menu, and plenty of rolls in the $8-12 range.

Boston Blackie%26#39;s serves up a killer burger. They%26#39;re also on Grand a bit east of Michigan. It%26#39;s been around for ages, and for good reason.

1492 serves up some creative tapas in a beautiful old mansion on a tree-lined street. They have a fair amount of outdoor seating as well. Tapas start around $5 or $6, and there%26#39;s plenty to choose from under $10. They%26#39;re on Superior just past Wabash.

Also check out Metromix.com a longer list of suggestions.

Nice but Inexpensive Dinner Suggestions?

Yes,

checkout metromix.com

In addition you can use http://chicago.menupages.com/

You can usually find the restaurant menu with prices.

Thank you so much and I will be looking at those sites

a little over a month ago, this very topic was discussed...if you do a thourough search on this board you%26#39;ll find some suggestions.

Outside of the restaurants Skeeter tends to suggest and steak places, most other restaurants discussed on here will run you under $80 for a couple including tip.

Some of the best downtown values are Cafe Iberico, Wildfire and any of the pizza places.

If you specify some of the cuisines you%26#39;re looking for you may also get more recommendations.

鈥ripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g35805-d4鈥?/a>

I think you would like the Grand Lux Cafe, 600 N. Michigan at Ontario. The entrance is on Ontario between Rush and Michigan. What a nice place, great atmosphere and menu, but not super expensive. Try to get a window seat, but it%26#39;s all good.

Check out the reviews.

The hotel itself has a decent outdoor area with pretty good food. Nice views of the lake.