Our first trip to Chicago

We will be in Chicago from June 30 to July 6. Some things we are interested in seeing are the boat cruise, Museum of Science and Technology, Hancock Observatory, Sears Tower, Northwestern University, Franklyn Lloyd Wright home, and Magnificent Mile.

We can also rent a car and have been given ideas of Starved Rock and Mathiason State Park, Lake Geneva, Wi., or New Buffalo, Mi.

Can you tell us what you think the best itinerary for the trip woud be.

Thanks so much in advance.

Our first trip to Chicago

Please allow 1/2 to a full day for the MSI. It%26#39;s huge. CTA #10 bus will get you there.

You don%26#39;t need to see both the Sears Tower and Hancock. Skip the Sears. Hancock is in a better location from a tourist standpoint.

You can take the CTA red and purple line trains from downtown to Evanston for Northwestern. The green line train will get you to Oak Park for Frank Lloyd Wright stuff.

Transitchicago.com for public transit information. A CTA visitor pass might come in handy for your visit.

You can easily fill all of your days in the Chicago area. You don%26#39;t need a car here. Any particular reason you want to rent a car and drive to your other destinations?

Our first trip to Chicago

You%26#39;ll be in town during Taste of Chicago. Yes it will have crowds but lots of food and culture to boot! And free tunes.

I think Wright%26#39;s home and studio in Oak Park is a must see. The tour is definitely interesting. You can access Oak Park via the green line El. Not sure though how easy it is to catch a cab from the El. A car rental would be my choice for getting out to Oak Park. New Buffalo is very mellow compared to the city. Good antiquing though.

It%26#39;s just a few (very pleasant) blocks walk from the Green Line L stations at Oak Park or Harlem to the FLW Home %26amp; Studio., no need for a taxi.

Thanks for the added info, ChipSet. We used to live in Oak Park and always drove to FLW. I didn%26#39;t realize it was easily accessible from the train - another incentive to make the trip!

There are a few choices for the architectural boat cruise. I%26#39;ve done the Seadog and enjoyed it a lot. I believe there is a buy 1, get 1 free coupon for the Seadog in the entertainment book if you have one. The savings on that ticket more than pays for the book.

I second the idea of devoting your entire six days to Chicago. Six days is not a long time...especially since you are headed to some ';suburb'; destinations. If you want to hang out on a beach for a day, check out some of the beautiful Chicago beaches, or combine it with your Northwestern University day. There%26#39;s a beautiful beach just south of campus, by Medill Hall. For your architectural boat tour, check out the Chicago Architecture Foundation website. They have the most knowledgeable docents. It%26#39;s www.architecture.org...and you%26#39;ll see on the site they offer lots of other amazing tours of old buildings and historic skyscrapers. They%26#39;re great.

Also, you don%26#39;t list the Art Institute as a destination...is that because you%26#39;ve seen it before? If you haven%26#39;t, I highly recommend it. It is the best art museum in the country, outside the Met, in my mind.

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