Feedback on Chicago Attractions

Hello again.

During our trip we may have some additional time after we see all the %26#39;usual attractions%26#39; such as the Shedd, Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, Hancock Observatory, and a boat tour. With our extra time we have a few things we are considering doing to get the complete Chicago experience. We are going to skip Lincoln Park zoo for us since it%26#39;s somewhat out of the way and doesn%26#39;t really interest us for this trip. Also, we are planning staying at Swissotel and looking for things to do relatively close by. (although we have CTA pass so can venture out if the need arises)

We are looking for feedback on:

*Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Tours-any recommendations?

*Which Neighborhoods to visit? ie greektown or chinatown

*We are also looking to visit a blues/jazz-are these nonsmoking?

Two we%26#39;ve heard about are:

-Green Mill Jazz Club

-Buddy Guy%26#39;s Legend

*Chicago trolleys? Are they worth the time?

http://www.coachusa.com/chicagotrolley/

*Outdoor concert in Grant or Millennium park?

If you have any other suggestions are are near Swissotel area you would recommend please let us know this is our first trip so we are always up for trying new things.

Thanks for your help!

Feedback on Chicago Attractions

We did a self guided tour in Oak Park to see the Frank Lloyd Wright designs

http://www.oprf.com/flw/index-walk.html

or you can do a tour with the FLW Preservation Trust

http://www.wrightplus.org/

or the Chicago Architecture Foundation

www.architecture.org/tour_view.aspx?TourID=3

Neighborhoods-Greektown is really only for eating, there%26#39;s a museum there I%26#39;ve never been to but more or less it%26#39;s just restaurants along Halsted.

Chinatown-we did an interesting walking tour there once but our Chinatown is more for eating than tourism. There are some junk shops and some Chinese supermarkets and a few things to see

What I%26#39;d recommend is contacting the Chicago Greeters and see if they can do a tour for you based on your interests, are you looking for dining? Shopping? Attractions? Architecture? Tours are free but must be reserved in advance

http://www.chicagogreeter.com/

Outdoor concerts at GP and MP are free, bring along a picnic and enjoy if it%26#39;s a nice evening.

Have never done the Chicago Trolley tour, what I can recommend is one of the boat trips that goes on the Chicago River if you are interested in architecture. Most people recommend the Chicago Architecture Foundation%26#39;s River Cruise, I think unless you are a real architecture fan that the other ones are fine too-Wendella and Shoreline are a couple of the others. They also have cruises on Lake Michigan with different companies, those leave from Navy Pier.

Feedback on Chicago Attractions

If you can swing it...check out Greek Town and China Town... but if you only have time for one, I%26#39;d go with Greek Town. I know some rave and rave about China Town experiences, but there are so many restaurants to choose from, it can be overwhelming, a couple of my favs...Wing Ling, Three Happiness, Joy Yee%26#39;s Noodle Shop... Greek Town doesn%26#39; t have an overwhelming amount of restaurants... but a good variety...try Greek Isles for dinner...Artopolis is a nice Bakery/Cafe that%26#39;s great for lunch or dinner...good sandwiches, a few authentic greek dishes too and yummy desserts. Nice and casual, good coffee drinks too!

Here is the Chicago Festival guide on Metromix.com which is also a fabulous local resource!

…chicagotribune.com/events/…2491012.htmlstory

Ok good to know also looking for feedback on Second City Comedy Troupe

';We are also looking to visit a blues/jazz-are these nonsmoking?

Two we%26#39;ve heard about are:

-Green Mill Jazz Club

-Buddy Guy%26#39;s Legend';

Unfortunately, you%26#39;ll have to wait until 1/1/08. That%26#39;s when Illinois%26#39; new non-smoking law takes effect.

In the meantime - I beleive - http://www.billsbluesbar.com/index.htm is non-smoking.

And I think I just read that Andy%26#39;s Jazz Club had gone non smoking.

Second City has a well reviewed revue going on called Between Barak and a Hard Place, get tickets in advance if you want to be assured that you%26#39;ll get in. I believe if you call the box office there are no extra fees for tickets.

Only select shows at Andy%26#39;s are non-smoking.

Here%26#39;s the article I saw on Andy%26#39;s, it does appear that it%26#39;s only select shows, you can check directly with the club if it%26#39;s an issue for you

chicagotribune.com/entertainment/…