july 4-7

New to the board, and just figured out I am going to Chicago at the wrong time of the year! However, trip is already booked and husband, teenage son and I will be staying during this time at the Embassy Suites Downtown Lakefront.

A few questions, please.

1) How long will Navy Pier take? Seems like it may be good for a couple hours, and that%26#39;s it. (we are considering a boat tour, though)

2) I want to shop. I wear plus sizes. Any recommendations on Magnificent Mile that will carry these sizes? And good prices?

3) Husband is a huge chocolate fan. Any gourmet chocolate places?

4) From reading these boards, I gather restaurants are very expensive. Both husband and son will want a lot of pizza and hotdogs. Will those things run me broke, too, or is it just the restaurants?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

july 4-7

1. As long as you%26#39;re interested. If you%26#39;re just gong to walk around, an hour or two tops.

3. Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop

www.ghirardelli.com

830 N Michigan Ave

(312) 337-9330

4. No need to go broke eating here. You can dine well within your budget. Please do a dining search on metromix.com and chicagoreader.com. You can specify budget, cuisine etc.

july 4-7

%26lt;%26lt;3) Husband is a huge chocolate fan. Any gourmet chocolate places?%26gt;%26gt;

Ethel%26#39;s Chocolates

900 n michigan ave

teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland

900 n michigan ave

http://www.teuscherchicago.com/

www.shop900.com/shops/storedirectory.asp鈥?/a>

Ethel%26#39;s Chocolate Lounge

520 North Michigan Avenue

Vosges Haut-Chocolat

520 North Michigan Avenue

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/

Sarah%26#39;s Pastries %26amp; Candies

11 East Oak Street in Chicago, Illinois

http://www.sarahscandies.com/index.php

BomBon Americano

1000 N. Clark St.

鈥hicagotribune.com/search/鈥?526230.venue

and just for fun:

Hot Chocolate

1747 N. Damen Ave.

Oh yea,

some of these chocolate places are pretty pricey

-gregdove

Pizza is probably the single least expensive dining option. A few years ago I had a group of 8 people (work colleagues); we had a few large pizzas, pitchers of beer, and with tax and a good tip it was still just $100. A large pan or stuffed pizza feeds 4 easily; if it%26#39;s just 3 of you, a medium will do.

For Belgian chocolates:

Belgian Chocolatier Piron

509 Main St

(between Chicago Ave %26amp; Hinman Ave)

Evanston, IL 60202

Leonidas

231 S La Salle St

Chicago, IL 60604

I thought Ethel%26#39;s didn%26#39;t warrant the price, actually I just didn%26#39;t think it was that good. Vosges has very interesting chocolates made with unusual ingredients but it is very pricey.

Thanks for the tips!

I will research all the chocolate places! I do remember coming across one that advertised a bacon chocolate bar...and another that had elegant desserts! I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll be existing on pizza (for the son) and chocolate (for the husband)! I%26#39;m hoping I get to squeeze in a nice restaurant for myself!

Plus size shopping downtown -

Lane Bryant

129 N Wabash Ave.

(312) 332-7063

As tempting as living on pizza, chocolate and hot dogs sounds, there are other affordable options in Chicago.

If you%26#39;re staying at the Embassy Suites that I%26#39;m thinking of, you%26#39;ll be pretty close to a Fox and Obel%26#39;s grocery not far from Navy Pier. For a grocery store, it%26#39;s a bit of a splurge, but in comparison to eating in a restaurant it isn%26#39;t. They have all kinds of gourmet food and produce, and even really good frozen dinners (like Amy%26#39;s Lasagna), which is great since you should have a microwave and fridge. www.fox-obel.com

Also, Spa Cafe is really good and cheap. They%26#39;re open M-F until 4pm, I believe. www.spacafe.com We got a lot of their food to take back to our room for dinner the first night we were there. The soups, quesaninnis, wraps and everything are wonderful. They%26#39;re a couple of blocks from Millennium Park, so you could also pick up food for a picnic. (On a previous post, someone said that there are good farmer%26#39;s markets which would be nice for picnics too. You can search for ';farmer%26#39;s markets%26#39; and find that I%26#39;m sure.)

Also, does Embassy Suites have a manager%26#39;s reception that%26#39;s a bit like a dinner? I know some that I%26#39;ve been to have.

This is definitely a splurge, but every time we go to Chicago, we try to go back to Bistro 110 by the Water Tower not far from one of the chocolate stores. Their quiche is just heavenly, and they have live musicians sometimes.

If I think of anything else, I%26#39;ll let you know.

Filene%26#39;s Basement is a good place to find bargains. You can double check, but I am almost positive they have plus sizes. They have a few locations in Chicago. http://www.filenesbasement.com/

Boat tours are nice. A lot of people really enjoy the boat tours of the river. I enjoyed it, but since you can walk most of the river, I think I would have prefered taking a boat tour on Lake Michigan, esp. the Tall Ship one. http://www.tallshipwindy.com/

OK,

I guess we should add the Chocolate Bar at The Peninsula. Never done it personally. But its there.

鈥hicagotribune.com/dining/鈥?22228.venue

chicago.peninsula.com/pch/dining_03.html