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Going to Chicago July 1st-4th...what to do?
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06-24-2008, 05:40 PM | #1 |
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Going to Chicago July 1st-4th...what to do?
Taking the wife on a mini get away for a few days next week. I seen another post of things to do in Chicago, and got some great ideas from that, but I dont know where anything is and its tough to plan that way, so Im looking for a little help. Im listing a few things I'd like to include...feel free to make suggestions accordingly.
Sears Tower Contemp. Art Mus. (I think were doing this Tues night) Mag Mile Taste of Chicago Hot Chocolate Navy Pier Golf (looking for suggestions, reasonably priced...were not that good) River cruise of architecture Fireworks on the 4th I'd like to squeeze that in 4 days. Can anyone help "group" my activities some Im not driving all over the place? Also, any suggestions on where to stay? Im not a fan of paying tons of money for a hotel room...were hardly there. Thanks for any help you can give! Ron |
06-24-2008, 07:02 PM | #2 |
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there is a lot to do, especially during that time. FYI, fireworks in Chicago are great, but they are on July 3rd. Taste of Chicago is a madhouse but worth going once. Unless you like huge crowds and stumbling over people, avoid the taste on the 3rd or 4th. More than 1million people head towards the lakefront for the fireworks, so leave some time to arrive to arrive and get a spot to watch the fireworks. A great option is to call and get tickets on a boat to watch the fireworks from the lake, being on a boat is the best view. Here is a good deal, http://www.wendellaboats.com/july3.htm or try http://www.mercuryskylinecruiseline.com/
Needless to say there are thousands of restaurants. here are some of my favorites Haro (Tapas) Que Rico, Salpicon, Mayan Palace (mexican) West Egg, Toast, Austrian Bakery, bongo room, Mhenry, yolk, ann sathers (breakfast) Cafe 28 (great latin cuisine) the creperie, crepes courtre (crepes) mollys cupcakes, sugar, ethels, hot choclate, annettes homemade italian ice (desert) piece, pequods, pizza rustica, chicago pizza & oven grinder co. , crust(pizza) moodys, boston blackies (great burgers) uncommon ground, iguana cafe (coffee house) pennys, dao (thai) sultans market, noon a kabob (persian) casual drinks... try small bar, jacks (on southport), hopleaf casual golf, park district at irving park and the lake, driving range at diversey and the lake Chicago is made of neighborhoods, besides downtown take a drive down these streets to get a flavor of some hot areas of Chicago. I know you dont want to drive all over the place but to really see Chicago you have to get out of downtown and see other parts also. take Clark Ave from Fullerton to Addision (Lincoln Park, Lakeview , wrigleyville) take North Ave. from Ashland to Western take Damen from Webster to Chicago Ave. take MIlwaukee from Division to Armitage take Clark from Foster to Bryn Mar (andersonville) take wells from division to lincoln (old town) take division from western to ashland take chicago ave from western to ashland take southport from addision to diversey Sooooo much to see, give us an idea of what your looking for, anyways hope this helps some. You can check Yelp website for reviews, addresses , menus of the restaurants etc.
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06-24-2008, 09:24 PM | #3 |
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First of all, I would highly recommend you DO NOT visit Taste of Chicago. My friends and I have hated it last year. It was very crowded, mixed/ heavy food smell everywhere and the quality of the food was horrible.
Thinking you have only 4 days, definitely spend some time at: - Michigan Ave - Rush street (Ohio thru Maple) (Check out the Bentley Dealer at 834 N. Rush. They carry Lambo's, Ferrari's, Rolls Royce etc. Yesterday there was a Bugatti Veyron) - North Ave beach. These are all close to each other and would take 4-5 hours to walk around/ stop for a few drinks etc. Another half day activity could be to go to Damen & Division intersection and walk East and West on Damen. There are several cafes with outside seating, nice restaurants and retail around. From there, you can walk North on Damen until you cross North Ave. Again walk couple of blocks on North and Milwaukee Ave. Nice cafes, retail etc. I highly recommend Northside Bar and Grill to eat & drink. For the 3rd day, as another half day activity, you may want to see Southport corridor. Start at Belmont & Southport and walk on Southport up north. Similar to Division and Damen, several cafes with outside seating. Other than these, you may want to visit Shedd Aquarium and Field's Museum if you are interested. Check out their websites. Enjoy. |
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06-25-2008, 12:12 AM | #4 |
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Hope you are staying downtown... don't even think about trying to drive anywhere that weekend. Try to find a hotel in the loop... you might end up paying like $140 a night but you'll save SOOOO much more time than trying to commute around.
Hit up a Sox game if you get the chance... I'm going on the 6th. They usually have fireworks after the games like the 1st-4th |
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06-25-2008, 09:47 AM | #5 | |
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youve got a great list set up there , i always recommend hot chocolate to anyone who visits chicago, it's a must. try their "black and tan" hot chocolate, it's probably the best you could ever have, their milkshakes are amazing as well. the taste of chicago will be ......crazy. however ,it's still worth chceking out if u can handle the crazy crowds everywhere. if you're looking for a hotel u can find some cheap ones close to downtown, look in the loop, the hotels wont be as "ritzy", but the location will be central to everything, i think that commuting might be a bit of a pain, so i would avoid the suburbs. sometimes if u look on craigslist u can get great deals on people renting their apartments for a few days at a time, so check that out. in terms of other things to do, check out lincoln park and bucktown as well, they are great neighborhoods with a lot of cool shopping and stuff. navy pier has the "seadog" which gives architectural tours but ALSO gives a speedboat tour of chicago, so that's definitely worth checking out. the play "wicked" and 'jersey boys' has been really popular. stand up comedy at "zanies" , "second city" , and other improv type shows is popular. ' good luck and enjoy the city! |
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06-25-2008, 10:24 AM | #6 |
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Everyone's suggestions are great, one more to add while you here.
You must try the Chicago mix at Garretts Popcorn. http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/
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06-25-2008, 11:03 AM | #7 |
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Ice Cream = Margie's Candies.
NY Deli = Manny's Late Night Hot Dog = Weiner Circle or Rockstar Dog Beach = Oak Street (relaxing) North Ave (Spring Break) Doggy Beach = Montrose Street Rooftop Dinner / Drinks / All you can eat = ZED 451 Coffee with scenery = The little spot in Mariano Park aka Viagra Triangle Island Cheap hotels = Hotwire or Priceline Brunch = see above, great suggestions and MoMA Omelettes (Gold Coast) = Cafe Tempo Crack = Garrett Popcorn. Last Minute Tickets = Craigslist Best Beer Selection = Map Room If not going to the beach = Millenium Park or Lincoln Park. Best hotel bathroom for a quick pitstop = Palmer House Hilton, Sofitel, Drake, Hotel Saks Chicago websites = Chicagoist. Gapersblock. Chicago Reader. Timeout. Metromix Enjoy. |
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06-25-2008, 12:42 PM | #8 | |
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I think you meant to say walk east and west on Division.
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06-25-2008, 12:47 PM | #9 |
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In July??? Wouldn't you rather have something to drink?
I don't know how long your stay will be and if you will ever return but if you are into museums then you must visit the Museum of Science and Industry. Plan a whole day if you do visit it. I know it's not a cool thing to do but it's place not to be missed if you can fit it in.
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06-25-2008, 10:14 PM | #10 |
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Thanks for all the great info! We should have no shortage of stuff to do, thats for certain.
I am pricing rooms out, and I found one that is reasonable that seems rather central to the touristy stuff we'll be doing. Its called the Allerton...any reason NOT to stay here? Seems to be priced right, and most reviews said that it was clean...those are the important points as far as Im concerned. BTW, what is the best way to get around town? Taxi? I have to believe that my little-town head will explode with the volume of traffic Im envisioning... |
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06-25-2008, 11:27 PM | #11 | |
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http://chicago-hotels.tripadvisor.co..._Illinois.html that link should have some candid pics of the rooms. enjoy your stay! |
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06-25-2008, 11:36 PM | #12 |
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taxi is essential to getting around town... or walking if its close enough.
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06-28-2008, 04:25 PM | #14 |
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The Allerton is one block from the hospital I work at (Northwestern). Its a perfect location to see the traditional tourist areas (but consider leaving downtown for a day to see other areas). Within a few blocks you have some great choices of restaurants. If you want to lay down lots of $$$ (at least 100 per person)then you can eat pretty much across the street from your hotel at TRU. But, other restaurants that are good and literally all within 5 blocks oh the hotel are WestEgg (bfast), Corner Bakery (Bfast, coffee), Capital Grill(great steaks etc), Coco Pazzo (italian), Bice (italian) Bandera(american) Potbellys (cheap good sandwiches) Dao(thai) Niu (great sushi). Catch a drink a block away at the Omni hotel bar overlooking Mich. Ave.(decent food for lunch also, not crowded).
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06-29-2008, 09:24 PM | #15 |
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Thanks for all the advice folks. The hotel is booked, and we found an architecture boat trip that starts at 8:30 PM on the 4th, so we'll get to see the fireworks from a boat as suggested. Should be fun.
I have couple of final questions... 1. How do you guys deal with the parking prices? I just seen that the price is 51 dollars a night to park at the hotel. That is just crooked. Is there a better alternative? I searched around online, and seen that there are parking garages that charge about half that, but Im concerned about security. Do I really have to pay the wallet-raping charges of the hotel? 2. Im coming from Ohio...are there any roads or time frames I should try to avoid either coming or going? Thanks in advance... |
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06-29-2008, 11:59 PM | #16 |
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parking in the overnight garages downtown is usually just fine, they are roughly 33 bucks a night but they are safe, especially the northwestern garage which shouldn't be too far from your hotel. just lock the doors and dont leave anything expensive out in the open. i've left my car overnight on the street plenty of times with no problems.
if ure doing the boat architectural tour, check out the "SEADOG EXTREME" speedboat ride at navy pier, i just went on it yesterday and it was amaaaazing! enjoy your stay. |
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06-30-2008, 08:57 PM | #17 |
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dont forget the fireworks in Chicago are always on the 3rd of July NOT on the 4th, consult with the boat company
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06-30-2008, 09:59 PM | #18 |
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Thanks so much for your help everyone. You all made planning this MUCH easier. This forum rules...
Here is the website for the 4th fireworks: http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com/fireworkscruise.php I think the sightseeing company may put on thier own small display, but the city does thiers on the 3rd. Oh well, Im positive it will still be a nice time. Thanks again everyone! |
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07-07-2008, 11:29 AM | #19 |
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Thanks again to everyone who gave input...we had a great time. We could spend the rest of the month and not do everything we would have liked. I'll be back for sure...
BTW, whoever suggested Garretts popcorn, thank you very much...I now have a new monthly expense. That stuff is crazy-awesome! |
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07-10-2008, 05:31 AM | #20 |
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Your welcome and I am glad you liked it. It's a must stop for me every time I drive into the city along with having a beef sandwich at Mr Beef on Orleans (should have told you about that place).
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