Chicago, vacation advice?

[MoneyGuy]

I may be going there on business late in spring or early summer and would stay around for a few extra days. I enjoy history, culture, interesting things and am willing to drive up to half a day from the city. Who has been there? What advice can you offer? We'll probably take a city tour and get soe ideas from that.

[Playfair's Hairgel]

Chicago is amazing; make sur you head to the Cheesecake Factory at the bottom of the Sears Tower. The food is amazing.

The zoo is awesome there are two of them they are both pretty good. The musuem is amazing, the entire downtown is something else. It really is a beautiful city. I dont think there was an eating establishment that wasn't good.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Cheesecake Factory? That's not THAT different from hitting Sbarro in NY.

[drewboy12]

Just spent a night in Chicago... Amazing city. I suggest riding the subway around and walking downtown at 2am... You meet interesting people thats for sure. lol. Go see the Sears tower. amazing.

While I was there someone actually shat on the subway... haha so gross yet awesome.

[CMPunk]

Go see Oprah

[Delthefunky]

House of Blues

[Delthefunky]

OH!! Try and get tickets to Buddy Guy's Legends if he's in town while your there (It's his own club)

[dobbles]

go to the aquarium, its pretty awesome.

[RinkRat13]

If you can swing a tour of Wrigley Field, you will not be sorry, very cool!
The Shedd Aquarium is amazing as was the view from the Hancock Tower on Madison Avenue. I hear the Field Museum is a good place to visit as well, I plan on going there in August, I missed it the last two times I was in Chicago.

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Playfair's Hairgel

Chicago is amazing; make sur you head to the Cheesecake Factory at the bottom of the Sears Tower. The food is amazing.

The zoo is awesome there are two of them they are both pretty good. The musuem is amazing, the entire downtown is something else. It really is a beautiful city. I dont think there was an eating establishment that wasn't good.

Oh no. Not this again.

[valo403]

There sure is a lot of awesome in this thread already

My suggestions: The architecture boat tour is a must, the field museum is world class, the aquarium as well. The whole area at Museum Campus is pretty cool, if you walk north from Soldier Field up towards the Pier you'll pass the museum and aquarium and then continue through park towards the giant bean and either into the city and The Loop or to the shore and the Pier. There's a decent beach on the North side of the Pier too.

Wrigleyville is full of bars that are usually pretty fun, although sometimes filled with tools. Rush St. is a bit more loungey I guess, but I have only been there while quite intoxicated. There's tons of good restaurants, the pizza's okay but it's a whole lot of dough to deal with at most places.

Overall, it's a pretty awesome place.

[Mr.Coffee]

National Field Museum. Evolution exhibit. Takes up an entire wing of the museum (which is huge), 2nd level. Amazing. You'll need probably a good 3 hours just in that wing of the museum. Takes you from single cell organisms all the way to human beings. It's basically in downtown by Millenium Park (also sweet by the way).

Just an awesome city. When you first walk into the museum I describe above, you'll encounter the largest TRex ever recovered. The skull couldn't fit on the body (too heavy), so they had to make a fake (lighter) replica and put the real skull elsewhere. Crazy.

[chalms04]

I'd like to hit up Lolla one of these years.

[Madman]

Make sure you hit the Sears tower instead of the John Hancock building.

[JBR]

Billygoat Tavern.. Order a hamburger, fries and a Pepsi..

Most important rule - If someone pulls a knife, you pull a gun. If they send one of your's to the hospital, you send one of those to the morgue. That's the Chicago way.

[Playfair's Hairgel]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Oh no. Not this again.

why? is there a problem with this?

[You Need a Thneed]

Check out millennium park. Have some real Chicago Deep dish pizza (one slice is almost enough to feed a whole family). Navy Pier. Check out the Art Deco architecture.

And download the pictures you take of your trip off of your camera, so that when your camera is stolen/lost 6 months later, you still have the pictures of your trip. (I speak from experience on this one)

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by Madman

Make sure you hit the Sears tower instead of the John Hancock building.

opposite, imo. Hancock building has better views

Other stuff:

Field Museum
The Chicago Art Institute
Millenium Park
Navy Pier
Chicago Culture Center
Architectural Tour
Art Deco Walking Tour thru the Loop
Catch a show - Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soliel (depending on when you come), anything at the Chicago Theater
Magnificent Mile
Eat

[nieuwy-89]

There are lots of good suggestions in this thread already. It is an amazing city and worth the extra day or two at least. The downtown is surprisingly clean and walkable for a city of its size. The highlights for us were:

- Architectural Boat Tour
- Cubs game at Wrigley field
- Sear's tower
- Riding the "EL" (but I'm a transit nerd)
- Wonderful dining, ask your maitre'd for suggestions as there are some amazing restaurants
- Buddy Guy's Legends - he was actually there the same night we were and got up on stage for about half an hour - amazing!
- Beer gardens at the end of navy pier (if the weather is nice)

[nieuwy-89]

The two things to avoid in Chicago if you can:

- any public transit/subway/EL stations after 10:00 p.m.
- O-Hare (I detest that airport)