Chicago, IL

[tinkerbell615]

Okay guys... Me and DH are thinking about making a two day trip to Chicago at the end of March. I have been pricing hotels on the magnificent mile. Does anyone have any suggestions on places to stay, the best things to do, places to eat on a short two day stay. We have never been to Chicago, and know nothing about the area.

I don't know if you are allowed to say, but are there any websites that you use to get the best rates for hotels?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[davper]

I have only been there once for 2 days myself.

Check out the museum of science and industry and the egg. If you love live Blues, then Chicago has lots of it playing at various clubs.
There was a great breakfast diner in the Boystown neighborhood. I just don't remember the name.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

........Check out the museum of science and industry and the egg.

I think you mean the bean at Millennium Park. Museum of Science and Industry is great. Lots of stuff to do for everyone, but it is a bit of a hike from the Mag Mile (even in an Uber).

I always check Hotwire.com for hotels when family and friends come to visit. It's easy to isolate the area you want to stay in. Check out betterbidding.com to get an idea of which hotel you're likely to receive.

Not sure if you'll have a car when you're here, but having a car is pretty impractical when you're staying in the city. Better to take the CTA or use Uber. And most hotels don't include parking in their daily rates.

There are plenty of things to do within walking/Uber distance of the Mag Mile, you just have to narrow down what you want to see and do. The Art Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, Navy Pier, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium are all close to where you'll be.

 

[Shrfleen]

We took our first trip to Chicago last year to see Hamilton. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Majestic Chicago (Theatre District). We purchased the Chicago Trolley Hop On Hop Off Tour, visited the Field Museum of Natural History,
Millennium Park (Cloud Gate aka The Bean) and the Art Institute of Chicago. I really enjoyed the Trolley Tour because our tour guide was awesome and knew a lot of the history behind Chicago and we got to see a lot of the city.

 

[robinb]

I have stayed at a number of hotels in Chicago (Hyatt Regency, Swissotel, Fairmont, Sheraton, Hilton Chicago, Palmer House, Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, Embassy Suites, Conrad, Whitehall, the Tremont, the Drake, the Westin, Hampton Inns and Hilton Suites and more) and would go back to any of them. The Drake and Conrad were my personal favorites, but my husband is HHonors Diamond and they take care of us.

I use TripAdvisor when I search for a hotel but they do censor some bad reviews.

I would probably take some kind of tour like @Shrfleen suggests. Too bad it will be too cold for a lake/river tour. Cloud Gate is a *must do*. If the day is clear, I would go up to the top of one of the skyscrapers, either the Hancock Building or Sears ... um Willis ... Tower. There is a bar and restaurant at the top of the Hancock Building: https://www.signatureroom.com/lounge/ . The restaurant is expensive but you can go up to the 96th floor for a cocktail and enjoy the view for the price of 2 drinks. I would also suggest that you consider eating at one of the Chicago pizza places. My preference is Unos/Dues. You can't go wrong with any of the Chicago museums and I really like the Shedd Aquarium.

 

[davper]

I think you mean the bean at Millennium Park. Museum of Science and Industry is great. Lots of stuff to do for everyone, but it is a bit of a hike from the Mag Mile (even in an Uber).

I always check Hotwire.com for hotels when family and friends come to visit. It's easy to isolate the area you want to stay in. Check out betterbidding.com to get an idea of which hotel you're likely to receive.

Not sure if you'll have a car when you're here, but having a car is pretty impractical when you're staying in the city. Better to take the CTA or use Uber. And most hotels don't include parking in their daily rates.

There are plenty of things to do within walking/Uber distance of the Mag Mile, you just have to narrow down what you want to see and do. The Art Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, Navy Pier, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium are all close to where you'll be.

Yes, I meant the bean.

 

[ajwolfe]

Following along as we are considering a quick weekend trip in June.

 

[Eureka]

I was in Chicago last year for work and stayed at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Ave. Have no idea how much it cost because it was on the company account, but the location was prime, right across the street from Grant Park. I ate at the Eleven City Diner and it was great. I had breakfast there but it's open all day I think. It was a few blocks from the hotel toward the convention center. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do anything else in the city, which was too bad.

 

[robinb]

I was in Chicago last year for work and stayed at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Ave. Have no idea how much it cost because it was on the company account, but the location was prime, right across the street from Grant Park. I ate at the Eleven City Diner and it was great. I had breakfast there but it's open all day I think. It was a few blocks from the hotel toward the convention center. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do anything else in the city, which was too bad.

I love the Chicago Hilton, but I would not consider it a "prime" location. It's in the South Loop, about a mile south of the river while the Magnificent Mile is north of the river. It's also still about a mile walk to the Shedd or the Field Museum. I would certainly stay there again, but if I prefer to me more in the middle of the city and I wouldn't stay any farther south than the Palmer House.

 

[Tanzanite]

We stayed Fairfield Inn and Suites River North it was very nice .We always got a nice greeting on our return each day I have also stayed at the Hyatt loved both hotels.We walked everywhere love Chicago.

 

[tannerandcatesmom]

I go every year for a girls trip! Usually stay in River North, either the Marriot Magnificent Mile or the Hilton Garden Inn on Grand Avenue. We stay at The Drake when we have a special occasion to celebrate. Our favorite dinner restaurant is Joe’s Stone Crab. We love Shaw’s for seafood and Volare for Italian. Lou Malnati’s is our favorite pizza place. For breakfast/brunch Pierrot Gourmet is fabulous, it is on the corner of Superior and Rush. Yolk! is very good for breakfast as well.

As far as must do places to visit - The Museum of Science & Industry is great, so is The Field Museum. Navy Pier is fun but March is not the best time for it. Tilt in the Hancock Building is alot of fun, scary, but cool! The Skydeck in Willis Tower is really fun too - the glass ledges or amazing!

Have a great time!

 

[CoP Luv]

I go every year for a girls trip! Usually stay in River North, either the Marriot Magnificent Mile or the Hilton Garden Inn on Grand Avenue. We stay at The Drake when we have a special occasion to celebrate. Our favorite dinner restaurant is Joe’s Stone Crab. We love Shaw’s for seafood and Volare for Italian. Lou Malnati’s is our favorite pizza place. For breakfast/brunch Pierrot Gourmet is fabulous, it is on the corner of Superior and Rush. Yolk! is very good for breakfast as well.

As far as must do places to visit - The Museum of Science & Industry is great, so is The Field Museum. Navy Pier is fun but March is not the best time for it. Tilt in the Hancock Building is alot of fun, scary, but cool! The Skydeck in Willis Tower is really fun too - the glass ledges or amazing!

Have a great time!

I am so glad we share some of the same favorite restaurants. I don't think I have heard of too many non-locals who know about Volare. Yum! I think I need to plan a trip there soon.

We are from the area but sometimes take a city trip for the weekend. We most recently stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Illinois St. and last year stayed at the Embassy Suites on State St in River North. We liked the Hampton Inn much better. We have also stayed at the Omni Suites, Hyatt Regency, Drake, Allerton, Rafaello, W in the Loop...Most of these were Priceline or Hotwire deals so they were all under $100/night. We use Spot Hero for all parking.

We usually go to Joe's Stone Crab and Eataly without fail. Grand Lux Cafe is also good. Butch McGuire's for a good Irish Pub in the Gold Coast.

Have fun!

 

[tinkerbell615]

Thank.you all so very much! I really appreciate all of your knowledge and suggestions.

 

[MBELSANTI]

Don’t waste your money on a rental car, it is $60+++ a night to park at hotels. If you have to have one, check spothero. We found an overnight parking across from hotel for $22. However you can’t go in and out and we Ubered everywhere. I live in Chicago, but we were just downtown to celebrate a birthday. The Field Museum, Adler Plantarium, Shedd Aquarium and Museum of Science and Industry are great. We stayed at TheWit. It was downtown close to River North Area. We ubered to bars and millennium park. If you like to shop, the Magnificent Mile, Michigan Ave and Water Tower Place are great. Trip Advosor is a great resource. Have fun!

 

[Eureka]

I love the Chicago Hilton, but I would not consider it a "prime" location. It's in the South Loop, about a mile south of the river while the Magnificent Mile is north of the river. It's also still about a mile walk to the Shedd or the Field Museum. I would certainly stay there again, but if I prefer to me more in the middle of the city and I wouldn't stay any farther south than the Palmer House.

Maybe it was just prime for what I needed, lol.

 

[Disney mac]

If you’re looking for a tour, also check out the architectural boat tour on the Chicago river. It’s right by the Mag Mile and the hotels you are talking about. I’ve stayed in several. I’d say stay where you get a good deal. I like staying at the renaissance hotel on the river. Nice views of the river and in the theatre district if you want to catch a broadway show while you’re there. Also it’s a nice walk to Mag mile (think Main gate to 7D in Magic Kingdom)

 

[antmaril]

My son and I went to Chicago twice last year. We stayed at the Hotel Intercontinental and Embassy Suites. Both were great and locations were perfect. We love Eataly. Grand Lux is a must. We had dinner at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse and RPM Italian (yummy). Rode the Wheel at Navy Pier. Went to the Natural History Museum, which is fabulous. Did lots of shopping. Enjoy your trip. Chicago is a great town!

 

[Tikitoi]

This thread makes me look forward to going to Chicago . Have been looking into it for the past year or so. But unfortunately still won't be able to go until next year.

We will probably stay at either Intercontinental Magnificent Mile or the Conrad Chicago . I wanted to drive there (had just bought a new car) until I saw that not only do I have to pay to stay at the hotel (of course ) but also that I would have to pay a good amount to park my car there. No thanks. But certainly discovered a lot to do there so can't wait.

 

[tinkerbell615]

We will have our car, because will be driving to Chicago. I did see the parking rates! Yikes! If we do pay to park at the hotel we stay, are we able to come and go from there without repaying every time? Is it possible to drive to some of the places to see? We don't mind walking, but if my mother comes with us, I would rather her not have to walk long stretches.

You guys are awesome with all of your help.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We will have our car, because will be driving to Chicago. I did see the parking rates! Yikes! If we do pay to park at the hotel we stay, are we able to come and go from there without repaying every time? Is it possible to drive to some of the places to see? We don't mind walking, but if my mother comes with us, I would rather her not have to walk long stretches.

You guys are awesome with all of your help.

You'll have to check with the hotel. Most hotels that charge $50-$60 a day to park will let you come and go. Another challenge is in finding parking at or near the places you're going to go. There's a parking lot near Millennium Park, but it's often full and expensive (www.millenniumgarages.com/rates). Same with the Art Institute which is across the street from Millennium Park. Navy Pier has parking onsite, but the lot fills up early, especially in summer (www.navypier.org/visit/getting-here/parking-valet) and it's very expensive. A better option might be to use SpotHero (www.spothero.com) for daily parking while at the hotel (that doesn't have in and out privileges) and to use Uber for the various destinations you're going to so you don't have to worry about parking fees when you arrive. Chicago is a great city, but it's definitely easier to do and see everything you want to downtown without a car.