Anyone here from Chicago?

[jam224]

My husband has to go to Chicago next month to take a test and I was thinking about making a trip out of it for the two of us. Ivaguely recall Haley mentioning to methat there are somepeople here from that area, so I thoughtthat it would be a goodidea to post my questions here. It will be our first time staying there and I was hoping to get some feedback:

1) My husband is thinking about driving to Chicago: what is traffic like and how easy/hard is it to find parking? (I'm assuming a lot of it is paid parking?) Would it be easier to use public transportation to get around the city?

2) Any restaurant suggestions?

3) Any "must see" attractions you wouldrecommend? Anything cheap is good!

The testing center is close to the Ohare airport, if that helps any. We'll probably be there for a few days, but I'd like to get the most out of our trip. Thanks!

 

[amberelizabeth]

well i'm not really from chicago, but i've been there tons of times and my boyfriend is from there.

driving really isn't THAT bad, its crowded but its not impossible, what will get you is parking. if you are staying at a hotel downtown using their valet parking is nice, and then either walk to where you want to go or take taxis. valet parking is usually expensive, but it'd cost more to park on the street/building.

-O'Hare airport is actually like 30-45minutes (depending on traffic) from downtown chicago i believe. so, plan accordingly. i guess if you are staying out that direction, i would do public trasnportation, it'll cost you 30+ a day to park your car down there....and that's after a LOT of searching for a spot. you can get day passes for the L.

if you want to save a lot of money then yes public transportation really isn't that hard to use. the L goes to a variety of places and I found it pretty easy to use.

if you like greek food, i HIGHLY recommend greek town, any of those restuarants are aboslutely to die for! there's also a restaurant dedicated to harry carey which is pretty good, your classic bar grill. Mongolian grill is also VERY good.

must sees, well there's navy pier which is free to walk through, there are shops and then the ferris wheel thing which costs money. i'm not sure if it cost money to go into the art museum, but it is totally worth it. the chicago art museum has a GREAT collection of very nice pieces, make sure you make it to michigan ave. and state street, they are all shops but its fun to walk up and down them. see the skyline at NIGHT! its goregous! the shedd aquarium is pretty cool, i think i paid $15 to go see it last summer, it might be a little cheaper when its not during peak times. there is also the museum of science and industry thats really cool, and the museum or natural history. i like those kind of things so they were really interesting. you could probably look up and see if there are free days like on sundays or first of the months or something. look and see if there are any festivals going out, they are always fun to check out too!

i'll keep thinking of other places to go, especially cheap! i really just liek wandering around, and walking by lake michigan is always pretty!

 

[HoneyPot]

I've been there a bunch too cause I love it there. Navy Pier is always a good time, and if you can afford it, do one of the architectural boat tours - really good! Walking along the lakefront is awesome (and free). Neil and I often go to the museums or the aquarium(we take public transit from downtown) and then walk back to downtown along the water - it's a really nice way to spend a day.

 

[Haley]

We're actually going to Chicago this weekend for my cousins wedding and Im so excited! We're staying at a super nice place and its free since we're staying with my grandma and my uncle is paying for her room! lol

Parking for the hotel is like 48 a night so we'll park at a garage and walk a bit (garages are usually more like 32 a night). You can also park at Millenium Park and its more like 23 a night. Some hotels will have free or cheaper parking so check around. I usually just leave the car there-taking it out costs more and parking short term is horrendous. I walk most places or take a taxi if its further.

This is the hotel we're staying at: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ic/1/en/hotel/ordha;jsessionid=S4UOFIAXL4OXGCTGWAKCJ0QKM0YDKIY4?_requestid=565981Its expensive but some people on tripadvisor said they had used priceline and got a room there for less than 100 a night!

Ooh and my favorite pizza place if you want good Chicago pizza is Giordanos. Its so yummy! And you have to visit the Cheesecake factory, especially this time of year- they have pumpkin cheesecake! Can you tell Im hungry

 

[jam224]

Thank you, guys! This definitely gives us some ideas!

Ooo, Haley, I already know all about the tastiness that is the Cheesecake Factory, LOL! :biggrin2: Omigosh, their peach bellini is the best! Last time DH and I were down in Ohio, he treated me to dinner there (they have one in Kettering). The first one I went to was the one in DC. Tell them they need to build one in Michigan!