Chicago Illinois
Since my husband and I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, we have spent a lot of time in Chicago and have visited many of the well known sights throughout our lives. Chicago is a great city to visit for a day trip, weekend getaway, or a longer stay. You can visit Chicago during any time of the year, although going when the weather is comfortable to walk around the city is a plus. Here is my list of fun things to do in the city.
Navy Pier is a popular place where there is usually a lot going on. There is a 150 foot-high ferris wheel, some other rides, dining, shopping, boat tours, free performances, and in the summer there is fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday night.
Millennium Park is right downtown and has an outdoor skating rink in the winter. You can ice skate while being surrounded by the cities skyscrapers.
Lincoln Park Zoo is nice to go to, especially if you have kids. The zoo is absolutely free, which is great. There are plenty of animals to see and it is nice to bring a picnic to have there.
You can go up, up, up, up and up to the observation decks of the Sears Tower or the John Hancock Building. View the city from the top obervation decks. The John Hancock Building elevator ride is actually wilder, even though it is not as tall as the Sears Tower.
Chicago Children's Museum is located at Navy Pier. It is a large children museum and all kids like it. It can get really busy and you do stay very busy keeping your eyes on your children and chasing them around.
IMAX Theatre- There is an IMAX Theatre at Navy Pier. Sometimes there are good shows playing.
Chicago Lake Front- There is 29 miles of paved walking, jogging, and biking paths along the Lake Michigan Lakefront. Great scenery.
Adler Planetarium- You can go here for the planetarium shows and learn a little bit about the solar system and stars.
Art Institute Of Chicago- If you like looking at art, this a place were you could spend hours. Lots of permanent and temporary exhibits.
Field Museum- This is Chicago's museum of natural history. Lots of floors of exhibits.
Museum Of Science And Industry- This is a fun museum for kids and adults. There are lots of interesting interactive exhibits.
Shedd Aquarium- The Shedd Aquarium is a wonderful museum. There is an awesome reef in the front of the aquarium, a new shark exhibit, and there is dolphins and beluga whales in the newer addition in the back of the building. This is a fun place for families and kids.
Theatre- Chicago is a great for catching wonderful shows. There are lots of theatres, such as the Auditorium Theatre, The Ford Theatre, and the Oriental Theatre. All of the big shows from Broadway usually make a run in Chicago. The most recent popular production in Chicago has been Wicked. I highly recommend this musical. There are also some theatrical shows that have made permanent homes in Chicago, such as Blue Man Group at the Briar Street Theatre and Tony & Tina's Wedding. You can also go to Second City for entertainment. This is where most of the stars from Saturday Night Live start out from. We have also gone to Tommy's Gun Garage, which is a roaring 20's dinner theatre in the city. You can also see super dance performances in Chicago. The Hubbard Street Dance Company and the Joffrey Ballet calls Chicago its home.
American Girl- Lots of moms like to take their little girls to the large American Girl Store in downtown Chicago on the Magnificent Mile. Here you can shop for American Girl dolls and accessories, take your doll to the beauty shop, see and American Girl live show, and eat at the American Girl restaurant, where your child's doll can sit in its own high chair. It's very cute and fun for little girls.
Horse And Carriage Rides- Horse And Carriage rides are a popular sight around downtown Chicago. You can go for a fun ride with friends or a romantic ride with someone special. You can usually catch the horse and carriage around Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue.
Beaches- In the summer time it is sometimes fun to go to the beach in the city to relax in the sand or swim in Lake Michigan. Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach with its large boat shaped building are popular beaches to go to.
Shopping- There is lots and lots of shopping in downtown Chicago. Shop along the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue and don't forget to shop at Water Tower Place. Shopping along State Street is also very popular.
Sporting Events- There is usually plenty of sporting events going on around Chicago. Go to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game, Soldier Field for a Bears Game, U.S. Cellular Field for a White Sox Game, and don't forget the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Bulls.
Oprah- Of course Chicago is home to the Oprah Winfrey Show. Get tickets to the Oprah Winfrey Show and be in the audience for a taping of the show.
Brookfield Zoo- Brookfield Zoo is a big and nice zoo. It is not directly in Chicago, but in the suburb of Riverside/Brookfield.
Kiddieland- Kiddieland is a fun amusement park to take younger kids to during the summer. It is located in the suburb of Elmwood Park.
Boat Cruises- You can take boat tours in Chicago so you can learn about the city and see the sights from the Chicago River or Lake Michigan. The Chicago River tours go through the locks, which is kind of neat.
Buckingham Fountain- Buckingham Fountain is the huge, well known fountain in Grant Park in Chicago. It is nice to go to Grant Park and see the fountain in the summer. If there is a breeze you can get cooled of from the mist from the fountain.
Chicago is know for it's great food and restaurants. There is a ton to choose from. There are also some Chicago specialities that you can only get in Chicago. Nowhere else compares when it comes to things, such as Chicago styled pizza. Here are some of our favorite places to eat in Chicago.
Giordano's Pizza- This is my favorite Chicago pizza. It is the best. I like the medium crust pizza with sausage or the stuffed pizza with cheese and spinach.
Cheesecake Factory- This a popular place. It can be pricey, but the portions are huge and the desserts are good.
Italian Village- Good Italian food and nice but small atmosphere. This is a very popular place after the shows are done at the neighboring theatres. There is an upstairs restaurant and a downstairs restaurant. We always go to the upstairs restaurant.
Berghoffs- This is our favorite German Restaurant. I started going here as a child. Good sourbraten (sp?) and root beer and fabulous strawberry shortcake.
Nick's Fishmarket- Really nice seafood, fancy and pricey.
Ed Debevic's- Perfect for kids. There is lots of action and noise at this 50's style dinner. The waiters and waitresses get up on the tables and dance. Watch out, the staff will yell at you.
Benihana's- Super Japanese restaurant where 8 to 10 people are seated around a grill and a chef will cook right in front of you. Fun and good food.
Geja's Cafe- This is a fondue restaurant. The cheese and chocolate fondue are great. It is a dark and older atmosphere and they specialize in wines. The smell of the fondue oils is very strong in the restaurant. It will stink when you walk in, although you get used to it once you are there for a while. Your clothes will stink when you leave.
Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab- This is a nice place to go for Seafood and Steak. Nice atmosphere and the sweet potato fries are yummy.
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery- A decent place to eat. It is similar to a Houilhann's restaurant.
Weber Grill Restuarant- Good food and everything is cooked on Weber grills.
There are lots of places you can choose to stay inside and outside the city. Here are the hotels that we have stayed at.
The O'Hare Marriott- This is our favorite hotel in Chicago. It is not in downtown Chicago, but by O'Hare Airport. It is easy to drive into the city from here or you can take the subway. The subway station is right next to the Marriott. The O'Hare Marriott is more relaxed than being downtown and they have a nice indoor and outdoor pool. There is also a very good breakfast and brunch buffet that they serve here.
The Palmer House is right downtown and is classy and fancy. We actually ate dinner here for our senior prom.
The Intercontinental Chicago- This is a good hotel. The rooms are decorated nicely, but the rooms are very small. The Intercontinental is know for its classic indoor pool. It is a good size pool and kind of fancy. We swam in it, but the water temperature was cold and the pool was old and had a metal bottom and sides. It was different.
The Omni- The Omni was nice. There wasn't much to it, beside the hotel rooms. The hotel room we had was nice, roomy, and contained a seperate sitting area from the bedroom.
The Marriott Downtown Chicago- The Marriott in downtown Chicago is nice and is in a good central location. The lobby is very big and contains some nice shopping.
The Doubletree- The Doubletree was actually nice and I thought it held up against the bigger name hotels in downtown Chicago.
Chicago is a wonderful city that has so much to offer. You could spend forever exploring it. It is good for a vacation, a weekend getaway, or a day trip.
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