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For someone spending only one night in Chicago, needing to leave via Amtrak, I would definitely NOT recommend trying to take in sites beyond the greater Loop/Museum Campus/ Navy Pier/Michigan Ave beaten path with the possible exception of the Chinatown area, which is pretty easy to get to via the El...
Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the smaller such facilities in the US and probably not worth the time and cost of getting there from downtown.
Although the work of Mr. Wright is a significant attraction to those who appreciate architecture I would question the wisdom of trying to take in the home & studio or nearby sites in Oak Park with children so young. It might be easier to pop into the Rookery and just let the kids look up through the atrium and take some cute pictures on the stairs(which I suspect we did many years when our kids were that age...). My wife and I have been members of the Wright Foundation for many years, the foundation supports its many expenses (recently ownership of the home/ studio has been transferred to the foundation) by charging modest fees for MP3 audio guides and maps of both the Oak Park Wright sites as well as Robie House and other architecturally significant site sin Hyde Park. Frank Lloyd Wright Calendar of Events Frank Lloyd Wright Calendar of Events
1) If you do get in a cab downtown, just to go somewhere and not walk...it's easier to give an intersection usually. If you tell them something like "Ontario and Rush please" it will register faster than saying "730 N Rush please." Also, it will make you seem more like a local and although it doesn't happen THAT much, sometimes cabbies will take you the extra block if they think you're a tourist, if you know what I mean.
2) If you and/or your kids/wife like really nice sports cars, there's a Lamborghini/Ferrari dealership at the intersection of Rush and Pearson. They also sell Rolls Royce and Bentley there. Coolest thing is they have a Bugatti Veyron in there (over $1 million sports car, fastest street legal car on earth) and you can go inside the dealership to look around..just don't touch the cars unless you're serious about buying them (you can see the cars from the outside too).
Quote:
Originally Posted by linicx
Chicago is famous for its Chicago hot dog and pizza. I don't know where you find it downtown, though.
Hot dog and pizza downtown?
Pizza: Lou Malnati's - 439 N Wells (Wells and Illinois) and 1120 N State (State and Cedar). The State Street one is (like last summer), but is pretty busy everytime I go there. I love the pizza though. In the area near State though is a triangular area too where people sit out and talk...they have a coffee/tea place that sells Gelato there until maybe 2am in the summer..so if you're in the area, check it out.
Gino's East - 633 N Wells (Wells and Ontario) and 162 E Superior (Superior and St. Clair). The N Wells one is the original.
Giordano's - 730 N Rush (Rush and Superior)
Pizzano's - 864 N State Street (near intersection of State and Chestnut)
Pizzeria Uno/Due - 29 E Ohio St for Uno (Ohio and Wabash), 619 N Wabash St for Due (Ontario and Wabash) ---> Here's a secret. Pizzeria Uno and Due are really the same things, even though it's two pizza joints a block apart. I think on average Pizzeria Uno is busier because out of towners aren't aware of this.
Hot Dogs:
Portillo's - 100 W Ontario (Ontario and Clark). Downtown Dogs - 804 N Rush (Rush and Chicago)
Also if you're looking for Italian Beef, then there's Al's Beef (169 W Ontario...Ontario and Wells) or Mr. Beef (666 N Orleans...Orleans and Huron)
Although the work of Mr. Wright is a significant attraction to those who appreciate architecture I would question the wisdom of trying to take in the home & studio or nearby sites in Oak Park with children so young.
Yeah for only being there a day, for sure. If the OP does love amazing old architecture, then I would recommend seeing some of the old mansions in the Gold Coast (i.e. the original Playboy Mansion which is massive) instead, due to time constraints.. A lot of impressive places..turn of the century too. If OP is interested, then walk to State and Division, and then walk north on State from there. Go onto some of the other streets (like Astor (which runs parallel to State), Schiller, Banks,etc)..you won't even think you're in downtown Chicago anymore. It's pretty interesting seeing high rises mixed in with mansions all on tree-lined residential streets. From there too, just walk a little east and you're at the lake.
Forgot to add...Wendella starts basically at the foot of the Wrigley Building, Chicago Architecture Foundation is across the river from that...and Shoreline is more towards Navy Pier.
So, whats your advise on these three options. Are they crazy ? I miss something ?
(1) Pick-up a rental car from ORD and drop at CHI
The problem is, as a new comer to Chicago, it may be difficult and expensive to find a reasonable and nearby parking.
Also, does CHI have car drop-off ? Hertz has drop off at Union Station. Generally, there are NO drop-off fees within Chicago BUT you want to check that out yourself. Do realize that the cost of parking can easily be $30/ night.
(2) Hotel within 4-5 blocks of CHI and hire a cab from ORD to hotel
With this, the problem is a decent (3* and up) hotel in that area cost about $225 per night. Also, hauling bags from hotel to CHI (even if its 5-6 blocks with kids is a concern).
Generally, the best deals are on Priceline and Hotwire BUT they are nonchangeable. Generally, the best deals are at the Palmer House Hilton and the Chicago Hilton, but not always.
(3) Hotel anywhere and pay for cab(s)
It seems 4* hotel cost about $75 in priceline, if you widen your location. Then Four cabs total. One from ORD to hotel, one from Hotel to ‘spot’ on day 1, one from ‘spot’ to hotel at the end of day 1 , the last one from hotel to CHI on day 2. Store luggage in the CHI lounge and walk over to Willis and anything nearby until boarding time. If $30 average for cab, the cab costs $120 total. (May be able to swap two cabs to public transportation ?). So, it evens out with option 2. But, don’t have to haul luggage thru the streets.
Will CHI allow us to store luggage there starting, say , 8am on the day of departure ?
Yes, but it can be pricey.
Appreciate your thoughts.
As for taking the Blue Line with luggage and two YOUNG kids in tow, I do NOT think that is a good option. It is hard to keep the kids under control and carry luggage on a crowded train.
Normally I agree with the whole train and kids thing but when you get on the train at O'Hare it's generally empty and at a standstill, which makes for an orderly departure. True, if you get into transferring and all that stuff the hassle will not be worth it.
Really I would definitely prefer a cab particularly with kids in tow but it just depends how much cash the OP is willing to spend. If you're on really tight budget the train can be a lifesaver.
I would also recommend getting to Union Station at least an hour early; Amtrak departures are often a hot mess with the electronic kiosks all broken, lines 20 deep etc., as Amtrak is yet to master the art of e-ticketing. It's usually not that bad but on the other hand you never know when you're going to show up half an hour before departure and there's a line of 150 at the counter and you are in big trouble.
I can't say the best way to get from the airport to DT but here is my 2 cents.
-stay at the Best Western Grant Park. I did and it's not plush but it was clean and good staff. You need a bed..it's one night. Not expensive also.
-from there you are close to Soldier Field,Adler,Shedd and The Bean.
-take one cab to Willis if you wanna save time. Cabs in Chicago are pretty fairly priced.....4 of us went from Soldier Field to Hancock for like $14 or thereabouts.
-From Willis catch the river taxi. It's like $2 a person and is a treat in itself. Ride it to Navy Pier. Visit Navy Pier and maybe walk to Michigan Ave.
-Go back to Navy Pier and take the water Taxi over to museum campus. Fantastic and cheap way to take pics of skyline plus it gets you back over to your hotel area.
-when done on campus walk back towards Grant ParK....stop and check out the fountain..take some pics...it's a beautiful walk.
You can make a loop that starts and ends at your hotel and get a lot of major stuff in. And when you are ready to leave get a cab to Union.
If you were to take a cab to the above hotel from ORD, just one person would be over $40 after tax. Add three others and it's easily over $50 or $55. The other option if you were to stay at that hotel (this is all hypothetical), would be to take the blue line from ORD to the Jackson stop (in the Loop), then you transfer to the red line train (it's as easy as going down some stairs on the platform, walking through a tunnel, and re-emerging on the other end to the red line. You would then get off at the Grand stop. That hotel is like 5 blocks away, so easiest thing to do would be to hail a cab. The fare would probably be around $10 after tip (because of 4 people and bags). You could get CTA pass for $10 for everyone. So probably $20 total in a situation like that (maybe $22) versus probably $50-$60.
Bad idea, when they can take the blue line to the Grand Avenue bus, which would drop them off 1 block from that hotel.
Beleive me, I am not a big supporter of the CTA, that said it is cheap and easy (and maybe even almost fun...) to ride the Blue Line from O'Hare IF you don't NEED to be someplace at a specific time. Easy way to save some cash...
I too am amazed at how often the lines at Union Station get snarled. Lack of e-tickets and problems with other routing issues are both arguments to get their early. The McDonalds and Corner Bakery are Kidd friendly meal options, there is a Caribou a level up that is a nice spot to look the Chicago River. If you stay at a hotel in the district they might offer a shuttle...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnynonos
Normally I agree with the whole train and kids thing but when you get on the train at O'Hare it's generally empty and at a standstill, which makes for an orderly departure. True, if you get into transferring and all that stuff the hassle will not be worth it.
Really I would definitely prefer a cab particularly with kids in tow but it just depends how much cash the OP is willing to spend. If you're on really tight budget the train can be a lifesaver.
I would also recommend getting to Union Station at least an hour early; Amtrak departures are often a hot mess with the electronic kiosks all broken, lines 20 deep etc., as Amtrak is yet to master the art of e-ticketing. It's usually not that bad but on the other hand you never know when you're going to show up half an hour before departure and there's a line of 150 at the counter and you are in big trouble.
Bad idea, when they can take the blue line to the Grand Avenue bus, which would drop them off 1 block from that hotel.
Not really. From a confusion standpoint for someone new to the city with kids, where to get on and off the bus can be just as confusing as transferring on a train. You are assuming many things here about the OP and his family. There is confusion on where to get off as well, considering the bus does not always announce what the "next stop" is, and even when you pull the cord to say it, it might just say "Grand and..state." You have to do just as much research beforehand for riding a bus and knowing exactly where to get off than a train. It's not any different.
The point is that riding the blue line into town from ORD is EASY. Following "blue line" on the Jackson platform is easy and getting off at Grand is easy. It's just as easy/hard as riding to Jackson, going outside, navigating to a stop, and then knowing exactly where to get off.
From a cost standpoint, it will cost probably $7-$9 less total to do the bus versus hailing a cab at Grand and going to the W (if you stayed there) if you have a CTA card (25 cent transfer to the bus , yes?).
However, I don't see it as any more confusing as taking a bus. I see tourists transferring at Jackson to red every single time I've come back from O'Hare on the Blue Line.
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Strongly agree...
