Vacation with 7 and 9 year old the first week of July (Chicago: how much, good hotel)

[Jason4225]

I'm planning on coming to Chicago with my kids by way of the Amtrak on July 1st and staying the entire week. Just looking for some recommendations or advice about the trip.

I've been looking at many places to stay on different travel websites and may have settled on the Sofitel. Seems like I could get a reasonable price and it looks interesting.

Some of the places we are thinking of visiting are the Navy Pier-mainly for the ferris wheel, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Sears Tower.

We will likely watch the fireworks on the 4th, we will just have to find a decent vantage point.

Any comments or suggestions of other things we could do during the trip? Or any recommendations for the places I listed? Exhibits to make sure we see or ones to skip?

[Bluefox]

I'd also consider the Shedd Aquarium and maybe the Adler Planetarium and Lincoln Park Zoo for the kids depending on how much time you have. Definitely the Shedd though, it's really awesome for kids and adults.

[snoylekim]

Second adding the Shedd .. the other sites you've picked will be 'awesome' for the kids .. I've also taken kids to the Art Institute .. the guys like the 'gory' paintings , then the Suit of Armor collection .. but I'd work the zoo in first if you have extra time .

[Lucky Clover]

Don't forget to visit the neighborhoods. A lot of tourists either don't know or forget to visit the neighborhoods such as Lakeview, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, etc. You can find some hidden gems for dining and shopping in the neighborhoods.

[chicagobear]

Take them on the El, especially the Brown Line as it circles through the Loop.

[hindukid]

Definitely add millenium park and lincoln park zoo to your list. Cubs game might be fun.

[Jason4225]

Millenium Park is definitely in the plans, I forgot to list it. I have considered the Adler Planetaruim. The Shedd Aquarium I'm debating. My neighbor used to live in Chicago and said that the Shedd wasn't worth the wait. Being from Omaha, we have a world class zoo in the Henry Doorly with a really nice aquarium so those aren't as high on the list.

Visiting the neighborhoods is a great idea. I like finding non chain places to eat that are off the beaten path.

We will mainly be using the El to get around with the bus and taxis being possible as well.

I went to school in Naperville for a year and a half back in the 90's and went to a Cubs game which was a great experience. If we have the time, I'll try to fit that in. Unfortunately when I lived in Naperville I didn't go to Chicago nearly enough, so I'm going to try and visit all of the stuff I missed back then.

How much time should I figure with the Navy Pier, the Field Museum, and the Museum of Science and Industry? Also, would it be worth taking a boat tour?

With all of the stuff I want to visit, this may turn into two trips to get it all in. 4 days won't be enough time.

[marothisu]

* Sofitel is in a good area. I live right in the area and while it's kind of "downtown" it's still pretty quiet and it's a good hotel. The little plaza across the street also added a greenhouse tea house in the middle with a bunch of outdoor seating to hang out in too. It's near the train line and near Michigan Avenue too. I will say that there MIGHT be construction going on near there when you come but not sure. There is two lots, one on the corner of State & Chestnut and one of the corner of State & Pearson which are getting ready to be torn down to be replaced with new buildings. SO who knows...

There is a 24 hour diner right near Sofitel that has decent breakfast, BUT if you are to get brunch/breakfast, then I actually recommend this place. Their food is amazing and it's maybe a 20 minute walk with kids from Sofitel (maybe more, but you can take a bus and get there faster):

Meli Café & Juice Bar - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

There is also a decent "gourmet grocer" near Sofitel which has some decent sandwiches, made to order salads, sweets (i.e. cake, cupcakes, etc), etc

The Goddess and Grocer - Near North Side - Chicago, IL

I would also suggest walking north along Rush Street from the hotel to this one area, which is called the "Viagra Triangle" (older rich guys with nice cars and young women gold digging) and it is very vibrant on a nice summer day. There is a plaza in the middle of it that has coffee, tea, and gelato that is open until midnight every day, and 2am on Friday/Saturday.

Whispers Cafe - Near North Side - Chicago, IL


If you continue walking north on this street (which merges into State Street) and go north of Division, you all of a sudden come upon a bunch of nice old mansions, huge row homes, etc. In fact, the original Playboy Mansion is up here.

Playboy Mansion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


* A boat tour is a must IMO, especially if you're interested in architecture, history, etc. You can't go wrong with any of the companies (I have been on all).

* There are a ton of museums in Chicago that aren't on the "radar" of tourists such as the Museums at the University of Chicago(i.e. Oriental Institute | Museum & Public Education) , Museum of Contemporary Photography (Museum of Contemporary Photography), National Museum of Mexican Art (National Museum of Mexican Art), etc.

* Other neighborhoods IMO is a must if you want to get more out of your visit food wise. No offense to my area, but there's better food on average for cheaper outside of here. Lot of good food down here, but they charge a little extra since it's "downtown."

My friend from college was visiting me this weekend with his friend. I couldn't be with them all the time (they were here for an event), but I took them to a Korean run Chinese restaurant in Albany Park for dinner one night. I just remember one of them biting into one of the chicken wings and saying "this is possibly the best chicken wing I've ever had." Before they left today, my friend's friend said that meal was one of the best he'd had in months. We had about 20 chicken wings, a huge plate of a korean/chinese noodle dish (I'm talking about it could feed a whole family), and sweet and sour pork for $11/person after tip and tax. They had some other more touristic stuff when I wasn't with them and regretted it.

Chicago has a Chinatown, although the red line this summer won't be running to it, BUT you can get a shuttle bus at the Roosevelt stop which is not terribly far from there. There is also a Little Vietnam at the Argyle red line stop which has some decent/good vietnamese food. Also Little India on Devon Street way north. There is also a Koreatown, or what's left of it, in Albany Park. Albany Park has a bunch of stuff and if you want some decent middle eastern food, then there's some on Kedzie Ave off the Kedzie Brown Line stop - restaurants, small markets, and bakeries.

There is a lot of good food "downtown" and some of it can be cheap

[prinsessa]

We did the architecture boat tour with some out-of-town visitors and it was a lot of fun. There were several kids with us and they all enjoyed it.

My 9-year-old really likes the Art Institute. I took him to see the Picasso exhibit. His favorite part was miniature exhibit in the basement.

Chinatown is a lot of fun for kids. We go there frequently to eat, look in the shops, buy Chinese candy and drink bubble teas. You could do dinner there one day. You can also find some really good lunch specials during the week (M-F).

I'm not that impressed with The Shedd Aquarium. I think it is way overpriced. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by prinsessa

I'm not that impressed with The Shedd Aquarium. I think it is way overpriced. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there.

I agree, it's a nice aquarium, but I am not a fan of most aquariums. I think a recent cool one I saw was the one in Singapore which coupled it with a maritime type of theme. It showed the maritime traditions and history of various Asian/SE Asian culture/countries. They even had a few old ships in there and one where they made us believe it was an actual shipwreck from hundreds of years ago. You started out at the maritime museum, then went into a small imax type of theatre that was interactive (i.e. they had wind, some water mist sprayed on us, and the seating moved downwards). That led into a huge tank with the ship we were "just in" and then that led into the aquarium. That was pretty cool - I wish the Shedd did something like that. Regular aquariums have been done too many times.

Maritime Museum | SEA Aquarium | Resorts World Sentosa

P.S. on wednesdays in the summer, the Shedd has live jazz (costs money) at night.