Chicago area Diser's - check in here Part 4

[MrShiny]

Hi Everyone! I was referred to this thread by some other very kind disers! We are moving from California to Rolling Meadows Ill. and were wondering how many people there were from the Chicago area on the Dis? this is very scary for us but I've heard a lot of good things. My kids are happy that we will be closer to Disney World but I wasn't sure how expensive it is to fly from there?
Thanks everyone!

You should be able to get airfare around $200 most of the year. O'Hare is much closer to you, but if you don't mind parking, Midway is doable (but definitely a longer drive!)

You'll be right next to the Woodfield Mall, which will have it's own slice of WDW this summer - the DVC store!

Rolling Meadows is a nice suburb. Lots of shopping nearby. Great Rainforest Cafe in Woodfield to, big IKEA nearby, and even Russell's BBQ right in RM, one of my favs.

Chicago's a great area. Go to a Cubs game, and do try to get downtown a little. Winters can be harsh, summers can be hot, but at least you get all four seasons (sometimes in one day!).

Too bad you missed Disneyquest! But you won't be lacking in things to do!

 

[jedi_librarian]

No way, Bunchkin! If there's cash involved with him winning, then I want in on that

Hey, what's the DVC store at Woodfield?

 

[MrShiny]

My family is coming to visit over Easter weekend. It will be my mother, sister, father and his wife, and my 75 year old grandparents. We are going to have one day to do some sightseeing. My sister has been here once, but it's the first time for everyone else. Do you have any suggestions on what we could do? My GM can't walk very long distances, so we will be borrowing MIL's wheelchair. My GF is an old time farmer with a wonderfully wicked sense of humor. He is a school bus owner/operator. Plus, he does excavating and spends all of his time "playing" with bulldozers, backhoes, dump trucks, etc. I'm afraid he will be bored beyond belief. My GM is very easy going and will be happy to see anything. My mother is very energetic and loves anything new. My father and his wife are very much into Harley's. I'm thinking the Field Museum or the Lincoln Park Zoo would be a good compromise??? Any other ideas I'm not thinking of? We are also thinking of doing Ed's for lunch

Get a Chicago CityPass - it gives you admission to serveral attractions for one low prices - someplaces even have a seperate line for those folks.

Field is great (we are members), but I also really recommend for your GF the Museum of Science and Industry. It's a great museum and sounds like it would suit him - the new U505 exhibit is amazing - you go past some multimedia displays about WWII, and then turn the corner to see a entire WWII U-Boat right there in front of you! The tour is $5 extra, but really, most of the info you can get from the displays around it. If you do do the tour, make sure you get there early for your time so you can stand near the guide. It can be hard to hear if you don't.

MSI is the only surviving building from the Columbian Exhibition of 1893. A few blocks south, there is an amazing golden replica of a statue from the fair (it's in the middle of the road).

The museum campus is great - Field, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium. Of these, my favorite is the Shedd. The new Wild Reef is pretty cool.

There is a Harley Store downtown - right by the ESPN Zone and the best pizza in town - Pizzaria Uno (NOT to be confused with the Uno's chain - they bought the name and nothing else!).


Just about everything is wheelchair accessible, so don't worry about that.

 

[macraven]

good morning chicagoland homies........

bring out the welcome mat, we have newbies here and maybe they will stick around for tea time with us.....

welcome disneenut, mvazal, helenm29.....sit down and kick up your heels and come back to play here when you get time.

helenm29, i just booked my trip yesterday to the motherland.
i only take direct flights, never connecting ones as they usually cost more and add time from getting to my destination.

air will be cheaper at this time of the year. it will go up once summer hits.
my trip is for the fall and i checked many airlines before i booked monday.
american is at $276, united at $203, the others were higher for my time period. if you fly out of ohare on a tues, wed, thur, you should be able to shave some dollars off the cost. i have paid for last year sept trip $245 on AA as i waited until june to book it. back last march the price was 60 less for the same flight. go figure.

i don't use midway anymore as it's too costly for me to get there by car service.

mvazal, i know small towns, i come from the southern most tip of illinois.
you know, where population can be 600 for the town......
i think the museum, sears tower, john hancock towers were way kewl to see when i first moved to chicago. ball games, art museums, etc are things we do later in the spring.
we moved out of the city some years back to the northern suburbs, we like it better.

now i forgot what else i was going to say........
to the regular homies, hey....
geffric, yesterday was a bust. son slept until after 2 in the afternoon....
then went out last night and came home at 4 this morning.....this is killing me..........i can't sleep soundly until he is in the house. i stopped the alarm clock thing, it just isn't going to work this time around for spring break.

i set the alarm clock in his room for a certain time. when he gets home, he turns it off. in the mean time i can go to sleep thinking he is home.

so wrong........his alarm clock woke me up on the first and second night he was home so i stopped that routine........

i used this when the boys were in high school so i wouldn't sit up all hours waiting for them. if they came home by their set time, they would turn the alarm off and i never woke up. if they were late, i woke up from the alarm clock then waited by the door for them......it allowed me some sleep.


rose princess hope you are feeling ok still.
slo, still have kathy on the prayer list and the family and friends of the 22 year old man also.


if i forgot you, it's because i am blonde.
oh, yes donna, i will be in front of the tube at 7 tonight for AI.

be there
or
be square

watch AI......

 

[Bunchkin]

No way, Bunchkin! If there's cash involved with him winning, then I want in on that

Hey, what's the DVC store at Woodfield?

Ahhh, $$!!! I forgot about that!!


Someone mentioned the last week or so, that there was a DVC location opening up in Woodfield. You can go there and check out the whole DVC program and I think someone said that they will have a 'mock room' there to check out to. Maybe a studio or 1 bedroom??

 

[SamIAm21]

Ahhh, $$!!! I forgot about that!!


Someone mentioned the last week or so, that there was a DVC location opening up in Woodfield. You can go there and check out the whole DVC program and I think someone said that they will have a 'mock room' there to check out to. Maybe a studio or 1 bedroom??

That was me! I heard it on my favorite podcast! I really want to go up there and check it out. I've been interested in DVC for a while now, but I want to see if there are any tax ramifications or benefits first. I get my taxes done on April 7th (I like to wait til the last minute!! ) I'll talk to my guy then. I would really love to buy into the new DVC Tower at the Contemporary. It would be pricey, but if that doesn't work out, I'll just do DVC resale instead and try for Boardwalk or Wilderness Lodge. There seems to be a lot of resale in those resorts. The mock up is supposed to be of the Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC resort.

I wish I could be home to enjoy the weather today! I think I'll take a walk outside at lunch time and just enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. This weekend is supposed to be sorta blah.

Hi to everyone out there!! Hope everyone is having a really good day! We've been teaching Megan how to ride a two wheeler and we hope she'll get the hang of it soon as we are both tired of running up and down the block holding onto the back of her bike!!

 

[tmq2766]

Hi everyone I was just joining in on the Chicagoland fun...

 

[mrstbalt]

Lakemoor here. Kinda near McHenry. Grew up in Des Plaines and the DH grew up in Glenview.

Hi neighbor! We live in the Round Lake area. Grew up in the Johnsburg/Richmond area and DH from Lk Zurich.

 

[SamIAm21]

I would like to say HI to all the new people here on the Chicagoland thread. Nice to see you, stop by often!!

The more the merrier!!

 

[mvazul]

Thank you to all of you for the warm welcome!! Also, thank you for all of the ideas for when my family comes to visit. I will have to find the Harley shop for Dad to visit. It sounds like the Museum of Science and Industry may just be the way to go. I have only been there a handful of times. We did the U-505 about 6 or 7 years ago. It was included in the admission price then. I did find that very interesting.

My mom really wants to do the Field. (We have an annual family pass for that.) Mom really wants to see the mummies and the dinosaurs. It makes it hard that we will only have one day to do stuff. There is so much to do here. I think the plan right now is that if it is nice, we will do the zoo. If it rains, we will do a museum. I hate having to be the one to decide and I know they will be looking to me once they get here!

I have another question. Have any of you had annual passes for Six Flags Great America? I am thinking about getting them for DH, the kids and me. I have never been there. DH was there about 25-30 years ago. Would it be worth it? I have a feeling it will be a disappointment after just doing Disney, but we can't do Disney every-other weekend!! I am starting a new job tomorrow and will be working 44 hours a week over Tuesday-Friday. I have been a stay-at-home-mom for 5 years. It will be hard to go back to work. However, I want the weekends to be fun this summer. We have a tent and want to start camping. So, I was thinking about buying the AP and we could find a campground near Six Flags. Any experience with this?

Thank you, again, for all of your help!!!

 

[mermaidlady]

Hi neighbor! We live in the Round Lake area. Grew up in the Johnsburg/Richmond area and DH from Lk Zurich.

Oh my goodness I haven't posted here in ages. check in every once in a while. was so surprised to see someone dug up that old post.

which Round Lake are you in? They are kind of getting to be like all the multiple Barringtons, need a scorecard to see which is which.

When they build the new hospital there I am so going to work there

 

[Crissup]

Have any of you had annual passes for Six Flags Great America? I am thinking about getting them for DH, the kids and me. I have never been there. DH was there about 25-30 years ago. Would it be worth it? I have a feeling it will be a disappointment after just doing Disney, but we can't do Disney every-other weekend!!

I am not into Six Flags, so I can't help you with the AP. If I visit Great America once a year, that's a lot for me. However, I can tell you that if you enjoy that type of park, it's a great park. The key is to *never* compare it to Disney. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, they're both fruit, but they're two completely different animals.

Anyway, my analogies aside, Great America ( I still tend to refer to it as Marriott's, so if you see me mention that, just bear with me) is a great thrill ride park. It's more along the lines of Universal's Islands of Adventure. Lots of large roller coasters and thrill rides. There is not a lot of themeing done with the rides. The idea is to get the ride into the park and let people enjoy the thrill of the experience. Disney, on the other hand is much, much more into the themeing and the feel of the atmosphere. I can (and many times do) spend a whole day in the Magic Kingdom without ever riding one attraction and still have a great time. Great America is not something I enjoy just walking around in, and since I'm not into thrill rides, doesn't offer a lot for me.

So, picking through all that, the final answer is, if you enjoy thrill rides, it's a phenominal park.

 

[macraven]

I have another question. Have any of you had annual passes for Six Flags Great America? I am thinking about getting them for DH, the kids and me. I have never been there. DH was there about 25-30 years ago. Would it be worth it? I have a feeling it will be a disappointment after just doing Disney, but we can't do Disney every-other weekend!! I am starting a new job tomorrow and will be working 44 hours a week over Tuesday-Friday. I have been a stay-at-home-mom for 5 years. It will be hard to go back to work. However, I want the weekends to be fun this summer. We have a tent and want to start camping. So, I was thinking about buying the AP and we could find a campground near Six Flags. Any experience with this?

Thank you, again, for all of your help!!!

i have annual passes, they are called season passes for six flags since 1991
we renew each year. it's not that we are crazy for the park but it is only 10 miles from my drive way to their parking lot. i'll go and do a few things or watch a show there and come home.

it is nothing like disney or universal. their fright fest is a let down after doing hhn. but, we still go there. the waterpark is free with the season pass. it is a let down after being in the orlando theme parks.

for camp grounds, illinois beach state park is 3 miles from my house. It is on lake michigan in lake county.
you can camp there for 14 days in a row then have to move to another campground. after being away from it one night, you can return to IBSP.
the only other state park in illinois is at the southernmost tip of illinois

chain of lakes also has campgrounds.

 

[macraven]

Hi everyone I was just joining in on the Chicagoland fun...

hey there homie, i was just about to walk over and shake your hand

welcome to the thread.

 

[macraven]

you are right john, some around here still call it mariotts as they were the original owners till it sold to 6 flags.

i go weekends to 6 flags when they have the fright fest as one of my friends does a hypnotist show there. i miss her first weekend as i am usually in orlando that weekend.

i just sit with her in between shows and yak.....and eat...

 

[MrShiny]

Misc. responses:

The mock up at the Woodfield store will be a full scale 2 bedroom from AKV.
Store site:
http://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/guest/about/guestAbout?id=ProspectsOPCDreamsPage

The Harley Store is 66 E Ohio:
http://www.chicagoharley.com/shop/ohio.php

The charge for the U-505 is only for the onboard tour. There is now plenty to see and do about the ship without the tour, but it is worth the $5 to board, too!

The Chicago Citypass is $49.50 and includes MSI, the Shedd, Adler Planetarium, and the Hancock observatory. http://www.citypass.com/city/chicago.html?id=tBd3xPcN

The Sox are in town Easter weekend, and Cubs have their home opener Monday the 9th.

 

[Bunchkin]

BUNCHY You come by me to clean I have a smaller place. where do you find your smilies? Your little cleaning lady is cute.

Ok, then you can clean my place!!! Sounds like a good trade! Thanks for offering!!

I get my smileys from bestsmileys.com OR freesmileys.org!! Both have cleaning smileys!!!

A Chicago question here.

Hope all is well with everyone.

An early Happy St. Patty's Day and Go Cubs!!

Good to see you stop by!! You are missed so please don't be a stranger here. How is your DD doing?

That was me! I heard it on my favorite podcast!
Hi to everyone out there!! Hope everyone is having a really good day! We've been teaching Megan how to ride a two wheeler and we hope she'll get the hang of it soon as we are both tired of running up and down the block holding onto the back of her bike!!

I thought it was you that told us of the DVC store!!

Good luck with the bike riding!! Tony about coughed up a lung chasing after Lauren!!!

Hi everyone I was just joining in on the Chicagoland fun...

to the Chicago Area DISer thread!!! Please stop by often!!

Oh my goodness I haven't posted here in ages. check in every once in a while. was so surprised to see someone dug up that old post.

Glad to have another Chicago DISer stop by!!


MrShiny You are a boat load of information!!! Stick around.....you may be called upon for further help!!!

 

[countingthedays]

I just got pointed over here from another thread and wanted to stop by and say hello to my geograhic neighbors! After reading some of the posts, this is quite the community.

I've lived in the city most of my life and have recently joined DIS after months of lurking.

Would love to meet up for a cup of coffee and a run at Home Depot for all those LGMH's to wear proudly next time we're in WDW!

Looking forward to getting to know you.

 

[macraven]

so glad to have another homie join us here.
welcome to your home away from home where we can talk disney, kids, food and life.....and i talk about the darkside on occassions.


i smell a party coming on !!

 

[MrShiny]

Six Flags:

We used to get annual passes when the kids were younger (now 8 & 12). They used to like the kiddie play areas and kiddie rides. Since then, these areas have been pushed aside for more coasters and those remaining deteriorated over the years (it was sad to see the Looney Toons area go from brand new to dilapidated in a few years' time).

I don't think it's any better or worse than other Six Flags parks - they all seem to put in the minimum upkeep. This one hasn't had even any big new coasters for a few years. it did add a water park, but I've heard that the lines there were bad, as everything was treated more like a ride than areas to just play in (so you have to line up for everything, and time is limited).

If you like Coasters, it's the best thing around, and does have some big ones. However, I think a better coaster trip with more choices might be to the Wisconsin Dells, which is an easy ride from Chicago.