Short trip to Chicago

[Katy Belle]

I am considering a short trip to Chicago at the beginning of our Spring Break. My oldest DS will be with his High School Band in Orlando and I want a short, budget friendly trip somewhere for my DH and our other 2 sons, ages 13, 11.

I have credit with American Airlines, so the plane tix are taken care of... and we have hotel points to cover at least 2 nights at a Holiday Inn, or one of their other hotels.

So could we get by without a rental car in Chicago? Its been years since we visited and we did rent a car the last time.

I remember taking a boat tour about 20 years ago and they told all of the old Mafia stories.... is there something like that? I think my boys would love that!

What else would you do? We would probably fly in on a Sat and leave on a Tuesday.

TIA!
Katy

 

[Nik's Mom]

We drove to Chicago, parked it in the hotel parking lot and never used it again until we were ready to drive home. You could defintely get by without a car. Just try to pick a hotel near a subway and/or bus stop. We stayed at Hotel Sax, which was in a perfect location for us.

Our boys are 8 and 11 and they enjoyed the Natural History Museum and the Aquarium. There are so many boat cruises to choose from too. There is a Seadog tour. It is part speed boat thrill ride, part tour boat. http://www.seadogcruises.com/Chicago/river-lake-architectural-tour

Have fun in Chicago. It's a great town!

Oh, check Travel Zoo for great hotel deals. http://www.travelzoo.com/search/?q=...ode=112078&locationcode_type=t&tab=1&topcat=2

 

[FINFAN]

it's going to be pretty chilly still in spring, so plan any boat tours accordingly. Yeah, just hop a cab, even the busses especially if hitting the museum campus. We were just at the Shedd 2 weeks ago, always like it, and if it falls onthe first weekend of the month and you are a Bank of America customer you get the basic entrance free ($18) which is nice. Parkingthere alone runs anywhere from 14-19 so you can see that having your car can add up. You could see Blue Man group or something like that, hit Navy Pier, eat at Dicks Last Resort for some sarcastic/fun entertainment...maybe find a hotel with an indoor pool. We like the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field too. You could go up in the Sears/Willis Tower and hang out on the ledge...I thought it was very cool.
Spring is sort of hard because of the weather, but you wil have fun!

 

[cabanafrau]

A car in Chicago is nothing but an expensive headache. You can ride the Metra in from the airport & use CTA downtown.

The Jewell Osco store @ State & Ohio Streets sells CTA visitor passes which will cost only a couple bucks a day each to get around.

 

[Katy Belle]

Thanks! Good point about having to pay for parking! Seems like no car is the way to go.

 

[KCmike]

Parking is a nightmare so don't drive. Cab fare will run you a pretty penny though. I think they have a City Pass for Chicago if you planning on staying for awhile and want to do all the touristy stuff like the Aquarium, History Musuem, etc. The navy pier is always fun and like another poster said there are plenty of cruises. We did two. We did the sunset cruise and did an architectural cruise where they told us about all the buildings that were built and the stories behind them. Chicago is fun but be prepared to pay $$$. We also took the L train I think its called up to Wrigley Field and walked around. Good times.

 

[OhdahLolly]

I would guess that depends where you are staying and what you plan on doing. Chicago is a big city and it has many parts.. if you are talking about staying downtown (like state street), and if you plan on hitting things around there. Navy Pier, the museums.. than I probably wouldn't rent a car. It will be easier for you to cab it, take public transportation..etc.

If you are *not* staying downtown, and plan to go all over chicago, not just downtown.. then maybe renting a car for a day or two (or a couple few hours) wouldn't be such a bad idea. Like for example, if you wanted to hit Lincoln Park for some hawaiian and shopping, or Andersonville. It's true that buses will take you everywhere, but every chicagoean knows depending on where.. that could mean *awhile*. Unless you are just taking the L directly than hoofing it on foot to wherever.

There is a service here called i-go. Basically it lets you rent cars in the chicago area for how many ever hours you need at a time or all day if you want. So you don't have to worry about parking over night or all day, and there are locations everywhere for drop off. Places that you'd probably already be in the city.. and just take public trans back to your hotel. Here is a little more about that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXSJKabxQfA

It works out good if you wanted to do a day trip.

 

[erincon23]

First, there have been 3 or 4 threads in the last 6 months about trips to Chicago -- search those -- there was lots of good info about the museums and attractions in them. Second, don't drive. If you're not familiar with the city, you could easily get lost, the parking fees aren't worth it, and the public transportation -- we have lots of cabs and a good bus system -- is much easier to use. I have lived in the city and suburbs all my life, and I'm not afraid to drive, but I still find public trans much better and quicker. Check out the Chicago visitor's bureau www.choosechicago.com for lots of great info. There may be some discount stuff there too. And finally, a PP mentioned that it will still be cold -- we routinely have snow storms into the beginning of April even, so be prepared. Have a great time! Chicago is a fantastic city!