Tell me what to do in Chicago! St. Patty's Parade?

[whirlsy]

Tkyes all I know is you have to go to the cheesecake factory for a snack we stayed at the Omni on Michigan ave. (priceline) and we walked up and down michigan ave and whatever other street caught our eye, by the time we were done I needed a little cheesecake snack. I believe its at the bottom of the John Hancock Observatory building. and Please send me your leftovers.

 

[tkyes]

You guys have some great ideas!

I'm still trying to get Oprah tickets, I don't think they are taking reservations for March yet, just February.

crazyformickey - that's so sweet. I'm sure your daughter misses you too!

Pembo - I would LOVE to meet Dan - not sure if I can convince everyone else that we need to meet him! lol!

Jenn - I would love to get on a Favorite Things episode! Can you imagine? I would also love a show with a celebrity on it! I think any show would be fun though. Just to be there would be an experience.

KarenC - I did print out some stuff from sidewalk.com and they had good reviews for Lawry's. I think it said they have a great lunch at much cheaper prices. Thanks for the reviews!

Whirlsy - In the past we probably would have gone to the Cheesecake Factory, but we have one here in MN now, so we can stop by anytime we want. There always are leftovers though, their portions are huge!!

 

[lizdotcom99]

to eat at!! Blue Man Group is great fun. Beware of poncho seats as you will get "dirty". If you don't want to get icked on make sure you do not have poncho seats. I have to agree with a previous poster that Joe's is a great place to eat. If you ar elooking for a fun but differant eating experiance Geja's is a fabulous fondue place. But you must make ressies...and they can only be made at 5 pm on a Friday or saturday....otherwise you will be on a HUGE wait!!!!! They have a website www.gejas.com
I personally love that place!! Alos Chicago pizza is a must, Gino's is a great place to eat. Some other great places are Bandera, on Michigan Avenue, Houston's right off of Superior, Bucca di Beppo is great fun and the food is quite yummy, but huge....make sure to share, Cheesecake factory does have fabulous desserts, Weiner Circle has the BEST cheese fries I have ever had...the place is a dump, the service is rude at best, but the fries and char polish are awesome. Greg and I can easily share a 1/2 order of cheese fries...oh and get the cheese on the side...then your fries won't get mushy. If you need any more ideas, please feel free to pm me as I could go on and on about food in Chicago. We frequent Chicago quite a bit and have tried MANY places to eat!!! I can also take a look at my theater schedule and see what is going on in town, but Blue Man is a lot of fun!!!

Enjoy your trip. We want to hear all about it!!!

Liz

 

[robinb]

I've eaten at the Weber Grill downtown twice and liked it both times. I also agree with the people who suggested:

• Harry Caray's Very yummy Chicken Vesuvio!http://www.harrycarays.com/in_chica.htm
• Geja's Very romantic. They used to have a 3 course dinner: cheese, veggie/meat/chicken/seafood, chocolate fondues.
• Bob Chin's Crabhouse Great crab and mai-tais to die for.
• Lawry's The Prime Rib My DH loves this place, but it's pretty pricey. I was there ages ago, but I don't remember the specifics. http://www.lawrysonline.com/primerib/f_chicago.html
• The Signature Room on the 95th Floor This restaurant has a fabulous Sunday brunch and the view can't be beat! The best view is actually from the ladies room . http://www.signatureroom.com/ If you can't afford to eat there, why not have a drink up at the lounge on the 96th floor? The drinks are expensive, but the view is free. And you can still use the great view ladies room .

You may or may not like Ed Debevic's (http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/c-Ed_DebevicAns.shtml?E+scstore+debevic) . The food is OK, but it's diner fare. OTOH, I cannot recommend Dick's Last Resort unless you want to get silly drunk and do things like dance on the tables and throw spit-balls. The food is terrible. I ended yup there one late Sunday night when everything else was closed down. Never again. http://www.dickslastresort.com/

Some other places I would recommend are:

• Uno's or Due's Pizza If you have not had the original Uno's pizza, you are really missed out! It is so much better than the franchised pizza. Uno's is the original restaurant, but Due's (about a block away) serves the same great pizza. http://www.pizzeriauno.com/
• Big Bowl Asian Kitchen Great food, very fresh. Everything I have had there was very good. Plus, it's affordable . http://www.bigbowl.com/

If I think of any more places, I'll add them later.

Now ... what do . I go to Chicago with my 4 year old, so my options are usually limited. I really like the Shedd Aquarium. The new Shark's Reef exhibit is very cool. As is the Oceanarium with their dolphins and beluga whales. If you are planning on returning within a year, buy a yearly family membership. It's only slightly higher than 2 day passes. Or, you can get a special pass which covers a number of museums. I prefer the shopping on State Street to Michigan Ave. Probably because I am shopping to buy something and not window shipping. Window shopping is better up on the Gold Coast (Michigan Ave).

I think seeing Second City is a great idea! I have not been in years and years, but now I really want to go again. I saw Jim Belushi, Tim Kazurinsky, Mary Gross, Rick Thomas, Mike Myers and Chris Farley "way back when". http://www.secondcity.com/index.asp

Lastly, if you are felling particularly brave, you might want to consider using Priceline for your hotel room. You can even choose the North Michigan Ave (NMA) area. For instance, the NMA Hyatt Regency is coming up in the low to mid $40's per night. The Hyatt is a little off the beaten path (1 block off Michigan Ave on the Wacker Drive), but that's what taxicabs are for . Honestly, I would stay in any of the 3* or 4* NMA hotels that come up on Priceline. They are all great properties. Check out www.biddingfortravel.com for more information on how best to bid on Priceline and what hotels have historically come up in Chicago.

Good luck and have a great time! If I think of anything else, I'll add it .

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

We get to Chicago at least every couple years and always try to do things we can't do in the Twin Cities.

The museums are great! If you've never been to the Museum of Science and Industry, that's a must. We've also really enjoyed the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium (especially the oceanarium) and the Institute of Art.

We also have to get Gino's pizza whenever we're in Chicago!

There is really good shopping, but I don't know that there is A LOT that we don't have here.

Have fun!

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

If you enjoy the Science Museum of Minnesota, get an annual pass. The SM of Mn has reciprocity with the Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry. This has been a GREAT deal with our family!

 

[snowiit]

Uno's or Due's Pizza If you have not had the original Uno's pizza, you are really missed out! It is so much better than the franchised pizza. Uno's is the original restaurant, but Due's (about a block away) serves the same great pizza. http://www.pizzeriauno.com/

My recommendation! I have been eating pizza at Due's for let's see........ 31 years!!!! There is no comparison to the chain. Both Uno's and Due's are in old buildings. They are two blocks off of Michigan Ave. Sorry I can't remember the street names. Both are right there.. on kind of opposite corners of blocks. Right there also is a huge store... which used to be Medinah Temple, home to many circus and other performances.... a tidbit.. the music for Fantasia 2000 was recorded there for the movie! I haven't been since it's been converted into a store now. Ed Debevicks is also a lot of fun! There are several of the "chain type" places by Eds, Hard Rock cafe, Rock and Roll McDonalds (where I once saw one of the rental horse and buggys taking a couple through the drive through!) Rainforest cafe and some kind of Al Capone's place.. have a great time... Chicago is great... Going to see Oprah is fun too!
Nancy

 

[tkyes]

I justed booked our hotel - staying at the Westin on Mich. Ave. I got a great price through Hotwire! Bring on the heavenly beds!!

I'm leaning towards going to Second City, the Institute of Art, and I think I'm going to check on the Chicago Board of Trade - that might be fun to see.

I'm still trying to decide on restaurants, there are so many to chose from! I'm going to go back online and look at some menus and see if anything jumps out at me.

You guys are so wonderful! You've given me so many great ideas. I'm going to print all this out so I don't forget it all.


Tamie

 

[Jeafl]

snowlit, the old Medinah Temple is now the Bloomingdale's Home Store.

tkyes, we stayed at the Westin when DH and I spent a weekend down there. It was several years ago, and it was very nice then.

robinb has some great suggestions, she mentioned many of our favorite places. However, as much as I love Bob Chinn's (and I DO!), it is in Wheeling, and is not all that convenient from downtown. It would be about a 45 minute drive in good traffic.

Also, we have some GREAT theaters including the Chicago Theater, the Oriental theater, etc. I would check and see what's going to be here when you are.

I also like State Street for actual shopping. Marshall Field's flagship store there is a destination in itself. There is also a 3-story Old Navy and a 6-story Carson Pirie Scott.

Michigan Avenue has all the fun stores to windowshop. Burberrys is wonderful, and there is also quite a large Disney store. Bloomingdales there is also very nice, as is Watertower Place mall. Last time we were there we ran into Oprah.

 

[redbirdgrad]

You're getting plenty of opinions and all good - FYI - there is a Bob Chinn's downtown now on the river. I'm about 1/2 block from the Westin - down here everyday for work - don't forget about Ditka's, also next to the Westin is The Saloon, great for lunch - prime rib quesadillas. If you have any specifics about the areas - let me know.

 

[KarenC]

More thoughts...

One of Chicago's treasures is its architecture. The Chicago Architecture Foundation has several walking tours downtown. (There's a wonderful river tour from a boat, but it doesn't start up again until May.) Here's a link to the tour options:

http://www.architecture.org/tours.html

Also, admission to several of the museums, including the Art Institute, and the John Hancock observatory, are available in a $50 coupon book called City Pass. Here's a link to info about City Pass:

http://citypass.net/cgi-bin/citypass/city_fly?mv_arg=chicago&rand=5130

When we went to DDs freshman orientation at the U, we took a trolley ride around the cities to see the sites. Since we'd never ventured beyond the East Bank campus or the MOA on our campus visits, we enjoyed that quick way to get an overview of our DDs new home. There are trolley rides around Chicago that depart from the corner of Wacker and Jackson near the Sears Tower. I've never taken one here, but it might be a good way to get an overview of the city. If you're near the Sears Tower, breakfast at Lou Mitchells is a good thing to do. It's a Chicago institution, renowned for their french toast and the milk duds they serve with breakfast!

 

[LurkerLisa]

You have lots of great suggestions already, but here are a few more.

1. Use the FREE trollies from Navy Pier. They start there and go under Michigan Ave and over to the Rock& Roll McDonalds/bar area (tho not late at night).

2. The Sig. Room at the Hancock has a nice lunch buffet.

3. Star of Siam is a fun, cheap Thai place at Grand? and State.

4. Watch Ferris Buller's Day Off prior to your trip. It has lots of great Chicago stuff that might inspire you, plus it's a fun flick.

5. Try Hot Ticks for 1/2 price day of show tickets.

6. If you can give more information about things that you like - we could help you more.

Hope this helps.

Lisa

 

[tkyes]

I just realized we'll be there for the St. Patrick's day parade!

Is it worth going to or should we skip it? Any tips for that?


Tamie

 

[lizdotcom99]

Southside Irish taking their drinking pretty seriously....OK a lot of Chicagoans take drinking pretty seriously.....and FYI, the river is usually pretty green anyway...don't be fooled by the "dye" that they put in there. As for the parade, I have never been and I am a St. Patty's day baby....but I have heard it gets VERY rowdy!!!! I am still working on some more stuff for you as well!!!

 

[tkyes]

one more bump for any parade experts out there

 

[Dan Murphy]

St Patrick's Day??? In Chicago??

http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/miracle.shtml

http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/

It can be cold and crowded, but fun.

 

[KarenC]

There are actually two St. Patrick Day parades...the one downtown and the Southside Irish parade way down on the Southwest side. The downtown parade is a healthy walk away from the Westin...if you enjoy parades, you should go. It's a uniquely Chicago thing and can be a lot of fun. There will be plenty of drunken people around, and the bars will be pretty crowded. While the river is ordinarily an olive green, is does become more brilliant on St. Paddy's day. If you don't like crowds, and have an aversion to rowdy drunks, you probably want to stay away from the Loop on the day of the parade.

 

[KarenC]

I just read the links Dan provided...I didn't realized they moved the parade to Columbus drive. It won't be that much of a walk from there to the Westin.

Years ago the parade was actually held on March 17 on Dearborn Street in the Loop. It was really quite a traffic mess if that was a work day. And going home from work on the train with all the parade goers was quite the experience...

 

[GlennandAnn]

Check out the John Hancock building observatory. We think it has a way better view than the Sears Tower. While you're there, you could have a meal at the Signature Room which is a restaurant on the top of the Hancock building. The view and the food are to die for.

The museum campus is great, the Field Museum has so many interesting exhibits, and the Shedd Aquarium is wonderful (a bit expensive in my opinion, but probably worth it).

Chicago also has many ethnic neighborhoods. You could get a cab (or use public transportation) and check out Chinatown, Little Italy, or Pilsen/Little Village which are both Hispanic neighborhoods. Each section of the city has it's own restaurants and some even have community museums and cultural centers.

Have fun, Chicago is a great city. We have lived here all our lives and still say there is so much to see and do.

Ann

 

[GlennandAnn]

PS, as a lifelong South Sider, I feel that I should tell you that the South Side Irish St. Paddy's Day parade is the most rowdy, beer soaked, crowded event of the year.