lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Chicon 7 aka the 70th WorldCon will be held in Chicago from August 30 – September 3, 2012. (Yes it takes place over Labor Day weekend. Labor Day is Monday September 3rd and is essentially a Bank Holiday for those of you who are from outside the U.S. It means stores and museums are open but banks, offices, and some restaurants are closed.)http://www.chicon.org/The hotel where the con will be held is the Hyatt Regency Chicago.http://chicagoregenc...otels/index.jspAs I happen to be pretty familiar with Chicago and the convention site I thought I’d put together a post with information that might be helpful to those of you coming from out of town. I’ll do a series of posts in this thread covering getting here, transportation, hotels, things to do, and food. I’m going to start with the information that would be most useful for people at this point in time – i.e. getting here and hotels – and then I’ll get to things to do right after that.If anyone has any questions or wants to know about specific things, please let me know. I’m trying to think of everything but I’m sure I’ll forget something!Also, if anyone wants to expand/supplement/correct anything I’ve posted, please do so and I’ll add your comments in.ETA: Helpful link for visiting Chicago provided in one of the posts below...Also if anyone is looking for a guidebook, I recommend the "Not for Tourists Guide to Chicago". Even though if you are buying it for WorldCon you are likely a tourist, but what I like about this is that in addition to liAting the usual restaurants and bars, it also points out pharmacies, cleaners, grocery stores, liquor stores, etc neighborhood by neighborhood so you will have a good idea where to find stuff. And it looks like they have a nice website for those addicted to your smartphones. http://www.notfortou...om/chicago.aspx ETA(2): Helpful information from mouse...Here are two things I wanted to add:1. Where the hotel is located, there is an underground level of streets. So there's upper Wacker and lower Wacker. (There's even, kind of, a middle Wacker.) The hotel is also located right by the Chicago River. There are things that you might want to do that require you to cross the river. (For example, about 3 or 4 of the river boat tours have boarding along the river right across from the hotel.) To cross the river, you can walk along upper Wacker, going out out of your way a block or two to the east or west. Or you can cross on lower Wacker right there, without going out of your way. If is it day time, and you are sober, lower Wacker is a fine place to walk. Please, please, please do not let me hear about a bunch of drunk BwBers stumbling around lower Wacker at night.2. Lately, there have been a series of "flash mob" attacks where groups of teenagers mug people, usually in tourist areas. Please be safe and be aware of your surroundings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Getting To Chicago So how can you get here? Planes, trains, automobiles…(1) PLANESThere are two airports in Chicago:(a) O’Harehttp://www.ohare.com/About/OHare/Default.aspx(b ) Midwayhttp://www.chicago-mdw.com/O’HareO’Hare is an airport hub for many airlines so if you are flying from anywhere in the U.S. you should not have too much trouble finding a flight here. If you are flying from overseas direct to Chicago, (with just a few exceptions) you will have to fly into O’Hare and experience the joys of the O’Hare International Terminal...be prepared to walk a long distance when you get off your plane! And potentially wait for an hour to get through passport control if your plane happens to land at the same time as four other planes (this was my most recent experience this month.) Or you could be through the line in 5 minutes.The following airlines fly to O’Hare: Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air Choice One, Air France, Air India, Alaska Airlines, Alitalia, All Nippon, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Cayman Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta, Etihad Airways, Iberia Airlines, Japan Airlines, Jet Blue, KLM, Korean Air, LOT, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Royal Jordanian, SAS, Skywest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, SWISS, TACA Airlines International, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, USA 3000, and Virgin America.The following is not a complete and exhaustive list (I’m not listing any city in North America) but it will give you an idea of where you can fly from direct to Chicago… Beijing and Shanghai, China; Hong Kong; Tokyo, Japan; Seol, Korea; Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi, AE; Amman, JO; Istanbul, Turkey; Warsaw, Poland; Stockholm, Sweden; Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; London and Manchester, England; and Dublin, Ireland.If you are flying into O'Hare and want to have some idea of the layout of the terminals, here is a handy map:http://www.explorechicago.org/etc/medialib/explore_chicago/tourism/pdfs_guides_and_maps/o_hare_airport_map.Par.68142.File.dat/ORDMap6-08D.pdf Getting from O’Hare to the Hyatt. You basically have three options – taxi, bus, or train.(i) Taxi. Taxicabs are available from outside all terminals. Shared ride service is available (i.e. where you pair up with people you don’t know who are going to the same area). Taxis run on meters and start at $3.25. (Some literature might give you the idea there is a flat rate fare but I’ve never seen it followed.) There is also an extra surcharge for travel to/from the airport that will already be added to the meter – at this point it is $1. Each person costs extra as well. Expect to spend approximately $40 to $60 (depends on traffic) for a taxicab ride to the Hyatt. Your travel time will vary depending on traffic as well – if you are traveling after 8 PM and before 6:30 AM and your driver drives at 100 mph you might make the trip in 20 minutes. But if you are traveling at rush hour (which can last from 7 – 10 AM and from 3 – 7:30 PM) it could take an hour to 90 minutes. There are wheelchair accessible vehicles, but they have to be specially called – see the attendant when you get to the taxi line.(ii) Airport Shuttle Bus. The Go Airport Express shuttle bus costs approximately $25 per person (I can never trust a bus company that won’t tell you up front what their rate is on their website) and is not worth the cost if there is more than one of you in your traveling group and you can handle your own luggage.http://www.airportexpress.com/(iii) Train. The cheapest option is to take the train as it will cost you $2.25. (See section below on the CTA aka the Chicago Transit Authority.) The Blue Line goes direct to O’Hare. The closest stop to the Hyatt is Clark & Lake (Thompson Center). Once you are on the train it will take about 40 minutes to get to this stop. This stop is 7 blocks from the Hyatt and below ground. There are elevators and escalators at this station that take you to street level. You can then walk to the Hyatt or take a taxi - just hail one on the street.[Note: If you fly into the International Terminal at O'Hare, you have to take a free airport train to the main terminals where you can get the CTA train. I suggest getting off at Terminal 2 as it is closest to where the CTA entrance is. If you look at the O'Hare map I have linked above, you will notice that the airport train is a red line and the CTA is a blue line.]Midway Midway is the smaller airport of the two and you can get in and out of it much more quickly than O’Hare. In addition, it is closer to the Hyatt so your transportation time is less.If you are flying to Chicago from within the United States, consider flying Southwest Airlines into Midway if they fly to a city near you. (I am receiving no payment for this promotion! I fly a lot and I just find for domestic travel in and out of Chicago, Southwest is the better bet. Chicago is a Southwest hub so there are lots of direct flight options.)In addition to Southwest, the following airlines fly into Midway: Air Tran, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and Porter Airlines.If you are flying into Midway and want to have some idea of the layout of the terminals, here is a handy map:http://www.explorechicago.org/etc/medialib/explore_chicago/tourism/pdfs_guides_and_maps/midway_airport_map.Par.5964.File.dat/MDWTerminalLots6-08B.pdf Getting from Midway to the Hyatt. You basically have three options – taxi, bus, or train.(i) Taxi. Taxicabs are available from outside the terminal. Shared ride service is available (i.e. where you pair up with people you don’t know who are going to the same area). Taxis run on meters and start at $3.25. (Some literature might give you the idea there is a flat rate fare but I’ve never seen it followed.) There is also an extra surcharge for travel to/from the airport that will already be added to the meter – at this point it is $1. Each person costs extra as well. Expect to spend approximately $25 to $40 (depends on traffic) for a taxicab ride to the Hyatt. Your travel time will vary depending on traffic as well – if you are traveling after 8 PM and before 6:30 AM and your driver drives at 100 mph you might make the trip in 15 minutes. But if you are traveling at rush hour (which can last from 7 – 10 AM and from 3 – 7:30 PM) it could take 45 minutes to an hour. There are wheelchair accessible vehicles, but they have to be specially called – see the attendant when you get to the taxi line.(ii) Airport Shuttle Bus. The Go Airport Express shuttle bus costs approximately $25 per person (I can never trust a bus company that won’t tell you up front what their rate is on their website) and is not worth the cost if there is more than one of you in your traveling group and you can handle your own luggage.http://www.airportexpress.com/(iii) Train. The cheapest option is to take the train as it will cost you $2.25. (See section below on the CTA aka the Chicago Transit Authority.) The Orange Line goes direct to Midway. The closest stop to the Hyatt is State & Lake. This stop is 5 blocks from the Hyatt. Please note that this stop is elevated above ground and there are no escalators or elevators from the platform to the sidewalk below. If your luggage is really heavy or you cannot walk down stairs, I would recommend you get off at the Clark & Lake (Thompson Center) exit instead. This stop is 7 blocks from the Hyatt. From either stop you can walk to the Hyatt or take a taxi - just hail one on the street.(2) TRAINSUnlike out on the East Coast, train travel is not always a great option in the Midwest. It is often cheaper to fly. Also freight trains take priority on the rails here so sometimes passenger trains will have to wait for them to pass before they can continue on their journey. But it still can get you some places planes don’t go and it is great for seeing parts of the countryside you wouldn’t otherwise see. So for those of you who wish to come to Chicago (or leave) via the railroad, Amtrak is something to consider.http://www.amtrak.comDespite the failings, Chicago is still a transportation hub for Amtrak so there are lots of route options taking you from the East Coast to the West Coast and to the South. Here are the train lines passing through Chicago and the major city stops:(a) California Zephyr: Chicago – Denver – San Francisco(b ) Capitol Limited: Washington D.C. – Pittsburgh – Chicago(c ) Cardinal / Hoosier State: New York - Washington, D.C. - Cincinnati - Indianapolis – Chicago(d) City of New Orleans: Chicago - Memphis - New Orleans(e) Empire Builder: Chicago - St. Paul - Portland/Seattle(f) Hiawatha: Milwaukee – Chicago(g) Illinois Service - Chicago – Quincy / St. Louis / Carbondale(h) Lake Shore Limited: New York / Boston - Albany – Chicago(i) Michigan Services: Chicago - Grand Rapids/Port Huron/Detroit – Pontiac(j) Southwest Chief: Chicago - Albuquerque - Los Angeles(k) Texas Eagle: Chicago - St. Louis - Dallas - San Antonio - (Los Angeles)Getting from Union Station to the Hyatt. Amtrak trains arrive and depart from Union Station in downtown Chicago. It is not a walkable distance from the Hyatt with luggage as it is completely on the other end of the downtown. (Without luggage it would probably take you 20-30 minutes to walk to the Hyatt.) Your best option for getting to the Hyatt from Union Station is to take a taxi (there is a taxi stand outside the train station) or to take a bus. (See section below on the CTA aka the Chicago Transit Authority.) The 151 or 157 busses will take you from Union Station to the corner of Michigan Avenue and East Wacker Drive. From that bus stop, the Hyatt is one block east on Wacker Drive.(3) BUS(a) Greyhound Bus. Greyhound Bus comes to Chicago from all over the U.S.http://www.greyhound.com/Greyhound buses arrive and depart from the Greyhound Bus Terminal which is located at Harrison and Jefferson Streets. Your best option for getting to the Hyatt from the Greyhound Bus Terminal is to take a taxi or to take a bus. (See section below on the CTA aka the Chicago Transit Authority.) The 157 bus will take you from the station (stop is across the street) to the corner of Michigan Avenue and East Wacker Drive. From that bus stop, the Hyatt is one block east on Wacker Drive.(b ) Megabus. There is also Megabus which is good for traveling between large cities and college towns in the Midwest such as Ann Arbor, Champaign, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Des Moines, Detroit, Indianapolis, Iowa City, Kansas City, Madison, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Normal, Omaha, St. Louis, and Toledo.http://us.megabus.com/default.aspxMegabus buses arrive and depart from just outside Union Station. For directions on how to get to the Hyatt from Union Station, see the directions above in the Train section above.(4) AUTOMOBILEDriving to Chicago is not recommended. Parking is insanely expensive...try $30-50 for a 24 hour period depending on how close to the center of the city you want to park. If you do decide to drive to Chicago, you should plan on parking your car in a garage and not taking it out again until you are ready to leave the city.I understand that there will be discounted parking rate for con attendees at the Hyatt but that will be a discounted price off the most expensive parking rate in Chicago (hotels are always the most expensive) so it might still be more than you want to pay. Once that rate is known, you might want to compare it to those at the parking garages under Millennium Park / Grant Park (which are generally the cheapest garages in the downtown area). They are owned by the City. They are all next to each other in a row. The closest one is Millennium Park Garage which is about three blocks to the south of the Hyatt. But one of the other three might be a bit cheaper so if you want to save even more you should consider pricing out all the options.http://www.millenniumgarages.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Where to Stay in Chicago You are, of course, encouraged to stay at the con hotel – the Hyatt. The rate being offered for the con is a really good rate for central Chicago, especially over Labor Day weekend.https://chicon.org/hotel.phphttp://chicagoregency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jspBut recognizing that sometimes people have hotel points or rooms run out or circumstances are such that you can’t stay at the con hotel, I just wanted to mention some other options. There are many hotels near the Hyatt. Most of them will not be cheaper than the rate being offered for the con.Just to get you situated, a pretty decent map of the Hyatt area can be found on the second page of this PDF:http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/brochures/Downtown_Sightseeing_Guide_Sep_10.pdfLook on the map and see the label “Chicago River”. Notice “Wacker’ just below that – that is the street where the Hyatt is. And the Hyatt is where the number “41” is (in the green house symbol). The other hotels can also be found on this map. Just listing the ones that are within a couple of blocks of the Hyatt:swissotel http://www.swissotelchicago.com/Radisson Blu Aqua Hotelhttp://www.radissonblu.com/aquahotel-chicagoFairmont Chicago Millennium Parkhttp://www.fairmont.com/Chicago/Comfort Suites Chicagohttp://comfortsuiteschicago.com/Hard Rock Hotel Chicagohttp://www.hardrockhotelchicago.com/Directly across the Chicago River from the Hyatt is the Sheraton. This falls within the “couple block” range if you can walk up a flight of stairs from one level of the street to the next. It’s a much longer walking journey for those who can’t go by way of this shortcut.http://www.sheratonchicago.com/And moving out of the couple block range for those on a budget…there is an official Hostelling International youth hostel in downtown Chicago (as opposed to other cheaper accommodations that call themselves hostels but are no affiliated with the organization). It is 12 blocks from the Hyatt and it would take you approximately 15 minutes to walk between the two. Or there are buses that could cut this journey down.http://hichicago.org/There are, as you can see on the map, many other hotels in the area. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Getting Around ChicagoChicago is laid out in a grid pattern with a scattering of diagonal streets. If you know the address of your destination, it is very hard to get lost. Addresses in Chicago are numbered outward from baselines at State Street (which runs north and south) and Madison Street (which runs east and west). This means the further north you go, the higher the street numbers, etc. No matter what north/south street you are on in Chicago, 800 North on that street is always going to be at the corner of Chicago Avenue (an east/west street). Check out the following for further explanation. http://www.chicagoho...go_street_guideWith that information, and some of the maps I’ve linked in the post below, you should be good to go with getting where you want to go in Chicago.Public Transportation in ChicagoThe Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) runs the public transportation in Chicago. There are city buses and there are trains. They cover most of the city. The trains are sometimes referred to as the “L” – this is because sometimes there are elevated above ground. The trains are also sometimes referred to as the subway – this is because they are sometimes below ground. This is the CTA’s website:http://www.transitchicago.com/Check out this brochure put together by the CTA for basic information about the trains and buses in Chicago, as well as fare information: http://www.transitch...MapBrochure.pdfYou can pay cash on the buses but you need to have exact change – the bus driver will not give you change. They do accept bills, however. You do not need to only use coins on the buses. On the trains, however, you need to have a transit card or a pass. From the brochure above you will notice you have several options. You can buy 1, 3 or 7 day passes if you plan on using public transportation a lot when you are visiting. Or you can purchase a transit card which is basically like a debit card – you put a certain amount of money on it and the card deducts the money as you use it. If you are only planning on landing in Chicago at an airport and going to the hotel and not doing anything in and around Chicago during your visit, you should buy a transit card and put $5 on it. That will be enough to pay for your train fare into the city and back out to the airport. You can buy passes or transit cards at the airports. The machines are right outside the entrance to the train stations there. There are different machines depending on if you want to buy a pass or a transit card. The transit card machines are the big and obvious ones and will be the ones that you will see people using. The pass machines are smaller and generally tucked up against a column or in a corner. Some machines will take credit cards, but most require cash. See this link for more information about the machines and for pictures of them: http://www.transitch...ngmachines.aspxBelow in the post on things to do in Chicago, I’ve made reference to the trains and buses that will take you to some of the sites and attractions. In the post above on how to get to Chicago, I’ve made reference to the trains and buses you can take to get to the con hotel from your airport, train station or bus terminal. This is a link to the system map that shows the train and bus routes: http://www.transitch...tsystemmap.aspxA handy tool is the bus and train trackers. This will show you where every bus and train is in the city at any given moment: http://www.transitch...ce_quicklinks=1If anyone has any questions about the CTA or how to get anywhere in Chicago, please post and ask! Safety and Theft on Public Transportation in Chicago I ride the trains and buses all the time in Chicago and I generally feel safe doing so. However, there has been an increase in crime especially with cell phones being stolen. So be smart if you are on a train or on a bus or waiting for one and think twice before whipping your cell phone out to use. Avoid using it while standing in front of a door on a train or bus because a popular tactic is to grab them from you as the doors are closing so you can’t chase after them. Yes, you will see lots of people using them. But just know it happens. If your cell phone is stolen, the police will do nothing for you except maybe an incident report. There are too many incidents for the police to pursue so essentially this is between you and your cell phone provider. A recent article about crime on the CTA: http://www.chicagotr...0,6149954.storyPublic Transportation To the Suburbs While the CTA will take you to the downtown areas of the closest oldest suburbs such as Evanston, Skokie, and Oak Park, if you want to venture out to most other suburbs, there are the Metra trains which are suburban commuter train lines. The Metra website is here: http://metrarail.com...ra/en/home.htmlAnother train to the suburbs is the South Shore Line. This runs from Chicago to South Bend in northern Indiana. If you are a train enthusiast, this is an electrically powered train. You can find their website here: http://www.nictd.com/Finally, there is a bus system out in the suburbs, the RTA (Regional Transportation Authority. Check out their website here: http://www.rtachicago.com/If anyone has any questions about anything to do with getting around to Chicago, please ask and I will do my best to answer your questions. 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lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Weather in ChicagoPerhaps you’ve heard Chicago referred to as the “Windy City”. It is true it can get windy here but not necessarily more than many other places. Legend has it that Chicago got its “Windy City” nickname from some New York politicians who said Chicago politicians were full of a lot of hot air due the rash promises they were making in an effort to bring a World Fair here. So you might experience some wind here, but it probably won’t be a memorable part of your visit.It’s hard to predict what the weather will be like. It can go from one extreme to the other in the course of a day. In 2011 over Labor Day weekend it ranged from sunny in the high 90s with 100% humidity (which makes it feel like 100+) down to rainy and in the 50s. So bring a few layers and be prepared for one extreme or the other or something in between…or all of the above! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Things to Do in ChicagoThere are tons of things to see and do in Chicago. Sadly, I can’t list them all. So the following are just the highlights and sort of the top things to check out while you are here. To the extent I can’t cover everything, be sure to check out some the great guidebooks out there and the multitude of websites for other ideas of things to see and do. Two official Chicago websites are:http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en.htmlhttp://www.choosechicago.com/Map. Here is a basic handy map to help you navigate around the city. It shows most of the parts of Chicago that a visitor would go to. Some exceptions are Hyde Park (see below), the northern part of Lincoln Park, and the locations of the White Sox and Cubs baseball stadiums which are off this map. It also shows the CTA train lines. I'll link some more specific area maps below.http://www.explorech...MapFront4.4.pdfArchitecture. Chicago is known for its architecture. Visitors come from all over the world to see the buildings here. Keep in mind that Chicago is a fairly new city - it only became a town in 1833. Then in 1871 there was the Great Fire which leveled most of the central city. So most of what Chicago is known for is Modern Architecture. It is here that the skyscraper was born in the late 1800s and some of the greatest architects of the 20th century lived and built here – including Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies Van Der Rohe.One of the best ways to fully appreciate all the buildings in Chicago is to have a view of the city from above. There are three good options for doing this.(1) Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower or as I heard two English girls call it, “the Ferris Bueller building”) - was once the tallest building in the world and while it no longer holds that title, at 1,454 feet, it is certainly still quite tall and still the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere! There is an enclosed observation deck on the 103rd floor with some great views around the city. A new feature installed several years ago is The Ledge which are glass boxes that allow you to step out onto the glass and see the city below you.http://www.the-skydeck.com/(2) John Hancock - the city’s fourth tallest building at 1,127 feet. It has an enclosed observatory and an open air screened skywalk on the 94th floor. If paying large sums of money just to have a view is something that does not appeal, consider using that money instead to have an overpriced drink. On the 96th floor of the building is the Signature Lounge which has a bar with the same great view as the observatory. (There is also a restaurant on the 95th floor). You can just go to the Lounge and have a drink or two.Observatory: http://jhochicago.com/en/Signature Lounge: http://www.signatureroom.com/Signature-Lounge/(3) Cité – is a restaurant and bar located on the 70th floor of Lake Point Tower, which is a residential high rise building located right on Lake Michigan. It has what I think is the best view in the city as the building is set back against the lake from the rest of the city and you get to see all the other buildings from the Sears Tower to the John Hancock. The restaurant is dated and pricey and not worth visiting for the food. So just go have a drink in the bar and take in the fantastic view.http://www.citechicago.com/The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) offers walking tours, bus tours, and river boat cruises that highlight Chicago’s history and architecture and are very worth taking. Check out their extensive list of tours and consider taking at least one when you are here. I’ll highlight some of their specific tours throughout this post but they have many many others.http://www.architecture.orgTheir river boat cruises conveniently depart from just outside the Hyatt on the Chicago River. There are lots of boat cruise options along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan (departing either from Navy Pier or Michigan Avenue @ the Chicago River) but if you only take one of these tours, this is the one to take. It is highly advisable that you book your tickets in advance and they generally sell out.http://www.architecture.org/page.aspx?pid=574Additionally, the CAF offers a several bus tours that take you into different neighborhoods around Chicago. Their “Highlights By Bus” tour is the most comprehensive tour and takes you all over the city and includes a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House (mentioned below).http://www.architect...ge.aspx?pid=449There are many other bus tours offered by other companies that explore Chicago and specific topics such as ghosts and haunted locations as well as Chicago’s gangster past (Al Capone and John Dilinger). I have no personal experience with any of these companies so I can’t say anything about them other than that they exist and if anyone is interested, I will certainly try to find out more.ETA: I recently read a newspaper article about visiting Chicago and they recommended the Chicago Film Tour. I have no experience with it but if movies are your thing, it might be of interest.http://www.chicagofilmtour.com/*****************************The rest of this post will be divided into neighborhoods and things to do specifically in that area.Downtown Core of Chicago / the “Loop” http://www.explorech...le.dat/Loop.pdfThe Hyatt is located in the north east corner of the downtown area so I’ll start with this area as its where you will be spending most of your time when in Chicago. You can easily walk in and around here from the Hyatt.This is the city’s historic and financial business center. Maybe you’ve heard the downtown referred to as the “Loop”. The Loop gets this nickname from the elevated track of the train that circles the center of the downtown core. (Actually it originally got its name from the streetcar tracks that once encircled this same area but they have since been replaced by the elevated train.) You might recognize some of the buildings from one of the many movies that have been filmed here, including: The Blues Brothers (1980), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Adventures in Babysitting (1987), The Untouchables (1987), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011).Buildings. Chicago’s downtown is where the skyscraper was born. Some of the oldest skyscrapers still remain including the Rookery Building (1888), Monadnock Building (1891), and Reliance Building (1895). Many of the once tallest buildings in the world (from the late 1800s to present day) are still here including the Willis Tower (mentioned above). The best way to explore the downtown, to learn about its history, and to learn about its buildings is to take one of the several walking tours offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation (no they are not giving me money for promoting them, they are just a good organization.) They will take you to all the great ones, save you on the navigating, and save me on the writing! These following walking tours are offered every day:(1) Historic Downtown (South): Rise of the Skyscraper http://www.architecture.org/page.aspx?pid=671(2) Historic Downtown (North): Treasures http://www.architecture.org/page.aspx?pid=672(3) Modern Skyscrapers http://www.architecture.org/page.aspx?pid=673Sculpture. If you are interested in art, there is a lot of public sculpture through the Loop. There are pieces by many artists including Jean Dubuffet's, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, and Alexander Calder. They are all available for free public viewing. A decent walking tour that takes you past the pieces can be found here:http://wikitravel.org/en/Loop_Art_TourThese sculptures as well as other public artwork around the city are covered in the City of Chicago's Public Art Guide:http://www.explorech...TIRE_PA_WEB.pdfState Street. Running the length of the Loop, from north to south, is State Street “that Great Street”. For more on this street see the Shopping section below.Art Institute of Chicago – large art museum noted for its extensive collections of 19th-century French painting (lots of Monet and other Impressionists) and 20th-century European and American painting. Among its best-known works are Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on La Grand Jatte; Wood’s American Gothic; and Hopper’s Nighthawks.ETA: This summer, one of the special exhibits - running through September 3rd is a retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein's works.http://www.artic.edu/aic/Millennium Park. Just a few blocks to the south of the Hyatt, on the east side of the downtown is Millennium Park. It has been parkland for many years but it was redesigned to great success to celebrate the beginning of the 21st century. There is an outdoor music pavilion that was designed by Frank Gehry and there are free concerts performed here throughout the summer. The is the Lurie Garden and the Crown Fountain which consists of two 50 foot towers that project video images of Chicago citizens and spout water on the visitors below. Perhaps most popular is the Cloud Gate sculpture (nicknames the Bean) by British artist Anish Kapoor. It offers a superb reflection of the buildings and people around it.http://explorechicago.org/city/en/millennium.htmlhttp://www.explorech...17827_final.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Gatehttp://www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/Spertus Museum. The Spertus Institute is a center for Jewish learning and culture. They frequently have exhibits that are open to the public in their facility on Michigan Avenue.http://www.spertus.edu/exhibitsSegway Tours. Ever wanted to try out a Segway? There are a few Segway tour companies that all begin their tours in and around Millennium Park and take you along the lake and over the Museum Campus. It’s a fun and different way to tour part of the city.http://citysegwaytours.com/chicagohttp://chicagosegwaytour.com/http://www.mysegwayexperience.com/Museum Campus http://www.explorech...t/Southside.pdfLocated along Lake Michigan and just south of the downtown, this is an area of the city that houses three of the city’s most visited museums. You can reach this area from the Hyatt by walking south along the lake or walking south through Millennium Park and Grant Park. The walk will take you 20 to 30 minutes. Alternatively you can take the 146 CTA bus from Wacker Drive, just to the west of Michigan Avenue which takes you directly to the Museum Campus.The Field Museum – a large natural history museum with a collection of over 20 million objects…only 1% is on display, however! There are exhibits on animals, plants, fossils, rocks, ancient Egypt, North American Indian tribes, and Pacific cultures. Most popular is Sue, the largest, most complete, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil discovered to date (you might recognize her from one of the books in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files) as well as other dinosaurs. Also popular are the Egyptian mummies, the infamous Lions of Tsavo (featured in the 1996 movie The Ghost in the Darkness), the Pawnee Earth Lodge, and an impressive collection of gems.ETA: This summer, one of the special exhibits - running through September 3rd is an exhibit on Genghis Khan.http://fieldmuseum.org/Shedd Aquarium – is one of the city’s most popular attractions and during the summer and on weekends there are generally long lines to get inside. It is also very expensive (in my opinion) for what you get compared to other museums in the city. But you can see sea otters, dolphins, whales, and sharks.http://www.sheddaquarium.org/Adler Planetarium - America's first and oldest planetarium. It houses two star-gazing theaters, a unique collection of antique instruments, extensive exhibit space, and many hands-on exhibits. Even if you don’t go inside, it is worth walking out along the lake out to this point for wonderful views of the city skyline.http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/Prairie Avenue Historic District http://www.explorech...t/Southside.pdfAfter the Great Fire of 1871, the well to do residents of Chicago rebuilt their homes along Prairie Avenue. It remained the mecca for Chicago’s social elite until the early 1900s when the Gold Coast superseded the area as the neighborhood of choice. Many of the former mansions have been demolished but a few remain to give an indication of what once was, two of which are open to the public (listed below). This area is within walking distance of the Museum Campus. You can also get down here by taking the #3 CTA bus from Michigan Avenue. A self guided walking tour of the area as well as the area’s history can be found on the following four pages:http://www.glessnerhouse.org/documents/Page1afromPABrochure.pdfhttp://www.glessnerhouse.org/documents/Page1bfromPABrochure.pdfhttp://www.glessnerhouse.org/documents/Page2afromPABrochure.pdfhttp://www.glessnerhouse.org/documents/Page2bfromPABrochure.pdfGlessner House – Designed by Boston architect, Henry Hobson Richardson in 1885, this is an example of Romanesque Architecture and offers a drastic departure from the “Chateauesque” style that predominated on Prairie Avenue. It was built as a private home for farm machinery manufacturer, John J. Glessner, and is now open to the public.http://www.glessnerhouse.org/Clark House – Dating from 1836, this is the oldest remaining house in Chicago. It was moved to its current location from several blocks away so it is also not indicative of the houses that predominated Prairie Avenue but of Chicago in its earliest days. It is also open to the public.http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/attractions/dca_tourism/Clarke_House_Museum.htmlMichigan Avenue – aka “The Magnificient Mile” http://www.explorech...le.dat/Loop.pdfMichigan Avenue, between the Chicago River and Oak Street, is just to the north of the Hyatt. You literally just walk across the river and you are at the beginning. This is where you will find many stores – see the Shopping section below.http://www.themagnificentmile.com/Some of the most photographed buildings in the city lay along this street. Just at the Chicago River is the classical Wrigley Building (former headquarters to Wrigley chewing gum), clad in white terra cotta, and the Tribune Tower (offices of the Chicago Tribune newspaper), a Neo-Gothic structure. Further north are the original Water Tower and Pumping Station, which resemble miniature Gothic castles and have the distinction of being two of the few structures to survive the Great Fire of 1871. When built, they housed the city’s original waterworks.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Water_TowerDriehaus Museum. Just two blocks west of Michigan Avenue is this fantastic historic house museum. It has recently been completely renovated thanks to the generosity of Chicago financier Richard Driehaus. It’s a 25,000 square foot mansion that was built as the home to liquor and banking magnate Samuel L. Nickerson in 1883.http://driehausmuseum.org/Museum of Contemporary Art. Located behind Water Tower, just one block east of Michigan Avenue is this museum devoted to contemporary art. They don’t have a large collection on permanent display but they always have several temporary exhibits going on.http://mcachicago.org/The John Hancock Center with its observatory, mentioned above, is also located in this area on Michigan Avenue between Chestnut and Delaware.Navy Pier http://www.explorech...le.dat/Loop.pdfNavy Pier is one of the city’s most popular attractions. It is located across the river and just east of the Hyatt (so easily walked to), jutting out into Lake Michigan. There is a children’s museum out there, an IMAX movie theater, a Shakespeare theater, boat cruises, a 15 story high Ferris wheel, tourist shops, a fast food court and other restaurants. There are also fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday evenings. I’d recommend going out to Navy Pier on one of the nights with fireworks, grabbing a drink from one of the bars, and taking in the great view of Chicago from out on the pier.http://navypier.com/http://www.chicagoshakes.com/http://www.imax.com/oo/navy-pier-imax/http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/The Cité restaurant, mentioned above as a place with a good view of the city, is located at the top of Lake Point Tower which is next to Navy Pier.Gold Coast http://www.explorech...le.dat/Loop.pdfThis residential neighborhood connects the “Magnificent Mile” area with Lincoln Park, described below. You can get here by walking (about a mile) or taking the 151 bus from Michigan Avenue. The decline of Prairie Avenue (described above) as a residential neighborhood had everything to do with the rise of this neighborhood. Once Potter Palmer built his mansion (since demolished) on Lake Shore Drive, many others decided to follow. This area is filled with townhouses dating from the early 1900s. Most are still private homes, but there are two buildings that are open to the public (listed below). A couple of self guided walking tours of the area can be found here:http://www.frommers.com/destinations/chicago/0006020034.htmlhttp://www.metrowalkz.com/Tours/GoldCoast/goldcoast.htmlInternational Museum of Surgical Science. Located in a former private home on Lake Shore Drive, this is now a quirky museum dedicated to Surgical Science.https://www.imss.org/Charnley-Persky House. An Adler & Sullivan design, this townhouse is the work of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. It was completed in 1892 for Charnley, a Chicago lumberman. It is currently owned by the Society of Architectural Historians and is open to the public in select days for tours.http://www.charnleyperskyhouse.org/Lincoln Park http://www.explorech...Lakeview&LP.pdfLocated just to the north of the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park is one of the many parks in Chicago. You can get here by taking the 151 bus from Michigan Avenue. Here you will find baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, soccer fields, tennis courts, volley ball courts, a driving range, a golf course, harbors for boating, and lots of open green space. There are landscaped gardens, bird refuges, a zoo, the Lincoln Park Conservatory, the Chicago History Museum, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, and a theater on the lake with regular outdoor performances during the summer.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_ParkChicago History Museum. This museum traces Chicago’s history beginning with its first explorers and settlers through the development of the city, to major events in modern day Chicago with permanent exhibits, supplemented with temporary displays. There have recently been some excellent fashion clothing exhibits.ETA: This summer, one of the special exhibits - running through September 3rd is an exhibit on Magic.http://www.chicagohistory.org/Lincoln Park Zoo. Oldest free public zoo. You can see rhinos, giraffes, gorillas, snakes, polar bears, lions, and more than 1,000 other animals from all over the world.http://www.lpzoo.org/Lincoln Park Conservatory. Conservatory dating from the 1890s with towering palms, cycads, ferns, mosses, and many exotic plants, including orchids. Free.http://www.lincolnparkconservancy.org/about_the_conservatory.htmlPeggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Features exhibits on regional plant and animal life with 1,000 butterflies in the Butterfly Havenhttp://www.naturemuseum.org/Hyde Park http://www.explorech...at/HydePark.pdfHyde Park, once its own town, is now a neighborhood in Chicago to the south of the downtown. You can get here by taking the #10 bus from Michigan and Wacker. The bus route ends at the Museum of Science and Industry. You could easily spend a whole day down in this neighborhood. A decent maps showing the area can be found here:http://maps.uchicago.edu/hydepark.shtmlWorld’s Fair. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World's Columbian Exposition in what is now Jackson Park. It drew over 25 million visitors from all over the world. Despite a deep national economic depression, the city built a fabulous fairground, dubbed the “White City” because of its Neo-Classical white marble buildings. If any of this sounds familiar, perhaps you read Erik Larson’s bestselling novel, Devil in the White City which was set in and around the World’s Fair. If you are a fan of this book, there are sometimes bus tours that highlight the areas featured in the story. I’m not sure if a tour will be scheduled around WorldCon but keep an eye on this page to see if it is: http://www.architecture.org/page.aspx?pid=678ETA: The tour is being offered on August 26, September 2, and September 6. Follow the following link, you will notice the tour listed halfway down the page: https://tickets.arch...ame=Bus/TrolleyMuseum of Science and Industry. The buildings built for the World’s Fair were temporary and all were destroyed except for one that was rebuilt as the Museum of Science and Industry. This museum is dedicated to educating the public about science and technology including human biology, farm technology, transportation and space exploration. There’s a reproduction of an early Illinois coal mine, a captured German World War II submarine, a 1930s train, a 727 jetliner, the Apollo 8 command module, and a miniature Fairy Castle. There is also an Omnimax theater.ETA: This summer, one of the special exhibits - running through September 3rd is MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition.http://www.msichicago.org/University of Chicago. One of the top universities in the United States, it was founded in 1892 and has the greatest number of Nobel laureates among faculty, alumni, and researchers of any U.S. university. It is particularly lauded in the fields of economics and physics. It is a pretty campus to wander around with a few related buildings worth visiting.http://www.uchicago.edu/index.shtmlhttp://maps.uchicago.edu/pdfs/campus.pdfRobie House. One of the buildings on the University of Chicago campus, this is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. It was designed and built between 1908 and 1910 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is renowned as the greatest example of his Prairie style of architecture - the first architectural style that was uniquely American. It is open to the public and offers tours.http://www.gowright.org/research/wright-robie-house.htmlOriental Institute. The University of Chicago Oriental Institute has an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeological artifacts. There is a reconstruction of an Assyrian palace, a sculpture of King Tutankhamen from a Luxor Temple. The museum’s Egyptian collection is one of the largest in the U.S.http://oi.uchicago.edu/57th Street Books and Seminary Co-Op Bookstore – Two great independent bookstores in Hyde Park that are related (ownership wise) but in two separate locations. 57th Street Books is where you will find fiction, science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, cookbooks, travel books, children's books and nonfiction. Seminary Co-Op Bookstore carries literature and classics, law, history, art and architecture, religion, politics, poetry, languages…and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few subjects! It is worth visiting just for the store itself – it’s in the basement of the Seminary and it is almost labyrinth like with its series of nooks and crannies and room after room. You almost feel you will find the Chamber of Secrets down here. Sadly it’s scheduled to move to a new above ground location just a block away in August 2012 so if they stay on schedule you most likely will miss the basement exploration but will have a brand new larger location to explore.ETA: New location is not yet ready so the old locations are still open.http://www.semcoop.com/Medici Restaurant. A good place to eat if you are out exploring Hyde Park. It is on the same block as 57th Street Books and has a wide range of food. Its popular with University of Chicago students and faculty as well as Hyde Park residents.http://medici57.com/Other MuseumsThere are many other museums in Chicago, scattered around the city. I can’t go into detail about them all but I did just want to list a few others that appeal to specific interests and didn’t really fit in any of the neighborhoods.National Museum of Mexican Art http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/DuSable Museum of African American History http://www.dusablemuseum.org/Jane Addams Hull-House Museum http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/hull_house.htmlChicago Lakefront and Beaches + Swimming and BoatingChicago is located along Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest freshwater body. Chicago claims 26 miles of lakefront and thanks to the efforts of Montgomery Ward, it is left free and open of buildings for public enjoyment. The lakefront is lined with parks (including Millennium Park and Lincoln Park mentioned above), boat harbors, 19 miles of bicycling paths, walking trails, driving ranges, golf courses, soccer fields, nature areas, and 33 beaches.The Chicago Park District has put together this handy brochure of the lakefront. It includes mile markers for the bicycling/jogging paths, the beaches, public bathrooms, and other public features.http://www.chicagobikes.org/pdf/lakefront_trail061608.pdfOn the beaches you can sunbath, swim, and engage in a volleyball game. The closest beaches to the Hyatt are:(1) 12th Street Beach – out by the Museum Campus and tucked to the side of the Adler Planetarium. This one is smaller and more private that the other beaches.(2) Ohio Street Beach – just next to Navy Pier. This is a small beach but the closest to the Hyatt.(3) Oak Street Beach and (4) North Avenue Beach – are the largest and most popular beaches in Chicago.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaches_in_ChicagoETA: Swimming. Swimming at some of the beaches is possible. You should be a decent swimmer if you plan to swim in Lake Michigan, however. The Hyatt does not have a swimming pool. They have a deal with some local health clubs where you can get day memberships and use their facilities. http://blog.hyattreg...egency-chicago/http://www.hyattrege...ess-center.aspxETA: Kayaks. In recent years kayak tours along the Chicago River have become popular. There are quite a number of companies that offer them. I have never taken any of these tours so I can't recommend one company over another. Instead what I will do is provide links to reviews on yelp.com so you can see what other people have to say about them.Urban Kayaks http://www.urbankayaks.com/index.html http://www.yelp.com/...-kayaks-chicagoKayak Chicago http://www.kayakchicago.com/ http://www.yelp.com/...chicago-chicagoSportsChicago is a huge sports town.Baseball. In August, the baseball season is in full swing. Chicago has two professional baseball teams.(1) White Sox. The ballpark can be easily reached on the CTA Red Line train. The White Sox will be playing in Chicago against the Mariners on August 24, 25 and 26 and against the Twins on September 3, 4, and 5. Tickets can be purchased here:http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=cws(2) Cubs. Historic Wrigley Field can also be easily reached on the CTA Red Line train. The Cubs will be playing in Chicago against the Rockies on August 24, 25, and 26, against the Brewers on August 27, 28, 29, and 30, and against the Giants on August 31, September 1, and 2. Tickets can be purchased here:http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/ticketing/index.jsp?c_id=chcFootball (American!). The professional football season will just be getting underway at the end of August. Chicago has one professional NFL football team – the Chicago Bears. It is not known at this time if there will be a game in Chicago at WorldCon time. I’ll update when more information is available. http://www.chicagobears.com/index.htmlETA: The Bears will be playing an away game against the Browns on August 30th but will have a home game in Chicago against the Colts on September 9th. Ticket information can be found here:http://www.chicagobears.com/tickets/Another option might be a college football game. GRRM’s alma mater, Northwestern University, has a football team. NU is located in Evanston, the suburb directly to the north of Chicago. It is easily reached on the CTA train (Red Line to Howard, then switch to the Purple Line.) Tickets are already on sale for the 2012 season. It looks like the closest home game to WorldCon is September 8th against Vanderbilt.http://www.nusports.com/ETA: If you have trouble getting tickets to a sporting event, consider looking at this site:Try Stub Hub: http://stubhub.com. This is a resale site for tickets for various events from theater to sports. I use this all the time to go to the Cubs if I want to go on short notice or am looking for a good deal. The team was bad last year and expectations are not much higher this year, so I have been able to get tickets for much less than face value. However, if a certain game is a big draw (such as crosstown series, holiday weekend, etc) then you may end up paying more than face value, but it is still better than buying from someone on the street most of the time.This is a good website to check out for some deals on theater, etc but probably best to check for deals closer to Labor Day weekend as most of what they offer is only a few weeks ahead. They have been posting some weekend Sox games at various times so it may be good to check out for those interested in that.http://www.goldstar.com/chicago/events Music / Opera / Ballet / TheaterBlues and Jazz. I am sadly not all that knowledgeable about the blues and jazz music scene in Chicago – so I’m not even going to try and fake it - but I know it’s out there and there are a lot of great places to go. I can say the one Blues club I've been to is Buddy Guy's Legends and that is worth visiting. Also, the Chicago Jazz Festival will be going on during WorldCon - its free and is located in Millennium Park just a few blocks to the south of the hotel. If someone else who knows more about these things wants to chime in, please do so! In the meantime I’ve collected a few links that can get you started.http://chicagobluesguide.com/http://www.buddyguy.com/ETA: http://kingstonmines.com/http://www.chicagojazz.com/http://www.explorech...zz_festival.htmETA: Also, not always blues but the House of Blues sometimes has good performances as well as a fun Sunday brunch with performances: http://www.houseofbl...venues/chicago/Theater. There are lots of theaters in Chicago. I’ll update when I have a better idea of what is scheduled for August. ETA: Currently, this is how their schedules look for the end of August...Steppenwolf http://www.steppenwolf.org/ Three Sisters is running through August 26th.Goodman Theatre http://www.goodmantheatre.org/Broadway in Chicago http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/Unfortunately, the Lyric Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra typically won’t have performances in the city when you are here. If either changes their typical schedule and there are performances on when you are all here, I’ll update with that information once it is known.The Second City – a legendary comedy theater that has been a training ground for many of the comedians who have become known on shows such as Saturday Night Live. Top comics such as John Belushi, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Mike Myers all had their beginnings here. Here you can see the current companies signature blend of sketches, music, and improv.http://www.secondcity.com/ETA: Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon is at Navy Pier through September 3rdhttp://www.navypier....line_stage.htmlShoppingBefore you go shopping, the first thing you should know is that the sales tax in Chicago is HIGH! At 9.5%, it is the highest in the country. A note for those coming from overseas – the sales tax is not included in the price listed on the tag – it’s added on at the cash register. Also, sales tax is not refundable to visitors from overseas.State Street – located in the Chicago Loop and running between the Chicago River and Congress used to be the great shopping street of Chicago in the late 1800s and early 20th century. The entire strip was lined with one large department store after the other. In the 1950s with the expansion of the population out to the suburbs and the development of the suburban shopping mall, this area fell into decline and most of the buildings were either torn down or adapted to other uses (mainly educational). Today there is just one department store left - the former Marshall Field’s, now a Macy’s (located between Randolph and Washington streets). It’s worth going into for a glimpse into Chicago’s past and admiring the Tiffany mosaic dome ceiling – believed to be the largest piece of glass mosaic in the world. There is also a food court (a very good non fast food chain one) on the 7th floor that I will say a bit more about in the food section below. For discount shoppers, there is a T.J. Maxx and a Nordstrom Rack on State Street between Washington and Madison (they are across the street from one another).ETA: A City Target (special smaller Target designed for cities) has just opened up on State Street in the landmark old Carson Pirie Scott building designed by Louis Sullivan. Its on the corner of State Street and Madison Avenue.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Street_(Chicago)Michigan Avenue - between the Chicago River and Oak Street, is where a huge concentration of stores are located today. (This is minutes from the Hyatt.) You’ll find some of the clothing stores you see in many other major cities around the world such as H&M, Zara, All Saints, Top Shop, Gap, and Banana Republic. There are the department stores Nordstrom’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neimen Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and another branch of Macy’s. Apple and Niketown are also there as well as the home goods store Crate & Barrel which originated in Chicago. And there are 3 vertical urban shopping malls – Water Tower Place (the nation’s first vertical mall), The Shops at 900 N. Michigan Avenue, and Westfield North Bridge which are filled with stores. For discount shippers, there is a Marshall’s just off Michigan Avenue on Ontario and a Nordstrom Rack just off Michigan Avenue on Chicago Avenue.http://www.themagnificentmile.com/http://theshopsatnorthbridge.com/http://www.shop900.com/http://www.shopwatertower.com/Lighthouse Place Premium Outlet Mall in Michigan City, Indiana - see under Day Trips for more information on this option. There are two other outlet malls but you would need a car to get to them. They are in Aurora, Illinois (approximately 1 hour driving time) and Kenosha, Wisconsin (approximately 1-1/2 hours driving time). If you want to know more about these, let me know.**************If anyone familiar with Chicago wants to add other favorites to the above list, please let me know and I will edit them in. 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lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Things to Do Outside of Chicago (A) Day Trips from Chicago(1) Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park is a suburb directly west of Chicago. It is easily reached on the CTA Green Line train. The train stops right near the downtown area and you can walk from there. You do not need a car. The downtown has some shops and restaurants. Oak Park is most known for being the home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and birthplace of writer Ernest Hemingway. http://www.visitoakpark.com/http://www.oak-park.us/Visiting_Oak_Park/index.htmlhttp://www.oprf.com/index.htmlFrank Lloyd Wright. In 1889 the architect Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Oak Park. Over the next 20 years he designed many buildings in what became his legendary Prairie School style of architecture. Twenty five of these buildings remain in Oak Park. You can visit his Home and Studio which were designed in 1889. Additionally his Unity Temple can be visited. The remaining buildings are privately owned and only selectively opened. But you can see many of them on the walking tours that are offered in Oak Park. Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio http://gowright.org/visit/home-and-studio.htmlUnity Temple http://www.utrf.org/Walking Tours of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District http://gowright.org/calendar/69/8504-Walking-Tour-of-the-Frank-Lloyd-Wright-Historic-District.htmlErnest Hemingway was born in Oak Park in 1899. You can visit the Victorian home where he was born which includes turn of the century furnishings and displays on the life of Hemingway. There is also a museum which features artifacts from Hemingway’s childhood. http://www.ehfop.org/(2) Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Just a 1-1/2 to 2 hour drive north of Chicago, Milwaukee is another Midwest city worth visiting. Getting from Milwaukee to Chicago is easy. You can drive there or Amtrak has regular trains that are fairly inexpensive (see above under How To Get To Chicago). Go for the day or fit an overnight visit and combine with a driving trip north to Minneapolis or a driving trip around Lake Michigan (see below under Things to Do Outside Chicago). http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/Some of the things worth seeing in Milwaukee include: Miller Brewery Visitor Center https://www.millercoors.com/AgeVerification.aspxHarley-Davidson Museum http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/HD_Museum/Museum.jsp?locale=en_USMilwaukee Art Museum http://www.mam.org/Pabst Mansion http://www.pabstmansion.com/Milwaukee Brewers (baseball) http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=mil(3) Lighthouse Place Premium Outlet Mall in Michigan City, Indiana. This is one of the three outlet shopping malls outside of Chicago and the only one that is reachable via public transportation. There is also plenty of parking so if you have a car, driving is also an option. Either way, it will take you about 2 hours to get here. The South Shore train line leaves from Millennium Station which is located underground at Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street – just a couple of blocks from the Hyatt. The train goes direct to the 11th Street, Michigan City station. The outlet mall is then just 6 blocks west of the station and you can walk. http://www.nictd.com/http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=18(4) Indiana Dunes, Indiana. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. National Lakeshore located in northwest Indiana and managed by the National Park Service. It has 15 miles of sandy beaches and sand dunes nestled in 15,000 acres of park. In addition to sunbathing and swimming, you can go hiking along one of the many trails. You can climb Mount Baldy, a sand dune rising 123 feet above the shore of Lake Michigan. Another popular sand dune is one called "Devil's Slide." There is also bird-watching with more than 350 species of birds that live in the versatile atmosphere. Other activities include horseback riding, camping, and fishing. You can reach the dunes by taking the South Shore train (as mentioned above under the Outlet Mall) or driving. Depending on what part of the Dunes you visit, it can take you 1 to 2 hours to get there. You could combine a visit to the Dunes with a stop at the Outlet Mall if you drive. http://www.frommers.com/articles/6891.htmlhttp://www.indianadunes.com/http://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htmSouth Shore Line http://www.nictd.com/(5) Three Floyds Brewing, Indiana. Three Floyds Brewing is a microbrewery founded in 1996 located in Munster, Indiana. It is perhaps best known for its once a year brew - Dark Lord, a Russian Imperial Stout – but they have other beers as well. Normally they offer brewery tours but they are currently on hiatus due to construction as of today. I assume they will have them up and running again by August but will update if I hear differently. They also have a Brew Pub in Munster where you can try their range of products. The best way to get here is by car. You could combine a visit to the brewery with visits to the Outlet Mall and / or the Dunes. http://www.3floyds.com/(6) Starved Rock, Illinois. Starved Rock is a state park in Illinois, located 75 miles southwest of Chicago. It takes about 1-1/2 hours to drive out here from downtown Chicago – driving is really the only option for getting here. Located along the south bank of the Illinois River, it features 13 miles of hiking trails and dozens of scenic canyons and waterfalls. A catastrophic flood which took place between 14,000 and 17,000 years ago helped create the park's signature geology and features, which are very unusual for the central plains. It's a popular destination for hiking, boating, fishing, horseback riding, rock climbing, and picnicking. Visitors can camp in one of the 133 campsites in the park, stay at a luxury lodge within the park, or bunk at a nearby hotel. http://www.starvedrockstatepark.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starved_Rockhttp://www.starvedrocklodge.com/(B ) Where to Go Before/After Chicago For those of you traveling long distances to Chicago who want to take in some other places before or after the Con, I came up with a few suggestions of some palaces you can team up with your trip to Chicago. First a couple of driving adventure suggestions and then a few Midwestern cities that can be combined with a trip to Chicago. (1) Driving Adventures (a) Route 66. For a driving adventure, consider taking a drive along one of the oldest and most famous highways in the U.S. Route 66 begins right in the heart of downtown Chicago and takes you all the way to California. While that would be an incredibly long drive, there is enough on the Illinois portion of the road to keep you entertained. There is a wealth of material on this on the internet to help you plan your journey but a few websites to start you are with your planning are: http://illinoisroute66.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66http://www.visitpontiac.org/(b ) Mississippi River. The great Mississippi River forms the western border of Illinois. Driving down to New Orleans would probably take more time than you have (!) but it possible to drive some of the length in Illinois or at least down to St. Louis. So another driving adventure is to follow the Mississippi River and take in some of the scenery and sites along the way. http://www.experiencemississippiriver.com/illinois-along.cfmhttp://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/r1/palisade.htmhttp://www.mvr.usace....mil/missriver/(c ) Lake Michigan Circle Tour. If you have a week to spare, consider driving “around” Lake Michigan. This takes you across the top of Indiana, up and over through Michigan, and then down through Wisconsin. There are some really lovely places to stop and spend some time along the way. http://www.great-lak...etour/michigan/(i) Indiana. See above under Day Trips for possible stops in northern Indiana. (ii) Michigan. Then in Michigan, stops along the way include: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which has really gorgeous, and (ii) Traverse City, which is an excellent base for visiting the Dunes as well as many of the wineries in the region. http://www.sleepingbeardunes.com/http://www.traversecity.com/http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-Do/Attractions/Wineries/Default.aspx?city=G3602Historic Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City and then take a ferry over to (iv) Mackinac Island for a day or two. http://www.mackinacparks.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Michilimackinachttp://www.mackinacisland.org/http://www.michigan....nd/Default.aspxIn the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (the “UP”) there is the spectacular Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. There are a number of tour operators that will take you out on the water for a view as well. http://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htmhttp://www.picturedrocks.com/Home.phpThere are some amazing waterfalls in the UP that are worth visiting. http://www.uppermichiganwhttp://www.picturedrocks.com/Home.phpaterfalls.com/home.htmlhttp://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/maps/statemichigan.shtml(iii) Wisconsin. Then in Wisconsin there is (vi) Door County which is a popular weekend getaway spot for people from Chicago. http://www.doorcounty.com/And consider a final stop in Milwaukee, mentioned above under Day Trips. (2) Other Midwestern Cities There are a few cities in the Midwest that are fairly easily reached from Chicago and make good accompaniments. I mentioned Milwaukee above under Day Trips. Other city options are: (a) Springfield, Illinois. Springfield is the state capital of Illinois. It is easily reached by Amtrak (see above under Getting to Chicago) or you can drive there in about two hours. There are some historic sites to see there as the city has some historic connections to President Abraham Lincoln. http://visit-springfieldillinois.com/http://www.presidentlincoln.org/http://www.dana-thomas.org/(b ) Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis a quick 2-1/2 drive from Chicago. You can also fly there in about 50 minutes on several airlines. I do not recommend that you take Amtrak on this route. Indianapolis is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the Indy 500 runs every year. There is also a Hall of Fame museum there. Other attractions include the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, and the NCAA Hall of Champions and Conference Center. Indianapolis is home to the Colts football team and the Indians, a minor league baseball team. http://visitindy.com/http://www.indianapo...orspeedway.com/http://www.imamuseum.org/http://www.eiteljorg.org/http://www.ncaahallofchampions.org/index.phphttp://www.colts.com/http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t484(c ) St. Louis, Missouri. It takes about 6 hours to drive to St. Louis if you follow the speed limit. You can also fly there in about an hour on several airlines. Amtrak is a pretty good option for getting there as well but it won’t save you much time. Or you could combine a visit here with a drive down along the Mississippi River (see above under Driving Adventures). St. Louis is probably most known for the Gateway Arch which you can go up for a view and the attached Museum of Western Expansion. Other attractions include the brewery tour at Budweiser, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. St. Louis is also home to the Cardinals baseball team and the Rams football team. http://explorestlouis.com/http://www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/gateway-arch.htmhttp://www.budweisertours.com/z01/http://www.slam.org/http://cathedralstl.com/intro/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=stlhttp://www.stlouisrams.com/(d) Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota. It can take you 6 to 8 hours to drive to the “Twin Cities” from Chicago – it just depends on traffic and how fast you drive. Amtrak is not recommended on this route. You can fly there in an hour on several airlines. There are numerous places to visit in both Minneapolis and St. Paul including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center & Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Weisman Art Museum (designed by Frank Gehry), the historic James J. Hill house, and Fort Snelling. Consider taking in a play at the renowned Guthrie Theater or seeing a Minnesota Twins baseball game or Minnesota Vikings football game. If shopping is your things, there is the Mall of America which is the biggest mall in the U.S. http://www.minneapolis.org/http://www.visitsaintpaul.com/http://www.artsmia.org/http://www.walkerart.org/http://garden.walkerart.org/index.wachttp://weisman.umn.edu/http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/jjhh/http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/http://www.guthrietheater.org/http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=minhttp://www.vikings.com/http://www.mallofamerica.com/homeOf course there are many other options! If anyone has any specific suggestions or wants to make a recommendation to be included above, please let me know and I will add it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Places to EatThere are a ton of food options in Chicago. Sadly I can’t go into all of them. But I did want to cover some of your options. First I’ll cover some of the foods Chicago has become famous for…for better or worse and some close options for where to sample them. (Whether or not they are worth eating is up to you!) Then I’ll cover some of the more famous chefs and restaurants in Chicago. Then in the third section I’ll give you some options for places to eat near the Hyatt. Finally in the fourth section, a few other specific options that have been requested.Most restaurants have their own websites. However, I’m going to link to Yelp instead. Yelp is a review site which provides reviews of each restaurant but more importantly has a map showing the location of the restaurant so you can find it. Yelp will also link to the restaurant website if they have one.(1) Chicago FoodYou know how some cities or countries are associated with certain dishes? And they aren’t always the best or healthiest or tastiest dishes but for some reason they’ve become synonymous with their location? Well Chicago is associated with deep dish pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches. And visitors to Chicago frequently want to check these food items out. I’m not going to go intothe “best” places in the city to get each because some might require you traveling great distances from the downtown. (If I’m wrong and you want to spend 2 hours on public transportation to get to Superdawg, you let me know!) Instead, I’m just going to list some close options so if you want to get a taste, you can do so. (a) Deep Dish Pizza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizzaYou can never have too much cheese or dough, right? Deep dish pizza overwhelms you with both and can be quite enjoyable unless you are a thin crust purist. You have plenty of good options not too far from the hotel. (i) Giordanos. This is your closest option as they have a location just two blocks south of the hotel.http://www.yelp.com/...danos-chicago-2(ii) Pizzeria Due http://www.yelp.com/...ria-due-chicago(iii) Pizzeria Uno http://www.yelp.com/...ria-uno-chicago(iv) Gino’s East http://www.yelp.com/...icago-chicago-2(b ) Hot Dogs http://en.wikipedia....o-style_hot_dogThe Chicago-style hot dog, typically a Vienna Beef dog, is loaded with an array of fixings that often includes neon green pickle relish, yellow mustard, peppers, tomato wedges, dill pickle spear and topped off with celery salt all on a poppy seed bun. Enthusiasts of the Chicago-style dog frown upon the use of ketchup as a garnish. Unfortunately the very good hot dog places are all far from the downtown area. (i) Portillos http://www.yelp.com/...ot-dogs-chicago(ii) Gold Coast Dogs. This is a decent chain in Chicago. This particular location is a bit of a dump and you might hesitate for a moment outside wondering if you want to go in. But it still has decent dogs. http://www.yelp.com/...-dogs-chicago-3(iii) Downtown Dogs http://www.yelp.com/...wn-dogs-chicago(c ) Italian Beef Sandwiches http://en.wikipedia....ki/Italian_beefThe Italian beef sandwich is thinly sliced beef slowly simmered au jus and served on an Italian roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera. A popular modification is the Combo – an Italian beef sandwich with the addition of an Italian sausage. The following are all very good options. (i) Al’s Beef http://www.yelp.com/...ls-beef-chicago(ii) Portillos Hot Dogs http://www.yelp.com/...ot-dogs-chicago(ii) Mr. Beef on Orleans http://www.yelp.com/...orleans-chicago (2) Well Known Chefs and their RestaurantsPrice goes out the window in this section, although there are some affordable options. Some of these places will be very hard or impossible to get into.(a) Rick Bayless. An American chef who specializes in traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations. Perhaps you’ve seen him in one of his PBS shows such as “Cooking Mexican” and “Mexico: One Plate at a Time”. Perhaps you’ve seen him on Iron Chef America or Top Chef Masters (which he won in 2009). Maybe you’ve seen one of his many cookbooks in your bookstore or his salsas in your grocery store. He and his restaurants have won numerous awards. His restaurants in Chicago are:(i) Frontera Grill. Oldest and best known.No reservations accepted so there is a good chance you will have to wait to get a table. A good alternative is to try for the bar at lunchtime on a weekday as you get the same menu.http://www.yelp.com/biz/frontera-grill-chicago (ii) Topolobampo. Must have reservations. If you don’t have reservations yet you probably won’t be able to get into this restaurant during WorldCon.http://www.yelp.com/biz/topolobampo-chicago (iii) XOCO. Mexican cart street food…inside. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. You line up, order your food, try to find a table, and they bring the food to you.http://www.yelp.com/biz/xoco-chicago (iv) Frontera Fresco. Located on the 7th floor of Macy’s in an upscale food court which has plenty of seating. Bayless’s version of fast food Mexican.http://www.yelp.com/biz/frontera-fresco-chicago (v) Tortas Frontera. Located in the American Airlines terminal at O'Hare International Airport. If you happen to be flying American Airlines on your way home, you might want to check out this last option before you get on your flight.http://www.yelp.com/biz/tortas-frontera-chicago-4 (b ) Grant Achatz(i) Alineahttp://www.yelp.com/biz/alinea-chicago (ii) The Aviaryhttp://www.yelp.com/biz/the-aviary-chicago-2 (iii) Nexthttp://www.yelp.com/biz/next-chicago-2( c) Stephanie Izard - The Girl &The Goathttp://www.yelp.com/biz/girl-and-the-goat-chicago(d) Graham Elliot Bowles(i) Graham Elliothttp://www.yelp.com/biz/graham-elliot-chicago (ii) Grahamwichhttp://www.yelp.com/biz/grahamwich-chicago (e) Art Smith - Table Fifty-Twohttp://www.yelp.com/biz/table-fifty-two-chicago(3) In the Hyatt NeighborhoodThe Hyatt is located in an area that is filled with office buildings and apartment buildings. There are plenty of places to eat but keep in mind the central part of the city is not necessarily the place where the best restaurants are. (The exception is Steak restaurants.) You get lots of tourists and office workers and most of the places in the area cater to them.I am not going to list all your options, there are too many. I’m not going to address the options in the hotel as you will figure those out easily enough. So here is a selection that gives you a variety of foods to choose from if you want to get something to eat but don’t want to walk too far. I’m keeping the selection limited to those within 5 or so blocks from the hotel (I stretched the limit to 8 blocks for a couple of restaurants.)(a) Mariano’s Fresh Market. The number one best spot to know about in the area of the Hyatt is Mariano’s Fresh Market. It’s a grocery store but it has LOTS of prepared food available for purchase. They also have seating inside and outside as well as utensils if you want to go there, buy something, and eat it there. They have a bakery, sushi, sandwiches, hot food, salad bar, soups, coffee bar, and a gelato bar (with single scoops for $1). It’s open from 6AM to 10PM every day so it’s a good option for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. They also have a very good liquor department with a large beer selection. Note: this store has two levels.http://www.yelp.com/...arket-chicago-2(b ) Fast Food Breakfast and Lunch on Weekdays. There are many places that are open on weekdays that cater to the office workers that will not be open on weekends or Labor Day. They are good options for breakfast and lunch on the other days, however. Many of these places are not visible from the street - you need to go into the office buildings to get to them. Just ask the office building security desk in the lobby if you are confused. Some options include:(i) Hannah’s Bretzel http://www.yelp.com/...bretzel-chicago(ii) Pret a Manger http://www.yelp.com/...anger-chicago-4(iii) Jimmy John’s http://www.yelp.com/...ohns-chicago-50(iv) I Love Sushi http://www.yelp.com/...e-sushi-chicago(v) Sopraffina Market http://www.yelp.com/biz/sopraffina-marketcaffe-chicago-2(vi) Au Bon Pain http://www.yelp.com/...-pain-chicago-7(c ) Other Fast Food Options. Other “fast” food in the area that is visible from the street and probably will be open on weekends include:(i) Corner Bakery http://www.yelp.com/...-cafe-chicago-7(ii) Qdoba http://www.yelp.com/...grill-chicago-9(iii) Chipotle http://www.yelp.com/...rill-chicago-30(iv) Pastoral http://www.yelp.com/...toral-chicago-2(v) Einstein Bros. Bagels http://www.yelp.com/...gels-chicago-15(vi) Caffe Baci http://www.yelp.com/...-baci-chicago-4(vii) Seven on State (lunch) This is an upscale food court on the 7th floor of Macy’s department store. It has a lot of seating and is good for large groups. Rick Bayless’s Frontera Fresco (mentioned above) is here. They also have salads, burgers, sandwiches, and noodles. http://www.yelp.com/...n-state-chicago(viii) Billy Goat Tavern. Ever seen this Saturday Night Live skit with John Belushi? http://www.hulu.com/watch/3533 It was inspired by Billy Goat’s where you should go and get…a cheeseburger! The original location is very close to the hotel but it might be a challenge to find the entrance as it’s on the lower level of Michigan Avenue, not the upper street level that you will be coming from. http://www.yelp.com/...-tavern-chicago(d) Some Sit Down Restaurants.(i) South of the River (on the same side of the river as the Hyatt)Giordano’s – mentioned above under pizzaWildberry Café (American) (breakfast, lunch) http://www.yelp.com/biz/wildberry-cafe-chicagoBella Bacinos (Italian) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...bacinos-chicagoElephant & Castle (“British” Pub) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...astle-chicago-3Heaven on Seven (Cajun, Creole) (lunch) [This is on the 7th floor of an office building…hence the name! There are other locations in the city, this is the original one.] http://www.yelp.com/...-wabash-chicago(ii) North of the River (across the river from the Hyatt)Fox &Obel (gourmet grocery store with café and sit down restaurant) (breakfast, lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...nd-obel-chicagoWest Egg Café (American) (breakfast, lunch) http://www.yelp.com/...-cafe-chicago-2Yolk (American) (breakfast, lunch)http://www.yelp.com/biz/yolk-chicago-3Indian Garden (Indian) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...taurant-chicagoDao (Thai) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...taurant-chicagoGrand Lux Café (American) (brunch, lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...ux-cafe-chicagoBig Bowl (Asian-ish) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...ig-bowl-chicagoWeber Grill (BBQ) (lunch, dinner)Oysy Sushi http://www.yelp.com/...y-sushi-chicagoIndia House (Indian) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...urant-chicago-2Heaven on Seven (Cajun/Creole) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...n-seven-chicagoThe Purple Pig (pig!) (lunch, dinner) http://www.yelp.com/...ple-pig-chicago(e) Steak. There are lots of great steak restaurants in Chicago. The really good ones are expensive. Several of these places, however, have more affordable lunch options that you might want to consider and they happen to be near the Hyatt. Here I’ve linked the lunch menu direct so you can see the options. Note to non meat eaters, most of these places have non meat options as well.(i) Palm Restaurant. The closest option – just a block away from the Hyatt.http://www.yelp.com/...#query:the palmhttp://www.thepalm.c...h-Apr12-MTN.pdf(ii) Mortonshttp://www.yelp.com/...house-chicago-3http://www.mortons.com/menu/lunch/(iii) Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Okay so it’s prime rib not steak but still red meat! A personal favorite of mine for their lunchtime sandwich bar with prime rib sandwiches. Yummm.http://www.yelp.com/...ime-rib-chicagohttp://www.lawrysonl...eandSandwichBar(4) Specific Requests(a) BreweriesThere are some good local breweries in Chicago. Some serve food as well. They are not located near the Hyatt.(i) Half Acre Breweryhttp://www.yelp.com/...brewery-chicago(ii) Revolution Brewing Co.http://www.yelp.com/...wing-co-chicago(iii) Metropolitan Brewinghttp://www.yelp.com/...brewing-chicago(iv) Goose Island Brewing Co.http://www.yelp.com/...bourn-chicago-2(b ) Places with Good Beer SelectionThese are just a few places around the city. Some require trekking to other parts of the city.(i) Hackneys Printers Row – this is a somewhat closer option in the south Loop.http://www.yelp.com/...#query:hackenys(ii) The Publican – also well regarded for its upscale foodhttp://www.yelp.com/...ublican-chicago(iii) Bangers & Lacehttp://www.yelp.com/...nd-lace-chicago(iv) The Map Roomhttp://www.yelp.com/...ap-room-chicago(v) Paddy Longs – they also specialize in bacon and have bacon sampler platters!http://www.yelp.com/...longs-chicago-2(vi) Fountainheadhttp://www.yelp.com/...ainhead-chicago(vii) Hopleafhttp://www.yelp.com/...eaf-bar-chicago(c ) Sweet Tours. There are several walking tours that cost money and take you around to various sweet shops. Most of the places they go to are in the Loop or near Michigan Avenue so you can easily walk to them on your own and save the tour money for more sweets.(i) LoopMagnolia Bakery (Cupcakes) http://www.yelp.com/...-bakery-chicagoBeard Papa's Cream Puffs (Cream Puffs) http://www.yelp.com/...query:chocolateSugar Bliss Cake Boutique (Cupcakes) http://www.yelp.com/...outique-chicagoDairy Queen (Ice cream) http://www.yelp.com/...straunt-chicago [Mainly put on the list for the non-Americans who aren’t familiar with Dairy Queen. There is nothing fancy about this. Its basic everyday but yummy soft serve ice cream treats that originated in Illinois. Order a “Blizzard” which is soft serve ice cream mixed with your favorite cookie or candy toppings from Oreo to Heath Bar Crunch.](ii) Michigan Avenue (to the north, across the river from the Hyatt)Vosges Haut-Chocolate (Chocolate…chocolate with bacon!) http://www.yelp.com/...hocolat-chicagoMore Cupcakes (Cupcakes) http://www.yelp.com/...upcakes-chicagoSprinkles Cupcakes (Cupcakes) http://www.yelp.com/...upcakes-chicagoTeuscher Chocolate of Switzerland (Chocolate) http://www.yelp.com/...zerland-chicagoHendrickx Belgian Bread Crafters (Croissants) http://www.yelp.com/...crafter-chicagoCheesecake Factory (Cheesecake) http://www.yelp.com/...factory-chicago This is a chain restaurant that serves everything in large portions but it also has good cheesecake which you can get without having to wait or sit in the restaurant.Note: There is also a Hershey and Ghirardelli in the area but I can’t bring myself to link to them.*********************************Also, some suggestions from others:As to places to eat I love Connie's Chicago style pizza and I saw "Irazu" on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". It's a Costa-Rican restaruant and looked really good. http://irazuchicago.com/For something to do Downtown, I gotta recommend Tastebud Toursfor a chance to sample a lot of differnet aspects of what Chicago is famous for...It's a walking tour, but it isn't terrible. Mrs. Jax walked it with me while eight months pregnant and at least one of the tours takes you through Pizano's, which really is the best deep dish in Chicago... :PI love the food tour idea. I notice that Chicago Food Planet food toursare also slightly more highly recommended on Tripadvisor - they have three tours, including a more expensive Chinatown one :drool: Looks like they're booking up already so if anyone would be interested in doing one of these sometime between 27th Aug and the start of Con, post here - they're up to 12 people per tour I think.Right by the Regency are two of my favorite places to eat: The Purple Pig, and the recently opened Bar Toma. Both are outstanding, moderately priced considering the neighborhood, and casual...Others have mentioned Wrigley Field...For eating in the neighborhood, I highly recommend Chilam Balam, Deleece Pub, and Crisp (fast food, but absolutely delicious), and Socca. If you're willing to trek a couple miles west, Hot Doug's has become a Chicago institution, but be warned that the line can stretch down the block and take up to 45 minutes during peak hours. I never go between 11:30 and 1:30.If you feel like exploring the neighborhoods, I'd recommend taking a look at this list of restaurants from the dining forum I frequent (a convenient map is available here). Chicago has a very diverse food culture, and there are some great spots on that list you would likely miss if you only looked at more mainstream guides. The Publican has one of the best brunches anywhere - book a reservation early.As I lived in Chicago for many a year and am planning on moving back before the con takes place, here's some food ideas for vegans and vegetarians:Chicago Diner - 3411 N HalstedLoving Hut - 5812 N BroadwaySoul Veg East - 205 E 75thBleeding Heart Bakery - 1955 W BelmontHandlebar - 2311 W NorthIcream - 1537 N MilwaukeeRodan - 1530 N MilwaukeePick Me Up - 3408 N ClarkEarwax - 1561 N MilwaukeeEl Faro - 3936 W 31st Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 LN,As to places to eat I love Connie's Chicago style pizza and I saw "Irazu" on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". It's a Costa-Rican restaruant and looked really good.Thank you so much for the information. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ithanos Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Fantastic stuff lady narcissa!Looked at the California Zephyr option (San Francisco - Denver - Chicago) as a leisurely means of getting to Chicago but was a bit discouraged when I checked Amtrak's on-time performance for this route and found it was 34.5% for the last 12 month period - which included an 18hr delay in the weekend before the weekend (the last) Worldcon was held. Still an appealling option if one can allow for the delay.On the food side, places to indulge deep dish pizza! Also, if there's a place to get a decent draught of cider I'd be happy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Scott, I'll be sure to include those restaurants in the restaurant list.Looked at the California Zephyr option (San Francisco - Denver - Chicago) as a leisurely means of getting to Chicago but was a bit discouraged when I checked Amtrak's on-time performance for this route and found it was 34.5% for the last 12 month period - which included an 18hr delay in the weekend before the weekend (the last) Worldcon was held. Still an appealling option if one can allow for the delay.On the food side, places to indulge deep dish pizza! Also, if there's a place to get a decent draught of cider I'd be happy :)I suspect most of the delay problems have to do with Amtrak not owning the rails they are traveling on. I took Amtrak to and from Toronto once and on both the to and from journeys we sat for several hours waiting for the freight trains to pass by. But if you are already planning on spending a couple of days on the train traveling, an extra 5 hours might not stand out. An 18 hour delay, however...yikes! A bit longer than I would want. Are you flying in and out of San Francisco? Consider taking the train one way and flying back the other. I've noticed that you can much more easily buy one way domestic air fares (without being penalized and paying more for not purchasing a round trip ticket) than in the past.I will be sure to list some deep dish pizza places! And bars with decent cider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Here's the Irazu website:http://irazuchicago.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormborne Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 thanks so much for all the info so far :) you'er a gem for putting it all together!Irazu looks great Ser Scot - nice and fresh :) can we normally expect much veg options on a menu like at irazu?i have a bit of a general question about usa travel - are there places (outside of hotels), where we will be able to put a basket of clothes in for washing? would prefer not to have to sit at a laundromat while its done, so is there some sort of drop off, pick up option about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. X Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 i have a bit of a general question about usa travel - are there places (outside of hotels), where we will be able to put a basket of clothes in for washing? would prefer not to have to sit at a laundromat while its done, so is there some sort of drop off, pick up option about?Here in NYC, there are places where you can drop off laundry and return to pick it up all clean and folded at a later time. I would be very surprised if Chicago did not have the same sort of option available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 Irazu looks great Ser Scot - nice and fresh :) can we normally expect much veg options on a menu like at irazu?i have a bit of a general question about usa travel - are there places (outside of hotels), where we will be able to put a basket of clothes in for washing? would prefer not to have to sit at a laundromat while its done, so is there some sort of drop off, pick up option about?Many restaurants here have very good vegetarian options available. Its not unusual to see glutan free and vegan options as well. There are a lot of farms in Midwest and there has been great push in recent years for local restaurants to take advantage of and have menus based around local produce. There are also quite a few farmers markets that go on all over the city during the summer. So there should be lots of fresh vegetables to enjoy when you are here in August.Regarding doing laundry...the neighborhood where the hotel is does not have laundromats with machines that are open to people off the street. So going somewhere and doing your laundry yourself isn't an option for you (unless you want to come over to my apartment building to do so!) Instead all of the apartment buildings in the neighborhood have private laundry rooms available only to their residents. Most, however, will have dry cleaners on the ground floor of the building that generally are open to the public. And at these places you should be able to drop off your laundry and they will take care of it for you. I'll try to find a few options for you. I can't say any of these places will be any cheaper than having it done at the hotel, however. But at least I'll get you a few options to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peadar Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 As a vegetarian, I've never had a problem in Chicago.Hurray! Reno was difficult for a feeble vegan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady narcissa Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Lady N - Chicago does have a significant homeless and panhandler population downtown. Do you have any advice for our more tenderhearted bretheren on how one deals with the panhandlers? People from small cities might not be prepared...and even from Atlanta (which is said to have a large population of such), I was shocked. People sleeping on grates, in January. A woman with a stroller, with a sign stating "$1...just give me $1 for my baby's formula".I'm glad you asked because this isn't something I would have thought of addressing. Yes it is true, there is a significant homeless population in Chicago. It can break your heart seeing them day after day.In the area around the Hyatt you will see people on practically every block - some agressively asking for money and some just sitting there quietly with a sign or a cup for change. You tend to see more of this in the areas where the tourists go because tourists are often the most sympathetic and willing to give money to them. I'm not saying residents here are not sympathetic. However when you see the same guy ask for money because "its his birthday" every single day of the year, you aren't as inclined to give to him as people who are encountering him for the first time. Some of the people like him are regulars and are there year after year. There is a woman who is always on this one bridge asking for money for her cats...I've seen her almost every day for 10 years now. Other people you only see once and then never see again.Some things to keep in mind...you can't give money to everyone, there are just too many. You will quickly be out of $100 a day if you give a $1 to everyone who asks for money. Also, not everyone who asks for money for food, will really use the money for food. If you offer actual food to anyone who asks you money for food, more often than not they will not want it. I've also not had much success trying to hand out gift cards to food places.So what to do? Well you can always just harden your heart, expect to see this, and just mentally prepare yourself to ignore and keep walking. Lots of people do this. But if you are the sort who actually wants to do something such as give money to some people, you should give yourself a budget - like you'll decide you will give $20 out while you are in Chicago - and have that amount in individual dollar bills in your pocket. Have it easily accessible to hand out - do not ever pull out your wallet on the street and pull out money to give. Another option is to donate some money to one of the local charities here that provides food and shelter and support to the homeless in Chicago. I can give you the name of some organizations if that option is of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mich Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Wow super handy topic. Thanks Lady Narcissa! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alguien Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 LN,As to places to eat I love Connie's Chicago style pizza and I saw "Irazu" on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives". It's a Costa-Rican restaruant and looked really good.Thank you so much for the information. :)I love Irazu. I did a semester in Costa Rica and can vouch for its authentic deliciousness.As for panhandlers, there aren't as many downtown as there used to be. My policy is to place on ignore, unless I have food, in which case I may give them my leftover takeaway. The city has turned my heart to stone in that regard. Overall, you're better off avoiding.Going to be buying my ticket in February! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouse Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 LN, you may want to update the taxi fare info. I read that the $1 fuel surcharge was made permanent, by city ordinance, a week or so ago, such that the base rate is now $3.25. Effectively the same as before, but that $1 should not be shown as an extra charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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