The Official "I'm visiting/moving to Chicago, what should I do?" Thread

[spyguy]

Well its tallest is taller, the two main ones have public observation decks (HK does not), birthplace of the skyscraper, etc. Not as many, but more than most.

[UrbanSophist]

Originally Posted by lopt

Okay, I'm just asking on whether Chicago has a skyline that could impress me(dense, high, etc.) as much as or at least close to the skyline of Hong Kong.

...

[marooned]

Chicago is nice becouse the lakefront is beautiful, not like in NY or HK where all sorts of ugly piers and industrial buildings block access to the water.

OK, another question from me:

I found the Joliet prison (Prison Break on Fox) on google earth, is that a place one can visit, or will Fox's security guards hunt us down?

[mohammed wong]

Originally Posted by lopt

Okay, I'm just asking on whether Chicago has a skyline that could impress me(dense, high, etc.) as much as or at least close to the skyline of Hong Kong.

what kind of question is that?

its like someone who must ask questions about everything before seeing for themselves,
i never ever ever ever ask any questions about such matters,
i go and see for myself,

hong kong? ah phuie!

[TB]

im going to chicago in 8 days for the madonna concert we stayin at the travelodge (ya, i no my friend booked it) but the location looks sweet. we gonna be there on the 14, 15, 16. i cant wait. is the area we stayin in safe?

we coming from toronto so we have our street smarts but should we raise our awareness a notch more? how much does p/t cost? and where can we go for a cool lounge/bar in a tall building?

navy pier a tourist trap not worth going to?

what can we do in chicago that we cant do in toronto? id love to take a bout tour along the chicago river but my friend refuses to get in a boat.

tips please

[Latoso]

Signature Lounge on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building is great for drinks and the view.

[Azn_chi_boi]

Navy Pier gets boring very quickly, if you don't want to spend a lot of money or have any kids with you...

[Jules]

^I don't know. I like to bring friends/ladies down to Navy Pier, especially at night, and just ride the ferris wheel. Great views, great place to talk, just very relaxing, imo. I can do that for hours

the rest of Navy Pier is pretty bleh though.

[Hecago]

Originally Posted by RP1

the rest of Navy Pier is pretty bleh though.

I agree, much of Navy Pier has that ugly, suburban mini-mall feel to it.

[JV]

Navy Pier is overly touristy and mall-like.
Though I would say one redeeming quality is the Shakespeare Theater. Great venue in my opinion.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...i-business-hed

Chicago tops requests

Tribune staff, wire reports
Published June 28, 2006

Millennium Park and North Michigan Avenue were the nation's most-requested neighborhoods for hotel bookings by bargain hunters this summer, according to a study by Priceline.com to be released Wednesday. Those two were followed by Midtown West and Upper Midtown in New York and the Las Vegas strip, according to a sampling of more than 100,000 booking requests by discounter Priceline.

[italy]

I don't know what other people think, but Chicago is allmost greatest city in all world.

[UrbanSophist]

Originally Posted by italy

I don't know what other people think, but Chicago is allmost greatest city in all world.

Yep. That's what we all think.

[wickedestcity]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...i-business-hed

Chicago tops requests

Tribune staff, wire reports
Published June 28, 2006

Millennium Park and North Michigan Avenue were the nation's most-requested neighborhoods for hotel bookings by bargain hunters this summer, according to a study by Priceline.com to be released Wednesday. Those two were followed by Midtown West and Upper Midtown in New York and the Las Vegas strip, according to a sampling of more than 100,000 booking requests by discounter Priceline.

Millenium Park becoming top draw, Web study shows
By Janet Liao
Medill News Service
Posted Sunday, July 02, 2006


With Chicago’s own Millennium Park topping Priceline.com’s list as this summer’s most-requested travel destination nationally, the area’s tourism industry gets a promising boost.

Chicago destinations took the top two spots in Priceline’s annual study of the top 50 summer destinations for 2006 released last week. Millennium Park ranked No. 1, rising from the 35th most popular destination last year.

North Michigan Avenue and its high-end shopping, which ranked second this year, moved up from fifth place.

“This is only our second full season, and the excitement about the numbers has not declined at all,” said Karen Ryan, communications manager for Millennium Park, which opened in July 2004.

Increased park attendance can be attributed to the continuing popularity of “Cloud Gate” — a sculpture Chicagoans commonly call The Bean — plus unique fountains and a Frank Gehry-designed amphitheater.

This year the park has an expanded concert series, such as Silk Road Chicago, a summer-long, city-wide celebration featuring more than 250 music and cultural events.

The Priceline.com study sampled more than 100,000 hotel room booking requests by customers for the period between June 15 and Aug. 15.

“It was very important in the study to see where travelers wanted to go,” said Priceline spokesman Brian Ek. He pointed out that Priceline can accurately predict summer travel trends because the study is not based on consumer preference polls or surveys but on actual booking requests.

“There’s a difference between where someone wants to go and where they’re actually going when they’ve actually put their credit card down,” Ek said.

Chicago tourism officials were especially encouraged by the study because of national concerns about a stagnant tourism season, due to higher airline fares and gasoline prices.

Visitor spending generated by Millennium Park this summer also means more activity for downtown Chicago businesses.

“Tourism from Millennium Park has a positive economic impact on the neighborhood surrounding it,” Ryan said. “It’s turning into a huge residential area, and the East Loop neighborhood is really booming with retailers, restaurants and other cultural institutions.”

Over a 10-year period, Millennium Park visitor activity is expected to generate $2.6 billion in revenues from hotel, dining, shopping and entertainment spending, according to a 2005 economic impact study by the Chicago-based real estate research consultancy Goodman Williams Group and URS Corp., a San Francisco-based engineering design firm.

Five restaurants — Aria, Bennigan’s, Caffé Baci, Cosi and La Strada — located near the 100 and 200 blocks of North Michigan Avenue have reported increased business due to Millennium Park traffic, especially from July through September and on special event days, according to the study.

“There’s been a positive impact with more concerts this year,” said Mario Farias, general manager for Caffé Baci on South Michigan Avenue, who is temporarily serving as manager at the restaurant’s North Michigan location near the park. “It’s been busy now that people are coming over to visit the concerts, and a lot of business are opening up here, bringing in more commercial activity,” he said.

Although Millennium Park ranked No. 1 nationally as an attraction for hotel bookings, it isn’t even close to being the Chicago area’s top tourist destination.

Ranked by attendance, the 24.5-acre park is Chicago’s fifth-largest tourist attraction, with nearly 2.8 million visitors in 2005, according Crain’s Chicago Business. Navy Pier, with 8.6 million visitors, ranked first.

In its first year of operation starting July 2004, Millennium Park drew more than 1.5 million visitors.

Ryan notes that although “the park is really for Chicagoans and belongs to the people of Chicago,” studies like Priceline.com’s summer destination report make it clear that Millennium Park attracts visitors from nationwide. An estimated 45 percent of the park’s visitors are domestic travelers.

“It’s great that out-of-town visitors generate this tourism that has economic impact on the city,” Ryan said.

The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau expects Chicago to see an increase in visitors for 2006, despite forecasts by the Travel Industry Association of America of a flat volume for summer leisure travel.

Earlier this month, CCTB and the Chicago Office of Tourism announced that Chicago reached a record of 33 million visitors in 2005, an increase of 3.5 percent over 2004.
http://www.dailyherald.com/business/story.asp?id=204587

[Stoic]

I was born and raised there but haven't called Chicago home in twenty-four years. I'm going to be in town for about 9-10 days with my family visiting my mom and dad on the south side. I need some advice.

What's the best play in town right now?

The best blues club?

If I brought my 18yr old daughter there will she get in? I've been told that because of the higher drinking age (it was 18 when I lived there) that she probably won't get in even if she's with someone over 21.

Thanks in advance.

[Loopy]

..

[lovestar]

When I venture to different cities, I try to avoid all the typical 'touristy' attractions. As for Chicago, visiting Navy Pier would be about the most touristy thing one can do! I would avoid it. It's a pier. You can look at it whilst passing it by on a boat. My advice would be to take the 'off the beaten path' route and check out the neighborhoods outside of the main downtown area. Yes, the Wicker Park/Bucktown area is a bit artsy for those that live in Chicago and are familiar with the area. However, it is a diverse neighborhood with some great restaurants and shops! If you are sticking to the East, near Millenium Park and a tad South near the Field Museum, there is a great sushi place called OYSY that I highly recommend!!
Also, The James Hotel http://www.jameshotels.com/chicago/index.php[listed in Travel + Leisure, June 2006]
and Hotel Blake http://www.hotelblake.com, are other alternatives to your typical Hilton Hotel. The James also has a pretty trendy bar called J Bar with pricey but very tasty mojitos!!
If you don't like to check out the the alternatives, then you can always find something going on in Chicago by checking out metromix.com.

Cheers!!

[Loopy]

..

[Stoic]

Heh, I remember the Pier before it was renovated and visited it once since then and will avoid the experience again.

I think this time around I'm going to take the kids up to some skyscraper observation deck, probably the Sears. I remember watching it being built from my bedroom window oh so many years ago but I've never been in it. Even when I used to work downtown delivering packages while I was going to high school.

I'll probably rent some bikes and ride up and down the lakefront like old times. I will also fill up on beef sandwiches which I can't get here in Maryland.

So much for the diet.

[simulcra]

chicago-area italian beefs are a must for any tourist. I discovered them a year ago and haven't looked back (and neither has my waistline ).