3 day weekend in Chicago

My husband and I want to visit Chicago to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We have never been there. We want to go to art galleries, hear some blues and eat wonderful meals. We have no idea what neighbourhood we should be staying in to accommodate these plans. Can someone recommend an area that will not require a lot of travelling within it to do this?

3 day weekend in Chicago

Most hotels and attractions are clustered in the River North/Michigan Avenue area or The Loop. The Loop tends to get a little more quiet after business hours as it%26#39;s more offices and banks where River North has more stores and restaurants.

Take a look at the overview section on this forum or check www.choosechicago.org for ideas of what to do.

Public transit is abundant and you can take the CTA subway/';L'; into the central city from either Midway or O%26#39;Hare airport. Visitor passes would probably be a wise investment. They allow unlimited rides on all CTA trains and buses. A 3-day pass is $14 and available from vending machines at either airport, online, or several vendors around the city.

You%26#39;d probably want to stay in the River North-Michigan Avenue-Streeterville neighborhoods which are extend from the river north to Oak Street and from Lake Michigan west. The Loop would be a close second choice.

You don%26#39;t say when you plan to visit, but it can be helpful if you%26#39;re flexible with dates. The city hosts a number of large conventions and hotel rates can soar when you%26#39;re competing against 70,000 conventioneers for a room.

3 day weekend in Chicago

You will probably want to stay in either the River North or Mag Mile areas downtown.

Thanks for the info. We would be looking at June 19, 20 %26amp; 21. I have been looking at hotels/b%26amp;bs on trip advisor and am rather surprised at how expensive hotels are in Chicago! I will definitely be looking for sell offs etc.

I have seen advertising for a new hotel called Felix Hotel in River North...it has introductory offers which you can get by going to the hotel website direct and selecting Advance Purchase from the dropdown menu.

Hope you have a lovely time!

Thanks. I will check out the website. I do have another question re Chicago neighbourhoods. Is there a specific neighbourhood that features independent stores (as opposed to chains and department stores that seem to be constantly recommended in the guide mags etc.)? In Toronto we have an area called Queen West or Queen West West that has lots of independent retailers, cafes, bars and restaurants. We prefer that to chain stuff. Any recommendations on this?

My husband and I just booked our Chicago trip for 4th of July weekend for $847 with hotels.com. We%26#39;ll be there from 7/2 to 7/5, not a bad deal for a holiday weekend. We%26#39;ve stayed at Sheraton Hotel %26amp; Tower, it was really nice and they%26#39;re in a good location. This time we%26#39;re staying at Sutton Place, the hotel is about one block from Mag. Miles. You should also check out this website www.kayak.com.

';Thanks. I will check out the website. I do have another question re Chicago neighbourhoods. Is there a specific neighbourhood that features independent stores (as opposed to chains and department stores that seem to be constantly recommended in the guide mags etc.)? In Toronto we have an area called Queen West or Queen West West that has lots of independent retailers, cafes, bars and restaurants. We prefer that to chain stuff. Any recommendations on this?';

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