If you only had one full day ...

and two late afternoon/evenings - what would you do/see?

My husband and I are travelling to Chicago on April 7 for 2 nights (we are staying at the Sofitel Ohare); we plan on heading downtown as soon as we check in and drop our luggage (approx. 3:00 p.m.); will be spending all day on the 8th downtown. We are then flying to Toronto in the morning of the 9th and will be back in Chicago for one more afternoon and night on the 14th - our flight home leaves at 3:30 on the 15th (so could head downtown again for say 3 hours. I know this sounds like a milk run, but this was unavoidable.

Anyway, what would be on your ';must do/see'; list? We love walking; shopping; all sports; all types of food (hot dogs to foie gras). I have tried for 3 days to get tickets to Oprah ... no luck yet. I really wanted to do the Chicago Food Planet Food Tour, but they don%26#39;t start up their tours until the week after we leave - we will however go to The Spice House that was on one of the tours. The Art Institute of Chicago is on the list as is the Magnificent Mile and the Sears Tower. Is Millennium Park and Navy Pier worth visiting given the time of year we are visiting? I wouldn%26#39;t mind going to the Zoo, but not husband%26#39;s cup of tea.

Restaurants on my list: Blackbird; Hot Doug%26#39;s; Moto; Tre Kronor; Avec. Any suggestions? This is probably a very contentious issue, but where is the best pizza place?

We will be purchasing transit passes - by the looks of it we can cover a lot of territory with your transit system.

I appreciate any information or suggestions you can offer.

Thanking you in advance.

L

If you only had one full day ...

';Must sees'; are different for everyone. Check www.explorechicago.org, www.chicagoreader.com and www.metromix.com for ideas. The Visiting Chicago section on this web site has lots of information.

Please search for pizza on this forum. The topic%26#39;s been covered way too much. There isn%26#39;t bad pizza downtown.

Be prepared for a line at Hot Doug%26#39;s. Allow for commuting time. Skip Navy Pier. Hit the Hancock Observatory in place of Sears (soon to be Willis)Tower.

Free online dining reservations - www.opentable.com.

www.transitchicago.com for public transit information. There%26#39;s a trip planner on the home page.

If you only had one full day ...

The Spice House in Old Town right? I tell ya, I love that store. Can%26#39;t wait to go back there when I am over in July, to stock up!

If you are headed there anyway, Old Town is a nice place to wonder about. And just up from the Spice House is another cool store that sells different vinegars and oils. There is also a nice chocolate store near by as well.

Millenium Park is well worth a visit any time of year. It%26#39;s a fabulous park.

Shedd Aquarium is excellent as well. And you get some really great views of the skyline from where the Aquarium and Planetarium is.

Instead of Sears Tower, go to John Hancock where the views are better. Blackbird and Avec are right next store to each other so if you want to try different neighborhoods, just go to one. I choose BB. I like Moto but would lose Hot Doug%26#39;s. If you want to buy spices, go to spice house and have a lunch or dinner at Bistrot Margot, across the street. Millenium Park is wonderful and Navy Pier is great. It has all kinds of kiosk%26#39;s with things for sale and a food court. There is an Omnimax and alot of restaurants like Forest Gump%26#39;s shrimp house. So it%26#39;s kind of touristy but still it%26#39;s amazing to be out on the water and there are boats there docked and the views of the city from Navy Pier are just great. Also, Riva%26#39;s is a nice restaurant on the pier that I take lunch whenever I am there.

Thank you all for the suggestions - much appreciated.

lip cream