Chicago: First Visit (except on my way to Boot Camp in '69)

My daughter, 19 and I would like to do the tourist thing of Chicago. Maybe see Oprah, Jerry Springer, Art Institute, Cows on Parade(if they%26#39;re still parading), Navy Pier(?), water taxi/tour(?), and any other recommendations from those in the know. Also a suggestion as to where to stay ... I like eclectic areas with cafes and eateries nearby ... not in a downtown/business area that rolls up the sidewalks at dusk ... I like Georgetown in DC, Union Square in San Francisco, Hollywood Blvd in LA, The Village in NYC, etc. Thanks.

Chicago: First Visit (except on my way to Boot Camp in '69)

Lived in the West Village and spent quite a bit of time in Georgetown. Suggestion would be Lincoln Park or Lakeview, or Old Town. Places to stay would include Days Inn in Lincoln Park, Best Western in Lakeview, Belden Stratford in Lincoln Park, maybe Hotel Indigo. Think these are as close as you are going to get in Chicago to what you want. Chicago is more spread out, but these neighborhoods are concentrated, with lots of bars and restaurants and no need for a car...better keeping it parked or not bringing it. Don%26#39;t miss the lakefront, walking it, renting a bike and biking it, if yyou come in the summer then a free outdoor concert at Millenium Park, surely see Millenium Park, your daughter will love Lincoln Park and shopping on Armitage and Halsted boutiques, try having breakfast at Nookies and coffee at Bourgeois Pig, or maybe breakfast at Toast or Orange...new one on Clark. Have fun. Glad you survived the 60%26#39;s....me too.

ZB

Chicago: First Visit (except on my way to Boot Camp in '69)

Thanks, ZB. I had just looked at another web site and you hit the nail on the head. Lincoln Park it is. Which airport is closer, O%26#39;Hare or Midway? Well, I guess that would be determined more by the airfare than proximity.

ORD %26amp; MDW are about equal distance to downtown. www.explorechicago.org is a good site to do some research. No more cows.

Mag Mile and River North hotels are your best options downtown. Read reviews in the Chicago Hotels section of this web site.

www.transitchicago.com for public transit information. A CTA visitor pass might come in handy for your visit.

Oprah tickets very difficult to get, Cows have paraded out of town several years ago, architectural boat tour of the river would be the best thing instead of just taking a water taxi, and I would recommend the River North area as opposed to Lincoln Park as a neighborhood to stay. LP is great but it%26#39;s a bit up north and all the tourist things you mentioned are in the downtown/North Michigan area. It%26#39;s easy enough to visit LP for an afternoon but for a first time visitor, with a busy fun tourist agenda like museums, navy pier, tours, stay in River North as your getting around will be easier.

Thanks everyone. I am now armed and dangerous (I probably should take that back before there%26#39;s a knock on my door from Cheney%26#39;s Death Squad) and will continue to Central Booking (Expedia, probablY)

Oh yeah, if I get tickets to Jerry Springer, I%26#39;ll probably get to see Cows on Parade after all.

I agree with the suggestion of River North, there%26#39;s a much wider variety of hotels and restaurants (some of which are tourist oriented, others that are not), with Lincoln Park you are really just limited to a handful of hotels and if you check out the reviews, you%26#39;ll find that some are subpar. You can easily find transportation between the neighborhoods and Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, etc.

Don%26#39;t count on getting Oprah tickets, I%26#39;ve only tried once but I was on the phone for 2 days and never got tickets.

I need some help here. From all of the input, I%26#39;m now torn between the Loop, Lincoln Park and River North. I have a saved but not yet booked itinerary in Lincoln Park at the Belden Stratford, The Loop at the Allegro but nothing yet in River North. Please help resolve my indecisiveness but base it mostly on the charm/ sidewalk cafe/boutique factor over all others. Thanks.

Scratch the Loop off your list, esp. the Allegro. It%26#39;s on the far side of the Loop away from Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue and that location except for the theater and a couple of restaurants is really dead at night.

Lincoln Park is a nice residential neighborhood, if the Belden Stratford has good reviews, it%26#39;s not a bad area to stay in. That hotel is right near the LP Zoo, the Lincoln Park Conservatory and within walking distance of the lakefront path. But you will have some travel time to and from places of interest if you stay in Lincoln Park (dependent on traffic), it%26#39;s 2-4 miles from Lincoln Park to most of the museums. People you run into are more likely to be local than visitors.

River North is more of where people who come to visit stay, there are a lot of restaurants, some incredibly tourist oriented but many that are quite good. You%26#39;ll be closer to museums and atrractions if you stay in River North, some you can walk to, others just a short cab/bus/el ride away. You%26#39;ll find a lot more quality hotel options in River North and probably save some money since you can get rooms off Travelzoo, Hotwire or Priceline in this area. People you run into are more likely to be visitors than locals.

If I was coming to visit I%26#39;d probably pick River North. Based on your criteria, you might enjoy Lincoln Park more than River North. Just take a look at the hotel reviews for the Belden Stratford and make sure it%26#39;s what you are looking for in a hotel.

Thank you. I received a private message reinterating what you posted so River North it shall be. I%26#39;ve already checked out the two hotels the private messenger suggested (Whitehall and Tremont) and their prices are in line with hotels in the two other areas. Thanks again ... it should be a fun ';holiday'; as the Brits say ... the only down side is if my daughter got bored in the Louvre, the maybe I should send her back to the hotel to play with her iPod while I%26#39;m enjoying The Art Institute.