GoldenBird

Hey guys, I usually post on the Eastern forum as I'm from Boston, but I'm heading to Chicago next weekend for the first time. We have some great Cubs tickets and want to check out the city. I was curious if somebody could recommend a good area to stay as we still need to book the hotel. The city seems HUGE and I have no grasp of the subway system or where the attractions are. Ideally we'd have easy access to Wrigley Field (walking or subway) and have some decent attractions and things to do at night easy walking distance. Any good recommendations for nightlife would be appreciated also....my g/f and I are 25 and 22 if that helps at all as to what we'd be interested in. Also, does the public transportation run 24 hours? A rental car is not practical. Thanks for any info!

SpaZMaN

iTrader: (5)

i dont live in it, but i will give you some basic advise abou the city. don't order a hot dog with ketchup on it. the traffic sucks at all times, traffic stops when the light has been red for about 5 seconds, if you think your in a bad area then you are, trade the cubs tickets for sox tickets(lol sorry im a sox fan) i bet some of the guys who live there can do ya better....enjoy your stay! the food is great!

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

Wrigley Field is on the North side of Chicago. You can easily reach it by train or by bus from downtown. If you are wanting to hit bars and restaurants, you might want to stay at one of the hotels by the Chicago River. If you are stuck trying to figure out what is near what, maybe use the House of Blues as the center point. That is near a lot of restaurants. Now if you want to hit bars on Halsted, Clark or Lincoln you have to use the subway or take cabs. Chicago is pretty self selective because there are very few hotels to stay at North of Division Street. You guys looking to do a lot on Michigan Avenue? What are you guys into? Thought about seeing the Blue Man Group?

GoldenBird

Good to know that the transit system will probably be useful....we'd probably be going to a lot of restaurants and bars...nothing in the way of dance clubs but good places to eat and have a few drinks later in the evening. How do you think I'd fare staying at the Hard Rock Hotel? I don't know much about Michigan Ave...is that the shopping district? Let me know of any "must see" things in that area. Probably not Blue Man Group as they have it in Boston too. To be honest Wrigley is the main attraction for us....we try to visit a new park every year and you can't really beat Wrigley for it's history and ticket prices are at an all-time low. It throws us a little though that all the games are afternoon....generally in a new city we check out the shops and touristy kinda stuff all afternoon, hit the park, and then hang out in the stadium area for drinks afterwards. We'll probably feel rushed in the morning/afternoon now but have a lot of down time after 5 or 6.

Camaro Ryder KV

iTrader: (12)

no subways in chicago!

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

Is the Hard Rock Hotel on Ontario? You can get from there to Wrigley by subway.

What time is the game, 2:30? Wrigley is on Clark, and there is a mile of restaurants of bars all around. There are also some live music places around too. If you are trying to get a feel for some places, check out www.metromix.com and look up suggested restaurants.

Michigan Avenue is all shopping. It's all the big chains with big fancy stores.

nyteryder167

iTrader: (10)

If you want a fantastic place to eat and don't mind spending a little $$$, try Fogo De Chao on LaSalle. It's absolutely amazing, the best beef, chicken, and lamb I've ever had were from that restaurant, all in the same meal too. It's about $50 a person, but WELL worth it. Google the name, they have a website I think.

SSPEEDY

iTrader: (4)

GoldenBird, your best rate for downtown Chicago would probably be a Holiday Inn. Even so, it's gonna run you over 200 a night for a weeknight. There are two or three in the downtown area, I believe Riverview was the cheapest. Plan on using a cab a lot or public transportation. There are no hotels at all in Wrigleyville, it's hard enough finding a place to live in that area. The real estate there is ridiculous. I lived in this city all my life and can't think of ever leaving.

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/w...meEnumValue=41

this link might be of some help, you could also try yelp.com and enter Chicago as the city for some great reviews on dining and entertainment.

SSPEEDY

iTrader: (4)

for around the same price try ruth's chris steakhouse, makes Fogo De Chao seem like a happy meal.

SSPEEDY

iTrader: (4)

great info!

Matt D

iTrader: (49)

Come down to Joliet to THE CELLAR. Best time of your life, guaranteed!

GoldenBird

I never pay full price for a hotel room....especially last minute you can find a lot of great deals on unbooked rooms from the travel websites. I'm probably gonna try to get a package deal (hotel+airfare) on Expedia and stay at the Hard Rock or The Blake unless people have better suggestions. No wonder I couldn't find anything near the stadium...everything seemed to be 5+ miles from Wrigley and I was worried that might pose a problem.

Thanks for the ideas guys! Keep em coming if anyone else has input!

nyteryder167

iTrader: (10)

I couldn't disagree more. Ruth's Chris has to be one of the most overrated steak places in Chicago. It's good, but nothing fantastic. I like to taste steak when I eat one, not butter.

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

Fogo de Chao and Sal & Carvao are good, Brazilian bbq places. I was just at Fogo a few weeks ago, I go once or twice a year. It's a heavy meal though, cuz you over eat because it's so good. You can have 15 different differently prepared meats. Ruth's is okay but a nice steak for $35 can be had in Boston too, it's a national chain.

Ed Debevics is fun, google it. Mich aven shopping is okay for 1-2 hours for a normal guy. There are a few movie theatres down here too. Navy Pier has a Ferris wheel and is okay.

Of course, for a fun night at the bars, you can't beat Rush Street. You have a few blocks of bars and fancy restaurants like Gibson's steakhouse. It's where over-aged guys in Ferraris hit on girls in their 20's.

Some cool bars that some of my employees go to are Reserve, and the Apartment.

maddboost

iTrader: (11)

There are lots of bars around Wrigley to check out after the game. Stay away from the Cubbie Bear its just full of losers after the game. There are tons of bars within two or three blocks of Wrigley so just check one out. I usually bar hop to two or three places before we settle on one.

Dont bother with taking the El(train) just take a cab its easier since its only for the weekend.

SSPEEDY

iTrader: (4)

i much prefer quality to quantity. yes, they do use a lot of butter. FDC was way too salty for me.

or, you can call charlie trotters bluff on his guarantee that it'll be the best steak you ever had, no arguments.

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

Charlie Trotters is pretty expensive. El (subway is $1.75) is cheaper than a cab, probably do a little of both. A cab at the end of the night is always convenient.

LASTLS1

iTrader: (7)

You want the best steak, EVER? Go to Ruth Chris!!!!

Blackmagic65ss

Word to the wise... if your goin to a cubs game dont wear an opposing teams jersy or hat. I once saw a cardinals fan thrown into a urinal, quite hilarious and many other incidents with the opposition. Cubs fans are drunk and rowdy, myself included. Im 23 and rush street is the place to be for the bar scene, theres many more chill bars in the area. Pretty much every corner. Don't stay at the drake, overpriced drug house! I went to the red headed piano bar once, nice place not to loud, and the piano was amazing! That was during the air show I met the pilots of the b2 bomber that was in the show! You should take a ride to lower wacker, check it out! lol not a good idea at night or really not a good idea at all. Ive taken my camaro down there many times with open headers, you get quite a few disgruntled bums yelling at you.

LASTLS1

iTrader: (7)

Ruth Chris is a chain, but they are different. I have tried others in different states and they were just ok. Every time I go downtown it's GREAT!! It's a toss up between them and Ron of Japan.

I'm not into the over rated places either, like Sal Carvo in Downers Grove! I swear to God my jaw hurt when I left that rat joint. I've had beef jerkey that was more tender than the meat in that place !