Visiting Chicago over Labor Day: Doable?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve never been to Chicago and I’d like to go. It looks like Labor Day Weekend will be the first opportunity for us to go. We’ll be trekking the 300 miles in the car with our almost-2-year-old. We’d come up on Friday afternoon and head home on Monday. Some questions:

  1. Is this doable? I mean, is Chicago just packed with tourists every Labor Day, or will we still be able to get around and see things?

  2. How close to downtown can I stay? I think I found a Days Inn on the North Side - Clark Street - does anyone know if that’s close enough to things?

  3. Should I drive to things, or take the train? Is there adequate parking? Is it expensive, or at least, more expensive than the train?

  4. Are the museums and attractions open on Sundays? If not, what can we do on Sunday besides putter around the motel room?

  5. Any other advice?

Thanks!

2

Totally doable.

If it were me, I would take the train; most of the touristy-type stuff is near downtown and/or very, very convenient to public transportation. Parking downtown, however, is expensive and a pain in the neck. This is especially true since Labor Day weekend is the Jazz Fest, which you should definitely check out if you’re into that sort of thing. Bonus: it’s all free! Link:

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1251939949.1089566129@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceadclmfjeflicefecelldffhdfhg.0&contentOID=536908066&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Special+Events%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Special+Events&deptMainCategoryOID=

Don’t know which Days Inn you’re talking about, but Clark Street is one of the longest streets in the city and runs north/south, so the convenience of the Days Inn will depend on where on Clark St. it is. The higher the number, the farther from downtown.

And yes, all the major museums are open on Sunday.

3

Thank you. Looks like we’ll be making reservations soon.

The hotel is at the northern end of Clark Street, across from the south end of Lincoln Park, according to the map. Is there a train station near there?

Also: What should we definitely not miss? We’re definitely going to Shedd Aquarium, and we’ll probably go up the Sears Tower or the Hancock Building, and I want to see the multi-story Apple Store on Michigan Avenue. Other than that, what should we be sure to put in our itinerary?

4

Since you’re going to the Shedd, check out the great view of the city at the Planetarium. I was going to say you could preview it at their webcam, but they seem to have taken it down.

5

If you mean “Lincoln Park” as in the Lincoln Park Zoo, then it’s very convenient to downtown, although not smack-dab in it; there are several buses that serve downtown from there. It’s only a couple of miles. There is also a train station at Fullerton, but for a short hop like that you might be better off on the bus; it’s a bit of a schlep, especially if you’ll be carrying a stroller, to get up the stairs to the El.

System map and info: http://transitchicago.com

As for other attractions, well, what are your interests beyond the straighforward, mainstream touristy stuff?

6

Yes, rowrrbazzle the Mayor got peeved about that webcam during the Meigs Field Eve of Destruction (do NOT get me started…!) and even more so because so many websites were linking to the webcam…

Nevermind. We want the tourists to have a pleasent time and I’m sure they would find local politics boring.

Anyhoo - your “Lincoln Park” location for the hotel is actually not considered that far north. Which is OK - you’re conveniently close to downtown without having to pay Loop prices.

Since you’re so close to Lincoln Park anyhow, check out Lincoln Park Zoo - among other things, admission is free. There’s also that science museum up there - help me out, people, what’s the name of the museum on the north end of Lincoln Park? There are paddle boat rentals in the Park, too. And on the south end is the Chicago Historical Society, which is also fascinating.

But - on to the Loop - Yes, there ARE trains - and buses! - that will take you from Lincoln Park to the Loop. Use mass transit! Parking is too damn expensive downtown, really. The CTA caters to tourists and even has maps of how to get to various attractions.

The Sears Tower skydeck should be open - it will cost you a few pennies to get up there. The Hancock you can ride up to the Signature Room for free - have to warn you the food prices are as high as the altitude up in the restaurant, though. Great views, both of them. But you’ll want a good, clear day.

If you’re going to the Shedd you should stop at the Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum as well - there’s no way you’ll get through everything in just those three in a weekend, so just enjoy yourself. They’re all clustered together so it’s easy to get to them all. The Art Institute is on Michigan Avenue, you might want to check that out. With the holiday weekend all sorts of things will be going on in Grant Park - which extends from south of the Field Museum to north of the Art Insistute, with flower gardens, walkways, fountains, and the largest remaining stand of American Elms in the world.

I doubt you’ll be able to cover even all that in a weekend, though there’s more stuff in the city beyond just that.

7

Buy your CTA passes online so you’ll be ready to go. A 3 day unlimited ride pass is $12. You can also call 1-888-YOUR-CTA to request a map. Check the brochure section of the CTA site for Grant Park Treasures. That bus runs weekends and you can easily connect to it from the Clark bus (#22).

8

That would be the Peggy Notabert nature museum. Can’t vouch for how good it is, but I always heard it blew.

The problem with coming when all the tourists are in town is that there are so many damn tourists.

9

Hey, I enjoyed my visit to the Nortabert! (which occured before they changed the name). Probably not great for teenagers, but probably OK for families with young children, romancing couples, and old farts. The only problem with the Nortabert is that it’s in the same city as the Field Museum and suffers in comparison - but then, so would most museums in the world.

10

As near as I can tell the entire city of Chicago evacuates to Wisconsin every weekend.

I read an aritcle this weekend on the Sears Tower vs. Hancock. It said Sears has the better view of the city but the Hancock has easier access. At Sears they force you to watch a 30 year old film about the building or the city or something, then take your picture, then everyone is in line for the elevator at once, etc. You can find the article at chicagotribune.com (requires free registration) if you want help deciding which building to go to.

11

Don’t pay the $12 or whatever it is to go up the Hancock. Instead, just walk into the bar (is it 92nd floor?) and walk around the windows, so you don’t have to pay. It’s not quite the top floor but good enough; at night it is espeically impressive.

At Navy Pier (which I think is a poor man’s version of the Boardwalk), there is a children’s museum that might be good for a two year old. In Hyde Park (south side) there is the Museum of Science and Industry, also good for kids.

12

My father grew up in Chicago and for many years, we visited every late August. Always a blast. I was there over Labor Day weekend with a school like group in 2001, and I have a few suggestions for you. First, if you haven’t made hotel reservations, there’s an I think Amerisuites near O’Hare. Very reasonable rates, an all rooms come with a kitchenette, which I think makes traveling with small children easier (my parents always claim it did). Also, it’s right on the blue line, with a free shuttle from the hotel to the train. There’s a Denny’s across the street, really, IMHO, ideal.

As for what to do. The Field Museum is great for children, but yours might be a little young. Buckingham Fountain at nightfall is beautiful. Restruants are good and cheap to my Boston eyes and wallet. We always went to the Brookfield Zoo over the Lincoln park one and it was always fun. Try a boat tour of the lake, that’s really cool and Navy Pier is a most. It took me until I was there with school in 2001 to make it there, but it was worth it.

Oh, there’s a famous resturant in Joliet (sp?) a ways out side the city called the White Fence Farm, homestyle fried chicken and corn fritters. It’s been probably a decade since I was there, but I have fond memories of it.

13

I’ve stayed at the hotel you’re talking about. Its ok, but the rooms are really small. It is right on Lincoln Park, so you can walk to the zoo, which is free, and to Lake Michigan. There is meter parking across the street by the park, but no parking at the Its probably about a $10 cab ride to the Sears Tower, Shedd, etc. Maybe $5 to the Hancock and North Michigan avenue.

Cabbing it will be the best way to go from that location since the El (red line) is several blocks west of there. Once you park you shouldn’t need to drive anywhere else. Its about $25 for the day to park near North Michigan (water tower place, Hancock). If you are going to take the el, you would get on at North and Clyborn from where you are. Take a cab to the el station, but the only real reason you’d do that is if you wanted to head north to check out Wrigley Field. If you go to Shedd, plan on hitting the Field Museum as well, as they are right next to each other.

If you would rather stay at a place closer to the shopping, go to priceline and bid in the range of $70 for a place in either River West or North Michigan Ave. I did this a lot last year and always got great deals at good quality hotels like the Courtyard Marriot.

14

Remember to include $20+ a night for parking at your hotel. :frowning:

http://www.hotrooms.com/hotels/hotels.htm

If you are a first-timer, I would recommend the Shedd Aquarium & Field Museum, they are right next to each other. I usually took the Clark St. bus downtown, then caught the “Museum” bus from there. It’s nice to walk along the lake and in Grant Park / Lincoln Park too. You should take a stroll around the water tower area too, lots of nice fancy shops there.