Chicago is the nearest and easiest city to go to for a mini-vacation, but it can be overwhelming. Here's a guide for a weekend trip for anyone who wants a culture-filled introduction to the Windy City.
"Chillin' at the Holiday Inn"
Invite a few friends and start booking. Orbitz, Hotwire and Priceline are all good places to look. The least expensive hotel found was slightly more than $40 but close to O'Hare Airport. However, prices change often, so keep checking the Web sites to find the best deal. Hotels in the downtown vicinity generally are on the upwards of $100. The Holiday Inn at 300 E. Ohio St. is worth looking at. It has received good reviews, and it's a pretty great location — close to The Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier and was under $150 a night. If the cost is split between four people, you're paying less than $40 a night.
"The Wicked Witch" lives
Get a ticket to a hot show. The Broadway musical "Wicked" is supposed to be sheer magic. The least expensive tickets available on www.ticketmaster.com are $27.50.
Chi-town karaoke: Create a mix
Chicago — "Take Me Back to Chicago"
Fall Out Boy — "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago"
The Lawrence Arms — "Chicago Is Burning"
Chicago — "Something In This City Changes People"
The Bee Gees — "Living In Chicago"
The Blues Brothers — "Sweet Home Chicago"
Frank Sinatra — "Chicago"
The Pixies — "Born In Chicago"
Ryan Adams — "Dear Chicago"
Styx — "Back to Chicago"
Consolidate
Pack your clothing in one small suitcase. It's only a weekend, and you want to leave room for potential purchases. Next, pack your car with snacks and sandwiches. It's better to drive three hours and 30 minutes straight rather than take an hour to have lunch on the road.
Buy an L pass
A two-day pass is $9 and will be cheaper than taking taxis.
Maneuver miles of shopping
Browse the stores on The Magnificent Mile. H&M is high and mighty in the realm of high-fashion threads at a reasonable price. The store is constantly teeming with people looking for bargains.
Visit the Chicago Waterworks Visitor Center at 163 E. Pearson St. to try to get half-price tickets to a show. If you see a show at the Anthenaeum Theatre, have dinner at Ann Sather, a Swedish restaurant recommended by both the Anthenaeum Theatre and Fodor's Travel Guide. You can eat there for about $10.
Start the day with a bountiful brunch. Mrs. Levy's Delicatessen is a top-rated deli serving traditional fare like tuna melts, blintzes and matzo ball soup.
Please your cultural palate
Exhibits currently on display include African ceramic art, a progression of photography through the years and Japanese prints. Admission to The Art Institute of Chicago is $7. After browsing the museum, hit the hammerheads at Shedd Aquarium. It's $23 to get in.
Take a breather and enjoy lunch at The Berghoff, 17 W. Adams St. in The Loop. It's a German restaurant where tradition is to drop coins on the floor. It's worth dropping a couple dollars at The Berghoff, especially since the restaurant, which has been in business for 107 years, will close Feb. 28.
Wave goodbye to the Windy City and remember a fabulously indulgent weekend.
Putting your windy city senses to work
Get out. Get downtown. And make the most of your trip.
WHERE TO STAY
www.hostels.com and www.hostelworld.com allow you to book online.
Arlington House
616 W. Arlington Place
Locale: Lincoln Park
Beds start at $26.00 a night
Rating from www.hostels.com: 72%
Chicago International Hostel
6318 N. Winthrop Avenue
Locale: Near Loyola University
Beds start at $21.10
Rating from www.hostels.com: 68%
H.I. Chicago
24 E. Congress Parkway, IL 60605
Locale: Almost in the heart of the city
Beds start at $27.00
Rating from www.hostels.com: 84%
NIGHTLIFE
Lincoln Park
In the '20s you could find gangsters lounging in speakeasies by moonlight. Today, Lincoln Park is full of ultra-chic pubs and bars, the greatest concentration of which are on Halsted Street and Lincoln Avenue. The crowd tends to be young urban professionals in their late 20s and early 30s.The Gin Mill, 2462 N. Lincoln Ave. is an MSU student and alumni haven. Decked out in Spartan decor, the bar plays all the games on several large televisions. There are more than twenty taps and typical bar food like nachos and burgers.
Rush & Division Streets
MSU students will feel at home in this area where there is a college bar atmosphere. Hugh Hefner used to hang out at Butch McGuire's, 20 W. Division St. in the 1960s.
Old TownWells Street is home to Second City, other comedy clubs, restaurants and bars. Old Town Ale House, 219 W. North Ave. received a 9.5 rating from www.chicago.citysearch.com.
Wrigleyville, Lakeview & The North Side
It's a postcollegiate crowd, and there's a variety of choices. Wrigleyville is home to Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St. where the Blue Man Group performs and, of course, the Cubs.
Wicker Park & Bucktown
It's more of a funky neighborhood and bars are on North, Damen and Milwaukee avenues.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Bucktown
It got its name from the goats kept by the area's Polish and German immigrants. It's the neighborhood surrounding Milwaukee Avenue north of North Avenue.
Wicker Park
It's the area south of North Avenue. The neighborhood's namesake is Charles Wicker, who established the community in the 1870s. MTV's Real World was filmed here during summer 2001. Browse the eclectic shops on Damen Avenue and stop for a bite to eat at Hot Chocolate, 1747 Damen Ave., voted best restaurant in 2005 by Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.
The Loop
It's the downtown neighborhood of Chicago — the second largest downtown business district in the United States after Midtown Manhattan. The Sears Tower and the Magnificent Mile are here.
Chinatown
Railroad workers facing discrimination on the West Coast came here in the late 1870s seeking solace from discrimination. Today, Chinatown has many restaurants, grocery stores and medicine stores.
THREE FOR FREE IN WINTER
See one of the world's largest indoor gardens
Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave., was built by landscape architect Jens Jensen.
Admission: Free
Directions from the "L": Take the Green Line to Conservatory-Central Park
Go ice skating
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park, 55 N. Michigan Ave., is 15,910 square feet.
Admission: Free, skate rentals are $7
Directions from the L: Take the green, brown, orange, purple lines to Randolph/Wabash or red, blue lines to Washington.
Check out the Levine Family Polar Bear Plaza and other animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon Drive.
Admission: Free
Directions: From I-94, exit at either Fullerton Parkway or North Avenue and go east.
TAKE THE TRAIN
To ride the Amtrak from East Lansing, you can buy a two-way ticket for the four hour and 16 minute journey for $50.
To ride the bus from East Lansing, a two-way ticket costs only $36 but makes a layover in Battle Creek before heading to Union Station in Chicago.
To book visit www.amtrak.com.
