Chicago Recs?

Lauren&Joe

DH and I are  spending a long weekend in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend for our 5th wedding anniversary. Other than a couples massage that my parents got us for Christmas, any other ideas on what we should do? Also, and good restaurants picks? Saturday night we'd love to out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary.

buckeyethor

I think that will be a great weekend for you guys! We went to Chicago for our babymoon when I was pregnant with Audrey. We had a great time! We went to the Navy Pier, so fun to just walk around down there. We also shopped around Michigan Ave. We went to Gino's East for pizza. I have also been to the original Uno's downtown there. So amazing. I love Chicago deep dish.. the real deal.   We also went to a Broadway show (Wicked) at the Oriental Theatre. I would maybe see what shows are playing over the holiday weekend. The theatre was just gorgeous. I really enjoyed going to the https://www.signatureroom.com/Home/ the signature room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. We went for lunch.. it was an amazing view and the food was excellent as well.

I would maybe page Joelen on the Whats Cookin board for restaurant recs. She is a huge foodie that lives in Chicago, as well as about to open her own restaurant there. If anyone would know where the best places to eat, it would be her for sure.

jerseygirl81

I've only been there once, but I'm dying to go back for a long weekend. I was there for a conference and didn't get to do a lot of fun stuff, but definitely get pizza at Giordano's. YUM!

mrs.dilligaf

jerseygirl81:

I've only been there once, but I'm dying to go back for a long weekend. I was there for a conference and didn't get to do a lot of fun stuff, but definitely get pizza at Giordano's. YUM!

This!  We have one in our freezer now! 

cops_wife

I'm pretty sure "Million Dollar Quartet" is still in Chicago permanently. We saw it when we were in New York in the fall and it was fabulous. We both had a lot of fun.

CtMiller

I used to live in Chicago so I can give you tons of recommendations...it just depends on what you're looking to experience. First off, two really fun things are happening the weekend you'll be in town - The Taste & The Cross-Town Classic. Here are my suggestions:

1) Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. It's a great time with great food, but I recommend getting there early before the crowd gets crazy. (It can get a little claustrophobic)  Be warned that will make Cincinnati's Taste look kind of sad.

2) The Cubs play the White Sox at home Fri, Sat & Sun. They call it the "Cross Town Classic" and it's always a big deal. Tickets may be hard to come by, but you're guaranteed a fantastic time in Wrigleyville. There are tons of great bars and restaurants in the area and some cool shops to check out too. I would recommend getting up there early, though, if you want a seat somewhere to watch the game. Even if you're not a big baseball fan, I think that this is way more "Chicago" than anything you can do downtown. The EL will take you right there - just check the transit map or ask your concierge.

3) I used to recommend drinks at the top of Hancock Tower (you don't have to pay to go up that way - you just have to buy a drink once you're up there), I hear that the Willis Tower (previously the Sears Tower) is hands down the way to go now. The Skydeck has these amazing glass boxes that you can go into and it's like you're floating over the city. Probably not for those with a bad fear of heights, but even my jaded Chicago friends have made the trip up and said it was well worth it.

4) As for restaurant recommendations it really depends on your tastes. If you want to go the Chicago-Style pizza route I would recommend going for lunch. There are way too many good places to eat in Chicago to waste a dinner on that. If you're a Top Chef fan, you'll find a few owned by "chef - testants" from the show. And Rick Bayless has a couple fantastic places. I'd highly recommend Frontera Grill, but it may be too late to get reservations. If you like Tapas (Spanish small plates) & sangria there are some amazing places for that! Some of the best steakhouses too. Basically let me know what kind of places you would want to try and I can give you more specific ideas. You don't have to, but I do suggest making some reservations soon. That way you'll have options once you're there and you can always cancel!

5) Grabbing a drink at a rooftop bar is a great way to start or end your night. There are quite a few hotels that have great ones - Conrad Hotel, Wit Hotel & The Peninsula are three that come to mind.

6) If you like popcorn even a little bit then you HAVE to get some Garrett's Popcorn. Get the "Chicago Mix" of cheddar & caramel corn. I've never met anyone who didn't find it ah-mazing & be warned that once you start eating it you won't be able to stop. The line can get long here, but it does move fast. I'd try to get there in the morning or another off time if possible.

7)You of course have to shop Michigan Ave, but you may also want to meander some of the other streets and check out some of less "big name" boutiques. If you really wanted to hit up some fun boutiques I could give you some other areas of Chicago where you'll find better deals, but since you'll be there with your husband for your anniversary I'd guess you'll want to spend your time in other ways.

 Ok...I'll stop now since I got a little carried away and wrote you a book. I hope this helps, though. Just let me know if you have any questions. Also, you may want to check out Chicago Metromix for more ideas and reviews.

 

KristenBtobe

If you can't get in one of Rick Bayless' restaurants, he has a quick service counter taco place in the Macy's on State Street in their Seven on State food court. Super yum.

Lauren&Joe

Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. Let me poke around a bit and I let you know if I have any follow up questions.