Would anyone have any suggestions for visiting Chicago? Trying to get our bearings in Chicago, ie: the loop, Magnificent Mile, Hyde Park, etc. so looking around for food and restaurant establishments, and maybe tourist destinations? Maybe even on the campus of UChicago?
Thanks!
It depends on the weather. If weather is nice, head to the lake front: Grant Park, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain or even a Cubs game. Or go up to 360 Chicago on top of 875 N. Michigan (the old John Hancock Center) for a breathtaking view of the city and Lake Michigan shoreline.
Picture Tips: Walk on the Lakefront Trail just outside Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. On a clear sunny day you will have the absolutely best postcard view of the Chicago skyline. And it is free :).
If it is a bad weather day, spend an afternoon at Arts Institute, Field Museum or Museum of Science and Industry. MSI is actually in Hyde Park and is around 15 to 20 minutes walk from Main Quadrangle and a 6 minute walk from the Metra 55th-56th-57th Street Stop.
We just visited the chicago area including UChicago. We went to the art institute, the field museum, and saw Hamilton. We used the L and the metra quite a bit! We could have used another week there for sure! UChicago is now my kid’s favorite school.
When are you going? Get to a Giordano’s for stuffed spinach pizza. There are several throughout Chicagoland, including Hyde Park. And the Rock 'n Roll McDonalds in the Loop is pretty cool.
When downtown check out the Field Museum of Natural History, Art Institute, Shed Aquarium, and Navy Pier. In Hyde Park check out the Robie House, Oriental Institute Museum and Museum of Science and Industry. If in Lincoln Park be sure to check out the Zoo and the Conservatory.
Go the top of the Hancock and get a drink in the bar up there. Spectactular views, esp. from the ladies room.
Mag Mile is a lot of shopping and fun but not sure there are many “unique” stores there.
Make sure to drive along Lake Shore Drive as the views of the city are unbeatable.
If you get back to Chicago in the nicer weather, take a water taxi to/from the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) to Navy Pier. Or take the architecture boat our that starts at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.
Wow, thank you for all the suggestions! We’re going on the first week of April. We’re not driving in Chicago, so we’ll be taking the Metra.
Also, is The Hilton Chicago at 720 South Michigan Avenue on Magnificent Mile or a walk away? I couldn’t tell from the map, thank you!
Mag Mile is 625 North Michigan. A mile and a half or so
Hilton about a mile south of mag mile.
edit - oops someone beat me to that.
On campus, visit the Oriental Institute Museum, the Smart Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, and the Logan Center. From the tower of the Logan, you can get an almost 360 degree view of the area, including Chicago’s skyline.Visit the beautiful Harper Memorial Library. My husband and daughter toured the carillon in Rockefeller Chapel during one of the admitted students weekends.
Students frequent the Medici on 57th (has both a restaurant and a deli) as well as Noodles next door. You mentioned Valois on another post, and there are several restaurants along with it on 53rd, like Pizza Capri and an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. Definitely try Harold’s Chicken on 53rd and Kimbark in Kimbark Plaza.
– Architectural boat tour is the #1 thing people like as tourists, at least in my experience. Make sure you book with the Chicago Architecture Foundation tour, not one of several competitors.
– The Art Institute is probably the third greatest art museum in North America. If you like art, it will make you very happy.
– For free, you can walk around all the parts of the big lakeside park across the street from your hotel. The Art Institute is in the middle of it, the Field Museum and the Aquarium and Planetarium at the far south end, but it also has Millennium Park, with some wonderful monumental modern public art that people love, and the Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavillion, and Maggie Daly Park (a gigantic playground), as well as beautiful formal gardens. And Lake Michigan. It’s one of the nicest urban parks anywhere.
– Chicago is a great place for trendy dining. Anyplace I recommended now will probably be passe by April. (But you might be able to get a reservation for April.) Actually, I don’t know what’s trendy now. Ask someone else.
– Chicago also has great music of all varieties, and great theater. Not just Hamilton, or Broadway tours, which is generally what you will find in the Loop… Lots of repertory companies all over the city doing seasons. And improv comedy (heard of Second City?).
Down in Hyde Park, in addition to whatever University of Chicago tour you take, you can see the Oriental Institute and the Smart Museum (both UChicago museums), and see if you can get a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House. Also, bookstores – the Seminary Co-op in its glitzy new home, and Powell’s.
The food in Hyde Park is not something that would draw you from anywhere else in the city, but if you want a smidgen of bona fide UChicago culture, you could go to The Medici (OK, nice atmosphere, a common take-your-parents place), Valois (sort of diner/cafeteria with breakfast, lunch and dinner 24-7, and until the past decade or so a chance you would run into Barack Obama), Rajun Cajun (half-Indian, half-Cajun), or Harold’s Chicken (makes KFC look like health food). Or one of any number of Asian restaurants of all varieties along 55th or 53rd Streets (the only one I’ve tried is Snail Thai; it was fine). Or the local Giordano’s location (if, unlike me, you don’t think deep dish pizza is an abomination).
Can’t wait to visit now! We’re going to be there at least the 1st week of April, and then September sometime, probably a few more times before and after.
Yep, I totally know Second City, as a fan of SNL when I was younger, I knew all the funny ones were alums of Second City and was so impressed.
We liked The Purple Pig and Giordano’s for restaurants. Wanted to try a traditional Chicago dog but never found a good recommendation.
^^ Mr. Beef!!! Jay Leno’s favorite. Still open?
Hilton Chicago is a historic hotel: right in front of it is site of the infamous 1968 riot that doomed Hubert Humphrey presidential bid. It is a little bit out of the way from the glitzy part of the town. But it is only 3 blocks away from the Metra Electric station at Van Buren and Michigan. From there it is a short 15 minutes train ride down to Hyde Park. Do buy the train ticket at the station first from those ticket machines. If you buy it on the train, Metra is going to charge you $5 per person extra.
Another tip on Metra: all the Metra Electric trains stop at the Hyde Park stations (51st/53rd, 55th/56th/57th and 59th). You will find the orange train schedule map and time table in the train station (or on line of course). But make sure you do NOT get on the South Shore Train. Or you may end up in Indiana 
The Loop of course has restaurants that can appeal to widely different tastes and budgets. If you are staying in Hilton Chicago, I would recommend these casual local eateries near the hotel: Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Harold’s Chicken Shack (although the Hyde Park one is more authentic) and Fontano’s Subs. All three are within three blocks of Hilton Chicago.
There’s a Chicago-style eatery in NY called Hank’s Juicy Beef and they do sell Chicago-style hotdogs there. The guy who opened it grew up in Illinois. Anyway, we can get a taste of Chicago-style beef sandwiches here in Manhattan, and they’re so good!
Don’t forget Greek Town. Great food there as well. the ethnic diversity of food in Chicago is wonderful. So many choices!
Thank you all for the advice and suggestions, time to log everything on a spreadsheet now…
So is the Metra different from the L? Do they have different stations? Guess I need to find some transportation maps. Having lived in the NYC area for years, I am very confident with the NY subway system, but for some reason the trains in Chicago have me a bit intimidated. My husband lived in Chicago in the late 80’s and had “interesting” stories about riding the L…
When we visited UChicago in 2016, we used Uber, may do that for admitted student weekend as well, until I get more comfortable with the trains.
Any recommendations for restaurants in the River North area?
@caymusjordan We’re confident with the NYC subway too, and now trying to get our bearings around the Metra and the L.
@caymusjordan Metra is NOT the El.
Metra is the suburban commuter train lines. I think the NYC equivalent is like LIRR. Metra Electric runs from downtown to various south and southeast suburbs. It stops at multiple stations at Hyde Park.
El is the Chicago subway. It does not stop at Hyde Park. You can take the Green line to the Garfield stop in Washington Park, which isn’t the nicest part of town ;). From that stop you can take a bus to go to Hyde Park.
Some current students may strongly object to my statement: if you are travel with your family from the Loop, I would strongly advise against taking the El unless you are really adventuresome. Metra is far safer and more direct. There is one station at the corner of Randolph and Michigan and another at Van Buren.
Metra is really convenient. Train departs every 20 minutes from the Loop to Hyde Park. The downside is that the Metra train stop is 7 to 10 minute walk to Main Quadrangle. If you have small children, Uber or even taxi may be more straight forward way to get to campus.