I was wondering if any of members during this time happen to be in USA,
may contact me. It will be my first trip to USA....need all good tipps regarding food shopping..sight seeing....everyhing Thank you so much!
Bella
hello members , I will go to USA (near Chicago) for a business trip about 2-3 weeks there started from middle of Sep.2012.
Hi Bella, 8 months ago I moved from Chicago to Switzerland...so I won't be there while you will be visiting, but I can offer some things to do and places to see. Will you have time to visit the city of Chicago?
Hello Bella,
the US is a vast and very diverse country. I'm not an expert n Chicago but would give you the advice, of going with an open mind and try as many different foods as possible. Whenever I head to a place for the first time, I usually consult www.tripadvisor.com and pick and chose activities and restaurant which appeal to me.
If I remember right, September in Chicago area is a bit stormy and subject to pretty sharp fluctuations in temperature - my one main piece of advice is to pack with layers in mind.
So far as sight seeing and other things, it depends on what area of the city you'll be closest to. I used to live in the "Far North Suburbs", which in Swiss terms, means that I lived about as far from Chicago as Basel is from Zurich.
If you can work it in, and will be anywhere near the north side AND especially if you have kids (or are a roller coaster enthusiast), Six Flags Great America is a pretty good theme park.
Shopping, even if you don't buy a thing aside from lunch, on Michigan Avenue is pretty much a "must" (although it's a bit prettier a bit later into Fall and toward Christmas season). If you pop into Marshall Field's, you should pick up a box of Frango Mints (chocolate), they're really good.
When I brought my hubby to experience Thanksgiving a few years back, we were in the Chicago area and picked up the Chicago CityPASS , which is a ticket book for the main attractions in the city. We made it to Sears (now Willis) Tower and Shedd Aquarium but were a bit undone by how cold it was so wound up not making use of the other tickets. I still think it was worthwhile to pick up the book for sure.
thanks a lot guys...good infor
thanks. I will have weekend time to have some sight-seeing...I plann to visit Chicago on the weekend when I am there. Pity you are not there.
Hope you enjoy CH too
If the weather is nice I highly suggest first taking the riverboat tour by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.
http://www.architecture.org/rivercruise
Afterwards, if you like to shop, take a stroll down the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) to the lake front (North from the Chicago River). You can stop at the Hancock Tower and observatory along Michigan Avenue. A quick ride to the top provides spectacular views. If you walk South from the river, you will find Millenium park which has one of my favorite pieces of public art, the "Bean". Next to the bean is the Art Institute of Chicago. If you have time (or if it's bad weather) this museum has great collections of art.
In terms of eating there are some excellent restaurants:
Gilt Bar (American)
Frontera Grill (Mexican)
La Madia (Pizza - thin crust, not the usual inedible Chicago deep dish)
The Publican (Pork and Fish)
Or, if you want "authentic" Chicago food, try:
Portillos (Hot Dogs, Sausage, Steak Sandwiches)
Gene & Georgetti (Steak house)
Giordano's (Deep dish pizza)
Have fun! The city is easy to walk around and because it's laid out on a grid, getting oriented is fairly simple.
I would skip Navy Pier and the Sears (Willis) Tower (as it's fairly out of the way).
Visiting Chicago is lots of fun. Living there...well...I'll take CH everyday over Chicago.
check out this magazine for further treats in Chicago. Quite a nice read actually:
the best of lists have quite a few attractions listed.
Can you be more specific as to where around Chicago you will be staying? (Suburb or city name) You might also be able to get some local tips from people on here.
I guess it should be called "Aurora"... thanks
you will be about an hour outside of downtown Chicago. the best advice is Peg's about the weather - it could be 30 degrees and sunny or it could be 8 degrees, rainy and windy. besides that, anything along the lakefront in the downtown area is absolutely stunning and there is great shopping and eating in the city center, as well. if you can find your way to the Magnificent Mile (which is home to fantastic shopping, at least according to my wife), you will find everything you need within a very short walking distance.
last thing - subways in the States are not at all like public transportation here in Europe. for one thing they are considerably cheaper, but they are also far more likely to have vagrants muttering obscene insults at themselves or at unsuspecting passerby. nothing I would be terribly worried about except in the wee hours or if you find yourself on the south side of the city after dark, but something to be aware of.
oh, and last tidbit, which is true in any city in the US - if the street is named after Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) or a dead US president, avoid it.
thank you sooo much indeed
In addition to other people have suggested, I would suggest you visit nearby Downtown Naperville. It offers some nice restaurants and great atmosphere in the evenings. Click here for more info.
If you enjoy seafood, you might want to try Chinn's 34th St Fishery in Lisle. They fly in fresh fish daily (the delivery papers are posted by the door) and have had some of the best seafood there. The decor is average, but that's not why most people go there. It's been getting mixed reviews lately, so perhaps things have changed or people have adjusted their standards. If I were in the neighborhood, I would eat there.
As for shopping, you are kind of lucky because one of Chicago's biggest outlet mall is in Aurora. It's called Chicago Premium Outlets and you can find more info here
In addition to all of this, definitely make an effort to make it out and see the city.
Hope this helps and enjoy your time there!
wow...thank you so much....seafood and outlets...ennnnnnnnnn....
Ahhhh, Aurora!
The first thing that comes to mind...