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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Vacation To Chicago -- Help!
Hey guys!
DH and I are getting ready to celebrate our 1st anniversary in Chicago and I am looking for a little advice on what we should do! We are wanting to go to the Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, and probably a Cubs game. Any other ideas? We will be there Thursday July 15th through Monday July 19th (Our travel day).
Also, We found a hotel (Wyndam Garden Buffalo Grove), have any of you been here? Or heard anything, positive or negative, about it? We want to stay in a cheaper hotel in the suburbs so that we have more money for going out and exploring Chicago together!
TIA!
(Sorry to post and run, I'm on my lunchbreak, but I will be back later!)
Re: Vacation To Chicago -- Help!
If you plan on spending most of your time in the city I'd priceline or hotwire a hotel instead. Buffalo Grove is a hike....add in traffic and you'll be spending alot of time in the car.
Well, the weekends are an expensive time to get a hotel right down town, but the suburb you have picked is a good 30 miles outside the City. Look at the Metra system's website and see if you can find a suburb that the Metra runs through (it may run in Buffalo Grove, I am not sure). Taking the Metra train into the City is going to be much, much easier and less expensive than driving in and out each day. If you have to stay out from the City, I would suggest looking at hotels near O'Hare or Midway. You can take the CTA train (the El) in from either airport. Again, easier than driving.
I always suggest the aquarium. You can get the Chicago City Pass, which might be a good idea if you plan to do a lot of different things. It's a coupon that grants you access to the aquarium, planetarium, a few museums, and one of the sky decks (at either the Sears/Willis tower or the Hancock).
Plan to eat, Chicago has great food and you don't have to spend a lot. You can always do a pizza at Gino's East or Giordano's (my two favorites) or hotdogs from Portillos. If you're looking for something fancier, there are a ton of options for that too.
Don't plan too much time for Navy Pier. It's cool to see, but really just a lot of people are there to get on a boat tour of the City. It's crowded, hot, and not all that cool after about an hour.
If you go to a Cubs game you'll be in a great part of town for grabbing drinks, or doing some shopping.
The gardens near the Art Institute are beautiful, and there's a great river you can sit near and put your feet in. I love it on a hot summer day!
Whatever you plan, make sure you look at a map of the City and plan things out. The City is big (!) and if you plan too much and it is not all close together you will spend a lot of time running for trains and grabbing cabs and in transit.
Finally (I promise!), use the CTA system. Cabs are expensive and unneeded. You can get anywhere in Chicago by using the buses and the El system. It is not as scary or overwhelming as you may think. You can either pre-load a card with money (they call them fare cards), or you and your H can each buy an unlimited day passes (you would need the 7 day pass at $23 per card). If you buy the Pass, you cannot use it for two people, so you each need your own. If you buy the fare card, you can pass it back. I would suggest the fare card which can be reloaded if/as needed. There are generally CTA staff members at the stations; ask them questions, they're friendly and generally happy to help (in my experience anyway).
Enjoy your trip, and post more questions if you have them. Chicago is a great place to live and visit!
In response to the previous post, I just wanted to add: If you plan on getting to a cubs game, it would probably be better to have assigned seats. The last place you'll want to be sitting, pregnant and in the heat, are the bleachers. Rowdy and booze filled!
Also, when you get in the city, pick up the Reader or a Redeye (both free newspapers). It'll list various restaurant specials and activities/shows going on in the city that week.
Especially with the way traffic is right now, definitely weigh your options with hotels in or out of the city. There's a LOT of construction, and it's no fun to sit on a freeway-parking lot in 90 degree heat. Ick. Priceline or Hotwire hotels for downtown- you might be able to find something along the Magnificent Mile for fairly inexpensive.
If you've never been downtown, walking the Mag Mile is a must. It doesn't take horribly long, and there's a lot to see. Also, a river/lake boat ride is always fun. You get to see a lot of the city, learn about the history a bit. I'd definitely suggest one that goes out on Lake Michigan, though. Much more interesting and romantic
I've been on Wendella boat rides, and they pick up and drop off right downtown.
If you like art, the Art Institute would be amazing. There is so much to see in it, and there's a new Modern Wing that's absolutely awesome.
Lastly.... Millennium Park has a lot of free concerts outside at the Pritzker Pavillion, and Grant Park also has a lot of music on stage. Check out what's going to be there when you're downtown- you can bring wine and cheese and goodies to Millennium Park, and the city is always uber romantic at night under the stars
All the posts had great recommendations. I would also say try to get up to Lincoln Park and Lincoln park zoo. They are both free/low cost items that are nice and relaxing (approximately 2-3 miles from downtown) and are a short bus or train ride.
As for the hotel, I would whole heartly agree... don't stay in Buffalo Grove if you don't have to. The roads are a mess with general traffic and then road construction. Additionally you don't want to be limited by metra time tables which are very limited on the weekends as compared to the week. Look at metra pricing and also figure $18-26/day for general parking downtown.
I travel enough to my clients in the suburbs. To drive 40 miles can take 1.5 to 2 hours. If you don't want to stay in the down town try some of the nearby city neighborhoods that have easy EL access to them.