Travel
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Chicago with 7 month old
We are looking to get away this July for about 5 nights. DS will be almost 7 months old at this time. I would like to go to Chicago as we have never been and have heard it is a great city. I have a few questions...
Would we need to rent a car?
If we don't need to rent a car, what is the best way to get to our hotel with all of the baby stuff that we would have to bring along?
What type of stroller should I bring (full-size or umbrella)?
What is the best area to stay in?
What are some baby-friendly things to do?
What is the weather like in the summer?
Any other rec's like hotels or dining would be great! I would like to stay in the $150-200 range for our hotel.
Re: Chicago with 7 month old
Well, I don't have kids, so I can't help you too much with those logistics. However, when I was researching Chicago hotels last year for a trip DH and I were taking, I found that many hotels give discounts on parking for those with Hybrid vehicles... so if you are going to rent a car, that may be something to look into (I want to say some of the Marriott hotels even had free parking for Hybrids?)
If you don't want to rent a car and prefer to walk, I would stay near Miracle Mile--lots of sights are within walking distance. Cabs aren't too unreasonable either.
Summer is warm (I suppose it really depends on the year too--I live in the Midwest, so the weather is all over the place). In July, you will probably see 80s or maybe 90s during the day.
I don't have any specific hotel recs because I got sick before our little getaway, so we ended up canceling altogether (but we have family that lives in Chicago, so we frequent the city a lot for family gatherings and stay in the cheaper hotels that allow dogs
Hope that (somewhat) helps!
Would we need to rent a car?
Not necessarily...especially if you're up for taking a few simple bus rides.
If we don't need to rent a car, what is the best way to get to our hotel with all of the baby stuff that we would have to bring along?
I would just cab it. Depending on which airport you fly into, it is also pretty easy to get downtown on the orange line (for midway) or the blue line (for o'hare)
What type of stroller should I bring (full-size or umbrella)?
I would bring a full size because while it'll be a pain on the plane, Chicago is a hard city in which to avoid lots of walking. I've walked long distances with umbrellas and it was not worth the convenience. If you would be using a car and therefore a carseat, I think a snap n go would be good. And if you have a baby carrier, that would be handy.
What is the best area to stay in?
I would stay in the loop or in Streeterville which is just off the mag mile. Streeterville is close to the lake, lots of restaurants, shopping and Navy pier. You can catch the bus to the loop or to Lincoln Park if you want to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Loop hotels are near the Art Institute-- check out the modern wing-- Millennium Park, lots of restaurants and Grant Park. They're close enough to each other that either would be good.
What are some baby-friendly things to do?
The Lincoln Park Zoo is good. There's also a huge park with lots of lovely gardens and the North Pond which would be nice right by the zoo. Millennium Park is good if it's not too hot. There isn't much in the way of greenery there so be aware because the sun can get pretty hot.
The museums are great and the aquarium is nice especially if it's hot. It would be easier to get to the aquarium and the natural history museum from the Loop. The Aquarium has some of the best views of the city from the Oceanarium part.
What is the weather like in the summer?
July it's usually in the 90s but it can be 80s too. It get humid. Make sure you hydrate.
Any other rec's like hotels or dining would be great! I would like to stay in the $150-200 range for our hotel.
Don;t know hotels since I live here and usually when we have visitors they stay with us.
We stayed here with our then 17-month old over Labor Day. and were really happy with it. We got a one bedroom suite which gave us plenty of room to spread out and to let her sleep in a separate space in the crib.
They also gave us use of a small fridge for free (usually charge for it) because we needed it for her food.
The location was great - within walking distance of everything.
I wouldn't rent a car there. The driving would stress me out too much and the parking is expensive.
I signed up for Groupon and Living Social emails before we left and were able to get car service round trip for less than what we would have paid for shuttle service. It was great to have someone pick us up and drop us off because of the stroller, car seat, etc.
As for attractions, we got this card - http://www.smartdestinations.com/
We got the unlimited card and definitely got our money's worth. It was especially useful at the Aquarium because you were able to skip past the line, which was well over an hour's long. We took boat tours, did the ferris wheel at Navy Pier, went to the kid's museum at Navy pier, went up to both observation decks and more.
OOps - here's the hotel link
http://www.avenuehotelchicago.com/
Would we need to rent a car? No, please don't! Parking is a pain and it's expensive
If we don't need to rent a car, what is the best way to get to our hotel with all of the baby stuff that we would have to bring along?
If you truly have a ton of baby stuff, the easiest way to get to a downtown hotel would be via a cab. With fare and tip, it'll probably be $40-$50 one way
What type of stroller should I bring (full-size or umbrella)?
It's probably going to be a lot easier to manuver and travel with an umbrella stroller. However, I nannied for a family that had a 'double-wide' buggy-boo and for the most part I had no issues getting around town. However, I couldn't really put it in cabs. I'm probably just do the umbrella stroller
What is the best area to stay in?
Downtown: River North, along or off Michigan Ave, etc.
What are some baby-friendly things to do?
Millenium Park has children's adventures throughout the summer, Lincoln Park zoo is free and a quick cab or bus ride from downtown. Boat tour from Navy Pier, the Children's Museum at Navy Pier, and there are numerous parks (a few down town) that have playgrounds with water features (my fav downtown is Lake Shore East Park)
What is the weather like in the summer? Hot and humid, usually. It really just depends on the year.
Any other rec's like hotels or dining would be great! I would like to stay in the $150-200 range for our hotel. I'd recommend using Priceline.
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Do not rent a car. Waste of money. I'd try to rent as much baby stuff as possible, or get it from the hotel.
Cab will be easiest.
Bring an umbrella stroller, as you will be asked to fold it on the bus. PLEASE don't bring a full-sized stroller on the bus.
Your kid will be 7 months old. Things that are cheap or free are good, because you won't be there very long (neither of my kids were good about sleeping in the stroller by then). The zoo. The beach. Garfield Park Conservatory. Playgrounds. I'd skip the Children's Museum, because you're kid won't be able to interact with the exhibits--it's really best for ages 2+. Maybe the aquarium, but it's expensive and the line is long.
It's July. Expect it to be hot. It may be brutal.
Look at the Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites or Residence in. You'll want a kitchenette and 2 rooms.