Staying at the Langham Hotel next month...have five questions (airport, pizza, train, etc)! (Chicago: university)

[doss1]

Hey all,
It turns out I got a heckuva deal and will be staying at the Langham hotel on 330 North Wabash Avenue in around mid February.

Questions:

1.) Is it safe and practical to take the train from Midway Airport to downtown Chicago/Langham Hotel from 4:30-6pm? We are a couple in our late 20s.

2.) If we took the train, is it a long walk from the drop off point to the Langham? Where should we drop off? Should we take a cab from drop off point to Hotel or can we walk it?

3.) What's the closest (or best?) Lou Malnati's within 2miles from the Langham? We MAY have a complimentary in-town car service depending on availability. As a backup, can we walk to a Lou Malnati's?

4.) Any good (cheap?) breakfast options near the hotel that we can walk to? I'm a big breakfast eater (must have eggs).

5.) What's your #1 and #2 things to do/see near the Langham hotel?

[chicagobear]

Yes, the Orange Line from Midway is a good way to go. Get off at the State and Lake stop and it is a short walk north across the Chicago River. There are two Lou Malnati's close by- one on Wells and the other on State. You could walk to either one.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by doss1

1.) Is it safe and practical to take the train from Midway Airport to downtown Chicago/Langham Hotel from 4:30-6pm? We are a couple in our late 20s.

I thought you already asked this question in another thread. Same answer. Yes, it's safe. It's safe at any point of the day for the most part.

2.) If we took the train, is it a long walk from the drop off point to the Langham? Where should we drop off? Should we take a cab from drop off point to Hotel or can we walk it?

It's pretty close - probably around a quarter mile. Half of that is probably the bridge you have to cross to do it. Get off at the State/Lake stop.

3.) What's the closest (or best?) Lou Malnati's within 2miles from the Langham? We MAY have a complimentary in-town car service depending on availability. As a backup, can we walk to a Lou Malnati's?

You can walk a lot of places in the city. It depends on how used to walking and what the weather is like, you are you know. The one on Wells is a half mile away, and the one on State is a mile away. The one on Wells is older while the one on State is newer.

Lou Malnati's is a chain, technically. All their places are going to taste very similar.

4.) Any good (cheap?) breakfast options near the hotel that we can walk to? I'm a big breakfast eater (must have eggs).

Breakfast/brunch is huge in Chicago. A few of my favorites in that area:

* Meli Cafe - Really good and a block north of the Lou Malnati's. Can get busy at times.
* Wildberry - in the Loop south of your hotel but not that far. Can be pretty busy.
* Tempo Cafe - Open 24/7 with big huge skillets/omlettes. Can be busy on a weekend morning or late at night after some bars have let out.

Tons of good places and even better in other parts of the city. There is a Bongo Room in the south loop that's great, and just stuff all over that's great for breakfast/brunch. Just remember that it's popular in town and a lot of places could be pretty busy. A lot of places serve brunch.

5.) What's your #1 and #2 things to do/see near the Langham hotel?

As someone who lives in the area, there's a lot of food, bars, etc in the area. I'd probably go to the Signature Lounge at the 95th floor of the John Hancock on Michigan Ave. Get the southern view (go to the right off the elevators) - awesome views. Michigan Avenue is the main shopping district of Chicago too. Not far from the John Hancock are also a bunch of mansions including the original Playboy mansion. A lot depends on what you like to do...

In the general area there are a handful of museums like the Art Institute, Field Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Surgical Sciences Museum, Loyola University Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago Cultural Center, etc.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by doss1

1.) Is it safe and practical to take the train from Midway Airport to downtown Chicago/Langham Hotel from 4:30-6pm? We are a couple in our late 20s.

No, the city invested hundreds of millions of dollars to connect the second-largest business district in North America with a major airport just to lure tourists into traps that the criminal element can spring on them.

Originally Posted by doss1

2.) If we took the train, is it a long walk from the drop off point to the Langham? Where should we drop off? Should we take a cab from drop off point to Hotel or can we walk it?

"drop off point"? It's a train, not a helicopter service.

I'm curious which country's internet you're using where you can access city-data.com but not maps.google.com.

Originally Posted by doss1

3.) What's the closest (or best?) Lou Malnati's within 2miles from the Langham? We MAY have a complimentary in-town car service depending on availability. As a backup, can we walk to a Lou Malnati's?

See answer to question 2, although I'll go ahead and drop a big hint: It's only slightly over a 5 minute walk from the Langham to the nearest Lou Malnati's, through a major and safe nightlife district.

Originally Posted by doss1

4.) Any good (cheap?) breakfast options near the hotel that we can walk to? I'm a big breakfast eater (must have eggs).

Good and cheap are not always synonymous, and considering you're staying in the Langham I'm curious what your definition of "cheap" is, and why you'd stay there but scrimp on egg quality.

Originally Posted by doss1

5.) What's your #1 and #2 things to do/see near the Langham hotel?

The River, and the landmark historic skyscraper designed by Mies van der Rohe formerly known as the IBM building.

[jdiddy]

emathias dropping bombs.

[picardlx]

Originally Posted by emathias

Good and cheap are not always synonymous....

Neither is expensive and safe.

That said, however, the OP's Orange Line trip should be fine.