Visiting Chicago For A Few Days (Calumet Park, Fairmont: fit in, rent, best hotels)

[XC_Runner]

A few friends and myself are planning a trip to Chicago. We originally planned on going to Los Angeles and California, but it was too expensive so we decided to do a tour of the Great Lakes Cities such as Cleveland and Chicago would be the stopping point. We have a few questions about Chicago.

1. What are some things to do in Chicago? We have some things planned such as the Navy Pier, Wrigley Field, and the Willis Tower observation deck. We are not looking for tourist traps, but underrated places.

2. Where are some of the best places to eat? We like Italian, American, Chinese, and Mexican places that are standout. I know of some of the best restaurants, but we would like underrated places because we would not want to be standing for two hours waiting to get a table.

3. What are some of the best hotels? Two we are considering are the Fairmont Chicago at Millennium Parkor the Trump International Hotel.

4. What are the best beaches? Based on our research, the North Avenue Beach was recommended.

Thanks for the help!

[OyCrumbler]

What are you interested in doing?

The Second City is a famed comedy troupe which many, many great comedic actors have come from. There are a good number of great museums and performing arts. There's shipwreck diving in Lake Michigan and kayaking on the Chicago River. There's just biking around some of the neighborhoods using the bikeshare system which can be a lot of fun. Summer also comes with a lot of festivals, assuming you're going during this summer, and you can probably find something of interest.

In terms of your trip, if you're driving to Chicago, then Cleveland makes sense, but also along the way you might consider hitting the Indiana Dunes along the way to or from Chicago.

If you're flying in, then it might make sense to skip Cleveland and instead go to Milwaukee from Chicago via rail or rented car (the latter probably better if you all fit into the car; but rent the car just for the trip up to Milwaukee rather than having it in tow while in Chicago). Milwaukee's a similarly sized lakefront city compared to Cleveland and is a lot easier to get to from Chicago.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by XC_Runner

2. Where are some of the best places to eat? We like Italian, American, Chinese, and Mexican places that are standout. I know of some of the best restaurants, but we would like underrated places because we would not want to be standing for two hours waiting to get a table.

Mi Tierra for Mexican.

Originally Posted by XC_Runner

4. What are the best beaches? Based on our research, the North Avenue Beach was recommended.

North avenue and Oak Street for White beaches, Montrose Beach for Puerto Rican, and Calumet Park beach for Mexican.

[BridgetJones]

Ann Sather for breakfast!! Get the cinnamon rolls as one of your sides.