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So me and my Wife are taking our anniversary trip in mid- April. We're going with either Denver or Chicago. Now my Wife is pregnant and by the time our trip comes around she'll be 4 months pregnant. She's never been to Chicago before so we were thinking about booking a hotel downtown and rely on our feet and public transportation to go to a couple of attractions and restaurants. With her being pregnant though we were concerned that moving place to place might be too much for her.
So that's when we started leaning towards Denver. We've never been and they seem to have a downtown that's walkable and public transit friendly. We will not rent a car so we're trying to get the most out of public transportation, uber/lyft, and minimal walking with of course as much ease as possible.
Was wondering would Downtown Denver be more convenient for a 4 month pregnant woman than Downtown Chicago or is it vice versa?
Side note: Before someone ask this isn't our first rodeo with a child. We've been on vacations before while she's been pregnant. It's just before we relied on a rental car to get to point A to B. We would prefer not to rely on a car this trip. Thanks in advance!
Chicago and it’s not even close. Chicago has the loop which speaks for itself, on top of many buses I’m sure, Metra train stations in DT, Amtrak, river ferries and is also lakefront.
Denver has a lot of public transit problems and isn’t even on the same plane of existence when it comes to Chicago on this one.
Chicago and it’s not even close. Chicago has the loop which speaks for itself, on top of many buses I’m sure, Metra train stations in DT, Amtrak, river ferries and is also lakefront.
Denver has a lot of public transit problems and isn’t even on the same plane of existence when it comes to Chicago on this one.
I love Denver, but this. It's not close. Chicago's urbanity and walkability are immensely larger than Denver's.
Chicago is significantly flatter than Denver, too. I walked 4 miles there and got a whooping 2 floors on my Fitbit.
Chicago and it’s not even close. Chicago has the loop which speaks for itself, on top of many buses I’m sure, Metra train stations in DT, Amtrak, river ferries and is also lakefront.
Denver has a lot of public transit problems and isn’t even on the same plane of existence when it comes to Chicago on this one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescreen73
I love Denver, but this. It's not close. Chicago's urbanity and walkability are immensely larger than Denver's.
Chicago is significantly flatter than Denver, too. I walked 4 miles there and got a whooping 2 floors on my Fitbit.
Hmm interesting. I would have thought that getting to and from places in downtown Denver would be easier because it's smaller and less populated than Chicago. But y'all are telling me it's the complete opposite? Even with walking up and down steps to get on and off the L train?
Hmm interesting. I would have thought that getting to and from places in downtown Denver would be easier because it's smaller and less populated than Chicago. But y'all are telling me it's the complete opposite? Even with walking up and down steps to get on and off the L train?
You can also take a bus that covers the entire area that are pretty nice. There are steps up to the L tracks, but they aren't killers-elderly make it all the time. The Loop is fairly compact; so is the area north of the river, and there are so many ways to get around.
I have not been to DT Denver in quite a while, so I am not going to go out on a limb on the transport part. I do have a co-worker who went there for a vacation recently, and she was really turned off by the amount of homeless and drug use in the area. She left early to go up to the mountains as a result. And she is from Chicago.
The only advantage Denver has is the ease of getting from the airplane to light rail. Moving walkways in the remote terminal. Train to main terminal. It’s not many steps through baggage claim to light rail.
I’ve used United a jillion times at O’Hare. Getting through the terminal is a lot more work. Midway is more compact but it can be a lengthy walk, too. I’ve only ever connected at MDW so I don’t know how much effort it is to access public transportation.
Denver light rail is more for commuters than to navigate the core of the city.
Hmm interesting. I would have thought that getting to and from places in downtown Denver would be easier because it's smaller and less populated than Chicago. But y'all are telling me it's the complete opposite? Even with walking up and down steps to get on and off the L train?
Well it depends on what you want to do. In Denver the 16th Street Mall from the State Capitol to Union Station is as walkable as anything you'll find in Chicago. If you can find a hotel near say Dairy Block you can go to a lot of the museums and other attractions in the downtown area either by taking the free shuttle on the 16th street mall or by uber. You can also walk to Confluence Park and walk along the South Platte to the Aquarium, MeowWolf or the stadiums. It is possible to walk to Five Points and the RiNo Arts District but the sidewalks aren't very good and you walk through a lot of parking lots and other eyesores. If your wife is comfortable using those Lime scooters then that helps.
The issue is the kind of city attractions you find in Denver will not be as nice as what you can find in Chicago. If you just want to check out Denver and don't want to drive then it's definitely doable. I'd say DT Denver might be enough for a long weekend type of trip, but for a whole week you'd want to get a car and drive to the mountains.
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Hmm interesting. I would have thought that getting to and from places in downtown Denver would be easier because it's smaller and less populated than Chicago. But y'all are telling me it's the complete opposite? Even with walking up and down steps to get on and off the L train?
If you want the complete urban experience you should go with Chicago. It has some of the easiest access to PT in the country. And there’s really endless things to do in and around the core. Plus the water taxi down the Chicago River is pretty fun. I love it!
Denver isn’t anywhere close to Chicago in this regard. But if you do decide to make the trip someday there are options for getting around downtown. From the airport you can take the train straight to Union Station which has connections to MetroRide/MallRide. They’re both free, connect to the light rail and cover most of Downtown https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/free-metroride.
The only advantage Denver really has is that it’s smaller so maybe it’ll be easier to navigate. Chicago has a World class core though.
Well it depends on what you want to do. In Denver the 16th Street Mall from the State Capitol to Union Station is as walkable as anything you'll find in Chicago. If you can find a hotel near say Dairy Block you can go to a lot of the museums and other attractions in the downtown area either by taking the free shuttle on the 16th street mall or by uber. You can also walk to Confluence Park and walk along the South Platte to the Aquarium, MeowWolf or the stadiums. It is possible to walk to Five Points and the RiNo Arts District but the sidewalks aren't very good and you walk through a lot of parking lots and other eyesores. If your wife is comfortable using those Lime scooters then that helps.
The issue is the kind of city attractions you find in Denver will not be as nice as what you can find in Chicago. If you just want to check out Denver and don't want to drive then it's definitely doable. I'd say DT Denver might be enough for a long weekend type of trip, but for a whole week you'd want to get a car and drive to the mountains.
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Thanks and I should have included that we'll be on a 3 night vacation. We were looking at the Hyatt House Downtown Denver location.
Chicago easily. Denver is a small town compared to Chicago. But these 2 cities are entirely different, nobody moves to Denver for the urban/city life, and nobody moves to Chicago for outdoor recreation, two completely different appeals.
Chicago is one of the most tourist friendly cities in the country. There's a reason (pre covid) it was breaking tourism records yearly. All the attractions are all in a radius that is packed with walkability, trains, buses, bikes, scooters, river boats, etc. Definitely don't need a car.
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