The Unofficial Guide^® to Chicago , 5th Edition

by Joe Surkiewicz; Bob Sehlinger

• ISBN13: 9780764567544
• ISBN10: 0764567543
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The insider2s guide to fun times and great deals in the Windy City Delivers the scoop on Chicago, a popular weekend destination (16 percent of the U.S. population is within a 300-mile radius) and convention magnet (35,000 shows a year, with 4.4 million attendees) Offers detailed, candid reviews and ratings of hotels and restaurants, including notable newcomers, all based on personal evaluations Shows travelers where to find great jazz and blues clubs, shopping bargains, and the best lakefront beaches Provides information on Millennium Park, with its Frank Gehry designed pavilion, and other new attractions

Table of Contents

List of Maps.

About the Authors.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

The Most “American” of American Cities.

About This Guide.

How Come “Unofficial”?

Creating a Guidebook.

How Unofficial Guides are Different.

Special Features.

How This Guide Was Researched and Written.

Letters, Comments, and Questions from Readers.

How Information is Organized: By Subject and by Geographic Zones.

Part One: Understanding the City.

A Brief History of Chicago.

Beginnings.

First Settlers.

Boom . . ..

. . . and Bust.

A Transportation Hub.

Innovative Marketing and a Presidential Nomination.

Industrial Might.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Labor Troubles.

The Roaring Twenties.

Another Depression . . . and Another Fair.

The Second World War.

A New Era.

Post-Industrial Chicago.

“A Real City”.

Skyscrapers and the Prairie School: Chicago Architecture.

A Bovine Beginning.

The Chicago School.

Classical Designs by the Lake.

The Prairie School 46

1920s Prosperity and Art Deco.

The International Style.

Postmodernism.

Scraping the Sky.

An Outdoor Museum.

Sculpture in the Loop.

Part Two: Planning Your Visit to Chicago.

When to Go: Seasons of the Windy City.

Four Distinct Seasons.

A Calendar of Festivals and Events.

Avoiding Crowds.

How to Get More Information on Chicago before Your Visit.

Getting to Chicago.

Flying.

Taking the Train.

Driving.

Part Three: Hotels.

Deciding Where to Stay.

Some Considerations.

Getting a Good Deal on a Room.

How to Evaluate a Travel Package.

Helping Your Travel Agent Help You.

If You Make Your Own Reservation.

Chicago Lodging for Business Travelers.

Lodging Convenient to McCormick Place.

Convention Rates: How They Work and How to Do Better.

Hotels and Motels: Rated and Ranked.

What’s in a Room?

Hotel Ratings.

How the Hotels Compare.

Top 30 Hotel Deals in Chicago.

Hotel Information Chart.

Part Four: Visiting Chicago on Business.

Convention Central, U.S.A.

Other Business Visitors.

How the Unofficial Guide Can Help.

McCormick Place Convention Center.

Convention Overload.

Navy Pier.

Convention and Trade Show Calendar.

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

Part Five: Arriving and Getting Oriented.

Coming into the City.

By Car.

By Plane.

By Train.

Getting Oriented.

A Geography Lesson.

Chicago’s Layout.

The Major Highways.

A Word about Driving: Don’t.

Finding Your Way around Chicago.

Where to Find Tourist Information in Chicago.

Things the Natives Already Know.

Chicago Customs and Protocol.

Publications for Visitors.

Chicago on the Air.

Access for the Disabled.

Time Zone.

Phones.

Liquor, Taxes, and Smoking.

How to Avoid Crime and Keep Safe in Public Places.

Crime in Chicago.

Places to Avoid.

Crime Prevention Planning.

Personal Attitude.

Self-Defense.

More Things to Avoid.

Carjackings.

Part Six: Getting around Chicago.

Driving Your Car: A Really Bad Idea.

Time of Day.

Parking.

Insider Tips for Drivers.

Subterranean Chicago.

Public Transportation.

The CTA.

The El.

Buses.

Taxis.

Walking.

Part Seven: Sight-Seeing Tips and Tours.

Touring Chicago.

Taking an Orientation Tour.

Architecture and Boat Tours.

Specialized Tours.

Carriage Rides.

Touring on Your Own: Our Favorite Itineraries.

Exploring Chicago’s Neighborhoods.

Chicago for Children.

Helpful Hints for Visitors.

How to Get into Museums for Half Price.

When the Admission is Free.

Scenic Car Drives.

Great Views.

Getting into “Oprah”.

Part Eight: Attractions in Chicago.

The Loop . . . and Beyond.

Attractions by Type and Zone.

Attraction Profiles.

Part Nine: Dining and Restaurants.

Dining in Chicago.

Upscale Hotels and Restaurants.

Chains Keep Coming.

Spin-Offs and Siblings.

Ethnic Diversity Gets a Makeover.

Global Dining.

Asian Infusion.

Never-Ending French Bistros.

Noteworthy Neighborhoods.

West Loop–Randolph Street Market District.

Central and South Loop.

Wicker Park.

And Now for the New New . . ..

Restaurants: Rated and Ranked.

Our Favorite Chicago Restaurants: Explaining the Ratings.

New and Changing Restaurants.

Our Pick of the Best Chicago Restaurants.

More Recommendations.

Restaurant Profiles.

Part Ten: Shopping in Chicago.

Nothing Like It Back Home.

The Where of It.

The How of It.

Michigan Avenue: The Magnificent Mile.

Michigan Avenue’s Grand Malls.

The Landmark Department Stores of the Loop.

Marshall Field’s.

Carson Pirie Scott.

Where to Find . . . .

Glaring Omissions.

Art and Fine Crafts.

Baby Furniture.

Beauty Items.

Bikes and Skateboards.

Boats, Yachts, and Sailing Craft.

Books, Cards, and Stationery.

Cameras.

Canoes and Kayaks.

Clothing and Shoes.

Clothing and Shoes Discount Outlets.

Crystal, China, and Kitchen Items.

Florists.

Food and Wine.

Formalwear.

Furs.

Garden and Landscaping.

Home Furnishings, Linens, and Bath Supplies.

Jewelry.

Luggage.

Marine Specialty Items.

Musical Instruments and Recorded Music.

Oriental Rugs.

Outdoor Gear.

Sports Cars and Vintage Automobiles.

Tobacco.

Toys, Games, and Gifts for Children.

Western Goods, Boots, and Saddles.

Suburban Shopping Centers, Discount Malls, and Shops.

Part Eleven: Exercise and Recreation.

Handling Chicago’s Weather.

Indoor Activities.

Free Weights and Nautilus.

Fitness Centers and Aerobics.

Exercising in Your Hotel.

Outdoor Activities.

Walking.

Running.

Tennis.

Golf.

Road Bicycling and In-Line Skating.

Mountain Biking.

Swimming.

Paddling.

Windsurfing.

Ice Skating.

Downhill Skiing.

Cross-Country Skiing.

Spectator Sports.

A Sports-Crazy Town.

Pro Teams.

College Sports.

Horse Racing.

Off-Track Betting and Riverboat Casinos.

Part Twelve: Entertainment and Nightlife.

Chicago after Dark.

Live Entertainment.

Live Rock.

Jazz.

Country and Western.

Live Blues.

Comedy/Interactive Theater.

Dance Clubs.

Lookin’ for Love.

Legitimate Theater.

The Classics.

Nightclub Profiles.

Restaurant Index.

Nightclub Index.

Subject Index.

Reader Survey.