Fun things to do in and around Grant Park

[BearFan2000]

I'll be in Chicago December 28th/29th in the Grant Park Area what are some fun things to do and see. How close would we be to the Hard Rock Cafe (gotta buy a shirt). Dad and I will be checking in early on Monday then going to the game. Tuesday we'll be checking out and at some point taking the train back to South Bend. We'll have some time to kill before the game and the next morning.

[madlithuanian]

If you can, don't just limit yourself to Grant Park. Do you have an option to expand around the whole downtown area? (It can be walked, albeit a LONG walk!)

 

 

 

I'll be in Chicago December 28th/29th in the Grant Park Area what are some fun things to do and see. How close would we be to the Hard Rock Cafe (gotta buy a shirt). Dad and I will be checking in early on Monday then going to the game. Tuesday we'll be checking out and at some point taking the train back to South Bend. We'll have some time to kill before the game and the next morning.

 

[BearFan2000]

not opposed to doing a bit of walking. I figure we have some time in Chicago we might as well explore a little.

[madlithuanian]

If you can get out and about more, I would...

 

With that said, there's a ton of stuff by Soldier. The Field Museum is one of the best in the world. They have the 2 (stuffed) lions from the "Ghost & the Darkness movie among many other natural and mad-made artifacts. Shedd's aquarium is also a top notch meseum. As I now live in LA, it pales by comparison to Sea world in San Deigo, but is still highly regarded.

 

As far as grant park, it's fun to walk around. You can check out Buckingham Fountain, where the famous opening segment from "Married w/ Children shows". It's one of the largest fountains in the world. There's Milemium Park where there's a super cool oblong mirrored giant object. There's the Art Institute with some of the world most famous art pieces (and 2 statue lions guarding the front where you may remember wore Bears helets in 1985 and 2006), and

 

As far as food goes, the world is yours...

 

There's all kinds of cheap and not so cheap eats.

 

For Pizza, I'm partial to Lou Manalti's (you can get and I advise both thin and thick crust pies), but many swear by Uno or Geno's. You can get a good Chicago Dog virtually anywhere, but one of the easiest locations to find a solid one is Potrillo's. They also do a very decent Italian Beef and it's close to the Hard Rock Cafe. Some other poster may lay out some better spots for the Beef and Dog, but for convenience, Portillo's gives you a good taste.

 

You must go to Ditka's! I think it might officially be Iron Mike's Grille. It's right by the Hancock building (Chicago's 2nd tallest behind what I still call; the Sears tower. - and you can tour either tower to see the sights from the highest vantage points for a little money) Ditka's had great decor, and even greater food. It's surprising how good the food is. And reasonable. The Fridge Burger and Pot Roast Nacho's are great and good deals! However, the tour de force there is Da Pork Chop! Seriously, one of the best I've ever had! And he sells his own cigars,etc...

 

Some other great eats: ribs at Carson's, steaks at either Chicago Chop House or Gibson's, Italian or even steaks at Jilly's (an old fav of Sinatra's), and so many great ethnic foods, I can't ell you them all!

 

SOme other things to check out...Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields...) make sure you ask for the main old Marshall Fields. Huge department store w/ lots of history in the city, and great if you're brining th wife or GF. It you go to the visotors office and show you're from out of the state, they'll give you a coupon book and I think a free drink or snack at the restaurant.

 

Bottom line, the folks are freindly in Chicago! Ask around!

 

I'm heading out to the Detroit game on Oct 4, and I already know I'm going to Ditka's, Lou's and probably Gibson's! It's like a ritual for me!

 

Enjoy your stay and please let us know what you did and what you thought!

 

 

 

 

not opposed to doing a bit of walking. I figure we have some time in Chicago we might as well explore a little.

 

[BearFan2000]

If you can get out and about more, I would...

 

With that said, there's a ton of stuff by Soldier. The Field Museum is one of the best in the world. They have the 2 (stuffed) lions from the "Ghost & the Darkness movie among many other natural and mad-made artifacts. Shedd's aquarium is also a top notch meseum. As I now live in LA, it pales by comparison to Sea world in San Deigo, but is still highly regarded.

 

As far as grant park, it's fun to walk around. You can check out Buckingham Fountain, where the famous opening segment from "Married w/ Children shows". It's one of the largest fountains in the world. There's Milemium Park where there's a super cool oblong mirrored giant object. There's the Art Institute with some of the world most famous art pieces (and 2 statue lions guarding the front where you may remember wore Bears helets in 1985 and 2006), and

 

As far as food goes, the world is yours...

 

There's all kinds of cheap and not so cheap eats.

 

For Pizza, I'm partial to Lou Manalti's (you can get and I advise both thin and thick crust pies), but many swear by Uno or Geno's. You can get a good Chicago Dog virtually anywhere, but one of the easiest locations to find a solid one is Potrillo's. They also do a very decent Italian Beef and it's close to the Hard Rock Cafe. Some other poster may lay out some better spots for the Beef and Dog, but for convenience, Portillo's gives you a good taste.

 

You must go to Ditka's! I think it might officially be Iron Mike's Grille. It's right by the Hancock building (Chicago's 2nd tallest behind what I still call; the Sears tower. - and you can tour either tower to see the sights from the highest vantage points for a little money) Ditka's had great decor, and even greater food. It's surprising how good the food is. And reasonable. The Fridge Burger and Pot Roast Nacho's are great and good deals! However, the tour de force there is Da Pork Chop! Seriously, one of the best I've ever had! And he sells his own cigars,etc...

 

Some other great eats: ribs at Carson's, steaks at either Chicago Chop House or Gibson's, Italian or even steaks at Jilly's (an old fav of Sinatra's), and so many great ethnic foods, I can't ell you them all!

 

SOme other things to check out...Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields...) make sure you ask for the main old Marshall Fields. Huge department store w/ lots of history in the city, and great if you're brining th wife or GF. It you go to the visotors office and show you're from out of the state, they'll give you a coupon book and I think a free drink or snack at the restaurant.

 

Bottom line, the folks are freindly in Chicago! Ask around!

 

I'm heading out to the Detroit game on Oct 4, and I already know I'm going to Ditka's, Lou's and probably Gibson's! It's like a ritual for me!

 

Enjoy your stay and please let us know what you did and what you thought!

 

Thanks for the tips the more I read and hear about what to do in Chicago the more excited I get. Are Monday Night Games any different than regular games as far as being there. Other than the obvious prime time kickoff at 7:30pm Are there any special cool things going on for MNF?

 

Some of the sites I had in mind were the Sears (always will be the Sears Tower), Field Museum, Shed Aquarium, but nearly forgot about Ditka's that would be awesome to hit that either Monday or Tues. I figure we'll have about 3 hours or so to wonder around Chicago maybe more if we get there earlier. I booked a room at the Best Western Grant Park and check in is at 3pm but that doesn't mean we can't arrive on the train earlier. Maybe get there around noon or a little after grab a bite for lunch do some sight seeing and check in, grab dinner then head to the game. Go back to the hotel and not sleep a wink after watching the bears spank the vikes on prime time. Get up get some breakfast do a little more sight seeing and maybe grab lunch and head back home. sack out the ensuing Wed and recover from all the fun of the previous two days lol.

 

Some things I do want to do is have a real Chicago Deep Dish pizza. I've heard of Uno and Jenos, hadn't heard of Lou Manalti's.

Spend some time at soldier field checking out the museum part of it.

 

 

I was reading about permited and non permitted items.

Binoculars/Cameras/Video Equipment

Hand-held binoculars and small still-photo cameras are permitted in Soldier Field. Video and movie cameras are NOT permitted in the stadium without the user holding proper media credentials. Photos cannot be used for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of SMG or the Chicago Park District.

 

What about my nice Nice Digital Camera.... technically it can record video though being a camera video quality kind sucks so I'd only be taking still pics anyway. Should this be an issue or should I be safe and leave it at home and instead bring my less than stellar 35 mm camera. Or is the jist of this that they don't want people bringing camcorders, dv cameras etc. And I'll be ok bringing my digi. It's a 7.2 MP with a 12x zoom. Which I took to a cubs game and could see the rivits on the score board from across the stadium lol. The zoom doesn't go out very far but is pretty powerfull. Sitting up in the upper level I figure the zoom would be quite handy to get some good action shots

 

Another question for those who know the area. The hotel is essentially at the corner of E 11th St and South Michigan Ave.

 

1. What is the best walking route to Soldier field it's hard to tell from the maps though every listing of this hotel states Soldier Field is within walking distance which I take to mean it can be reached on foot. Back in 2001 when we took the train to the Roosevelt Rd station it seems like we walked down lake shore and onto E McFetrige Drive and wiend down a ramp that went below ground towards the north end of the stadium.

 

2. May be a silly question but is it safe to travel there by foot though logic would tell me that if we are headed that way to the game we'll likely hook up with the mob of fans at the Roosevelt Road metra station. My biggest concern is after the game walking back to the hotel around 11/12 at night I don't want to get mugged lol. Would it be easier and safer to simply take a bus or Taxi?

[madlithuanian]

I've actually never been for a MNF game...just Sunday's and a few Thursday Night games. There didn't seem to be anything that different, other than a night game kind of gives a more "concert" like vibe!

 

I'd call the hotel and see if you can check in early the day you get in. Worst case, you could just dump your luggae off before hitting the town.

 

When you get to the game, do yourself a favor and get going with a ton of time! Get there early! You'll want to soak up all the glory that is Soldier! Walk around, see the monuments, check out the pro-shops, etc. I haven't tailgated in years. But what my buddy and I usually do is grab a 12'er at the store and just walk iunto the parking lot. Ask a group of bears fans if they wouldn't mind us throwing the beer in their coller and that they can help themselves to any! Usually we make new freinds every game!

 

I've never had an issue bringing in a good digital camera. However, if you do want to err on the side of cuation, and your particular camera looks very "movie-like", you may want to go w/ the 35mm. But again, I've brought mine everytime w/ no issue. Maybe some more posters may have some more details on that.

 

Honestly I don't remember the walk way! But I guarantee you that you can pretty much follow the parade of jerseys heading in that direction! And I'd just check w/ the hotel. I'm positive they have the quickest way there. I just know it's a bit of a trek, but not bad. I've never not felt safe. As long as you're rolling with a big group of other fans, it should be really safe. But, again, maybe some other poster may have experienced different. I've just never not have felt safe at or near Soldier before or after a game. Don't hang out too late after though...I am a believe in safety in numbers.

 

It's pretty easy to get a taxi there, but pretty tough to get one out.

 

 

 

Thanks for the tips the more I read and hear about what to do in Chicago the more excited I get. Are Monday Night Games any different than regular games as far as being there. Other than the obvious prime time kickoff at 7:30pm Are there any special cool things going on for MNF?

 

Some of the sites I had in mind were the Sears (always will be the Sears Tower), Field Museum, Shed Aquarium, but nearly forgot about Ditka's that would be awesome to hit that either Monday or Tues. I figure we'll have about 3 hours or so to wonder around Chicago maybe more if we get there earlier. I booked a room at the Best Western Grant Park and check in is at 3pm but that doesn't mean we can't arrive on the train earlier. Maybe get there around noon or a little after grab a bite for lunch do some sight seeing and check in, grab dinner then head to the game. Go back to the hotel and not sleep a wink after watching the bears spank the vikes on prime time. Get up get some breakfast do a little more sight seeing and maybe grab lunch and head back home. sack out the ensuing Wed and recover from all the fun of the previous two days lol.

 

Some things I do want to do is have a real Chicago Deep Dish pizza. I've heard of Uno and Jenos, hadn't heard of Lou Manalti's.

Spend some time at soldier field checking out the museum part of it.

 

 

I was reading about permited and non permitted items.

Binoculars/Cameras/Video Equipment

Hand-held binoculars and small still-photo cameras are permitted in Soldier Field. Video and movie cameras are NOT permitted in the stadium without the user holding proper media credentials. Photos cannot be used for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of SMG or the Chicago Park District.

 

What about my nice Nice Digital Camera.... technically it can record video though being a camera video quality kind sucks so I'd only be taking still pics anyway. Should this be an issue or should I be safe and leave it at home and instead bring my less than stellar 35 mm camera. Or is the jist of this that they don't want people bringing camcorders, dv cameras etc. And I'll be ok bringing my digi. It's a 7.2 MP with a 12x zoom. Which I took to a cubs game and could see the rivits on the score board from across the stadium lol. The zoom doesn't go out very far but is pretty powerfull. Sitting up in the upper level I figure the zoom would be quite handy to get some good action shots

 

Another question for those who know the area. The hotel is essentially at the corner of E 11th St and South Michigan Ave.

 

1. What is the best walking route to Soldier field it's hard to tell from the maps though every listing of this hotel states Soldier Field is within walking distance which I take to mean it can be reached on foot. Back in 2001 when we took the train to the Roosevelt Rd station it seems like we walked down lake shore and onto E McFetrige Drive and wiend down a ramp that went below ground towards the north end of the stadium.

 

2. May be a silly question but is it safe to travel there by foot though logic would tell me that if we are headed that way to the game we'll likely hook up with the mob of fans at the Roosevelt Road metra station. My biggest concern is after the game walking back to the hotel around 11/12 at night I don't want to get mugged lol. Would it be easier and safer to simply take a bus or Taxi?

 

[BearFan2000]

It should be safe I would imagine there would be a lot of people heading for the train station and from the train station to the hotel is just a short Trek. The hotel I booked us at is the closest one to Soldier Field. I hadn't thought about luggage but you're right I may want to contact the hotel ahead of time and see if we can't check in early. We'll be traveling lite as it's just Dad and I and it's just overnight but will still need to account for luggage. I'm sure my camera will be fine then it definitely wouldn't be mistaken for a vid cam.

 

 

I definitely want to take time to walk around and take in the stadium. I've not been there since the renovation.

[madlithuanian]

Yeah, I think you should be fine with that camera!

 

Even if you can't check in early, I'm sure you can drop you luggages off w/ the bellhop/concierge.

 

Soak it in!!!! I'll be doing the same when I go 10/4 for the Detroit game! Even though I've seen it numbers of times...I milk it for all it's worth and we're usually the last people leaving w/ security telling us to please exit already!

 

It should be safe I would imagine there would be a lot of people heading for the train station and from the train station to the hotel is just a short Trek. The hotel I booked us at is the closest one to Soldier Field. I hadn't thought about luggage but you're right I may want to contact the hotel ahead of time and see if we can't check in early. We'll be traveling lite as it's just Dad and I and it's just overnight but will still need to account for luggage. I'm sure my camera will be fine then it definitely wouldn't be mistaken for a vid cam.

 

 

I definitely want to take time to walk around and take in the stadium. I've not been there since the renovation.