Chicago in the Fall

Hi,

I am planning a trip to Chicago 10/11 - 10/15. We have booked at the Whitehall Hotel. I am curious if there is anything we should know about visiting Chicago in the fall and if this is a good location for a 1st trip to the city. Also, what would be a good place for dinner for a couple.

A part of my family hails from Chicago, so it is a very exciting trip for me and I can%26#39;t wait to see it!

Thanks for any advice anyone can share with me.

Chicago in the Fall

There are tons of dining options here. You can do your own dining search by cuisine, budget, location etc at metromix.com and chicagoreader.com.

Please take a look at the introduction to Chicago section on this web site. On metromix.com you can enter the dates of your visit to see what%26#39;s happening here during your stay. Feel free to ask more specific questions and we%26#39;ll be happy to help.

Chicago in the Fall

A couple of more specific questions:

1.) We are going the week after the marathon and there is an HR convention in the city, will dinner reservations be difficult to get?

2.) Does anyone know what the standard rooms at the Whitehall are like (bed size specifically)?

3.) Does the area around the Magnificent Mile (the hotel is on East Delaware Place) have good night life? Nothing too crazy, but fun for a late 20%26#39;s early 30%26#39;s group?

4.) How is the public transportation in this part of the city?

Hi,

A few answers - dinner reservations probably won%26#39;t be affected by a conference. There are hundreds of restaurants in Chicago, but the good ones get booked up at the weekend anyway, so you would want to make reservations early. I often use a web service called Open Table, which lets you make a reservation with a number of places for free.

The area around the Mag Mile isn%26#39;t really a bar place, but if you walk about a quarter mile west you come to the Rush and Division area which is hopping in the evening, especially if it%26#39;s warm enough to sit outside, which it still might be at that time.

Seconding Rulesnritannia%26#39;s recommendation, Open Table is a great resource -- I use it all the time.

Public Transportation is great where you are. There are buses galore that run up and down Michigan Avenue and State Street, as well as the red line subway which stops at Chicago and State. Buy a visitor pass (I%26#39;m pretty sure you can do this in advance at the CTA%26#39;s website) if you think you%26#39;ll be a frequent rider.

There%26#39;s a wine bar called Cru right down the street from your hotel. There%26#39;s also a coffee shop / deli / market called Goddess attached. I recommend them both.

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