Honeymoon in Chicago!

snoopycac · August 2013

Besides Shed Aquarium, what are some fun things to do in Chicago, IL in the winter for a honeymoon? Anyone done this?

libby2483 · August 2013

Will you be there around the holidays? If so, make sure you visit Macy's to see the holiday window displays (they do a special theme for the holidays, so it isn't clothing displays) and giant Christmas tree. I think that a walk through Millennium Park to see the bean would be pretty even in the winter. The art institute and field museum are awesome as well! You might want to consider getting a city pass since it has a lot of indoor, winter-friendly activities:

http://www.citypass.com/chicago?creative=27312288269&adpos=1t1&mv_source=rkg&device=c&network=g&matchtype=b&gclid=CKrQtoGY9LgCFchDMgodZTAA0A

fre3doms · August 2013

I second the idea of the city pass. Maybe take in a play. The theater scene in Chicago is really good. There's lots of ethnic restaurants as well. Go to the Sears (Willis) Tower or the John Hancock for a beautiful view of the city.

What kind of things do you like to do? I'm from the Chicago suburbs so I might have some suggestions.

snoopycac · August 2013

We will be going at the end of Jan, so no holidays.

I'm very into the musical scene and hopefully we will be able to see a show. We also know we want to visit Shedd Aquarium. We don't really want much of the "touristy" stuff. We like "hole-in-the-wall" type places.

We are from west Michigan (Holland) and will be taking the train in. So we won't have a car and will probably end up taking a cab most places.

fre3doms · August 2013

I just looked on Amazon and found a couple books you might want to look into borrowing from the library. One is called Alternative Chicago by Bill Franz. There's also one called Chicago Curiosities by Scotti Cohn. My mom took out a book similar to those once and it was filled with more offbeat stuff. Chicago has a large variety of museums. Goggle offbeat Chicago for ideas.

What other stuff do you like to do?
Chicago is a great city with lots to do. It will be a fun honeymoon I'm sure.

jsquared62009 · August 2013

We did a mini-moon downtown in the beginning of Jan. last year. We did the Art Institute, a horse & carriage ride on the Mag Mile, and went to Millenium Park. I know those are touristy spots, but I don't know of many hole in the wall places so I can't be of much help there.

itzMS · August 2013

snoopycac said:

We will be going at the end of Jan, so no holidays.

I'm very into the musical scene and hopefully we will be able to see a show. We also know we want to visit Shedd Aquarium. We don't really want much of the "touristy" stuff. We like "hole-in-the-wall" type places.

We are from west Michigan (Holland) and will be taking the train in. So we won't have a car and will probably end up taking a cab most places.

Get a transit pass good for unlimited rides for as long as you'll be there. DH & I take the bus or Metro everywhere when we go spend time in Chicago. It's a great deal.

http://faremedia.chicago-card.com/store/main.aspx?DepartmentId=34

Do you have an Iphone or smartphone? You can very easily navigate the city with Google Maps.

Make dinner reservations using an app like OpenTable.

DH & I had better luck with the Go Pass for sightseeing than the City Pass.

http://www.smartdestinations.com/chicago-attractions-and-tours/_d_Chi-p1.html?aiFunnelChi=true&utm_expid=14845437-94.dfglWRaXTbmBxHA4MiMXQA.1&pass=Chi_Prod_Go&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dchicago%2520go%2520pass%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26sqi%3D2%26ved%3D0CE0QFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.smartdestinations.com%252Fchicago-attractions-and-tours%252F_d_Chi-p1.html%253Fpass%253DChi_Prod_Go%26ei%3DafYIUr_DB7LlyAHk4IG4Ag%26usg%3DAFQjCNHtliDbZbRhYItjwk3gjBTEMct_ug%26bvm%3Dbv.50500085%2Cd.aWc

cheyennecaron · August 2013

Ice skating in Millenium Park!

KayDeee · September 2013

Thinking indoors mostly here because it's winter, but being from Michigan you should be able to handle the cold. Also, not sure if you're food and drink people, but Chicago is a great place to go if you're ready to eat so I could go on for days about food but ...

Improv shows at the IO in Wrigleyville, or comedy events at Second City. There's ice skating at Millennium Park. Hancock building also has had "skating in the sky" indoors not sure if they're doing it again next year.

There's a group called the Neo-Futurists that does a show called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind where they do 30 plays in 60 mins based on suggestions.

If you are a fan of NPR you can try to go to a taping of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me."

If you like music and classic video games, there's a record store in Logan Square that sells, well, records but they also have classic video games set up in a back room that you can play (think original Pac Man and Donkey Kong and Tron).

There's live band karaoke - where you get to sing in front of a live band of course - at Piece Pizza in Wicker Park on the weekends (the pizza is really great and good beer selection)

The Cultural Center is a great place to wander around and get a few snap shots of the Tiffany ceiling.

It falls under touristy but really the museums are great .. and bars. Lots and lots of bars.

For live music, smaller shows at Metro, Bottom Lounge, Empty Bottle, Shubas, Lincoln Theatre, the Vic.

That's all I've got for now. I have no idea if these are the kinds of things you would like at all but these are the things I enjoy about Chicago.

(XP answering I also posted this on the Chicago board!)

ShesSoCold · September 2013

If you can get tickets (they sell out but you should be okay this far in advance) I highly recommend a Blackhawks game. Even if you're not a fan, the energy and Jim Corneilson's National Anthem are amazing. It's really a blast. Plus, the United Center has fantastic margaritas. There's a couple bars near the UC - Billy Goat is a lot of fun.

hz80408 · September 2013

I live in the city and would be happy to help. Will you be staying the loop? Getting public transit/CTA passes would be the fastest and cheapest way to get around.

Besides shows, there's also a lot of good comedy. Second City is great, but Zanies is down the street and has good acts and is cheaper.

What type of "hole in the wall" experiences are you looking for? Do you like beer, wine, pizza, italian, etc? Just trying think of which places to suggest for you

I would skip Sears/Willis Tower and do drinks at the Signature Lounge at John Hancock. Amazing view; during winter I would come at night

snoopycac · September 2013

hz80408 said:

I live in the city and would be happy to help. Will you be staying the loop? Getting public transit/CTA passes would be the fastest and cheapest way to get around.
Besides shows, there's also a lot of good comedy. Second City is great, but Zanies is down the street and has good acts and is cheaper.
What type of "hole in the wall" experiences are you looking for? Do you like beer, wine, pizza, italian, etc? Just trying think of which places to suggest for you
I would skip Sears/Willis Tower and do drinks at the Signature Lounge at John Hancock. Amazing view; during winter I would come at night

We will be taking the train in, so that will probably be our main form of transportation.

We will be staying at Wyndham Blake hotel on Michigan Ave. So that is our central area. I love the skyline and wanted to be "in" the city.

We love comedy, FI drinks but I do not. We love eating and trying different things. I'm a music freak, and he is a comic book geek.

FiancB · September 2013

We went over spring break last year and loved it. We got our hotel and a lot of meals through groupon. We loved all the food that we had. It's easy to get around without a car too- we flew in and took the train or walked everywhere. I wouldn't want the hassle of a car.

I agree that John Hancock is almost a better view than the Sears. The Sears is SO high up, which is cool in itself, but everything ends up looking like ants. However we did both with the City Pass, which was well worth it. All the museums and stuff were packed when we went so the City Pass was worth it just to be able to skip lines. The Art Institute was by far my favorite (it also had really good food that wasn't crazy expensive like we were expecting), but the Shedd was cool too.

hz80408 · September 2013

snoopycac said:

hz80408 said:

I live in the city and would be happy to help. Will you be staying the loop? Getting public transit/CTA passes would be the fastest and cheapest way to get around.
Besides shows, there's also a lot of good comedy. Second City is great, but Zanies is down the street and has good acts and is cheaper.
What type of "hole in the wall" experiences are you looking for? Do you like beer, wine, pizza, italian, etc? Just trying think of which places to suggest for you
I would skip Sears/Willis Tower and do drinks at the Signature Lounge at John Hancock. Amazing view; during winter I would come at night

We will be taking the train in, so that will probably be our main form of transportation.

We will be staying at Wyndham Blake hotel on Michigan Ave. So that is our central area. I love the skyline and wanted to be "in" the city.

We love comedy, FI drinks but I do not. We love eating and trying different things. I'm a music freak, and he is a comic book geek.

I would definitely hit up Second City for a comedy show! If you think it's too expensive, try Zanies

Honeymoon in Chicago!

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