I'm planning a trip to Chicago in the middle of June and I was wondering if I needed to rent a car or was public transportation was good enough? I've never been to Chitown so I figured what the hell... Any cool places to visit? (besides a Cubs game)
If you are going to be in the city (specifically downtown) public transportation is good enough. Besides parking is pretty expensive and a hassle. Checkout: Hancock Observatory Navy Pier Annual Taste of Chicago (if you are there while its going on) North St. Beach Mich. Ave and there are a number of good bars and restaurants out there
You could go see a Bulls game... but wait, June ya said? I dunno, what do pro ballplayers do in the offseason?
Walk, parking is so expensive. I think the parking garages cap off when the time hits 30 bucks or so, but still. Millenium Park the mall (called the Fountains, I think?) Chinatown
Public transportation is the way to go. It's easy to use and if you're from Houston, it's a nice change.
Public transportation is great in Chicago. Zero need for a car unless you're planning on going a long way from downtown. Plenty of high quality museums (if you're into that), great food (make sure you get a deep dish pizza--Gino's East, Lou Malnatti's, or Giordano's), some great used cd stores, and the Michigan Mile is full of all kinds of other shopping. Oh, and good luck on getting Cubs tickets without paying a fortune. You might want to settle for the White Sox even though the park is pretty bad, the games can still be good there.
I got a kick out of the Sears tower when I went. Of course, i love Feris Beuller's day off, so me and my buddy recreated the scene and took pictures...leaning over the rail, foreheads on glass. Giordano's is the best pizza I've ever had...but expensive. $30 for ONE large pizza was kind of a shock.
I'm also going to be in Chicagoland for a little bit this summer. I'm going with some other students and a prof from the history department at my school and we're gonna be staying in dorms @ Concordia University from May 15th-29th. I'm turning 21 at the end of April so I think this will be a great experience.
