Visiting the Windy City

This article was contributed by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, a travel website that offers customers a fast and easy way to find the best travel deals.

Are you interested in planning a trip to Chicago? Transportation, activities, and reserving a hotel should be considered in advance. Here are some ideas to make your trip effortless and enjoyable.

Getting to Chicago

When you are planning to visit Chicago, you may drive or fly to the city. If you fly, you will probably come in to Chicago’s O’Hare airport, which is the major airport. The other option is Chicago Midway airport located 10 miles closer to the Loop. From the airport, you can take the Transit Authority elevated trains (the L) into the city. There are also rental cars, taxis and airport shuttle buses. If you prefer to rent a car, consider using public transportation once you get to your hotel as parking can be expensive in Chicago.

Things to Do in Chicago

The Windy City offers culture, family activities, shopping, dining and year-round sports. When you come to Chicago, you can take advantage of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Field Museum. Enjoy architecture by viewing the Buckingham Fountain and Millennium Park and get a picture with the Silver Cloud Gate Sculpture. If you are planning a family vacation, be sure to add the Shedd Aquarium and Lincoln Park Zoo to your itinerary. Head to Navy Pier and enjoy a walk or take advantage of the rides. There is a Children’s Museum at the pier, and you can get free admission Thursdays after 5 pm. Chicago is known for the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue, known for its architecture, shopping and restaurants. You will enjoy walking this area and browsing the shops. Stop along the way for some Deep Dish Pizza. For the sports enthusiast, there is a professional sports team for every season of the year in Chicago. From spring to fall you can follow baseball with the Cubs or the White Sox. Catch a game at historic Wrigley Field, or visit Wrigleyville and enjoy the history of the team. Head to Soldier Field for a Bears game in fall or early winter. You can also catch the Black Hawks or Bulls during the winter months. Try to catch a home game for your favorite team if you are visiting at the right time of the year.

Navigating the Windy City

If you rent a car or drive to Chicago, your best bet is to park at the hotel and use public transportation. Traffic in the city can be hectic, and parking is expensive and limited. You can get a 3 day unlimited pass from the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to get around the city, and there are many areas that are made for walking like the Magnificent Mile and Riverwalk.

Where to Stay

When you are planning your trip to Chicago, you can find hotels all around the city. One way to keep prices down is to stay in a suburb or near the airport and take advantage of CTA to get in to the city. With the right planning, you can save on a room in the city. Services such as Hipmunk are helpful to find discounted rooms. Look around Lincoln Park near the zoo and Wrigley Field for affordable accommodations. You can also look for rooms in the Loop or South Loop to save about $100 a night over hotels in the Magnificent Mile area. The Loops are near Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue making it easy to get from one area to the other.