Advice from Chicago Folks?

[corilannam]

So my mother is leaving on Saturday for her cross-country journey on Amtrak. She changes trains in Chicago with a layover from about 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sunday. She's looking for places to go and things to do that are near the Amtrak station (which I believe is right by the Sears Tower).

Anyone have any info or recommendations for shopping, sightseeing, or restaurants near Sears Tower that would be open on a Sunday? Any recommendations on places/areas she'd want to stay away from?

Halp!

Comments

[thalia]

Yes, Union Station is right near the Sears Tower. But if I were her, I'd take a cab to Millennium Park--it's only about a mile, and it would be a nice place to hang out. If she does that, there's a restaurant at the park, and a whole bunch around it on Michigan and Randolph. Most of those will be open on Sunday; that's turning into a big residential area.

Another option would be to take a water taxi to Michigan and Wacker. They leave from a dock at Madison Street, two blocks north of Union Station on the west side of the river. I always love being on the river, and it would get her close to Millennium Park or to the stores on Michigan Ave. See http://www.chicagowatertaxi.com/ for more info.

The Art Institute opens at 10 on Sunday, just for the record. It's a little less than a mile east of Union Station--to walk there, she'd come out the Adams Street exit, cross the river, and keep going east on Adams.

The Macy's on State Street is open from 11 to 5 this Sunday.

For shopping, there's always North Michigan Avenue, but she might not want to go that far for such a short time. She's definitely have to take a cab to make it worthwhile. But if she really wants to shop, there are plenty of opportunities there, and traffic at that point should be light enough that it wouldn't take more than 15 minutes to get between there and Union Station.

If she wants to stay near Union Station, the Sears Tower is her best bet. She could also walk over to Washington and Dearborn (OK, that's probably about a mile, too, come to think of it) and see the Picasso, if that would interest her. There will be fewer restaurants open in that area, because it's more businessy. There's a pub called Elephant and Castle on Adams that would probably be open--it's maybe two blocks east of the Sears Tower. I'm sure there are others, but I don't remember what exactly is around there.

There's also a food court in Union Station, but I honestly don't know how many of those places will be open on Sunday. Chances are at least some of them will be.

Greektown is about half a mile west of Union Station, but that's the opposite direction from anything touristy, so she's have to want to go there specifically.

In general, there aren't any areas she needs to avoid for safety reasons--the whole Loop is very safe at this point.

Did that help? Holler if you have other questions.

[noelql.livejournal.com]

All of the suggestions from darththalia are wonderful; I just have a word of caution. This Sunday is the Chicago Marathon, which makes getting around downtown somewhat challenging with the random road closures. She absolutely should go sight-seeing, but tell her to make sure that she leaves PLENTY of time to get back to the train station so that she doesn't miss her train if her return is somewhat delayed by the marathon passing by!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for all this great advice! My mom was thrilled to have so many options. She had a good time wandering around some of the stores and restaurants, and she's already planning what to do next time she comes through. *g*

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the warning! She said that the Marathon did make moving around quite challenging--those marathoners were everywhere!

[thalia]

You're welcome! I had forgotten about the marathon, which really does mess up the Loop. I'm glad she enjoyed her layover.