Please help! Need advice about AGP in Chicago

[dianasmama]

2 Years ago we stayed at the Omni International Suites on Michigan Avenue, very nice, but on the pricey side, it's where Oprah puts all her guests. We were there in December before the holidays and had really great prices like $70 a night because it was slow. The rooms were wonderful and they had a small indoor pool.

Last year, my SIL, DD and myself stayed at The Seneca. It's about 4 blocks away but very walkable to AGP and Water Tower. It's an older hotel and the doors stuck, but it comes with a full kitchen that is great if you want to have snacks or breakfast in. My dd liked the little passthrough and played in the kitchen area all night! Again the price was quite reasonable in August when we went. Here's the link:

Seneca Hotel

Have fun!

Laurie

[acorniv]

I've never been to Chicago but I really want to go, after finding a book about visiting Chicago with children. There is a lot to do there, and your two should be just the right age. I seem to recall science activities were especially well represented. Check your library, or, failing that, bookstores in Chicago after you arrive for this book..

Others closer to the area can help you more specifically, of course.

I live 1/2 an hour north of midtown Atlanta. Where will you be stationed? Maybe once you are settled we can meet up if you are anywhere near me.

There is a fair amount to do here in Georgia with kids, but you are in for sticker shock, coming from St. Louis. Unlike St. Louis, which has government subsidized museums, zoos, etc. you'll pay top dollar for all those things here, because there is no public support anything associated with culture here :-(. If you let me know where you will be and when I can let you know what is available nearby that won't cost an arm and a leg though. You can pm me.

Popsie

[Katie from IL]

I have lived in the Chicago area my entire life. I can tell you that for kids, I definitely recommend Navy Pier. They have a giant ferris wheel and the Chicago Childrens Museum which has a lot of hands on activities. You can also go to the top of the Sears Tower or the Hancock building. I think the Hancock is a little cheaper than the Sears. There is also the brand new Millennium park, too.

Visit this website:

www.cityofchicago.org

It has lots of links for hotels and things to do and stuff like that. For getting around you might also want to try the CTA:

www.transitchicago.com

Hope this helps! [img]graemlins/camera.gif[/img]

[mayergirl]

Well, if you're moving to Ft. Benning or Ft. Stewart (or if you're Air Force Dobbins or Moody) I can tell you that you're in for a nice time in GA. My family lives outside Atlanta, just down the road from Dobbins AFB, and I've visited all the others. Ft. Benning is beautiful. I grew up in GA, kind of. We moved there when I was 11 and I stayed through highschool and college. I love it there. I also don't think it is even remotely expensive to entertain children in Atlanta, but its especially affordable in the suburbs. Make sure you take them to Fernbank!! And say hi to my beloved home town for me [img]smile.gif[/img]

[kmbe1]

Please - if you have ever planned and or been to Chicago and visited AGP could you please PM any tips/advice/travel/hotel arrangements that you made that turned out well? My husband and our two kids (girl,8 and son,10)want to plan a trip for me to visit AGP Chicago after my college graduation May 14. We are a military family and will be moving to Georgia soon. This is our only opportunity to visit Chicago. We are on a limited budget and will be driving there from the St. Louis area. What hotels or travel agencies have the best deals? Thanks for your input. It is greatly appreciated!

[amandajg]

Congratulations on your upcoming travel plans! I live close enough to Chicago that I have hardly ever stayed overnight. I once stayed at the Merchandise Mart Holiday Inn. Very nice hotel, very comfortable, and a great view of the Chicago river. It was within walking distance, although I would suggest taking a cab. The good thing about it was that if you want to see other sights like the Shedd Aquarium or Field Museum it was a short taxi ride from those attractions (wheras if you stayed closer to AGP you'd be a bit farther away). This hotel was also within walking distance of the train station and Sears Tower (which by the way is $10 per person - very expensive, but worth doing at least once in your life. Security there is tight so go at an off-time, like mid-morning on a week day). The price includes a short movie and you can spend as long as you want on the observation deck. Choose a clear and sunny day to go up and you can see all the way to Michigan and Wisconsin!!!

Other shopping you must see is Water Tower Place with is about a block from AGP and, if you can, Marshall Fields on State Street.

The Art Institute is a GREAT museum, I strongly recommend checking it out for some great works by Impressionists, Renaissance art, American art. including Seuraut's famous painting that's made entirely of dots, of people picnicking on the lawn (you'd recognize it if you saw it, it's amazing).

For food - Food Life in Water Tower Place is great. Also various pizza places including Gino's. Bennigan's is a great Chicago place, too (though I guess it's a national chain... but for some reason I always associate it with Chicago). Be sure to eat a Chicago hot dog (Vienna dog with green relish and poppy seed bun).

Have you looked into taking Amtrak from St. Louis instead of driving? They have some amazing deals and really cheap fares, it may save you a lot of money in terms of gas and parking. Just a thought. www.amtrak.com + look on their "Rail Sale" page.

[AGOTemily]

You might try Priceline.com to get your hotel reservations if you're not too choosy about the exact hotel. My first offer (of $75/night for a 3-star hotel in North Michigan Ave. area) was rejected but I was able to get a 3-star hotel for $100/night for the last weekend in April. The going-rate for this particular hotel is $199/night for the same weekend, so it was a deal!

[judiaci]

Have fun in Chicago. Your kids are at a great age for this type of trip. I can drive to Chicago, so I have never stayed overnight downtown.

I agree about going to Navy Pier. My kids also like the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Science and Industry both by the shores of Lake Michigan. The Natural History Museum has a great Egyptian exhibit with mummies, etc. and the Museum of Science and Industry is hands on with a great coal mine tour. I haven't been there in a few years, but I always like it. I don't really like Shedd Aquarium as much as the 2 museums. My kids could always breeze through the Aquarium quickly. I also went to the observatory right by the Shedd Aquarium with my kids. They put on a very nice program. The nice thing about Chicago is that all these places are close to each other adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is a pretty setting.

My kids liked the big Nike store and ESPN zone if I am recalling correctly which your son might like after indulging your daughter at the American Girl Place. I would definitely eat in the Cafe at AGP. It is great! Get your reservations now.

[kmbe1]

WOW!!! You guys are great! Thank you so much for all the good tips and advice - we are looking forward to getting past the packing/cleaning/painting house phase and getting into the relaxing, family vacation phase after my graduation. We will definitely look into all the things mentioned and will stay in touch with the board after we move (you may not hear from me too much between May 4th and June 15th). It has been such an enjoyable and relaxing experience to chat on this hostboard with fellow AG fans (especially during the stress of senior finals and student teaching). I appreciate your posts.

[acorniv]

Mayer girl, I pass Dobbins all the time, because we live north of the Dobbins exit on I 75. [img]smile.gif[/img] Dobbins offers a great summer camp for future pilots. My son just did his engineering merit badge there too, so they do things with the BSA as well.

The zoo here is 17.00 for adults and 12.00 for kids, plus state tax. Fernbank is 12.00 for adults unless they have a special exhibit ( they usually do) and then it is 15.00. for kids it is 10.00/13.00. Since these types of things are free in St. Louis, it could come as a real shock to try to take the kids to the zoo and find it costs 58.00 plus tax just to walk in - hence my warning.

We are a family with a 14 yo and a 10 yo, who are both involved in a great number of activities. We have lived here 10 years, and I also lived here through elementary school. Costs of every activity involving kids has soared in the last decade. There are still a few dollar theaters, small parks, and McDonald playgrounds, but you're going to pay 40.00 - 60.00 and up for entrance for a family of 4 into any event, museum, class, etc. and tha tincludes places like Stone Mountain that used to be free. As a homeschooler, I have watched classes go up from 10.00 an hour on average to closer to 20.00 in the last 5 years alone. There is also no longer a difference between pricing in Midtown and the suburbs, however small towns like Fort Benning might still offer reasonably priced activities.

There are ways around the price structure though, so don't dispair. You can get a group together and apply for field trip or group rates. Some venues have a military (or homeschool) family day where prices are reduced and homeschoolers have found that often if you simply talk to businesses they will come up with some sort of package deal. I'm sure the same is true for military families. We also have HalfPrice Atlanta where you can get day of show tickets for half price, and Atlanta Ballet, Georgia Ballet and the Atlanta Opera have special shows for school kids. Contact their offices to get in on these. They are shortened productions, but well worth the price (about 10.00 vs 50.00 for a regular balcony ticket), and the Opera also has a festival day where kids can try on masks and learn about the underpinnings of the opera. If you like zoos or museums I recommend a year's membership with reciprocation from other like attractions. That will reduce costs considerably. especially if you travel a lot. You can even compare prices of different museums and buy out of state but use it in your own.

I probably should have PM'd this ( sorry) but perhaps some will find tips for their own locals.