My Chicago Guide

Description:

Steps away from the famous Magnificent Mile, the Four Seasons-operated Ritz-Carlton Chicago offers infinitely luxurious accommodations for weekend getaways and extended business trips. Executive suites are 50 percent larger than regular rooms, making them ideal for business meetings or entertaining. Additionally, the hotel boasts a four-star restaurant, The Dining Room, and an elegant atmosphere for evening cocktails and piano entertainment. Recently named the third best hotel in the world by Condé Nast Traveler readers, it's easy to see why one might never leave the hotel at all. Ask about weekend rates and special packages.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Fleet Foxes deemed this establishment the "best vegan diner in the world" at last summer's Lollapalooza! See if they are right...

Description:

If you think it is hard to find restaurants that cater to your vegetarian/vegan needs, the looking is over. Not only does the Chicago Diner keep your needs in mind, the entire menu is completely vegetarian and can be made vegan upon request. Plus, there is even a gluten-free menu that has more than just a few choices. This local favorite has an all-American diner feel, and includes a full brunch menu, plus a liquor menu featuring gluten-free beers, and local and sustainable wines and liquors. The restaurant offers free parking.

Our Local Expert Says:

If you are an independent traveler, the bike tours are the way to go. Explore Chicago at your own pace, making all kinds of discoveries along the way!

Description:

Grab a friend, rent a bike or in-line skates and sweat your way though Chicago. You may trek the 18-mile lakefront or choose any of the other scenic bike paths. Mountain bikes, kids bikes and quadricycles available. Bike Chicago has three other locations at these popular tourist spots: Oak Street Beach, Lincoln Park Zoo and Buckingham Fountain, and you may pick up your bike or skates at one location and drop them off at another.

Our Local Expert Says:

This intimate Cuban restaurant is a great place to take a date for dinner or catch weekend brunch. A live band plays during Sunday brunch (11 am to 2 pm). The food is rich and flavorful. You won't leave disappointed.

Description:

Café 28 specializes in Cuban and Mexican cuisine that goes a bit above the typical fare. Instead of tortilla chips, you'll be offered a basket of bread while you browse the menu. It includes items like pistachio-crusted chicken, honey jalapeño pork chops, and almond-crusted halibut. When Café 28 opened in 1995, the restaurant only served breakfast and lunch at its nine tables. Once the menu expanded to incorporate dinner dishes, Café 28 quickly grew to include indoor seating for 100 as well as a back patio. Diners come not only to sample the food, but also the drink menu. Café 28 mojitos use fresh ingredients and are served strong. - Betsy Mikel

Our Local Expert Says:

If you are looking to find something a little off the beaten path, this southside gem is just what you are looking for. Small, affordable, unique, and perfect for the avid history fan!

Description:

Near the midpoint of University of Chicago campus, the Oriental Institute houses one of the world's major collections of Near Eastern art. Although most of the galleries have been renovated within the last few years, this is still a very traditional museum: lots of glass cases and very few interactive exhibits (in other words, there's not much to interest young children). A few impressive pieces make it worth at least a brief stop, although history and art buffs should allow more time to linger.

Your first stop should be the Egyptian Gallery, which showcases the finest objects among the museum's 35,000 Egyptian artifacts. At the center stands a monumental, 17-foot solid-quartzite statue of the boy king Tutankhamen; the largest Egyptian sculpture in the Western Hemisphere, it tips the scales at 6 tons. The surrounding exhibits have a wonderfully accessible approach that emphasizes themes, not chronology. Among them are mummification (there are 14 mummies on display -- five people and nine animals), kingship, society, and writing (including a deed for the sale of a house, a copy of the Book of the Dead, and a schoolboy's homework).

The Oriental Institute also houses important collections...

Description:

A total entertainment venue, the Reggie's Music Joint's Bar and Grill is always full of fun and excitement. They serve the "American Comfort Food" along with beers, tequilas, vodkas and whiskeys, all served really cheap. Sip on your drink as you catch live coverage of every sporting action on huge televisions screens. Vibrant motifs, bright colors and sports memorabilia give a lively feel to the bar. The huge pipes running across the ceiling make it look like an old factory space. There's Reggie's Rock Club, that you can check out as well, that is open only for performances.

Our Local Expert Says:

The Smart Museum is one of several lesser known gems of the south side, provided by U of C. The museum is small and quaint, but has a surprisingly wide ranging collection that will be of interest for curious art seekers.

Description:

The University of Chicago's fine-arts museum looks rather modest, but it packs a lot of talent into a compact space. Its permanent collection of more than 7,000 paintings and sculptures spans Western and Eastern civilizations, ranging from classical antiquity to the present day. Bona fide treasures include ancient Greek vases, Chinese bronzes, and Old Master paintings; Frank Lloyd Wright furniture; Tiffany glass; sculptures by Degas, Matisse, and Rodin; and 20th-century paintings and sculptures by Mark Rothko, Arthur Dove, Diego Rivera, Henry Moore, and Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt. Built in 1974, the contemporary building doesn't really fit in with the campus's Gothic architecture, but its sculpture garden and outdoor seating area make a nice place for quiet contemplation. The museum also has a gift shop and cafe. Allow 1 hour.

Our Local Expert Says:

Funky, artsy, and creative - all while being good for the environment. That's something to raise a glass to!

Description:

When an establishment goes with a "sustainable" decor theme, it typically raises your awareness...that you could care less about sustainability. Giving sustainability balls, Simone's. From the Danny's/Northside/Black Beetle team and housed in a 100-year-old building, Simone's is a sprawling, laid-back bar & grill whose eco-friendly credo actually plays out cool, with a wire-fence-wrapped elevated DJ booth, barstools made from old doors, booths constructed from vintage pinball machines and old seatbelts, and a J-shaped bartop made from wooden bowling lanes -- so you can throw back Turkeys where others have thrown them. Further in's "Simone's Lab", a 1,000 sq ft bar-within-a-bar, event space, and art gallery, housed in a former mechanic's shop sporting graffiti-scrawled chemistry desk tabletops, dusty lab equipment displayed in lofted cases, random machine parts, and church pews (the only non-reclaimed thing is your jaunty soul). Booze includes 40+ brews, from cheap staples ($2.50 PBR tall boys) to micros (Founders' Dirty Bastard, New Holland Dragon's Milk, etc); the 10 specialty cocktails run from traditional-exotic (Pisco Sour) to the Grey Goose La Poire "Double Bubble", with OJ, champagne,... read more

Our Local Expert Says:

No trip to Chicago is complete without a trip to Cloud Gate, or "The Bean" as locals call it. Soon after its unveiling in 2004, it was closed off in portions so that the rivets could be buffed out. Now it is a seamless sculpture, reminiscent of one giant fun-house mirror. When you're finished here, head over to the Crown Fountain in the spring and summer months to take in the walls of smiling faces.

Description:

This popular sculpture in Millennium Park has become a landmark of Chicago's cityscape. Ever since the public first glimpsed the then-unfinished structure in 2004, its unique appearance has drawn a great deal of both criticism and praise. Designed by British artist Anish Kapoor and forged from steel plates that have been polished to a mirror-like finish, Cloud Gate has been affectionately named "The Bean" by city residents because of its legume-like shape. At 66 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 33 feet high, this is one mighty bean, weighing in at 110 tons. The highly reflective surface and curved shape create an effect similar to that of a funhouse-mirror, distorting the shape of curious onlookers and making it a popular attraction for children of all ages. The sculpture often takes on a life of its own as its surface reflects Chicago's skyscrapers and the blue sky.

Our Local Expert Says:

Great place for quality casual dining with co-workers, the family, big group of friends, or a date. Always lively and upbeat.

Description:

This member of the 'Lettuce Entertain You' family of restaurants is a great place to celebrate special occasions. Once you have wined and dined at this signature steakhouse, famous for its open-flame cooking, you will be tempted to find a reason to celebrate every day! The main dishes here include Oak-Roasted Prime Rib, Tender Barbecue Beef Ribs, Spit-Roasted Pacific Salmon, and Wood-Roasted Mussels, and you can be assured of attentive, friendly service throughout your meal.

Description:

Run by Irish expat industry vets, this dark-wooded, tri-level sports bar is tiled with 32 HD screens, b&w photos of namesake James Cagney, and various other Prohibition nuggets. The brew selection's solid (Guinness, Shock Top, Fat Tire...), the 11 specialty cocktails strong (e.g., the Maker's and rye "Ma Baker Manhattan"), the grub spare-tire inducing ("Build Your Own" angus burgers, shepherd's pie), and the weekend brunch saucy: $22 for two courses, w/ unlimited mimosas and bloody marys -- which'll inspire you to see Cagney's 1950 classic, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.

Our Local Expert Says:

Absolutely spectacular architecture that is historically noteworthy for Chicago, creating a quiet haven off of bustling Michigan Ave.

Description:

Parts of this cathedral date back to before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Most of the church, however, was gutted in the blaze, but the walls and the bell tower date back to its 1857 incarnation. Besides being the oldest Episcopal church in the city, the church is also noted for a very famous visitor. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln visited the church the day after he was elected President. Most services are held in the Chapel of St. Andrews, which is where the brotherhood of St. Andrew was founded in 1883.

Our Local Expert Says:

How can you go wrong with a 110 year old orchestra that is one of the best in the world? The CSO is a truly wonderful Chicago gem.

Description:

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is considered among the best in the world; a legacy of the late maestro Sir Georg Solti, who captured a record-breaking 31 Grammy awards for his CSO recordings and showcased the orchestra at other major musical capitals during frequent overseas tours. With the recent appointment of superstar conductor Riccardo Muti as musical director, the symphony will likely maintain -- or even enhance -- its international reputation. (Muti doesn't officially take over until Sept 2010, but he will conduct a number of concerts during the preceding seasons.) In recent years, the symphony has added more modern works into their repertoire, but crowd-pleasing favorites by Beethoven or Brahms are performed regularly as well.

Like many other orchestras around the country, the CSO has diversified its programming to attract younger audiences. The "Symphony Center Presents" series has recently included some of the top jazz, world beat, Latin, and cabaret artists in the world. Although demand is high, good seats for concerts -- turned in by subscribers who can't make it -- often become available on concert days. Call Symphony Center, or stop by the box office to check availability....