Getting to Know the Windy City - Chicago 2005 - page 59

5

Getting to Know the Windy City

T he orderly configuration of Chicago's
streets and the excellent public trans-
portation system make the city quite
accessible—once you identify and
locate a few basic landmarks.
This chapter provides an overview
of the city's design, as well as some

suggestions for how to maneuver
within it. The chapter also lists some
resources that travelers frequently
require, from babysitters to all-night
pharmacies.

1 Orientation
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Chicago Office of Tourism runs a toll-free visitor hot line ( & 877/
CHICAGO or 312/744-2400; TTY 312/744-2947; www.cityofchicago.org/
exploringchicago) and operates three visitor information centers staffed with peo-
ple who can answer questions and stocked with plenty of brochures on area
attractions, including materials on everything from museums and city landmarks
to lakefront biking maps and even fishing spots. The main visitor center, located
in the Loop and convenient to many places that you'll likely be visiting, is on the
first floor of the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St. (at Michigan
Ave.). The center has a phone that you can use to make hotel reservations, and
several couches and a cafe where you can study maps and plan your itinerary. The
center is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, Saturday from 10am
to 5pm, and Sunday from 11am to 5pm; it's closed on holidays.
A second, smaller center, the Chicago Water Works Visitor Center, is
located in the heart of the city's shopping district, in the old pumping station at
Michigan and Chicago avenues. The entrance is on the Pearson Street side of the
building, across from the Water Tower Place mall. It's open daily from 7:30am
to 7pm. This location has the added draw of housing a location of Hot Tix,
which offers both half-price day-of-performance and full-price tickets to many
theater productions around the city, as well as a gift shop. Part of the building
has been converted into a theater, including a small cabaret space for tourist-ori-
ented shows and a larger playhouse for the acclaimed Lookingglass Theatre
Company.
The Illinois Bureau of Tourism ( & 800/2CONNECT or TTY 800/
406-6418; www.enjoyillinois.com) can provide general and specific information
24 hours a day. Many of the bureau's brochures can also be picked up at the
information desk in the lobby of the James R. Thompson Center ( & 312/
814-9600 ), 100 W. Randolph St., in the Helmut Jahn-designed building at
LaSalle and Randolph streets in the Loop. The desk is open from 8:30am to
4:30pm Monday through Friday.
INFORMATION BY TELEPHONE The Mayor's Office of Special Events
operates a recorded hot line ( & 312/744-3370 ) listing current special events,