Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
How to Feel Like
a Chicago Family
What's the best par t about visiting Chicago with y our kids? On the
positive side, Chicago is a big city . You'll find a rich div ersity of cultures and languages
and the oppor tunity to expose y our kids to many differ ent sights, sounds, and people.
Free activities abound: P arks, a z oo, and the beach ar e a fe w of Chicago kids ' favorite
things—and they won't cost you a penny. Transportation is easy: Kids love the “El,” car-
riage rides, trolley cars, and buses. And most activities are located around a compact city
center—a brief bus or train ride fr om hotels on the M agnificent Mile, in Riv er North,
or the Loop will get y ou to any of the do wntown museums or the Lincoln P ark Zoo.
You'll always find a coffee shop just ar ound the corner, great restaurants and shopping,
and miles of walkable terrain for y ou and your kids.
The negatives? Again, Chicago is a big cit . Streets, shops, and museums can get crowded
in the summer. Panhandlers can be a problem in certain congested downtown areas. Traffic
can be hazar dous—you'll need to be extra car eful around busy intersections. (
Warning:
Cabs will not slow down for anyone—even families with kids.) The El is not always stroller-
friendly and getting thr ough the station onto the train can be challenging. You may find
yourself having to walk up flights of stairs carr ying the diaper bag, stroller, and more.
Is it worth it? Millions of visitors who flock to our city ev ery year can't be wrong.
As I wrote the first edition of this topic, my husband and I were preparing to welcome
our first child. As I write the four th edition, we are seasoned parents of two, and w e've
road-tested many of this ne w edition's suggestions for experiencing Chicago with kids.
As we became part of the community of Chicago parents, many of them shared valuable
been-there, done-that advice. I have those Chicago parents to thank for the wide variety
of activities and opinions you'll find in these pages.
In this topic I am wor king on thr ee assumptions: O ne is that when y ou travel with
kids, there has to be something in it for them. You can't expect kids to enjo y a vacation
filled with adult activities. (I n fact, take a kid into a fancy depar tment store or to a fine
French restaurant and the par ents are unlikely to enjo y it either!) B ut while we want to
keep the kids happy , the goal of this topic is to find activities that offer something for
parents and kids alike.
The second assumption is a pr eference for the simple o ver the complex. Take your
3-year-old to the zoo and she may wind up spending more time watching squirrels chase
each other across the lawn than the big cats emerging fr om their dens. And that 's okay.
Later on, she 'll appr eciate the larger animals! I n this topic I emphasiz e some off-the-
beaten track, simple (and often inexpensiv e) ideas for enter taining your kids. M any of
these ideas have been contributed by a cadre of Chicago parents.
The third is that y ou will seek out activities that ar e unique to Chicago . Now, some
people are comfortable going to Hard Rock Cafe or Six Flags because they have them in
their own city—and their kids like that sor t of predictability. More power to you—and
those places are certainly listed in this guidebook. M y focus, however, is on transpor ta-
tion, museums, and food that say “Chicago .”
