Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
19
Chicago's Average Temperatures & Precipitation
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May June July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
High °F
20.2
33.9 44.3
58.8
70.0 79.4 85.3 82.1
75.5
64.1 48.2
35.0
°C
-6.5
1.0
6.8
14.9
21.1 26.3 29.6 27.8
24.4
17.8
9.0
1.7
Low °F
13.6
18.1 27.6
38.8
48.1 57.7 62.7 61.7
53.9
42.0 31.4
20.3
°C
-10.2
-7.7
-2.4
3.8
8.9
14.3 17 16.5
12.2
5.6
-0.3
-6.5
Rainfall (in.)
1.6
1.3 2.6
3.7
3.2 4.1 3.6 3.5
3.4
2.3 2.1
2.1
a T-shirt, only to hav e to buy a sw eatshirt
downtown when the wind shifted and the
temperature plummeted 15 degr ees in 15
minutes. S o ev en in J uly, make sur e that
you bring a light jacket or sweater. (And in
the winter , ho wever fashionable y ou ar e
trying to be, don 't think y ou can get b y
without a hat.)
For curr ent conditions and
forecasts,
check www.chicagotribune.com and www.
weather.com.
KIDS' FAVORITE CHICAGO EVENTS
Chicago is a f estival city, with ethnic parades , food, music, art and flower fairs, and
street celebrations packing the calendar. Particularly in the summer, it can be tough
to choose among ac tivities. I n wint er you'll ha ve fewer choic es, but some of the
perennial favorites take place then.
To disc over the lat est and g reatest special ev ents in the cit y, ask the
Chicago
Office of Tourism
(
&
877/CHICAGO
[244-2246];
www.choosechicago.com
) or the
Illinois Bur eau of Tourism
(
&
800/2CONNECT
[226-6632];
www.enjoyillinois.
com
) to mail you a copy of the
Chicago Visitor's Guide,
an excellent quarterly publica-
tion that surveys special events, including parades and street festivals, concerts and
theatrical productions, and museum exhibitions. Also ask to be sent the latest mate-
rials produced by the
Mayor's Office of Special E vents
(
&
312/744-3315,
or the
Special Events Hot Line 312/744-3370, TTY 312/744-2964; w ww.cityofchicago.org/
specialevents), which keeps current with citywide and neighborhood festivals. You'll
find food, music and flower fairs, garden walks, and more.
Remember that new ev ents might be added ev ery y ear, and that oc casionally
special ev ents ar e disc ontinued or r escheduled. S o, t o a void disappointment, be
sure to telephone in advance or check the w ebsite of the sponsoring or ganization,
the Chicago Office of Tourism, or the Mayor's Office of Special Events to verify dates,
times, and locations.
J
ANUARY
Chicago C ubs Conv ention.
Ev en
though A pril and O pening D ay seem
(and are) very far away in January, Cubs
fans dr eam of next season at this con-
vention, the kickoff to spring training,
which is held at the H ilton Chicago,
720 S. Michigan Ave. Players sign auto-
graphs and collectors buy, sell, and swap
memorabilia. Call
&
773/404-CUBS
(404-2827) or go to
http://chicago.
cubs.mlb.com
for mor e information.
Mid-January.
2
Winter Delights.
Throughout January
and February, the city's Office of Tour-
ism (
&
877/CHICAGO
[244-2246];
www.choosechicago.com) offers special
travel deals to lur e visitors during tour-
ism's lo w season. I ncentives include
bargain-priced hotel packages, affor d-
able prix-fixe dinners at downtown res-
taurants, and special music and theater
performances. Families with cabin fever
should seek gr eat deals on hotels with
pools—it's a gr eat weekend away fr om
