Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Best Chicago Websites
The
World Wide Web
makes vacation planning simple. These Chicago-
based sites provide up-to-date listings on everything from restaurants
to walking tours.
•
www.877chicago.com
is your best bet for comprehensive tourism
information on hotels, special promotions, and citywide events from
the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (and
&
877/CHICAGO
also happens to be the phone number for the bureau's tourism
information line).
•
www.metromix.com
is the
Chicago Tribune
's entertainment-ori-
ented site.
•
www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/index.html
is a city website that
includes definitions of Chicago's architectural styles, tour informa-
tion, and maps.
•
www.chicago.citysearch.com
offers reviews of restaurants, bars,
shows, and shops.
• Two good general sites are
www.cityofchicago.com
(Chicago Office
of Tourism) and
www.enjoyillinois.com
(Illinois Bureau of Tourism).
activities in the hotel lobby,
including decorating gingerbread
men at Christmas and hunting for
eggs at Easter. Diaper bags, cribs,
high chairs, changing tables, and
more are available upon request.
Rooms are clubby but glamorous,
with plush beds, mahogany writ-
ing desks, and chaise lounges, and
even the family pet is welcome. See
p. 76.
•
When Price Is No Object:
The
attention to detail, regal pamper-
ing, and well-connected concierges
you will find at both the ultraluxe
Ritz-Carlton Chicago,
160 E.
Pearson St. (
&
800/621-6906;
p. 85), and
Four Seasons Hotel
Chicago,
120 E. Delaware Place
(
&
800/332-3442;
p. 81), make
them the hotels of choice for trav-
elers who want to feel like royalty
while in town.
The Peninsula
Chicago,
108 E. Superior St.
(
&
866/288-8889;
p. 82), a
newer entry onto the luxury scene
in Chicago, also ascended into the
ranks of the Ritz and Four Seasons
when it won
Travel & Leisure
mag-
azine's 2004 award for top service
in North America (and ranked in
the top 10 in the world).
•
When Price Is Your Main
Object: Red Roof Inn Chicago
Downtown,
162 E. Ontario St.
(
&
800/733-7663;
p. 94), offers
a fabulous location for a bargain
price. But the
Hampton Inn &
Suites Chicago—Downtown,
33
W. Illinois St. (
&
800/HAMP-
TON;
p. 96), gets bonus points
for being a bargain stay, plus hav-
ing a pool.
•
Best Pool:
With its dazzling all-
tile junior Olympic-size pool,
constructed in 1929, the
Hotel
InterContinental Chicago,
505
N. Michigan Ave. (
&
800/327-
0200
), takes this award easily. See
p. 87.
•
Best Hotel Restaurant for Kids:
Go for
Atwood Cafe,
the stylish
and funky restaurant fronting
State Street at
Hotel Burnham,
1
W. Washington (
&
877/294-
9712
). Amazingly, this eclectic
