Oklahoma native, our cold weather pales in comparison to Chicago - there’s a concert in early February right outside of O’Hare that I am headed towards. Most Chicago tourist guides I’ve encountered online simply don’t advise to visit but my hands are tied.
What local things would you recommend to an outsider braving the outside? Any tips on staying warm?
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Layers. Wear thin clothes under a sweater and sweatpants with a coat and regular pants over top. You need the top layer to cut the wind. You need a hat, one that covers your ears, and if you have any cloth masks leftover they go a long way to keeping your lower face warm.
Waterproof beats warm for footwear, but ideally both. Good hiking boots work well if you already have some.
All train stations and some bus stops have heat lamps you can turn on, look for the big button.
For fun things? There’s music and food and museums all over. Usually I recommend the architecture tour, but maybe not in February.
Pretty standard stuff imo, keep your extremities covered; gloves, hat, waterproof boots, and a nice jacket. You’ll be fine imo. If you’re driving and there’s snow on the ground, just take it nice and slow. Accelerate slower than you normally would. Start breaking earlier than you normally would. And plan for travel to take longer when it’s snowing.
How likely is it for any bad weather to effect the public transit options?
Maybe some delays, but we’re used to snow. There’s pretty solid infrastructure for dealing with snow. We have plenty of plows and salt trucks, people generally know how to drive in it, you should be fine taking public transit as long as you bake in a little extra time.
I see lots of layering recommendations, good. I might add to get yourself a couple packs of hand warmers. The kinds that warm up when exposed to air. You can open one and put it nearer an inner pocket amidst your layers of cloths. It can keep your whole body warm. Good for when the jarring cold is even more jarring than you’d planned for ;-)
Shedd Aquarium is right downtown on the lake front and lots of fun. Less than a block away is the Field Museum which you can easily spend a day wandering through. Near both is the Adler Planetarium if you look for that sort of thing.
Just south of the bean (cloudgate :-p ) is the Chicago Art Institute which is way larger than it looks (to me). Regardless of what artist is showing, the institute has large displays of art ancient to modern.
There are also a few musicals playing. Hamilton is scheduled to end in Dec. but it might be extended. I’ll help you out and go see it to increase their audience counts ;-)
Since it’s February and you may want to check out the underground, look into the pedway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Pedway Maybe not for the faint of heart? You can walk from city hall to the train station under Randolph & Michigan on the corner of the bean. Fair warning though, the Chicago underground is far more massive than these maps show. Look up the Chicago Pedway sign. When you see it, you’ll always see it ;-) Keep to the busy areas and times as it will be much harder to get lost. To give you an idea, the land under Millennium Park is a multi-level parking garage with various walking tunnels, train tunnels and a theater (yes, on Randolph :-p Lobby level is technically in the underground though). That’s not to mention the underground streets.
I used to work in the Prudential building which is part of the pedway. Can you tell I miss being down there? ;-)
Oh, it’s not that bad. Sure, we have some shitty cold days (or weeks) here and there, but it’s not like you’re going to the beach in Feb. I assume you are going to the Rosemont Horizon for your show? If so, that’s not in Chicago proper, which is where most of the action is. My experience in big cities is that you never really get to see the good stuff unless you know ppl there. You just get pulled into the tourist traps. If you leave some more deets on your stay, maybe I could rec some cool things to do. Obviously, you don’t have to get too personal, but are you satying in the city? What kinds of things do you like doing? Restaurants? Bars? Museums?
Rosemont Theatre is correct, but I’ll be staying in the Loop area(?), which I think is close to the bean and some parks and a zoo? Flying in, I’m a bit of a transit and music nerd(and weeb) but I always love a good stiff drink.
By the way, Rosemont Horizon is now known as Allstate Arena.
The Rosemont Theatre is another venue nearby, and that has always been known as such.
We like to use the old names for things. We still call the Willis Tower the Sears Tower, for example.
Yep, Rosemont is not in Chicago, but near O’Hare, just northwest of the city.
The Loop is downtown. Millennium park is downtown, where the Bean is, etc. Lincoln Park zoo is nearby but not downtown.
Agree, with @ape_arms . Get out of downtown (mainly tourists and professional work places) – get into a neighborhood. Bucktown/Wicker Park is the SOHO of Chicago. Logan Square is an emerging neighborhood (hipster central).
For music, Metro and Salt Shed
Ok! So, I’m not a city expert, but here’s some suggestions: 1)The loop is great for architecture, but I personally think the more “neighborhoody” parts of Chicago have the best vibes. The loop is the central hub for the EL (elevated trains) which are a great way to get around and see the city. I would say heading north (Brown and Red lines) from the loop would lead to the best neighborhoods for exploring if you don’t your way around. Of course, in the loop, you’ll be walking distance from the museums (art institute, museum of contemporary art, field museum, etc). Also, michigan ave which is a touristy shopping district. For drinks, I recommend The Bergoff Millers Pub (I think these bars were the first to get liquor licenses after prohibition) But head north if you want some adventure! 2)For a first timer, the lincoln park, lakeview, and rodgers park neighborhoods would keep you plenty busy. Lots of bars, breweries, niche shops and weirdness. Lincoln park is the swankiest of those three neighborhoods fwiw. There are other great neighborhoods, but they might be more complicated to get to. You can buy EL passes from vending machines at each station. Or you could just uber. 3) Chicago is a great music city, so you could check some local venues to see who is playing during your stay if you want to catch another show. Some of the mid sized venues are the Metro, The Riviera, & Thalia hall, but there are so many more. I have a friend who is a world traveler, and whenever he has companions from outside the country visit, he takes the to the Green Mill. It’s this old Jazz bar. Great music and a great vibe.
Btw…who are you seeing at Rosemont?
I’m going to see Keiichi Okabe!
Get yourself a jacket that the wind won’t cut through.
@thom dress warm. lol. as a Chicagoan, I don’t spend much time downtown (it’s turned into a cesspool of crime). get out of the downtown area – early and often. Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square, etc.
Chicago has one of the safest downtowns in North America, according to statistics.
Well, as someone who lives and works here in Chicago, I would respectfully disagree. It’s a shitshow downtown - - crime is rampant and police are not empowered to do anything about it for fear of legal retaliation, et. Just saying.
I also live here, in Garfield Park. While I can certainly agree things have gone downhill recently, it’s far from “a shitshow”.
@Nemo Well, In Albany Park, it’s a shit show. Stabbings, shootings, strong arm robberies, car jacking, assault, etc. etc. Constant.
Albany Park is a far cry from downtown.
