Chicago Hotel, Dinning and Nightlife?

February 9, 2008 1:47 PM

Downtown Chicago, 2/16 and 2/17. A hotel, a bar and and dinner for two...

My wife and I had our first little one this year and we are ready (I think) to get away for a weekend. We are looking at spending the weekend 2/16-2/17 in downtown Chicago. We are both mid-30ish and are looking for recommendations of hotels (not stuffy, heavy, or old...maybe boutique hotels?) a few places for drinks and people watching and lunch/dinner. Shows, art openings etc that will happening on those dates would be great too. We don't want to do much driving and would like to keep all of our activities fairly localized.

posted by pazoozoo to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

Last time I was in Chicago, we stayed at the Club Quarters. Great location, unique hotel, and cheap to boot. I know we paid less than $100 per night, and booked through Orbitz or something similar.
posted by nitsuj at 2:40 PM on February 9, 2008

I used to use Hot Rooms whenever I'd go to Chicago, but the big price aggregators might be better these days.
posted by bjork24 at 2:45 PM on February 9, 2008

There's just so much. What sort of shows/openings/places/food do you like?

For general browsing, check out:

Chicago Reader

Chicago Magazine

Gapers Block

Daily Candy

Time Out Chicago


I've heard good things about the W Hotels.

Also, if you like boutiqey places, you might check out The Violet Hour for drinks. A couple of miles from the Loop, but I've heard really good things about the drinks.

A little farther - for brunch and dinner - is Lula Cafe, which often has a line for brunch but is more easily accessible for lunch and dinner. Both of these places are off the Blue Line.

And if you've got a budget, treat yourselves to Aliena. If that's a bit much, Green Zebra's really nice.
posted by asuprenant at 2:52 PM on February 9, 2008

Lula's is just a fantastic restaurant. I found these hotels in or near Logan Square, where Lula's is located, but I don't know anything about any of them.

You could just stay at one of the many hotels off Michigan Avenue or on Columbus Drive, stop into any restaurant that looks interesting (there are dozens and dozens), check out Millenium Park in the snow, go ice skating, and tour the Art Institute.

Sounds like a great coupla days to me.
posted by nax at 3:00 PM on February 9, 2008

lula serves until until 10PM. no reason to do the usual times. they're best off-hours, when the wait staff isn't quite so haggard. really beautiful photography exhibit up at the moment, by the way.

if you want a great little micropub, there's a place called small bar on my street -- wellington and albany. it's two blocks east of kedzie on wellington, just north of diversey. has been a bar ever since it opened over a century ago and got re-done as small bar a few years back; excellent beer choices for the microbrew fan. crowd's well-behaved, mostly neighbors.
posted by patricking at 3:26 PM on February 9, 2008

Hotel Sax is an awesome new hotel in Chicago - it replaced the old House of Blues hotel. There's enough to do within walking distance around there that you won't be bored. It's extremely boutique-y (that's how it was planned). I live less than two blocks away, and I can tell you there is PLENTY to do and at many different price points. Have fun, and welcome to Chicago!
posted by MeetMegan at 4:23 PM on February 9, 2008

(also, I would recommend against staying in Logan Square as it is too far away from downtown Chicago to really be worth it. Lula's is awesome, but take CTA there and stay downtown.)
posted by MeetMegan at 4:56 PM on February 9, 2008

yeah, second that. logan's good for going out, but staying downtown makes it easier to get around. the W's here are nice. city center is more classic chicago in tone -- dark and romantic. lakeshore is brighter and more modern. i like the lounge at lakeshore more for peoplewatching.
posted by patricking at 6:05 PM on February 9, 2008

i just read back over this thread and it makes it sound like logan's the end all beat all in chicago. not true. chicago's a huge city, so you need to pick an area and make that your experience for a couple of days. here's a little bit of a primer so you'll know what to start with when you're getting your bearings.

disclaimer: i know only north and northwest chicago. never been south.

michigan avenue and lakeshore's intersection is where all the tourists go -- it's pretty much chicago's version of fifth avenue. if you want a totally money-based experience -- shopping, dining, drinking -- and don't mind being around a lot of people who can't maneuver around a city, go here.

the loop is where all the amazing architecture is; this is old chicago as everyone seems to picture it. lots of street canyons, lots of business. kinda dies at 6PM.

west loop is kind of hopping, but i've not really spent much time there. i wanna say it's a middle-aged white crowd, kind of a city canyon, lower newer buildings, lots of eatin'.

gold coast just north of the loop is a somewhat tony neighborhood with a lot of tiny local businesses mixed in with chains. very urban village-like and cozy. older families. very white.

restaurant row is exactly what it sounds like.

lincoln park was gentrified in the 80's; it's older architecture mixed with newer condo developments and something of a small city canyon. lots of pubs and bars; used to be the place for yuppies but feels to me like it might be growing up.

wicker park/bucktown kinda reminds me of nyc's soho. small luxury boutiques everywhere. lots of over-entitled yuppies mixed with lots of working artists. this is currently the city's cultural hotspot and they know it.

logan square is sorta where the wicker park crowd goes to buy real estate when they're sick of finding themselves hammered every week at om or danny's. it's the next major neighborhood northwest.

lakeview is just north of lincoln square and i'm kinda hazy on where it starts and ends. boystown is here; about as annoying as bourbon street in new orleans and about 2/3 the party that place is. also very, very, very gay.

wrigleyville is just west of boystown, and i'll let you guess what's there. tons of pubs and bars, tons of drunks.

uptown's north of lakeview; it's kind of slowly gentrifying into a very old-chicago (stone towers, windy, culturally mixed, hard-working) version of the loop. the green mill's here if you want jazz.

a little west of there is andersonville, which is this great little city village. picturesque as a ll get out, tons of good eating, a very san francisco vibe to the folks here. fairly wealthy, fairly culturally mixed.
posted by patricking at 6:39 PM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Amalfi is a great, hip little boutique hotel. It's in a great location (as is the Hotel Sax, as someone above mentioned), and I heard it has a popular happy hour.
posted by snafu at 6:05 PM on February 10, 2008