A bunch of different things:

1. The Cultural Center is only a few blocks South of your hotel. A short walk & no need for the bus.

2. The Wendella Boat tour is a block North of your hotel. Definitely no need for the bus.

3. I'd consider taking the Metra to the Museum of Science and Industry. See: metrarail.com/DayTrips/museum_science.html

4. I wouldn't take the CTA around the Loop for sightseeing purposes. It won't take long, but there's too many buildings in the way; you're not going to see a whole lot besides a lot of office buildings.

5. I like Fox and Obel Market and Cafe by Navy Pier at the Corner of McClurg and Illinois. Great food and a very pretty market - you can pick up a meal and a few snacks for the road. (fox-obel.com)

6. I wouldn't really recommend the new McDonalds, although it's partially due to the fact that many have fond memories of the original McD's that was at that location for many years. While the new one is sleek, I'd rather they didn't get rid of the old school original. Portillo's is right nearby and I'd rather suggest that.

7. Uno's and Due's are best visited at an off-hour. Going in either in the middle of lunch or dinner rush is asking to deal with a packed place and long lines. You may want to instead try the Giordanos on 135 E. Lake (another idea between MSI and Navy Pier.)

8. You can walk from the Art Institute back to your hotel.

9. There are some reasonably good discount stores on State St and I think it's worth devoting a short time to. It's not the shopping experience it used to be since Marshall Fields was bought out by Macy's and other changes occured, but there are still a few stores worth checking out briefly. Additionally, keep in mind that both the Mag Mile and State St. areas are primarily clothing stores, which may not interest the kids in your group. (Or at least when I was a kid the last thing I wanted to do was go clothing shopping...which...is still pretty much the last thing I want to do as an adult. Oh well.)

10. I think you are definitely putting in full days. I don't think you're going too overboard, but definitely full days. Although Hotel 71 does get mixed reviews, it is at least in a central location so that if part of your party needed to go back and rest, it is "on the way" to a lot of things. I wouldn't add any more to your schedule.

11. If your train leaves at 1:45, I'd probably be there at 12:45, which will allow everyone to grab some snacks for the trip back and magazines/etc. at the newsstand.

12. I'm not a fan of Navy Pier, but if you are going there for the fireworks and there are a lot of people, do designate a meeting spot if your group gets separated. That would be a good idea for other places (MSI, Shedd, Field, AI), too.

13. Keep in mind there is a Corner Bakery a couple doors East of your hotel. That's a very good choice for a quick breakfast/lunch/dinner. There are multiple locations around the city, as well.

14. The Hancock is also in walking distance.

Thanks for taking the time to read thru this! Your input will be of great help!

We do not have a laptop to bring with us and not sure what access we will have to internet at the hotel so really wanted to get as much detail on the planning as possible before we get there.

I know they are full days especially trying to do the Shedd and Field all in one day...but we want to see as much as possible....this is not a vacation for resting...we can do that on the train back to Dallas.

This bus will take you direct to/from the MSI - www.transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/10.pdf

It will a bit more convenient than Metra.

TattleTexas,

As we are taking the same train (FTW-CHI) I've been checking a train forum for amtrak and this was posted yesterday. Hope this will be helpful for you.

(Sorry it's so long)

From the Horse's Mouth (Amtrak Website)

Service Alert: Texas Eagle Service Delays — Trains 21/321 and 22/322

Please be advised that heavy freight congestion, speed restrictions and other operating conditions may cause delays on the Texas Eagle route, as described below. Passengers should be mindful of the possibility of a delay and visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL for the most up-to-date arrival and departure times.

San Antonio to Chicago

Eastbound Train 22 may experience delays of two to six hours from San Antonio to Chicago and intermediate stations.

St. Louis - Chicago Corridor — Lincoln Service Option

Eastbound Trains 22 originating in San Antonio may experience significant delays before arriving at St. Louis. Therefore, instead of making reservations on Train 322, passengers traveling from St. Louis to Chicago (and intermediate stations) should consider Lincoln Service Trains 300, 302, 304 or 306, which operate daily between St. Louis and Chicago.

Please note: Advance reservations are required on Lincoln Service trains.

Westbound Train 21/321/421 may experience approximately one hour delay from Chicago to St. Louis and intermediate stations.

St. Louis to San Antonio

Westbound Train 21 may experience delays of two to six hours to all stations from St. Louis to San Antonio.

Connections to Sunset Limited Train 2 at San Antonio

To ensure passengers on Train 21 who are transferring to Sunset Limited Train 2 do not miss their connection, the following service changes will be made:

If Train 21 is operating more than three hours late, passengers transferring in San Antonio to Train 2 will, instead, detrain at Austin. Passengers will be provided alternate transportation from Austin to either San Antonio or Houston, where they will board eastbound Train 2 to their destination.

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience.

PSN 708-280

Make sure when you stop by the Cultural Center that you go upstairs and see both of the domes, they just finished restoring the Tiffany dome on the southside of the building. Anyone who works there can point the way.

There are 2 for 1 coupons for Wendella and MSI here:

www.chicagoofficeoftourism.org/specialValues/

RE: CTA, I don't ride it a lot but I did a lot of trips on it yesterday and there were a lot of closures (some of it because it was the weekend), I would highly recommend checking their site before you go to make sure you know about whatever work there are doing while you are here. And get one of the bus and rail maps from the tourism center, it was very handy to have with us.

Agree with DVD about the McDonald's, pop in if you must but eat over at Portillo's.

Agree with Dave about the #10 bus to the MSI, runs more frequently than Metra and goes directly to the Museum.

If you're looking for a place to eat near the Lincoln Park Zoo, have a look at RJ Grunts, it was the 1st Lettuce Entertain You restaurant and has good food.

Foodlife is OK if you are with a lot of people and all want different things, I wouldn't put it on the top of my list for places to eat.

Gino's and Uno's will both probably have lines unless you get there at an off time. Once again, it was a weekend but yesterday there was a line formed already at 5 pm at the Gino's East on Superior. You'd probably find less of a wait at Lou Malnati's (deep dish) or Giordano's (stuffed).

Thanks for the tips especially the coupons...actually found a few others that we might need.

It does not look like we take the elevated train anywhere on our itinerary. Is there a suggested short route on the L that we could take that would be an experience for the kids that would also be interesting as far as what we would see?

We don't have anything like that here that is elevated...just a rail train.

Maybe it's just me, but when I was a kid I thought it was fun when the subway went from being underground up to the elevated tracks (or vice-versa) when I would take the Red Line.

What you could do is take the Red Line subway from any of the downtown stations and head Northbound. Just North of the city, the subway goes up from underground to the elevated tracks. You would stop at Fullerton. From Fullerton, it's about a 15-17 minute walk due East to the zoo.

This way, your kids would see both the subway and the elevated tracks in one ride.

I agree that the bus to the MSI may be quicker; I think my thought with the Metra is that the Millennium Park station is only a few blocks from their hotel and it may be a somewhat nicer way to travel. If they want, they could train there and bus back or vice versa.

Tattie, you are doing fine with reading the CTA's website. Just need a little fine tuning. And you have the right idea in researching alternative routes, when possible, just in case there are delays with your primary bus route. Hint: When you are at a bus stop, take a look at the busses posted on the sign and see where they go - and look at the system maps posted at many of the main kiosks downtown. Sometimes you'll find some (or several) routes serve your original purpose. Keep yourself flexible because your time is precious on vacation. You don't want to spend a ton of it waiting on busses.

And I agree that, although you have full days here, they are not insanely full.

In fact, what I recommend while you are getting your bearings is that you just take a little walk from your hotel sometime during the first afternoon you are here. Your hotel is located at 71 E. Wacker. That means it is just east of State Street. (State Street is one of the "0" points of Chicago addresses - Madison Street is the other. Every address in Chicago is measured from those two streets. Each "100" is one block and each "800" is one mile. 8 blocks in a mile.)

You want to cross over to the north sidewalk of Wacker from your hotel. You'll probably do so at State Street, since it's the closest intersection. You want to walk east - to your right. You'll also notice that there are steps and ramps which go down to the River Walk along the Chicago River. If you were to go down to the lower level at that point, you would arrive at Wabash Plaza (between State and Wabash), where the Chicago Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located. It has a water wall, fountains and plaque memorials for those KIA, MIA and POWs.

You'd then return to the upper level and continue walking east until you reach Michigan Avenue, only another block away.

Along the way, you might notice that the bridgehouses of each of the bridges along the Chicago River is completed in a different architectural style. If you have any interest in learning more about them, you could visit the McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse Museum & Chicago River Museum, which is located at the Michigan Avenue Bridge. See www. bridgehousemuseum.org for further details on this interesting, yet often overlooked museum.

Tattie, I hope you don't mind me mentioning this for others: There are actually scheduled times available to be in the Museum when the drawbridges are lifting. Their website shows the ones which were scheduled for April through June. However, in the autumn, those same bridges will be opened up for sailboats and other large vessels going from the various harbors to drydock. So I'd check again at a later date to see if any additional times will be scheduled.

If you go south from the Michigan Avenue Bridge, you would be in the Loop and only three blocks from the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park. If you go north over the Bridge, you are on the Magnificent Mile (N. Michigan Avenue).

From N. Michigan Avenue, you can pick up the free trolleys going to the various points of interest. You'll see the various signs for them.

1. Monday, you can walk to every one of your objectives. Your party might be pretty tuckered out towards the end of the day, though.

2. When you go to the Museum Campus for the Shedd and Field, you can pick up the #146 SB CTA bus at the corner of Wacker/Michigan - very close to your hotel on E. Wacker. It goes right into Museum Campus, past Soldier Field, with a stop at each main attraction.

3. Agree that you take the #10 SB CTA bus to the MSI. It stops at the same corner near your hotel as the #146.

4. You can take the #22 (Clark) NB from the Zoo to Wrigley Field but be prepared to wait a bit for the bus, especially in the middle of a workweek. There are usually many more #151s than #22s scheduled. The CTA website states that there are #22s every 5-9 minutes and #151s every 4-7 minutes, but it certainly doesn't feel that way about the #22 from long experience. Keep in mind, too, if you take a #151 you do NOT want the ones that show the end terminus as Halsted/Belmont or simply Belmont.

However, if you decide to take the #22 and it's not coming but a #36 NB (Broadway) bus is, you could take that one north to Addison. You'd be only 3 blocks from Wrigley Field at that point.

Did you decide to go to Wrigley Field second because there is a game scheduled for that afternoon and you wanted to see the activity pre-game? If not and if you are early risers, IMHO, you might want to go to Wrigley Field first, and then go to the Zoo afterwards, then back downtown. It might be more time efficient to go to the furthest destination first then work your way back - plus I think that the #151 going south on the inner Lake Shore Drive (aka Sheridan) has a much more scenic aspect, especially around Recreation Drive and Belmont Harbor. You'll see a lot of businesses, stores, condos on Clark Street but nothing which I would consider scenic in the least bit. (The Totem Pole is located at Lake Shore Drive and Addison, too.)

In fact, if you haven't been to one of the harbors, you could get off of the #151 at Roscoe (that's three stops north of Belmont) and walk across the inner Drive (at the light of course), take the ramps down and then through the underpass under the outer Drive to come up right at the main area of Belmont Harbor. This is mainly a sailboat harbor but does contain some yachts and large motorboats. Just a suggestion for a break in the action, so-to-speak.

The 4th Presbyterian is a wonderful respite from the hustle-bustle of Michigan Avenue, even if you just step inside their courtyard for a few minutes.

Lastly, keep in mind that you are coming during the hottest part of our summer. I realize you are from Texas and no stranger to the heat, but Chicago heat plus humidity is *very draining*. Plan on stopping several times and make sure your group has enough water when you are doing a lot of walking.

Be prepared when it is very hot outside that summer t-storms can arise quickly during the later afternoon, when those hot winds off the plains hit the cooler air by the Lake.

Tattie, I just looked at the Cubs calendar and see they are away (at Milwaukee) on the 31st. However, you might be interested in knowing that there is a ballpark tour of historic Wrigley Field on that date. $25 pp but worth it.

Tours do sell out, though, so if you are interested, you might want to buy in advance, especially since you have a full schedule already.