Hello fellow flyertalk'ers,

I am planning to visit Chicago in Mid-September and am staying at the Sutton Place Hotel by the Magnificent Mile. I was wondering what is there to do in Chicago (does not have to be typical tourist things)? Is this a good central location for most things and is it easy to navigate Chicago through public transportation (I will not be renting a car)? Also, I am from Houston and on Sept. 8th, the Astros will be playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field, is it worth it to go see the game?

Last question, is this part of Chicago (downtown) safe for tourists? What areas should I avoid?

Thanks, if there is anything else you would like to add, it is more than welcome.

Edit: Any particular places I should visit? I will be going with my girlfriend.
Eating/Restaurant?
Sight Seeing?
Fun?
Parks?
Bars?
Nightlife?
Tours?
Open for anything really.

Welcome to FT and have a great visit.

Did you know the Chicago sales tax is 10%?

Half point drop coming 7/1...

Any relief scheduled for the 15% hotel tax?

Yes, it's easy. google maps does a pretty good job with transit directions, but feel free to ask here, there are plenty who are well versed on in this group.

That's really up to you. Wrigley is a great old park with the ivy, etc. I'd say it's worth going to at least once. Check stubhub, as there have been lots of cheap tickets so far this year.

Pfft, yeah right. Isn't a chunk of that paying for soldier?

Your topic is very general, a simple search on the internet with Chicago can easily come up with hundreds results, but basically you can get all your information from this site

http://www.choosechicago.com/Pages/default.aspx

And there are many Chicago tourist guide books in your local book store.

About being a first-time visitor to Wrigley Field:

http://tinyurl.com/38pfjkq

You will be a very safe area with lots to do. Also, cabs are plentiful.

Of course there is lots of shopping.

Tons of good restaurants--what do you like?

Parks? Millennium Park is very cool.

Navy Pier is Illinois' top tourist attraction. From there there are many boat cruises.

The Art Institute is truly world-class.

If you're into architecture, this is a city that takes it seriously...the Chicago Architecture Foundation has zillions of tours (I recommend the 90 minute river cruise.)

Lots of theater choices too if you are looking for good theater.

And then there are Blues Clubs....

Really???

s/b tourist trap.

+1

Navy Pier is to Chicago what Fisherman's Wharf is to San Francisco...

All parts of downtown and the North Michigan Avenue are safe. Unless you are extremely adventurous/looking for trouble, any areas that you, as a tourist, would be interested in seeing are safe.

If you want to get tickets to a Cubs game, I suggest looking on Stub Hub, as opposed to Ticketmaster or the Wrigley Field box office. It's a down year, so you'll probably be able to get tickets for less than face value.

...especially after D. Lee's swan song last night.

When did it do down? IIRC the sales tax here is 10.25% (plus more taxes on things like bottled water, booze, and other things.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_t...tates#Illinois

You may be right. I don't shop B/M in Chitown. Suburban rates can be as low as 7%.