Visiting Chicago

Transportation

We'll provide transportation from downtown to the Chicago Botanic Garden and back on October 6. Shuttles will leave at 3:30pm from the Talbott hotel at 20 East Delaware Place, Chicago. The shuttle will return to the Talbott at the end of the night. It will depart from the gardens at 9:45pm for those who have to leave early, and again at 11pm when the reception ends. If you plan to use the shuttle, please include that information in your RSVP so we can get a sense of how many people we need to accommodate.

Airbnb

If you're looking for varied and more affordable accommodations for the weekend, you may want to check out Airbnb. If you are interested in a larger shared condo or home, please reach out to Sarah and she will put you in touch with other people who are also interested in similar accommodations. Neighborhoods you might consider are: Lake View, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wicker Park, South Loop, West Loop, Evanston (north of the city), Glencoe (close to the Gardens), Hyde Park (we have several friends who live there and are driving to the wedding).

Chicago Marathon

The Chicago Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 7, the morning after the wedding. The Marathon shouldn't interfere with our fun because our hotels are situated so that we can get to North Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive without having to cross the runners’ path during the run.

On Sunday morning, some streets in Chicago will be blocked off for the Marathon, but these streets should be south and west of our hotels.

Click to see a map of the Marathon route

If you need to go to O’Hare Airport on Sunday morning, your taxi or ride-share car should be able to avoid the route by going from our hotels north on Lake Shore Drive before taking one of the major streets west to the expressway (or you can take the El). We'll be happy to provide further info for you if you need it. By mid- to late-afternoon, all streets should be open again.

Exploring Chicago

Though you'll be busy in the evening on Saturday, we also have some suggestions for how to spend the rest of your trip in Chicago.

ACTIVITIES

Architectural Boat Tour

Chicago has outstanding examples of architecture in a wide variety of styles, and one of the best ways to see Chicago’s architecture and to learn about the history of Chicago is an architectural boat tour. The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers these cruises on the Chicago River. The boat can be caught at the southeast corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge at Wacker Dr. (look for the blue awning).

Millenium Park

This area was transformed from an urban eyesore into one of the city’s most charming parks. There are a number of unique structures and sculptures scattered throughout the park, but the foremost must-see sculpture is “The Bean,” actually entitled “Cloud Gate.” You have to look at it from all angles, including underneath, see the reflections of city and sky, and take the mandatory photo of yourself with this beautiful art work. Walk east from The Bean toward the lakefront and see Frank Geary’s twisted metal concert venue, the various gardens, and Maggie Daley Park, which has an ice skating trail, rather than a rink, and a playground for all ages—you can even go rock climbing!

The Chicago Art Institute

One of the world’s great art museums is just a short taxi or bus ride (or pretty long stroll) down Michigan Avenue from our hotels. Especially known for its extensive collection of Impressionist paintings, this museum really has everything, from the largest collection of African ceramics in America, to Medieval armor and weapons, to one of the finest collections of Japanese woodblock prints in the world, to Italian Renaissance paintings, to the fascinating Thorne Miniature Rooms. There is a nice place for lunch called Terzo Piano on the top floor of the new wing, with a terrace overlooking Millennium Park and the Chicago skyline.

Hyde Park

If you make your way down to Hyde Park, our neighborhood, we have some favorite spots to recommend: Of course, you should check out the University of Chicago campus. Check out the Midway Plaisance (just south of 59th Street), a stretch of green parkway which was once a lagoon surrounded by the buildings of the 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition, described in The Devil in the White City. Then wander around the beautiful quadrangle between 57th Street and 59th Street, and Ellis and University Avenues. Swift Hall, where Sarah spends a lot of time, and the adjacent Bond Chapel, are particularly lovely. A couple of blocks away, at the corner of 58th and Woodlawn, you can tour the Frederick Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Museum of Science and Industry, with its unique and quirky collection (you can visit a German submarine, explore a coal mine, or step into a tornado), is worth a visit. It is the only remaining building from the Colombian Exposition.

RESTAURANTS

BARS