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Chicago in December is a great time to come. In addition to all the tours and such you can do, its also the holiday time so Chicago is decked out in its holiday best.

If you are into architecture, check out one of the links I am providing for the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It is a great way to learn about Chicago History.

Also there are many different museums to choose from in the Chicago area...during the week you can get the general admission for free at certain musuems....check the link out I am providing for the museums.

Be sure to take a walk around the downtown area too. In Daley Center near City Hall, they have an event around the holiday time called the Chriskindlemarket, modeled after similar markets in Germany. While there you will want to see the official Chicago Christmas tree. The link I'm passing on to you is from last year as it has not been updated yet but you get the idea of what to expect.

As someone previously mentioned, you can walk around navy Pier as well...they have all kinds of shops in the area as well as an Imax theater and plenty of places to eat.

Finally, be sure to take a stroll up Michigan Avenue. During the holiday season this area is decked out in literally millions of lights. Towards the north end, there is the Water Tower which is one of five remaining buildings left standing from the Chicago Fire of 1871 as well as some great shopping areas too.

Hope you have a great experience in Chicago at a very magical time of year!! Enjoy!

PS: Am also enclosing a link for our transit system, the CTA. You might want to check their Chicago Day Passes out where you can get unlimited rides on the CTA for a set amount. This is good to have if you plan to use the buses alot in the downtown area.

There are trolleys that stop right at Navy Pier. They are mostly for people GOING to the pier, but if you want to catch one going the other way, it will be a good free way to get back to the downtown area. Ask the trolley driver to tell you where to catch the other trolleys.

additionally, you can take one of the Skyline tour boat rides that leave from navy Pier. It's about a 30-40 minute narrated ride on the lake and through the locks into the Chicago river. The director will give info on points of interest along the way and it's a good way to get a quick overview of the downtown area. There's also the Seadog speedboat tour, althought I think the stopped the speeding part because of an accident a few years ago. Now they just tour the river and the like. But it's still a good way to get a great view of the city skyline. Be sure to bring a camera.

YOu could also walk from the pier to Michigan Ave. It's the higher end shopping district of the city. But there are a few affordable stores, the Apple store where you can play around with the latest Apple products, the Nike store which is more like the Nike museum (lots of sports articles worn by famous athletes)., YOu can also walk down to the John Hancock building. Go to the south side of the building and take the elevator to the Signature Room bar. It's a free way to get a great highrise view of the city (well, sorta free. You have to buy a drink or something).

You can ride the Ells (elevated cars). Visit the site listed below for more information. They have several different loops, and the last time I was in Chicago (other than driving through or going to O'Hare), at least one of the loops ran all night, though not very often between midnight and 5 a.m.

There's plenty to do in Chicago. Email me if you want information. I grew up about three hours from Chicago and have been there a lot. I also stayed at a hostel the last time I was there. (Don't worry: it's NOTHING like the movie, and the rooms are single-sex, unlike in Europe.)

I like the view from the John Hancock Building more than the Sears Tower. The Sears Tower is in the business district, but still fun to go up.

There are also many museums like the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Field Museum of Natural History. Well, I like them, but then again, I'm going to be a middle school science teacher.

Definately check out the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) website. I'm pretty sure that they have weekly passes, which will save you money vs individual rides. They also have an online trip planner that can help you get around. Don't be afraid of getting lost on the El trains - all trains are either going to or from downtown.

Get the "El" train pass. I just took a friend there over Memoial Day weekend and they couldn't believe for $12, for a three day pass, you could ride all over the city as much as you want. Buy a guest pass online from the Chicago Transit Authority.(CTA Pass) It takes about two weeks to get it through the mail. It is by far the cheapest, easiest, and yes it is safe, way to get around. Have fun

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