If you’re planning to fly in, there are two major airports in Chicago, O’Hare and Midway. O’Hare is the larger of the two and will likely have more flights available, but Midway is another good option, especially if you prefer to fly Southwest.

We recommend taking an Uber or Lyft to get downtown, rides usually run about $30-$50 depending on the time of day and how busy the travel weekend is. Car rentals are available but we don’t recommend it if you are planning to stay in the city during your trip.  A rental will probably be more expensive and burdensome than other transportation options in the long run.

If you’re planning on driving to Chicago, parking is available at the Sheraton Hotel for $63 a night. The Hotel Julian does not have onsight parking or valet at this time.  For those at the Hotel Julian and those who might want a more affordable option, we typically use the Spot Hero app to find discounted parking spots downtown. You can download the app to your phone and use it to find a parking spot for the weekend. This will be a lot cheaper than the hotel parking rate.

If you are coming in from the suburbs:

• The Sheraton is 1.7 miles from Union Station; 1.4 miles from Ogilvie; 0.6 miles from Millennium Station
• The Hotel Julian is 1.2 miles from Union Station; 0.8 miles from Ogilvie; 1 block from Millennium Station

There is lots to do within walking distance of the hotels above and the wedding venue. To get to other parts of the city, there are several options:

• Uber/Lyft – this is the fastest option in most cases
• CTA L train – taking the train is a lot cheaper than Uber/Lyft so it makes sense to use it if your destination is along one of the train routes. If you’re planning to use the train a lot, it might be more cost effective to buy a weekend pass. For more info on how the CTA works: www.transitchicago.com
• CTA bus – uses the same pass as the CTA L train
• Divvy bikes – there are Divvy bike stations all over the city, where you can rent a bike through the Lyft app. If the weather’s nice, it can be fun to take a bike on the lakeshore path or to the park/museum/etc. Downtown  Chicago is relatively bike friendly, but of course be mindful of crowds and traffic.
• Renting a car is probably more expensive than the options above, and parking downtown can be difficult. We recommend looking into the options above unless you need a vehicle.

In April, Chicago averages a high of 55° and a low of 40°, with lots of variation. An April day could just as likely be 75° or 35°, so be sure to check the forecast ahead of time and pack layers.

distances are from wedding venue

• Architectural Boat Tour (7 minute walk)
• Maggie Daley Park (7 minute walk)
• Magnificent Mile (15 minute walk)
• Millennium park (across the street)
• Art Institute Museum (5 minute walk)
• Museum Campus (2 miles)
  • Shedd Aquarium
  • Adler Planetarium
  • Field Museum
• Hancock Tower Observation Deck (1.1 miles)
• Willis (Sears) Tower (0.9 miles)
• Lincoln Park Zoo (2.7 miles)
  • Admission is free
• See a show – Theaters (all within 0.5 miles)
  • Cadillac Palace Theatre
  • CIBC Theatre
  • Chicago Theatre
  • James M. Nederlander Theatre
  • Goodman Theatre

• Portillos – for Chicago staples like Italian beef and the Chicago dog (counter service)
• The Publican – known for their brunch
• Porter Kitchen and Deck – they have a nice patio with a great view of the river
• Signature Lounge (the 96th floor of the Hancock tower) – the view from the restaurant rivals the observation deck.
• MingHin Cuisine – our go-to restaurant in Chinatown
• Forbidden Root
• Mott Street
• Delilah’s – After stuffing your face stop in for one (or many) of over more than 300 whiskey’s

Deep dish pizza

• Giordano’s
• Lou Malnati’s
• Pequod’s – this is Chicago’s best deep dish pizza in our opinion (a little harder to get to since it’s not downtown, but worth it if you want to see another neighborhood)

Donuts (in order of consensus ranking) (don’t fight me on this)

• 1. Doughnut Vault
  2. Stan’s
  3. Firecakes
  4. Do-Rite

Coffee

• Sawada
• Dark Matter
• Big Shoulders
• Intelligentsia