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Welcome, each and every one, to the magnificent city of Chicago.
Please refer to this lovely website built by your local arrangements committee for a detailed guide to Chicago and its most immediate neighborhoods, but intel on how to have a great week down and around the Chicago Hilton follows--there is just too much Chicago to have it all in the short time you are here, but if you get started now, you are in for a wonderful experience in our City Beautiful.
The elephant in the room
It is February in Chicago.
With an average temperature from 20 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit and snowfalls topping 9 inches, February is one of our coldest and snowiest months. Days are short, so try to catch some light for the 10 hours between sunrise and sunset. But don’t let this scare you.
First, winter in the Windy City can be beautiful. The Chicago Hilton is across from Grant Park, and close to the Lakefront, which can be both dangerous and extraordinary during a period of deep freeze. Google images of “ice balls” and “ice volcanoes” for a preview. Stay off any path where the lake might splash, layer up against the hawk, bring some hand warmers, and be amazed.
Second—wear boots. Warm, puffy, water-resistant boots. If you can’t get your hands on some boots, warm socks are the next best thing. Dry feet are important, and in February Chicagoans wear snow boots to the opera. Expert lifers can wear 4-inch heels in 4 inches of snow, but that person is probably not you. If a winter wardrobe isn’t in your possession, layer up.
If you travel just 5 blocks north, you can go ice skating at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park and/or the Skating Ribbon in Maggie Daley Park—the rink is free, although tickets must be reserved online, and the ribbon requires paid admission. The landscape from both is quintessential urban beauty, with the skyline and The Bean in full view. There is an impressive selection of winterized rooftop lounges to enjoy downtown, and the early sunsets only serve to enhance the experience. Embrace the cold like a sighing, curmudgeonly friend who continually reminds you that life is short, and you might as well do what you want.
Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash
Jeffrey Jung 2008, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Jazz
The oldest historic jazz club in Chicago, The Jazz Showcase, is only a 10-minute walk from the Hilton. The Jazz Showcase, like many buildings around the hotel, is a historic building and not accessible, but Constellation on Western has strong accessibility ratings. (To reserve accessible seating or request other accommodations please email constellation.arts@atpluto.com.) Winter’s Jazz Club in Streeterville is an easy 20-minute bus ride from the hotel, adjacent to Navy Pier, and boasts a calendar filled with many of Chicago’s most popular traditional-style jazz artists. But these spots are just the top of the ice ball! Venturing out into the neighborhoods will reveal music on every corner, on every block. What’s your flavor? There is no shortage of pop, house, indie, and glorious alt-country. Check the Chicago Reader for a comprehensive calendar.
Photo by Manvi Mathur on Unsplash
Pizza and Hot dogs
No city in these United States rivals the cuisine of Chicago—yes, I said it. I mean it. You can have it all here, and it is all good. We are home to some of the world’s finest restaurants, some seriously mouth-watering street food, and sammiches of all types. Truly delicious tacos are available on the South, West, North, and East sides. To really experience Chicago food, you need to hit the neighborhoods—once your choices are made, you will not be disappointed. Molecular gastronomy? Filipino breakfast? Steakhouse? Upscale vegan? Korean BBQ? Kosher BBQ? Old-school Italian? Cajun Soul? Jibaritos? Brunch? There’s a neighborhood, a city block, and a restaurant for it all. (Eater Chicago is a good online source for the latest foodie news.) Even our chains will thrill you--Visit nearby I Dream of Falafel for an easy and delicious (and halal!) lunch.
But you really should try some pizza and hotdogs. (Steve Dolinsky is the local pizza guru; the hotdog guru is up for debate, but we have a ruling queen.) Quick primer: there are actually three types of “deep dish” that non-Chicagoans think about when they think Chicago pizza. Classic, quintessential deep dish is available right around the corner from the Hilton at Lou Malnati’s AND Art of Pizza. Deep dish is dough hand-pressed into a greased pan, layered with cheese, toppings, then sauce—in that order. Stuffed pizza is more like pizza pie—literally. Rolled dough, cheese, toppings, another layer of dough, and sauce. Nancy’s pie is my favorite, but the most famous is Giordano’s. For Chicago pan pizza, Peaquod’s reigns supreme.
REAL Chicago pizza is tavern style—thin cracker-crust pizza cut into squares. Sausage is the traditional topping, with lots of fennel. Limit your toppings to avoid over-burdening the crust, which is slightly salty and ranges in texture from cracker-crisp to slightly chewy. Chicago-style thin crust is meant to be eaten off a napkin with a couple-two-three drinks in your other hand. Both the afore-mentioned joints near the hotel offer the right thin crust, but Flo & Santos in South Loop is worth the short trip, and if you really want to say you know Chicago pizza, you’ll make the trek to Vito & Nick’s in Ashburn.
A final shout-out to Roots pizza, also near the hotel (and one of the more accessible restaurants near the hotel), for their Quad City style pie that Chicagoans have grown to love—a scissor-cut, malt crust with the toppings under the cheese (!), Roots is proof that if you introduce one city’s style of pizza to Chicago, Chicago will perfect it.
And what about a hotdog? Devil Dawgs is around the corner and will do you right. If you need help navigating the menu, “dragged through the garden” is what you want—yellow mustard, bright green relish, chopped onion, pickle spear, tomato slices, sport peppers, and celery salt. It will be served on a steamed poppy seed bun. Chicago hot dogs are boiled (maybe steamed), unless you ask for a “char dog” (then it’s grilled). A red hot is just another way of saying hot dog, although it might mean that the dog is specifically from Vienna Beef. Ketchup will probably be available by request, and most people will let it slide if you choose to use. (Most--not all.) Comiskey is the best place to get a red hot, but even Chicagoans don’t play ball in February. So try Portillo’s, a Chicagoland favorite with the added draw of the life-changing chocolate-cake shake. Or just look for the unmistakable yellow and blue Vienna Beef sign as you move around the city, you’ll see it. (And don’t forget to order your Italian Beef wet!)
Arts and Culture
Unfortunately February is a slower time for many of Chicago’s most famous stages. Take heart, though, the Theater District may slow in the winter but they never shut down! The sparkle and lights of the Cadillac Palace Theatre will thrill you, even if you are only walking by. If you prefer a play to sightseeing, the DePaul Merle Ruskin Theatre is across the street from the Hilton parking garage and is running Vinegar Tom all week.
Also across the street is Chicago’s Museum Campus, home of the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and the Field Museum. While you are over by there, have a red hot from Kim and Carlo’s.
Recommended is the new permanent exhibit at the Field Museum, Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories. Chicago is the ancestral home of the Anishinaabe, or the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other Nations consider this area their traditional homeland, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. Chicago remains home to a diverse and vibrant Native American community with peoples from well over 150 tribes. A council of Native American scholars and museum professionals joined the Field Museum to rethink their collection of Native American artifacts to represent not only the history, but also the present and future of these living, thriving cultures and peoples. At the heart of this exhibit are the voices of Native people speaking to their own experiences. It really is a not-to-be missed opportunity to connect with and honor Native culture, as well as witness acknowledgement of the harm done to indigenous cultures through the acts of institutions like the Field Museum, and their current attempts to change course.
I recommend purchasing a CityPass or similar option if you are planning on visiting more than one of Chicago’s renowned downtown museums. Several programs exist with ticket prices around $120 per person. CityPass includes admission to 5 different Chicago attractions and is valid for 9 days from your first visit. From the Hilton location you can reach all of Chicago’s largest museums in minutes via public transportation.
Photo by Nathyn Masters on Unsplash
Seeing it all
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) can get you to all the places you want to go. If you go to transitchicago.com, enter a starting point and destination, and choose “Google Maps” to be shown multiple routes and times to choose from according to your preference. The CTA is highly rated for accessibility, but in winter especially, complications arise. Elevators and escalators are not available at all train stops, but all buses are wheelchair accessible via lifts or ramps. The CTA website monitors accessibility on the system and shows updates and outages--if accessibility is a concern, be sure to do a quick check before taking the train anywhere.
The closest train stops to the hotel are the Roosevelt station (10 minute walk, Green, Orange, and Red line trains) and the Harrison station (5 minute walk, Red line train). I highly recommend taking the Brown, Orange, Pink or Purple lines around the loop simply to see downtown and get a sense of the city and its architecture. If you are traveling at night, if you are traveling at night, use common sense and don’t go alone. If you are planning on making the most of your visit to Chicago, consider buying an unlimited 3-day pass from CTA. Look for the Ventra machine at any major CTA station or depot.
Past, Present, and Future
It is easy to find fault with Chicago and its history of segregation, brutality, and displacement. It is equally easy to find beauty and delight. Every neighborhood is ready to offer its individual take on what it means to be a Chicagoan. And everyone of them is right. From our founders Jean Baptiste and Kitihawa Point du Sable; to the female-centered activism for the sustenance of working-class immigrant residents of the Hull-House settlements in Little Italy; the Black-centered culture, business, and vibrancy resultant of the Great Migration found in Bronzeville and Harlem; the relocation of interned Japanese Americans and resettlement of Native Americans to Uptown and the creation of true community for both, there; the engagement and self-advocacy of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans in Pilsen and Little Village; the escape from West Coast persecution that created Chinatown; and the inescapable influence of Polonia across Chicago, particularly Portage Park, Chicago is a city continually rebuilt by the desire to build something better.
Photo by Ellery Sterling on Unsplash
Charitianne Williams
University of Illinois Chicago
Chair, CCCC 2023 Local Arrangements Committee
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