Chicago

Raul

Hi,
I will be going to Chicago at the end of January. I have never been there before. From looking on the web, the average temperature at that time of year is -5 degrees celcius so there is probably a good chance of snow and flight cancellations.

I will be working during the day so will really only have the evenings to do tourist stuff. I will only have one full free day while I am there. Is there much to do in Chicago at this time of year?

rossie1977

i was there for about 5 hours in late January last year on a stopover from san antonio and it was -16c with a wind chill factor of -23c :eek: if you get that again forget it, its unbearable to stay out more than a few minutes unless in artic gear which i wasn't. here is a good website to check history http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KMDW/2004/1/31/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA in january 2004 it hit -20c, factor in the wind chill (and its windy in chicago) and your almost at -30c there.

Despite it being so cold our plane was right on time, i suspect unless there is a massive amount of snowfall you can expect the usual delays, chicagoians are used to really cold weather in january at this stage.

most of the tourist stuff will be closed at night/late evening. My advice would be to take in a chicago bulls game or head to the pubs (which are great in chicago btw). The financial district gets really empty by 6pm and even the likes of mcdonalds, subway close early in that part of the city

Xavi6

I lived in Chi-town for 4 months back in 05 and it's a great city. I'd recommend heading straight for the centre - hit Michigan Ave. and the Magnificent Mile. Take in the John Hancock building and the Sears Tower and the great shopping. From the Hancock you can walk to Oak Street beach in 3 minutes, though you mightn't have the weather!

Alternatively you can hop on the L to Wrigleyville and check out the excellent bars around Wrigley Field. A tour of the stadium is good too. There are also some excellent jazz and music bars that would be worth a look.

Raul

Thanks guys. Rossie, that's actually the same website I looked at earlier when checking the weather at that time of year Although I don't have the address of where I will be working yet, I expect it will be in the city centre. If that is the case, would you recommend renting a car or just getting taxis/trains? Work will pay for either so it is not a decision I will be basing on the cost of either

rossie1977

if work is paying then get taxis, why worry about the hassle of driving not knowing where to go in sub-zero temperatures.

the trains and buses in chicago offer a decent service, there is a train direct from o'hare airport to the city centre.