Orbitz Blog

Articles for ‘Chicago Vacation’ Category

Will travel for food: restaurant weeks are good excuse to go

Friday, January 1st, 2010

hotels

By Ari Bendersky

How often do you hear about a fabulous restaurant, but then look at the menu and feel like you can’t afford it? Well fret no more, my friend, because with restaurant week, you’re as good as gold. With numerous cities around the country hosting restaurant weeks, now is a good time to combine travel with good eating. Restaurants are opening their doors, knocking down their prices and inviting everyone in to get a taste of the good life — at least for a few hours.

Many places across the United States, from major markets like New York, Chicago and San Francisco to smaller spots like Cleveland, Charlotte and Palm Springs, have participating events. I’m highlighting some of the bigger cities where dozens of the best restaurants and top-name chefs will create incredibly priced prix-fixe menus for you to indulge. So book your hotel and go. (more…)

Top 10 hotels decked out for holiday travelers

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

The Drake Hotel Chicago

The Drake Hotel Chicago

From New York to Maui, hotels around the country are decking their halls to help travelers feel the spirit during this holiday travel season. This year, Orbitz has selected the best decked-out hotels in its ten most popular holiday destinations.

Hotels spend countless hours planning their holiday activities and decorations. Whether it’s a glass Christmas tree, 23-foot-tall gingerbread house or live carolers during afternoon tea, Orbitz’ picks for the best decked-out hotels for holiday travel offer seasonal excitement through decorations, celebratory activities or easy access to nearby holiday festivities. (more…)

Top 10 Labor Day weekend vacation destinations

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Las Vegas hotelsIf you want to ditch the backyard bbq and have a travel adventure this Labor Day weekend, we have good news. Average hotel rates are lower than last year, so pack your bags and take advantage of the top 10 Labor Day travel deals.

Labor Day in Las Vegas
If you’d rather spend money on the slots than on a place to rest your head, rejoice in knowing that Las Vegas hotels are number one on the 2009 Orbitz Insider Index. The average Las Vegas hotel rate this Labor Day is $108, down $28 from last year.

Labor Day is just another excuse to party in Las Vegas. For the best in the club scene, check out PURE, LAX and Christian Audigier. Labor Day weekend is also jam packed with performances. Check out Zumanity, the “sensual side of Cirque du Soleil,” or Lance Burton, a Las Vegas master of magic.

Labor Day in New York City
With New York hotels an average of $54 cheaper than last year, New York City is a great place to spend Labor Day weekend. The first Labor Day Parade was held in New York City on September 5, 1882, and the parade tradition continues today. This year the parade will held on September 12, 2009, and will feature trade union members, high school bands, politicians, police and fire departments, and more.

Looking for other Labor Day weekend vacation ideas? The Orbitz Insider Index highlights the busiest destinations based on hotel bookings on Orbitz for September 4-7.

Destination Avg. Daily Rate 2009
1. Las Vegas, NV $108
2. New York, NY $191
3. Cancun, Mexico $151
4. Honolulu, HI $111
5. Chicago, IL $127
6. Atlanta, GA $121
7. San Francisco, CA $142
8. Seattle, WA $118
9. San Diego, CA $195
10. Paris, France $164

Related Orbitz resources:

Rides, restaurants, swimming make Chicago vacation fun

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

By Michaela Karlesses (age 10)

(Courtesy: Chicago Office of Tourism)

(Courtesy: Chicago Office of Tourism)

One early sunny morning, I woke up in my beautiful, pink room. I climbed out of bed and raced down the stairs to have some breakfast. I was excited because this was the day I was going on a family vacation to Chicago! We were meeting my Aunt and my cousin for the weekend. I had not seen them in a long time and I could not wait.  We flew from Cleveland to Chicago and it was a very short flight!

When we got to Chicago, we met the rest of our family and drove to the W Chicago Lakeshore hotel. I liked this Chicago hotel because I could see Lake Michigan and a hugeFerris wheel from the hotel window! My mom promised us we could ride on it – yay! Since we got in pretty late, my mom said the only thing we could do was have a late dinner, so we went to a place called Café Luxe for dinner and my cousin and were allowed to order smoothies in tall, fancy glasses.  I got mango surprise and my cousin got strawberry sunshine! Boy, they were great!

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On the Road: New hotels open in Chicago, New York, more

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

hotel

A suite at The Wit in Chicago.

By Joe Brancatelli

HOTEL HOT SHEET

New Hotel Options Debut Around the World:

  • A newly built Doubletree hotel, called The Wit, opened in Chicago just a half-block from the Chicago River. It has a rooftop bar that is already winning raves.
  • After a $100 million renovation, The Pierre Hotel on Central Park has reopened in New York. The 189-room icon is now operated by Taj Hotels of India. Meanwhile, Desires Hotel has opened a 72-room boutique hotel in Manhattan. The Mave is located at Madison Avenue and East 27th Street.

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Tips for a memorable family vacation at American Girl Place

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

family vacations By Kathy Karlesses

You could spend an entire week at American Girl Place and most likely not experience all of the exciting activities offered. My 10-year-old daughter has been a fan of American Girl for a couple of years now and waits anxiously for the catalog to be delivered so that she can circle all of the things she wants.

This summer, I decided that we would venture beyond the catalog and take a family vacation to one of the cities that is lucky enough to have an American Girl Place. Because we live in Cleveland, the logical location was Chicago. I was excited too, because as a city, Chicago is one of the finest and offers many diversions if we actually managed to conquer American Girl Place. My daughter and I decided to spread the joy and invite my sister and niece to share in the experience. The plan was for us to fly from Cleveland and for them to fly from Denver and converge upon Chicago with two 10-year olds toting American Girl dolls in their coordinating back pack/carriers.

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Top 10 Fourth of July vacation destinations

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

travel Parades, cookouts, fireworks — however you like to celebrate, the Fourth of July is the holiday of summer, and with the 4th falling on a Saturday this year, it's a great opportunity for a short summer vacation. Before you book your flights and hotels, check out these top picks based on Orbitz bookings for travel July 3-6:

Top 10 Fourth of July Vacation Destinations for 2009

1. Las Vegas: Las Vegas hotels — with their glitzy shows and gourmet restaurants — are popular year 'round, and it's no surprise that Vegas celebrates the Fourth in a big way. Check out a virtual fireworks show on the Viva Vision canopy at the Fremont Street Experience, or see the real thing — times nine — as nine different Stations Casinos properties display fireworks simultaneously.

2. Chicago: The Fourth of July is a great time to plan a summer vacation in Chicago. Taste of Chicago is in full swing, and you can take full advantage of the lakefront beaches. Chicago's official Fourth of July fireworks take place on July 3 over the lake by Grant Park.

3. New York: Book your New York hotel now and plan to enjoy the Big Apple's Fourth of July fireworks display over the Hudson River. Here are the recommended spots for best views of the fireworks.

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Summer vacation in Chicago: Fabulous festivals

Monday, May 25th, 2009

Chicago hotel Maybe it's the joy of surviving yet another long winter, or maybe people in Chicago just love an excuse for food and fun… Regardless, once the weather gets warm, the Windy City heats up with tons of summer festivals. Music, food, art, ethnic heritage — you name it, it's here, making Chicago a great choice for a summer vacation.

Most of the biggies highlighted here are downtown in and around Grant Park, so you can book a Chicago hotel in the Loop/Millennium Park/Grant Park area and walk. If you want to experience summer in Chicago like a local, though, hop on the El and try one of the many neighborhood fests. Retro on Roscoe is a fun event in a cute Northside neighborhood, Lakeview Music Fest features food and music in the shadow of Wrigley Field, and there are many others.

57th Street Art Fair June 5-6: Painting, sculpture, photography, jewelery, ceramics and much more. Billed as Chicago's oldest juried art fair, this one happens in President Obama's old neighborhood (Hyde Park). FREE.

Chicago Gospel Music Festival June 6-7: The first of many multi-day concert events held in Grant Park throughout the summer, this one features more than 50 acts on three stages. FREE.

Chicago Blues Festival June 12-14: Same idea as Gospel Fest, with a different genre. Eddie C. Campbell, Bettye LaVette and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are the headliners. FREE.

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Food festivals add spice to summer vacation

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Summer vacation By Lena Katz

From sea to shining sea, America’s getting ready to celebrate all that tastes great this summer. Whether you’re in the market for a Hawaii vacation, an East Coast summer home or a quick family-friendly hop to a Tampa hotel, an awesome array of food festivals will add extra flavor to your holiday. Here are my top 10 picks for 2009.

In the Pacific Northwest, Bite of Oregon August 7-9 showcases organic/sustainable produce, great seafood, and craft beer — the latter in the brand-new Oregon Brewed Craft  Beer Garden. And may we just say…it’s about time? Oenophiles note, Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine region may well be the wine snobs’ next “it” place — so don’t just sip, take notes!

Down south, the LA Wine Fest June 6-7 showcases primarily California Central Coast and Napa wineries, with contingents from the Loire Valley and Australia, as well as a number of boutique-label tequilas. In keeping with Los Angeles “get ready for your closeup” mentality, the festival includes “lifestyles” vendors like Italian gastronomy site AcademiaBarilla.com, but very little in the way of actual food.

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Airline launches flights to Chicago Midway, Baltimore

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Business travel By Joe Brancatelli

NEED TO KNOW

On-the-Road Intelligence to Help You Travel Smarter: Northwest Airlines has shifted to Delta Air Lines gates and facilities at Fort Lauderdale Airport and Tampa. … The SuperShuttle shared-van service now operates to and from Pittsburgh,
its 33rd airport. … A federal district judged has tossed the
false-imprisonment lawsuit filed by one of the travelers held for more
than nine hours on an American Airlines plane diverted to Austin in
December, 2006. … The Diners Club card, owned by Discover but licensed
to former owner Citigroup, has added some airport lounges to its
network. The card will now get you access to the 11 Salon Premier clubs
operated by AeroMexico and two Premium Plaza lounges in Singapore's
Changi Airport. A Diners Club card now gives you access to about 130
airport lounges worldwide.

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