Air Canada Flights from Stockholm, Sweden (ARN) to Chicago (ORD)
As part of booking roundtrip flights which depart from US airports,
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Air Canada, which operates a non-stop flight everyday except Friday and Sunday from Stockholm, Sweden (ARN) to Chicago (ORD), regularly scheduled to depart at 10:15am and arrive at 12:30pm. Usually an Airbus A330-200 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Stockholm, Sweden to Chicago, IL is 9 hours and 15 minutes.*
* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.
During your Chicago vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Chicago Trolley Company
Chicago Trolley Company offers guided tours on a fleet of rubber-wheeled "San Francisco-style" trolleys that stop at a number of popular spots around the city, including Navy Pier, the Grant Park museums, the historic Water Tower, and the Sears Tower. You can stay on for the full 1 1/2-hour ride or get on and off at each stop. The trolleys operate year-round, but winter visitors won't need to wear a snowsuit; the vehicles are enclosed and heated during the chilliest months. The same company also operates the Chicago Double Decker Company, which has a fleet of London-style, red, two-story buses. The buses follow the same route as the trolleys; if you buy an all-day pass, you can hop from bus to trolley at any point.
National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum
This museum houses one of the most stirring art collections anywhere -- and the only one of its kind in the world -- telling the story of the men who fought in Vietnam. Since the war, many of the veterans made art as personal therapy, never expecting to show it to anyone; but in 1981, a small group of them began showing their works together in Chicago and in touring exhibitions. The collection has grown to more than 700 paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures from all over the country and other countries, including Vietnam. Titles such as We Regret to Inform You, Blood Spots on a Rice Paddy, and The Wound should give you an idea of the power of the images in this unique legacy to the war. Housed in a former warehouse in the Prairie Avenue district south of the Loop, the museum is modern and well organized. An installation suspended from the ceiling, Above & Beyond, comprises more than 58,000 dog tags with the names of the men and women who died in the war -- it creates an emotional effect similar to that of the Wall in Washington, D.C. The complex also houses a small theater, a cafe open for breakfast and lunch, a gift shop, and an outdoor plaza with a flagpole that has deliberately been left leaning because that's how veterans saw them in combat. Allow 1 hour.
Chicago Historical Society
At the southwestern tip of Lincoln Park stands one of Chicago's oldest cultural institutions (founded in 1856), but one that has successfully brought its exhibits into the 21st century. Inside the Historical Society's lovely redbrick and glass-walled building, you'll find well-designed displays of significant objects, artifacts, and artwork -- but the overall effect is instructive rather than interactive (this isn't the place to bring young children).Casual visitors can get a good overview of the highlights in about an hour; history buffs will need more time. The must-see permanent exhibit is A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln, which explores the institution of slavery in America and the devastation of the Civil War (items on display include the bed that Lincoln died in and an original copy of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery, signed by Honest Abe himself). Another highlight is the CHS's costume collection, which includes clothing worn by George Washington, John Adams, and, of more current vintage, one of Michael Jordan's uniforms, along with numerous gowns by contemporary fashion designers (pieces from the collection are displayed on a rotating basis). Other worthy stops are the Charles F. Murphy architectural study center, featuring one of the nation's largest collections of architectural working drawings; the decorative and industrial-arts collection, including stained-glass designs by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan; and We the People, a permanent exhibit that explores how "ordinary people" founded the United States. (After your visit, head a few blocks away to North Ave. Beach, the best beach in the city, and or wander the neighboring residential streets of the exclusive Gold Coast.)The Historical Society also sponsors lectures, symposia, and seminars; film screenings; family programs; historical reenactments and performances by local theater companies; and music concerts on the beautiful plaza overlooking Lincoln Park. On the ground floor of the museum, past the gift shop, is Big Shoulders Cafe, entered through a flora- and fauna-decorated terra-cotta arch removed from the old Stockyard Bank and reassembled here. The museum's website is worth checking out before your visit, especially the impressive online "exhibit" on the Great Chicago Fire. Allow 1 to 2 hours.
Crowne Plaza Chicago -- The Silversmith
You might call The Silversmith a hidden gem. The landmark building, designed by the celebrated firm of D. H. Burnham and Company, was built in 1897 to serve the jewelry and silver trade on Wabash Avenue, still known as Jeweler's Row. Rooms come in varying configurations, with 12-foot-high ceilings, 10-foot picture windows, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired wrought-iron fixtures, armoires, and homey bedding; bathrooms are generously sized. Because buildings surround this very urban hotel, natural light is limited in the rooms; those along the hotel's main corridor tend to be quite dark. Rooms at the front on the fifth floor or higher have a quintessentially Chicago view: the El tracks along Wabash Avenue. Yes, the windows are extra-thick to muffle the noise of the rumbling trains, but you'll want to avoid the lower-level floors if you like things quiet. For the best combination of natural light and views, request a Wabash Avenue room on the 9th or 10th floor.Word about The Silversmith has been slow getting out (even Loop office workers who pass by it daily don't know it's there), so rooms don't book up as quickly as other, hotter spots. That's good news for thrifty travelers looking for deals (I hear the suites often get discounted). You also are more likely to find a room here during the busy convention season. Guest-friendly touches include an evening wine-and-cheese reception and complimentary desserts available at night in the lobby (including Eli's cheesecake, one of the city's signature sweet treats).
Hotel Allegro Chicago
Owned by the same company as the Hotel Monaco and the Hotel Burnham, the Allegro is the best choice in the Loop for families in search of a fun vibe. Although its published rates are about the same as those of its sister properties, the Allegro is far larger than the Monaco or the Burnham, and consequently is more likely to offer special rates to fill space (especially on weekends and in the winter). Guests enter a lobby with plush, eclectic, and boldly colorful furnishings: This whimsical first impression segues into the rooms, which vary wildly in size and configuration, so be sure to request the biggest available room when making your reservation. Suites have robes, VCRs, and two-person Jacuzzi tubs.Befitting a place where the concierge wears a stylish leather jacket and the doorman hums along to the tunes playing on speakers out front, the Allegro appeals to younger travelers. There's plenty of opportunity for socializing at Encore, the Jetsons-esque cafe that hosts DJs at night, or at the complimentary evening wine reception in the lobby. The hotel's restaurant, 312 Chicago, attracts nonguests in search of excellent Italian cuisine.
Le Méridien
Tucked into the Westfield North Bridge mall, Le Méridien is a fairly recent addition to the competitive high-end Chicago hotel market, and it seems that the general public has yet to discover it. Le Méridien touts its design philosophy as "European with a French accent," which, in this case, means marble floors, vaguely 18th-century-inspired furniture, and some whimsical artwork (a large painting of a Napoleonic figure with the head of a dog hangs in the lobby). A terrace offers outdoor seating, and a casual bistro is hidden away in the back of the lobby (depending on your perspective, it's either pleasantly secluded or isolated). Rooms are a bit small (especially the least expensive ones on the north side), but the amenities are top of the line: The safes come with chargers for cellphones and laptop computers, and the in-room phones are cordless. High rollers will want to book one of the suites overlooking Michigan Avenue; a few even come with private terraces, something few hotels in this city offer. Le Méridien can't compete with the Park Hyatt or the Peninsula in the glamour department, but its cozy style should appeal to travelers looking for some place a little more personal. It also makes a good base for anyone visiting during frigid winter weather; with a whole mall just a few steps away, you can get out without even putting on your coat.
