Northwest Airlines Flights from Memphis (MEM) to Chicago (ORD)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Northwest Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Memphis (MEM) to Chicago (ORD), departing between 8:40am and 6:53pm, and one additional non-stop flight regularly scheduled to depart at 2:10pm and arrive at 3:59pm, everyday except Saturday. Usually a Douglas DC-9 or Douglas DC-9-50 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Memphis, TN to Chicago, IL is 1 hour and 46 minutes.
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During your Chicago vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Auditorium Building and Theatre
A truly grand theater with historic landmark status, the Auditorium is worth a visit to experience late-19th-century Chicago opulence. Designed and built in 1889 by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, the Auditorium was a wonder of the world: the heaviest (110,000 tons) and most massive modern edifice on earth, the most fireproof building ever constructed, and the tallest building in Chicago. It was also the first large-scale building to be electrically lighted, and its theater was the first in the country to install air-conditioning.The 4,000-seat theater, which today is the scene for Broadway touring musicals, is a marvel of visionary design and engineering. Originally the home of the Chicago Opera Company, Sullivan and Adler's masterpiece is defined by powerful arches lit by thousands of bulbs and features Sullivan's trademark ornamentation -- in this case, elaborate golden stenciling and gold plaster medallions. It's equally renowned for otherworldly acoustics and unobstructed sight lines. In the days when the Auditorium was the leading theater of Chicago, the hydraulically operated stage could be lowered from view, creating a ballroom capable of accommodating 8,000 guests.During World War II, the building sheltered GIs, and its theater stage was turned into a bowling alley. The theater reopened in 1967 following a $3-million renovation made possible through the fundraising efforts of the nonprofit Auditorium Theatre Council. Remnants of the building's halcyon days remain. Don't miss the lobby fronting Michigan Avenue, with its faux ornamental marble columns, molded ceilings, mosaic floors, and Mexican onyx walls. Another inside tip: From the Roosevelt University entrance around the corner on Michigan Avenue, take the elevator to the school's 10th-floor library reading room and have a look at what was once the city's first top-floor dining room. Its palatial, barrel-vaulted ceiling, and marvelous views of Grant Park and the lake will make you want to brush up on your Dewey Decimal System.The best way to see everything is to take a 1-hour guided tour, offered on Mondays between 10am and 4pm (call tel. 312/431-2354 to make reservations). Tours cost $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and students.Allow a half-hour, 1 hour if you take the guided tour.
The Hancock Observatory
While not as famous as the Sears Tower, for many locals the Hancock remains the archetypal Chicago skyscraper, with its bold, tapered shape and exterior steel cross-bracing design. The Hancock Observatory delivers an excellent panorama of the city and an intimate view over nearby Lake Michigan and the various shoreline residential areas. The view from the top of Chicago's third-tallest building is enough to satisfy, but some high-tech additions to the experience include "talking telescopes" with sound effects and narration in four languages, history walls illustrating the growth of the city, and the Skywalk open-air viewing deck -- a "screened porch" that allows visitors to feel the rush of the wind at 1,000 feet. On a clear day you can see portions of the three states surrounding this corner of Illinois (Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin), for a radius of 40 to 50 miles. The view up the North Side is particularly dramatic, stretching from the nearby Oak Street and North Avenue beaches, along the green strip of Lincoln Park, to the line of high-rises you can trace up the shoreline until they suddenly halt just below the boundary of the northern suburbs. A high-speed elevator carries passengers to the observatory in 40 seconds, and the entrance and observatory are accessible for people with disabilities. Allow 1 hour."Big John," as it's referred to by some locals, also has a sleek restaurant, the Signature Room at the 95th, with an adjoining lounge. For about the same cost as the observatory, you can take in the views from the latter with a libation in hand.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Despite its name, the world-class Chicago Botanic Garden is located 25 miles north of the city in the suburb of Glencoe. This 385-acre living preserve includes eight large lagoons and a variety of distinct botanical environments -- from the Illinois prairie to an English walled garden to a three-island Japanese garden. Also on the grounds are a large fruit and vegetable garden, an "enabling garden" (which shows how gardening can be adapted for people with disabilities), and a 100-acre old-growth oak woodland. If you're here in the summer, don't miss the extensive rose gardens (just follow the bridal parties who flock here to get their pictures taken). The Botanic Garden also has an exhibit hall, an auditorium, a museum, a library, education greenhouses, an outdoor pavilion, a carillon, a cafe, a designated bike path, and a garden shop. Carillon concerts take place at 7pm Monday evenings from late June through August, with a preliminary hour-long tour.Every summer, the Botanic Garden stages a special outdoor exhibition (one year giant animal-shaped topiaries were placed in unexpected locations throughout the grounds; another year, model railroads wound through miniature versions of American national parks). Check the website or call for event schedules.Allow 3 hours.
Allerton Crowne Plaza
A historic hotel that received a fairly bland makeover, the Allerton appeals to travelers who prefer lodgings that are brand spanking new. Built in 1924 as a "club hotel," providing permanent residences for single men and women, the Allerton has been converted into the flagship hotel of the Crowne Plaza chain. The Italian Renaissance-inspired exterior has been painstakingly restored to its original dark-red brickwork and stone carvings and limestone base. Too bad the distinctive exterior style wasn't replicated inside. The rooms have a generic chain-hotel feel, and because the hotel originally was built for single men and women, the rooms are fairly small (even the suites). Still, all the rooms and public areas have a warm and homey feel. Snag one overlooking Michigan Avenue to get the best views (or at least stop by the hotel's Renaissance Ballroom for a peek at the Mag Mile).
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.
Tremont Hotel
The Tremont won't dazzle you with style or amenities, but it fits the bill for anyone looking for a small, European-style hotel. The cozy lobby (complete with fireplace) makes a fine space to hang out and plan your itinerary for the day. The guest rooms aren't too big -- there's space for a bed, a desk, and either a sofa or two chairs -- but they are cheery, with yellow walls and large windows. Ask for a room facing Delaware Street if you crave natural light (rooms in other parts of the hotel look into neighboring buildings). The furniture shows signs of wear, and the bathrooms are fairly basic, but the Tremont will appeal to anyone who likes their hotels homey rather than slick.The steak-and-chops restaurant off the lobby, the memorabilia-filled Mike Ditka's Restaurant, is co-owned by the legendary former Chicago Bears football coach.
Need help booking your trip?
Book online or call
1-800-504-3248(toll free)
Need help booking your trip?
Book online or call
1-800-504-3248(toll free)
Need help booking your trip?
Book online or call
1-800-504-3248(toll free)
Need help booking your trip?
Book online or call
1-800-504-3248(toll free)
Other direct flights to Chicago (ORD) on Northwest Airlines
