United Airlines Flights from Oakland (OAK) to Chicago (ORD)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on United Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Oakland (OAK) to Chicago (ORD), departing between 8:08am and 1:22pm. Usually an Airbus A319 or Boeing 757-200 is flown for this route. Generally, a movie is offered on this route. The average travel time from Oakland, CA to Chicago, IL is 4 hours and 8 minutes.
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During your Chicago vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Museum of Contemporary Art
The MCA claims to be the largest contemporary art museum in the country, emphasizing experimentation in a variety of media -- painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, dance, music, and performance. But much of the space seems to be taken up with theaters and hallways; seeing the actual art won't take you long. Sitting on a front-row piece of property between the lake and the historic Water Tower, the gloomy, imposing building (designed by Berlin's Josef Paul Kleihues) looks like something out of Communist Russia, but the interior spaces are more vibrant, with a sun-drenched two-story central corridor, elliptical staircases, and three floors of exhibition space. The MCA has tried to raise its national profile to the level of New York's Museum of Modern Art by hosting major touring retrospectives of working artists such as Cindy Sherman and Chuck Close.You can see the MCA's highlights in about an hour, although art lovers will want more time to wander (especially if a high-profile exhibit is in town). Your first stop should be the handsome barrel-vaulted galleries on the top floor, dedicated to pieces from the permanent collection. For visitors who'd like a little guidance for making sense of the rather challenging works found here, there is an audio tour for rent as well as a free tour (1 and 6pm Tues; 1pm Wed-Fri; 11am, noon, 1, and 2pm Sat-Sun). In addition to a range of special activities and educational programming, including films, performances, and a lecture series in a 300-seat theater, the museum features Puck's at the MCA, a cafe operated by Wolfgang Puck of Spago restaurant fame, with seating that overlooks a 1-acre terraced sculpture garden. There's also a store, Culturecounter, with one-of-a-kind gift items, that's worth a stop even if you don't make it into the museum. The museum's First Fridays program, featuring after-hours performances, live music, and food and drink, takes place the first Friday of every month. Allow 1 to 2 hours.
The Smart Museum of Art
The University of Chicago's fine arts museum looks rather modest, but it packs a lot of talent into a compact space. Its permanent collection of more than 7,000 paintings and sculptures spans Western and Eastern civilizations and ranges from classical antiquity to the present day. Bona fide treasures include ancient Greek vases, Chinese bronzes, and Old Master paintings; Frank Lloyd Wright furniture; Tiffany glass; sculptures by Degas, Matisse, and Rodin; and 20th-century paintings and sculptures by Mark Rothko, Arthur Dove, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, Henry Moore, and Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt. Built in 1974, the contemporary building doesn't really fit in with the Gothic style of other campus buildings, but its sculpture garden and outdoor seating area make a nice place for quiet contemplation. The museum also has a gift shop and cafe. Allow 1 hour.
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.
Homewood Suites
An excellent choice for families, this hotel offers both fresh, clean rooms and some nice little extras. Because all of the rooms are suites with full kitchens, you can prepare your own meals (a real money saver) and there's plenty of room for everyone to spread out at the end of the day. Housed just off the Mag Mile in a sleek tower above retail shops, offices, and a health club -- and adjacent to ESPN Zone -- the hotel's decor is described as "Italian Renaissance meets Crate & Barrel." Distressed-leather sofas, Mediterranean stone tile, wrought-iron chandeliers, and beaded lampshades adorn its sixth-floor lobby. Rooms -- one- and two-bedroom suites and a handful of double-double suites, which can connect to king suites -- feature velvet sofas that are all sleepers, and the beds have big, thick mattresses. Each comes with a full kitchen, a dining-room table that doubles as a workspace, and decent-size bathrooms. The hotel provides a complimentary hot breakfast buffet as well as beverages and hors d'oeuvres every evening; there is also a free grocery-shopping service and free access to an excellent health club next door.
Holiday Inn-Chicago City Centre
Enter the soaring modern atrium, with its vases of blooming fresh flowers, and you won't believe that this place is kin to Holiday Inn's assembly-line roadside staples. Its location is a nice surprise as well: east of the Magnificent Mile and close to the Ohio Street Beach and Navy Pier. Although the rooms are pretty basic, the amenities make this one of the best values in the city.Fitness devotees will rejoice because the Holiday Inn is located next door to the Lake Shore Athletic Club, where guests may enjoy the extensive facilities free of charge (including an indoor pool). The hotel also has its own spacious outdoor pool and sun deck. The views are excellent, especially looking north toward the Hancock Building and Monroe Harbor. You might want to splurge on one of the master suites, which boast large living-room areas with wet bars, along with a Jacuzzi-style tub and sauna in the bathroom.The Holiday Inn is a good bet for the budget-conscious family: Kids under 18 stay free in their parent's room, and those 12 and under eat free in the hotel's restaurants. Leave the pay-per-view movies one night and head to the massive new AMC theaters next door, where all 21 screens offer stadium seating.
The Claridge
If a modest, cost-effective option in a lovely setting within walking distance of Michigan Avenue, Division Street, Old Town's nightlife, and Lincoln Park's many attractions sounds pretty good to you, don't dismiss The Claridge. Ask for a room above the eighth floor that overlooks the tree-lined street (kings and double-doubles are spacious and sunny); avoid at all cost the dark "king superior" rooms, which look onto the fire escape. Some deluxe accommodations have sitting areas, and three executive suites on the 14th floor have working fireplaces.The Claridge won't overwhelm you with facilities; the hotel's restaurant and bar are both quite small. Where this hotel really wins its Brownie points is for the very pleasant staff and nice touches such as freshly baked cookies at turndown. In the lobby, there's a cozy sitting area where you can linger over your complimentary continental breakfast. The surrounding neighborhood of elegant town houses makes a great place for a stroll -- without the traffic and noise of other downtown neighborhoods.
