 |
US Airways Flights from Honolulu (HNL) to Chicago (ORD)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on US Airways, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Chicago (ORD) regularly scheduled to depart at 5:10pm and arrive at 5:06am. Usually a Boeing 777 is flown for this route. Generally, a movie is offered on this route. The average travel time from Honolulu, HI to Chicago, IL is 7 hours and 56 minutes.
During your Chicago vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Oriental Institute Museum
Near the midpoint of the campus, a few blocks from Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, is the Oriental Institute, housing one of the world's major collections of Near Eastern art. Although most of the galleries have been renovated within the last few years, this is still a very traditional museum: lots of glass cases, very few interactive exhibits (in other words, there's not much to interest young children). It won't take you long to see the highlights here -- but a few impressive pieces make it worth a stop for history and art buffs.Your first stop should be the Egyptian Gallery, which showcases the finest objects among the 35,000 artifacts from the Nile Valley held by the museum. At the center stands a monumental 17-foot solid-quartzite statue of King Tutankhamen, the boy king who ruled Egypt from about 1335 to 1324 B.C. The largest Egyptian sculpture in the Western Hemisphere (tipping the scales at 6 tons), the Oriental Institute excavated it in 1930. The surrounding exhibits, which document the life and beliefs of Egyptians from 5000 B.C. to the 8th century A.D., have a wonderfully accessible approach that emphasizes themes, not chronology. Among them are: mummification (there are 14 mummies on display -- five people and nine animals, including hawks, an ibis, a shrew, and a baby crocodile), kingship, society, and writing (including a deed for the sale of a house, a copy of the Book of the Dead, and a schoolboy's homework).The Oriental Institute also houses important collections of artifacts from civilizations that once flourished in what are now Iran and Iraq. The highlight of the Mesopotamium Gallery is a massive, 16-foot-tall sculpture of a winged bull with a human head, which once stood in the palace of Assyrian king Sargon II. The gallery also contains some of the earliest man-made tools ever excavated, along with many other pieces that have become one-of-a-kind since the destruction and looting of the National Museum in Baghdad in 2003. The Persian Gallery displays approximately 1,000 objects dating from the Archaic Susiana Period (ca. 6800 B.C.) to the Islamic Period (ca. A.D. 1000). Other galleries are filled with artifacts from Sumer, ancient Palestine, Israel, Anatolia, and Nubia.The small but eclectic gift shop, called the Suq, stocks many one-of-a-kind items, including reproductions of pieces in the museum's collection. Allow 1 hour.
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
The Rockefeller Memorial Chapel is just across from Robie House. Did someone say chapel? This is false modesty, even for a Rockefeller. When the university first opened its doors, the students sang the following ditty:John D. Rockefeller, wonderful man is heGives all his spare change to the U of C.John D. was a generous patron, indeed. He founded the university (in cooperation with the American Baptist Society), built the magnificent minicathedral that now bears his name, and shelled out an additional $35 million in donations to the institution over the course of his lifetime. Designed by Bertram Goodhue, an architect known for his ecclesiastical buildings -- including Cadet Chapel at West Point and New York City's St. Thomas Church -- the Memorial Chapel was dedicated in 1928.In keeping with the rest of the campus, which is patterned after Oxford, it is reminiscent of English Gothic structures but was built from limestone and with modern construction techniques. Its most outstanding features are the circular stained-glass window high above the main altar (the windows, in general, are among the largest of any church or cathedral anywhere) and the world's second-largest carillon, which was donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in 1932 in memory of his mother, Laura. The chapel's organ is nearly as impressive, with four manuals, 126 stops, and more than 10,000 pipes.Choir concerts, carillon performances, and other musical programs are presented throughout the year, usually for a small donation. The building is open to the public; in-depth tours can be arranged through the university's Office of Special Events at tel. 773/702-9636. Tours of the carillon are done during the academic year; call the office to find out times. Allow a half-hour.
Lincoln Park Pritzker Children's Zoo & Farm-in-the-Zoo
After hours of looking at animals from afar in the rest of the Lincoln Park Zoo, kids can come here for some hands-on experience. Children are encouraged to come touch a variety of small animals -- hedgehogs, iguanas, rabbits -- under the supervision of zookeepers. There's also a very popular glass-walled animal nursery, where zoo docents and keepers care for the babies of more exotic species -- often, this means gorillas and chimpanzees -- who are ill, born weak, or rejected by their mothers. An adjacent outdoor area houses owls, otters, and other small critters in winding, naturalistic habitats. The Farm-in-the-Zoo is a working reproduction of a Midwestern farm, complete with a white-picket-fenced barnyard, chicken coops, and demonstrations of butter churning and weaving. Of course, you'll also spot plenty of livestock, including cows, sheep, and pigs. Inside the Main Barn (filled with interactive exhibits), the main attraction is the huge John Deere tractor that kids can climb up into and pretend to drive. (Can you say photo opportunity?) Allow 1 hour.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Chicago area, including:
Swissôtel Chicago
This sleek, modern hotel is all business, and may therefore feel a bit icy to some visitors, but its professional aura makes it especially attractive to business travelers in search of tranquillity. Panoramic vistas from every room -- of Lake Michigan, Grant Park, and the Chicago River -- are the hotel's best features. The spacious rooms have separate sitting areas and warm contemporary furnishings. Business travelers will appreciate the oversize desks (convertible to dining tables), ergonomic chairs, and -- in upgraded executive-level rooms -- CD players. Executive suites, with wonderful, 180-degree views, have separate sleeping areas. All executive-level guests also receive complimentary breakfast and hors d'oeuvres and have access to a lounge with Internet connections, a library, and a personal concierge.Active travelers will want to break a sweat in the lofty environs of the Penthouse Health Spa, perched on the 42nd floor. And those who just want to indulge themselves can enjoy the ultimate steak-and-lobster expense-account restaurant: the on-site outpost of New York's The Palm.Facilities: 3 restaurants (steakhouse, American); lounge; penthouse fitness center with indoor pool, spa, Jacuzzi, and sauna; concierge; business center with extensive meeting services; 24-hr. room service; massage; babysitting; laundry service; 24-hr. dry cleaning; executive-level rooms.
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.
Renaissance Chicago Hotel
A hotel in search of a personality, the Renaissance Chicago is tasteful and understated -- perfectly suited to the business travelers who are the hotel's bread and butter. This large operation offers all your standard high-end amenities but is indistinguishable from any number of executive-style hotels elsewhere in the country. Still, this is a good bet for high-end service if you want a Loop location, and the hotel's bay windows provide stunning views of the Chicago River and the towers of North Michigan Avenue. Standard double rooms include a small sitting area with a couch and smallish bathrooms; deluxe doubles have much bigger bathrooms (some with separate showers and bathtubs) and two couches. Club-level rooms, located on the top four floors, are half a room larger and have their own concierge in a private lounge, where complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres are served. Request a room on the 20th floor or higher on the east side for views of both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Another good bet are rooms on the hotel's north side, all of which have river views.
|
|
|
