Belden Stratford, Chicago, Illinois

The Belden Stratford is a renowned Lincoln Park landmark. Beautifully refurbished and enhanced with the accoutrements of luxury living. The Belden is located across from the Flower Conservatory and Lincoln Park Zoo. Puts you steps from the lake and public transportation.

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During your Chicago vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:

International Museum of Surgical Science
This unintentionally macabre shrine to medicine is my pick for the weirdest tourist attraction in town. Not for the faint of stomach, it is run by the International College of Surgeons and is housed in a historic 1917 Gold Coast mansion designed by the noted architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, who modeled it after Le Petit Trianon at Versailles. Displayed throughout its four floors are surgical instruments, paintings, and sculptures depicting the history of surgery and healing practices in Eastern and Western civilizations. The exhibits are old-fashioned (no interactive computer displays here!), but that's part of the museum's odd appeal.You'll look at your doctor in a whole new way after viewing the trepanned skulls excavated from an ancient tomb in Peru. The accompanying tools were used to bore holes in patients' skulls, a horrific practice thought to release the evil spirits causing their illness (some skulls show signs of new bone growth, meaning that some lucky headache-sufferers actually survived this low-tech surgery). There are also battlefield amputation kits, a working iron-lung machine in the polio exhibit, and oddities such as a stethoscope designed to be transported inside a top hat. Other attractions include an apothecary shop and dentist's office (ca. 1900), re-created in a historic street exhibit, and the hyperbolically titled "Hall of Immortals," a sculpture gallery depicting 12 historic figures in medicine, from Hippocrates to Madame Curie.

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.

Chicago Fed Visitors Center
It's not worth a special trip (unless you're a huge Alan Greenspan fan), but the Visitors Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago is worth a quick stop if you're wandering around the Loop. More than just the standard history-of-banking displays, the center has kid-friendly features such as a giant cube that holds a million dollars, and an exhibit that lets you try detecting counterfeit bills. And yes, there's even a section where visitors can pretend to be Alan Greenspan for a moment, showing how changes in interest rates affect the economy. Free guided tours are offered weekdays at 1pm. Allow a half-hour.

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Most recent user reviews

Score

5 out of 5

Excellent staff!

Edward, Detroit, MI

The Wiener's Circle has the best cheeseburger and fries that will ever grace your tongue.

The staff at the Belden Stratford were more than helpful, kind, caring, and knowledgeable, not to mention very funny/personable. The room was beautiful, though an upgrade from what I had originally purchased. Located directly on the Park across from the Conservatory, romance blooms near and nightlife abounds in within blocks. Excellent for a weekend getaway. Check this place out!

Score

5 out of 5

Review

Lewis, Charlotte, NC, 2007-02-27

No review provided by user

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Score

5 out of 5

Beautiful place in a great neighborhood

Anonymous, Chicago, IL, 2006-12-08

This is a gem of a hotel. It's beautiful, with character from the 20's and residential feel.

Score

5 out of 5

best spot to be in north chicago

Anonymous, 2006-09-06

everything is nearby.

Great hotel suite,very clean small apartment with kitchen,near everything you want in Chicago.Taxi cab's are 24/7 outside hotel with no need to flag down.Hotel staff can be a bit indiffernt in a good way,you don't see them unless you need them.I would not stay anywhere else in chicago but the Belden Stratford

Score

4 out of 5

Clean, Quite Hotel (Condo)

John, Tampa, FL, 2006-07-17

Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lake Shore both are great.

I found the room very nice, large room which included a small kitchen and dining area. The housekeeping was excellent and the room was clean and comfortable. At check-in, I arrived earlier than the 3 p.m. check-in and was told that I could not check-in early. There was no one to help with the bags when I went to my room. The hotel feels more like a condo than a hotel, I did not feel the staff at the front desk was very helpful or friendly. If you are looking for a nice room and few other amminaties then the Belden is your place. I also did not find the location to be that convenient; seemed to be a 10.00 cab ride everywhere I went.

Score

5 out of 5

Great Location

Kate, 2006-07-16

Wrigley Field is 10 minutes away by the bus, a great art-house movie theater is a 10-minute walk. The (free) Lincoln Park Zoo is close, as is Lake Michigan.

The Belden Stratford had everything that we needed on our trip to Chicago: queen-size bed, cable, and full kitchenette (including standard-sized refrigerator, microwave, stove, dishwasher, dishes, silverware, and pots and pans). We couldn't have asked for more. It is located directly across from beautiful Lincoln Park flower gardens and the Conservatory. Best of all, the hotel is located two blocks from the bus and from a grocery store. The staff was very friendly--we felt like we were living in a high-class apartment building.

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5 out of 5

Review

kathryn, 2006-07-13

Lincoln Park Zoo is across the street, a quick bus trip to all the shopping. beech is 2 blocks away. and roof top view of the city.

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3 out of 5

Lincoln Prk, Chicago

Anonymous, Atlanta, GA, 2006-06-11

Lincoln Prk Zoo

Belden-Stratford is a rental residance with some rooms for daily and long term use. There are no hotel amenities here, just a room in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago. Next stay in Chicago will be in a full time hotel.

Score

5 out of 5

Big city apartment experience

bill, Ithaca, NY, 2006-05-30

Bring in your own food/snacks and beverages, as there's neither a mini-bar nor room service. You're in an apartment.

The Belden Stratford is not a conventional hotel. It's comprised entirely of apartments. My room was an efficiency complete with fridge, electric range, microwave, dishwasher, and full complement of pots&pans, dishes and utensils. There's no room service, no in-house dining facility, no mini-bar, etc. But there's a huge walk-in closet, iron & board, linen closet, etc. The room was well appointed, immaculately clean, and the bed was extremely comfortable. It's obviously a great place for a traveler who needs to be in Chicago for several days, a week, etc., to base his or her stay, since you can stock the fridge and kitchen with food, even entertain a guest or two comfortably (the kitchen has a small dining table). In addition, the Belden Stratford is in a great location, adjacent to Lincoln Park with an easy walk to the zoo, the lakefront, etc. A neat place!

Score

5 out of 5

My review of Belden Stratford

Anonymous, Chicago, IL, 2006-02-05

There were 2 different restaurants inside the hotel for easy dining. Also, across the street is the Lincoln Park Zoo.

The Belden Stratford had a beautiful lobby with 2 restaurants in it. The room was very nice, and had a full kitchen. Also, the room had a lot of closet space, if you were staying for a while. The hotel was close to many restarants and bars. Also, accessing a cab was very easy. All in all, I really enjoyed my stay here!

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