KT 3-4-2013_Layout 1 - Kuwait Times

By Ellen Creager
It’s sleek, shiny and sensational. But let’s add two more
words to describe Chicago for tourists: darn expensive.
On Feb 1, admission to the Art Institute of Chicago
jumped to $23 for out-of-state visitors. In the past month, a
host of other price hikes that affect tourists have also taken
effect: Museum of Science and Industry ticket prices rose.
The Chicago Transit Authority hiked the price of passes to
ride the L and city buses. Parking prices downtown
jumped. Even the toll on the Chicago Skyway went up.
Chicago has the highest tax burden for travelers in the
nation, even higher than New York and Boston, the Global
Business Travel Association reported last fall, when it compared
cities’ taxes on hotel rooms, car rental and meals.
Chicago has 2.7 million residents and 43.6 million visitors a
year. It doesn’t need to offer constant cut-rate attractions.
That’s the power of a popular city.
So how can you visit without going broke?
Visit in winter. With more than 33,000 hotel rooms in
the downtown district and an occupancy rate of only 50
percent in January and 52 percent in February, Chicago
hotel prices in winter are about half of what they are in the
summer and fall, when occupancy can hit over 90 percent.
For example, the weekend of Jan 25-27, rates before taxes
were $139 for the historic Palmer House Hilton, $135 for
the Fairmont Chicago and $92 for Embassy Suites. Even
adding the city’s steep 16.4 percent per night hotel tax to
those prices won’t break the bank.
I like Chicago in winter for other reasons, too.
Psychologically, it seems to have more room. It still is
breathtakingly beautiful on a sunny day. Skating at
Millennium Park is free, and so is clowning around at the
Bean (the shiny Cloud Gate sculpture in the park). If you
can handle the bracing wind off Lake Michigan, strolling
and shopping are relaxing this time of year.
In winter, you can still ride the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier
for $6, or take in the winter views from the John Hancock
Observatory or watch the crowds from a window seat at
lifestyle
T r a v e l
the nearby Ghirardelli chocolate shop while sipping hot
cocoa.
In winter, it’s easier to get restaurant reservations —
and Chicago Restaurant Week is running now through Feb.
10. With more than 250 restaurants participating, prices for
a prix fixe menu start at $22 for lunch and $33 or $44 for
dinner (for details, see www.eatitupchicago.com). It’s also a
great time for theater. Get discount tickets for shows during
Chicago Theater Week, Feb 12-17, with dozens of theaters
participating (www.chicagotheatreweek.com).
In winter, you also might score tickets for the hottest
Visitors to the John Hancock observatory floor don’t have to fight the crowds of summer.
Tourists at
Millennium Park still
visit the Cloud Gate
sculpture, better
known as the Bean,
despite the cold.
show in the country, “The Book of Mormon,” if you are flexible
with your dates or seeking a single seat on weekends.
The musical at the Bank of America Theatre has been
extended through Sept 8. When I arrived in Chicago in late
January, I heard grumbling from hotel clerks and even
transit workers about all the new price hikes around town.
Some affect residents, but most of the increases seem
meanly aimed at tourists. For example:
See the skyline of Chicago without getting cold,
from inside the Lego store inside Water Tower Place,
where many of the city’s iconic buildings are recreated
out of Legos.
Snowmen cookies in a bakery window in Chicago’s loop add to
the winter fun.
The cost of a day pass often used by tourists to ride buses
and the L is now $10, a 74 percent hike over the old
price of $5.75. You now need to ride at least five times in
one day to make the pass worthwhile, because individual
trips are $2.25. Prices for seven-day and 30-day passes also
went up Jan 14.
It’s now $5 to take public transit from O’Hare airport to
downtown, up from $2.25. Art Institute of Chicago tickets
for out-of-state visitors are now $23 (they were $18).
Museum of Science and Industry tickets for out-of-state
visitors are $18 (they were $16). And there are no more free
days for out-of-state visitors to any Illinois museum —
those were dropped 18 months ago.
It’s now $6.50 per hour to park in the Loop, the highest
city parking meter rate in the nation. Parking near downtown
is now $4 an hour, and neighborhood parking is $2
an hour. Parking prices rose Jan 1.
The toll for the Chicago Skyway is now $4, up 50 cents.
So how can a simple visitor from out of state still enjoy
Chicago? Come now. If you have two or fewer people,
don’t bring a car to Chicago — the parking alone costs
more than mass transit or taxis, about $45 to $55 a day,
even if you self-park. Take the train or a bus. Stay with a relative
or friend. Seek out small neighborhood restaurants.
Save your money for the few things that really matter to
you — the symphony, a play, a museum, a great jazz club, a
Chicago pizza, an American Girl doll with her very own hot
air balloon, or just a hot cup of cocoa while looking out at a
bustling Magnificent Mile.—MCT
Winter in Chicago should include a stop at the Ghirardelli
chocolate shop near the Water Tower, where you can get hot
chocolate for $3.50. — MCT photos
A small customer looks at the dreamy wares at
the American Girl store in Water Tower Place in
Chicago. The balloon pictured is really for sale,
for $150.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013
Visitors can skate for
free in Millennium
Park downtown, surrounded
by the
Chicago skyline.