Lonely Planet Chicago [With Pull-Out Map]

My brother (a UK resident) based his entire 3-day visit to Chicago on this guide and had a great time. He is an experienced traveler to all parts of the globe [Europe, Asia, South America etc.] and Lonely Planet is his first choice of guidebook.

My family and I relocated to the Chicago area, and wanted to learn as much about it as we could. Streetwise Chicago Map Laminated City Center Street Map of Chicago, Illinios Folding pocket size travel map with CTA & Metra map including lines & stations The book has been very helpful. We've have already hit some of the great locations recommended. The books concise descriptions helped us determine where we did or did not want to go.

I've written books about Chicago and all I can say is I wish I'd written this one. Smart, savvy, sly, Zimmerman and co. have nailed America's most dynamic city. It's almost more fun reading this book than experiencing the city itself. Almost! Buy a copy so you can avoid every trap and revel in every pleasure.

My wife and I used this guide for a vacation to Chicago in October 2006. I am generally a big fan of Lonely Planet Guides, and this one did not disappoint. We stayed in hotel in the Gold Coast but used public transportation to get around to several other sections of the city, and this guide covered all of the areas that we visited very well. Information was concise and useful, and overall I was really pleased with this book. It's maps were invaluable while traveling around - it is worth the price for them alone. However, there were a couple of recommendations in the book which I did not feel were very good. One restaurant in particular that the guide recommended was awful, and because of that I gave the book 4 stars instead of five. Despite this, Lonely Planet Chicago is still a very good guide and I would recommend it without hesitation.

This guide book was our Bible during our short trip in Chicago. It was right about most things we had a chance to check out, e.g. where to catch the best view of the city. Other helpful information included as well. For example, average prices for meals in restaurants were very helpful when planning where to eat. Very important information, I think, when coming abroad is the information how to tip etc. It's all there.