Welcome, guests, friends, family! Thanks for visiting our page. Well, we're married now and loving it. We'll use this site now to keep you up to date on our life together. Love, Greg & Noel
How to get around in Chicago
Metra
your ticket to ride between Chicago and suburbs or between suburbs and suburbs.
be sure to watch the schedules. If going between Chicago and Wheaton area, use the Metra Pacific West Line. Chicago-Evanston is the Metra/Union Pacific North line. Be sure to beware the inbound and outbound trains have very different schedules depending on the day. This is an actual train and is more expensive than the El, though it is pretty cheap still and weekend passes are available.
The "El"
You should ride the El at least once while in Chicago, we think it's really fun. Plus it's a good way to see the city. Our advice for El transport is to pick up a schedule with the colored lines on it as soon as possible. 
Each line is a different color. Most converge in "the Loop" which is what Chicagoans call the inmost downtown area of Chicago. So, if you hear it, now you'll know. And if you use it, you'll be welcomed :) Please note: the El does not travel to Wheaton. It does travel to Evanston. The El is nice because it runs for many more hours than the Metra and so you don't feel as bound by its schedule. You can also find a stop close by nearly anywhere in the city. The Red & Purple lines go north to Evanston area. For the wedding, we recommend taking the Purple all the way to the Noyes St. stop in Evanston. Then it's a straight 3 block walk to Sheridan, go right and less than a block to the chapel. Image of an El ticket:
Bus schedules for Chicago can also be found at the CTA website where the El schedules are.
Okay, so other than the first fun thing you should do in Chicago, there are many fun things to do in this toddling town.
Chicago City Pass
-access to 5 of Chicago's attractions: Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Museum of Science & Industry, Adler Planetarium, either Sears SkyDeck or Hancock Observatory. All are great, though, yes, I'm sure you all also have museums and planetariums where you are.
Go Chicago Card
similar to above.
Hancock Observatory
A great view of Chicago. The Signature Room on the 95th floor offers really great views while you eat or there's a lounge/bar on the 96th floor. Reservation are not needed but I think they're recommended especially wanting to go during peak times on a weekend.
Untouchable Tours
Did you know Chicago was home to many of the famous mob bosses and to many great gangster wars? Well, this 2 hour tour gives you a taste of gangster life in Chicago, taking you to all the different territories and famous locations, complete with sound effects and the greatest tour guide ever. A really fun tour, to be sure.
Millenium Park/Grant Park/The Bean/Buckingham Fountain
A nice, free attraction. You can view "the Bean", a new attraction to Chicago but a great place for pictures. A huge park with gardens, spitting fountains and a big open concert section complete with a huge lawn perfect for relaxing or a picnic. The week of the wedding is "blockbuster week" and has a few different music events happening: http://www.millenniumpark.org/documents/BlockbusterWeek.pdf
Chicago, chicago Ill show you around - I love it
Bet your bottom dollar youll lose the blues in chicago
If you do one thing in Chicago, it should be the Architectural Cruise. It will be warm but not too warm and the lake will be beautiful. The cruise can be a little pricey (though worth it) but if you have AAA, you can get a good deal. We have been on the cruise twice and love it. Chicago is known worldwide for its architecture and the cruise highlights all the great parts about it. Bring a notebook for notes!!! We also recommend the lake and river cruises as they offer amazing views of the Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan. Bring a windbreaker as it is the Windy City and all.
Links to Architectural Cruise info:
Complete Chicago Boat Tour Comparison Chart
The One We Usually Go on--through Chicago History Museum
Through the Chicago Architecture Foundation
If you do more than one thing, we have a few more suggestions...but that will come in the next post!
We did not block off any cool hotels. Our reason is simple: Chicagoland is very big and you may wish to stay in any number of posh locations depending on your interests.
Most places in downtown Chicago are great places to stay, they are just very expensive. So please feel free to stay there and ask us any questions you might have about the hotel but we are not listing them here as they are generally so expensive.
So, we will merely give you some suggestions of where to stay varied by your interests.
1. North Shore Chicago's perks: very close to the wedding and reception locations, not too far from the airport and certainly close enough to the city to hop on public transportation to see the sights.
2. O'Hare Airport area perks: As soon as you get in, you don't have to navigate Chicago tollways to get to your temporary abode. Also, not too far from the Wedding and Reception sites. Probably not the best option for those who fly into Midway (ie Noel's fam and others who use Southwest :) )
3. Western suburban perks: If you are in the wedding or helping with the wedding, you should stay out here. Carpooling will be easier, etc. While there is no out-of-towners event planned at this time, Greg and I dwell out here in the 'burbs so it's more likely you will see us if you are staying out here. Downside is that it is not the most convenient for getting into the city nor to the wedding & reception. Is about 30-45 minutes from O'Hare, 45 from Midway. Lombard, Oakbrook, Glendale Heights, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn all of these are names of suburbs near where Greg and Noel will live (wherever that will be).
************If you find a good place to say, please share it on here in the comments (just comment under anonymous).*****************
Special thanks to Jennifer Green, b-maid, for her work on this.
Where would Noel and Greg choose to do their swanky exchanging of vows?
Here, of course. "Here" being Chapel of St. John the Divine on Seabury Seminary's campus, which is on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, IL.
Reception will take place at the lovely Winnetka Community House...or see this
Our invitation making party (pictures to follow soon) happens on Friday so then we'll put up some scans of invitations involving times and other pertinent info. Thanks!
We just hit the 6-month mark!
So, mark your calendars:
September 7th, 2008
(Thanks to Greg's mom for creating the Save the Date magnets)
Each line is a different color. Most converge in "the Loop" which is what Chicagoans call the inmost downtown area of Chicago. So, if you hear it, now you'll know. And if you use it, you'll be welcomed :) Please note: the El does not travel to Wheaton. It does travel to Evanston. The El is nice because it runs for many more hours than the Metra and so you don't feel as bound by its schedule. You can also find a stop close by nearly anywhere in the city. The Red & Purple lines go north to Evanston area. For the wedding, we recommend taking the Purple all the way to the Noyes St. stop in Evanston. Then it's a straight 3 block walk to Sheridan, go right and less than a block to the chapel. Image of an El ticket:
Bus schedules for Chicago can also be found at the CTA website where the El schedules are.
