Travel Please Help! What to do for a day in Chicago and in San Francisco?

[i_luv_handbags]

I am flying in May and have a connecting flight in Chicago. I fly into Chicago at 10am and fly out at 8pm. I know there isn't that much time in between the flights, but I have never been to Chicago, so I just want to use those hours to walk around the city. Any suggestions on where I should go?

I also have another connecting flight in San Francisco in May. I fly into SF at 10am in the morning and fly out at 10pm. I have been to SF once before, only got to see Fisherman's Wharf and Golden Gate Bridge, what are the other places I can go see in a day?

Also, I will have some carry-on luggages with me, so I would like to leave those luggages somewhere when I go explore those 2 cities, where can I leave them? At the airport?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[babylicious]

hrm.. Sf... stop by Ocean Beach if you can just for a nice day at the beach.. shopping wise, theres always SF downtown with tons of shops inside westfield..theres also a bloomys! you can go down to the haight area if you're into the underground scene. stop by japantown or chinatown for some culture shopping.. you can go back down to the fisherman's wharf area and walk along the embarcadero. great place for pictures and a breeze of the ocean..ill be thinking of more places.

 

[redney]

I don't know if there is baggage storage at SFO, maybe check their website or call the airport directly?

You can take BART (train) into SF from SFO. Union Square is a major shopping area in SF with Nordstrom, NM, Bloomies, Barneys and other designer boutiques within walking distance of the Powell St. BART station.

Other than shopping in Union Sq., you can see other places in SF, like the ones babylicious mentioned, but you will need to take taxis (expensive) or rent a car since public transportation (the MUNI system) isn't that good or reliable, IMO.

 

[twiggers]

Well, for Chicago you can catch a train into downtown. You will likely only have about 3-4 hours left to wander after you get into downtown (because you need to leave yourself enough time to get back to airport and clear security).

Anyhow...take the train downtown to Michigan Avenue and just wander around! Grab a small pizza at Giordano's on Rush Street (one block off Michigan). Michigan Ave. has all the shops...but further down there is Millenium Park as well!


For San Francisco....I would say do Pier 39 and that whole area (Fisherman's Wharf, Embarcadero). Grab a cable car from Fisherman's Wharf to Union Square for some shopping. Alternatively, hop on a Bay Tour boat and just enjoy the views! Don't forget to grab a bite to eat at Boudin's at Fisherman's Wharf....or go to In N' Out Burger!

 

[i_luv_handbags]

hrm.. Sf... stop by Ocean Beach if you can just for a nice day at the beach.. shopping wise, theres always SF downtown with tons of shops inside westfield..theres also a bloomys! you can go down to the haight area if you're into the underground scene. stop by japantown or chinatown for some culture shopping.. you can go back down to the fisherman's wharf area and walk along the embarcadero. great place for pictures and a breeze of the ocean..ill be thinking of more places.

babylicious, thank you for your suggestions! BTW, your dog is so cute!

I don't know if there is baggage storage at SFO, maybe check their website or call the airport directly?

You can take BART (train) into SF from SFO. Union Square is a major shopping area in SF with Nordstrom, NM, Bloomies, Barneys and other designer boutiques within walking distance of the Powell St. BART station.

Other than shopping in Union Sq., you can see other places in SF, like the ones babylicious mentioned, but you will need to take taxis (expensive) or rent a car since public transportation (the MUNI system) isn't that good or reliable, IMO.

Thanks redney! I've been to SF once and that was on Thanksgiving Day so all the shops were closed! So I think I will do some shopping in Union Square this time!

Well, for Chicago you can catch a train into downtown. You will likely only have about 3-4 hours left to wander after you get into downtown (because you need to leave yourself enough time to get back to airport and clear security).

Anyhow...take the train downtown to Michigan Avenue and just wander around! Grab a small pizza at Giordano's on Rush Street (one block off Michigan). Michigan Ave. has all the shops...but further down there is Millenium Park as well!

For San Francisco....I would say do Pier 39 and that whole area (Fisherman's Wharf, Embarcadero). Grab a cable car from Fisherman's Wharf to Union Square for some shopping. Alternatively, hop on a Bay Tour boat and just enjoy the views! Don't forget to grab a bite to eat at Boudin's at Fisherman's Wharf....or go to In N' Out Burger!

Twiggers, thanks for all your suggestions! I will definitely grab a bite to eat at Giordano's and Boudin's if I walk pass them!