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November 19, 2015

Where to stay in Chicago

Want to visit the Windy City? So does everyone else. Here's how to find a place.

Chicago is a fun, fun place to be.

It's popular with conventioneers, families, students, girlfriend groups and couples on a romantic getaway. Everyone wants to join the festive mobs at Millennium Park, Navy Pier and, at Christmas, the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza.

There are nearly 40,000 hotel rooms downtown, which you'd think would be enough. Except in summer, when vacationers from around the world flood in. And whenever there's a big convention, like the one that draws 55,000 radiologists to Chicago the week after Thanksgiving.

But new hotels have been popping up, adding to an already huge selection. How to pick one? Here's a guide.

Read entire story

Best bets for the weekend

Sip hot spiced wine or watch for eagles.

The Christkind at Chicago's Christkindlmarket.

Christmas is getting a jump on Thanksgiving, with Old World Christmas markets and parades in Milwaukee, Chicago and Holland, Mich. (and next weekend in Oak Brook, Oconomowoc, Monroe, Minneapolis and Excelsior).

The season of indulgence starts with wine at Galena's Nouveau Wine Weekend and a bevy of holiday classes at cooking schools: crepes, tarts, tapas, appetizers. Winter is a good time to go on a learning vacation/weekend retreat: At Treehaven near Tomahawk, Wis., you can Track Cougars and Other Carnivores.

Ski areas are hurting for snow. Usually reliable Ironwood, Mich., where 5 feet had fallen by this time last year, has gotten just a bit, tying its record for second-latest first snowfall.

But it's finally cold enough to push bald eagles and other birds down the Mississippi. In Wabasha, Minn., the National Eagle Center's first bald-eagle viewing field trip is Saturday.

Eagles do a little better than turkeys this time of year. In northeast Illinois, Huntley is promoting its turkey-testicle festival with the slogan, "Have the guts to eat my nuts?"

The holiday shopping frenzy traditionally starts next Friday, but Minnesota is offering free admission to state parks so that you can play instead. The Minneapolis Institute of Art always is free, but if you're an early bird there instead of the mall, you'll get treats and free tickets to its special Delacroix exhibit.

If you want to escape the holiday rush altogether, go on a weekend getaway. There are deals on Groupon Getaways and LivingSocial Escapes for inns that normally might be a splurge, including the Old Rittenhouse in Bayfield, the Nicollet Island Inn in Minneapolis and the Heidel House on Green Lake.

Next weekend

Old World traditions flourish during the holidays.

Holidazzle in Minneapolis. A month-long, open-air holiday village opens in Loring Park with a performance by the Minnesota Chorale and fireworks. Nov. 27-29.

Christkindlsmarkt in Excelsior, Minn. On the shores of Lake Minnetonka, a parade opens this German-style open-air Christmas market. Nov. 27-29.

Sinterklaas Day in Pella, Iowa. In this Dutch town, the man in the red suit arrives in a wooden ship, wears a bishop's miter and has a Moorish servant as helper. A 10 a.m. parade is followed by a breakfast. Nov. 28.

Lighting & Electric Parade in St. Charles, Ill. There's Lighting of the Lights and music Friday and free horse-drawn sleigh rides, movies and Santa visits Saturday, with the Electric Christmas Parade at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 27-28.

For more events, see our Events Calendar.

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