Health & Safety

Health

Most hotels have doctors on call, so get in touch with your concierge or hotel's front desk if you need medical assistance. In case of emergency, head for the ER at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron St. (tel. 312/926-2000; www.nmh.org). One of the city's best hospitals, it's located only a few blocks off Michigan Avenue and is easy to reach from all downtown hotels.

If you need to see a doctor for a non-emergency visit, Northwestern has a Physician Referral Service (tel. 877/926-4664).

Safety

Chicago has all the crime problems of any urban center, so use your common sense and stay cautious and alert. At night, you might want to stick to well-lit streets along the Magnificent Mile, River North, Gold Coast, and Lincoln Park, which are all high-traffic areas late into the night. That said, Chicago is still a big city; muggings can -- and do -- happen anywhere.

Late at night, avoid wandering dark residential streets on the fringes of Hyde Park and Pilsen, which border areas with more troublesome reputations. You can also ask your hotel concierge or an agent at the tourist visitor center about the safety of a particular area.

The El is generally quite safe, even at night, although some of the downtown stations can feel eerily deserted late in the evening. Buses are a safe option, too, especially nos. 146 and 151, which pick up along North Michigan Avenue and State Street and connect to the North Side via Lincoln Park.

Blue-and-white police cars are a common sight, and officers also patrol by bicycle downtown and along the lakefront and by horseback at special events and parades. There are police stations in busy nightlife areas, such as the 18th District station at Chicago Avenue and LaSalle Street in River North and the 24th District station (known as Town Hall) at Addison and Halsted streets.