The sprawling Hilton is one of the Loop's best choices for families, thanks to its indoor pool, proximity to major museums and Grant Park (where kids can run around). The hotel's colorful history includes visits by every president since FDR, as well as riots outside its front door during the 1968 Democratic Convention. The classical-rococo public spaces -- such as the Versailles-inspired Grand Ballroom and Grand Stair Lobby -- are magnificent, but the rest of the hotel falls into the chain-hotel mold: comfortable and well run, but fairly impersonal. Some rooms are on the small side, but all feel homey, thanks to the warm cherry furniture, and many have two bathrooms. Rooms facing Michigan Avenue offer sweeping views of Grant Park and the lake (and, no surprise, you'll pay more for them).