July 1, 2004 -- If you've been procrastinating on getting out of town for the holiday weekend, American Airlines has a deal you might not be able to refuse. Head out to Chicago, where the Taste of Chicago food festival is going on, for a pittance on the spur of the moment. You don't even have to ask for any days off from work.
Major airlines release last-minute fares every week, but this week's crop are unusually vigorous. Last Friday, we reported on some still-available deals from United, Alaska and Spirit, available here. This week, Frontier (www.frontierairlines.com/www/) came up with their own sale, featuring pretty good fares primarily to and from Denver for the holiday weekend, departing Saturday or Sunday and returning Tuesday or Wednesday.
But the star performer this week is American, who enhanced their last week's sale with some truly impressive fares to and from Chicago and along the West Coast, What's best is, you can buy these tickets for a Saturday departure and a Sunday or Monday return, so you don't have to take any time off from work. Great fares include (all fares roundtrip, before taxes):
- Minneapolis to/from Chicago: $89
- Madison to/from Chicago: $90
- Cincinnatti to/from Chicago: $109
- New York City to/from Chicago: $138
- Denver to/from LA: $138
- Lincoln, NE to/from Chicago: $144
- Tulsa to/from Chicago: $161
- White Plains, NY to/from Chicago: $180
American's sale involves flights from 28 cities to/from Chicago, so check out the full details on their Web site.
Chicago In 24 Hours
What should you do with a day this weekend in Chicago?
First of all, get a hotel downtown. Check out our Chicago Hotel Guide , but be aware that most hotels will be marking up their rates for the holiday weekend.
So turn to super-discounters like Hotwire (www.hotwire.com) and Priceline (www.priceline.com). On Hotwire, we found a 2.5-star hotel north of the Loop at $80 for July 3-5, and we'd expect to find the same kinds of deals on Priceline.
Focus your time in Chicago on the Loop and Grant Park - most specifically, on the Taste of Chicago festival running through the Fourth. Take an architectural tour of the Loop, home to some of the nation's most gorgeous buildings and most impressive public art. Do some shopping on Michigan Avenue, and take the El up to the Lincoln Park Zoo, a great attraction when the weather is nice.
For a low-budget thrill on Sunday night, try the Neo-Futurists, a raucous comedy troupe based on the North Side. Their Sunday night shows start at 7 PM, a much more reasonable time than their 11:30 PM shows on Fridays and Saturdays.
Weather.com says there may be occasional showers on Saturday and Monday. If there are, duck inside the Art Institute, right on Grant Park next to the festival, or take a bus down to Chicago's spectacular Aquarium.
For more suggested itineraries, check out our Chicago guide at www.frommers.com/destinations/chicago/.
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