I am definitely in! After all these years on the forum, I can't wait to meet you in person, Angie.
Fair warning: March 17 is a very big holiday in Chicago: everybody in town is Irish on St. Patricks Day!
I just checked, and the dying of the river and the parade are on that day. The Chicago River is dyed green at 10:45 am, and the St. Patrick's Day Parade Chicago kicks off at noon. Have you guys ever been downtown for that? It is very fun, but there are thousands of people all over, especially around the river. The parade route is down Columbus, so at least Michigan and State won't be closed off.
http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/
We have often stayed downtown on that weekend (it's around my birthday :)) and it gets nuts pretty early on, then people start drinking. It's the bridge at Wacker and Michigan, and the hotels around there, that are the worst. It has taken 15-20 minutes to walk across that bridge in stop-and-go crowds. I guess it depends on what we want to do: enjoy some serious shopping and each other's company, or take in the amazing sight and energy of Chicago and its visitors in full celebration swing. I like both options, but I think State St will give us the first experience, and Michigan will give us the second.
For those unaware of what we have in Chicago:
Michigan Avenue is the famous Magnificent Mile. Lots of high-end shops, restaurants, hotels, and tons of people and energy. There's a Nordstrom at one end and a Macys at the other, and everything in between.
State Street is in the middle of the Loop, and is home to the famously stunning Macys/Marshall Fields department store. It is also in the middle of a resurgence, and lots of other new stores have been popping up along it, like Nordstrom Rack, a new specialty Walgreens with its own salon (??!!), and in the brand-new Block 37 shops there is Zara, Sephora, Anthropologie, and Eileen Fisher.
Just some things to consider!
