Our weekend getaway guide proves that Chicago doesn't slow down when cold winds blow off Lake Michigan: It just gets less crowded.

By Don McLeese

Winter in Chicago

In the quiet of the Art Institute of Chicago on a cold, hard winter afternoon, you can almost hear Georges Seurat's brush tapping the canvas, adding dot after countless dot to the thousands that make up the masterpiece "La Grande Jatte." Occasionally, a footstep sounds in the hall and a student rustles by, but these small reminders that the galleries did not open exclusively for you today can't break the impression that they did. It's a heady reverie, studying world-famous paintings leisurely and up close, believing you just might hear the artists' voices.

A few hours later, it's hard to hear your own voice among those of 20,000 other fans cheering on the Chicago Bulls. While music pounds through the United Center after the game, you realize it's a good thing winter nights are long in the Windy City. You still have a jazz club to hit before heading for your hotel in the Loop.

This is the city's off-season, when thoughts of winds whipping off Lake Michigan convince many visitors to stay home. But to those who have experienced a wintry Chicago weekend, it's clear that instead of slowing down when the weather turns cold, this town just gets less crowded and more affordable.

"In January and February, when there isn't as much convention business, you get treated like family," says Geoff Alexander, director of operations at Vong's Thai Kitchen. During summer, diners at the bustling River North Asian bistro face crowds like those found at hot eateries all over town, waiting an hour or two for a table. In the off-season, the host seats you before you can shake the snow from your coat.

"During this time of the year, you can see and do so much without waiting in line for anything," Geoff says. "The museums and the theaters are all open, and they're easier to get into."

Winter visitors sample Chicago's rich variety through art exhibitions, theatrical productions, and a dazzling array of music clubs. During Chicago Winter Delights, a citywide initiative running from November through February, venues highlight a different cultural theme each weekend, including music, theater, and cuisine.

Hotels do their part to tempt visitors between the holiday rush and spring thaw. While hotel occupancy in the central business district peaks in June at 80-90 percent and an average daily room rate of more than $170, in January those numbers drop to about 50 percent occupancy and an average rate in the $130s, according to the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.

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