Cheap Chicago Weekend Getaways

Eat breakfast at a coffee shop. The first morning, we ate at the hotel, a $30 beginner's mistake that pushed the day's food budget over $100. The next day, we stopped at Starbucks -- leaving us with more cash (and less guilt) for an alfresco lunch at Tempo Cafe (left), near the Magnificent Mile.

Try ethnic restaurants, where you can explore new flavors without spending a bundle. We munched on fried plantains and drank colorful milk-and-fruit smoothies called batidos at Irazu, a Costa Rican restaurant in artsy Bucktown. Later, I introduced Juan to lamb kabobs and hummus at Maza Restaurant, a white-tablecloth find with not-quite-white-tablecloth prices in Lincoln Park.

Avoid pesky small expenses. Knowing we'd have backpacks on our bike ride, we filled our own bottles at the lakeshore trail water fountains. We also packed granola bars for snacks (and brought cash to avoid ATM fees).