Downtown places to eat?

Fun stuff to do: Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, and Shedd Aquarium are a cool way to kill a day in a single location (just drive down and park for the day in the lot). The Art Institue, Buckingham Fountain, and The Bean are very close to your hotel.

Navy Pier is free, as is Licoln Park Zoo, a few miles north of the city. Also, I recommend going to the Signature Room (bar, not the restaurant) on the 95th floor of the Hancock Tower. You'll avoid the fee of going to the Observation Deck, but you'll get the same view, and the added benefit of a relaxing drink.

Places to eat: Bennigans is close to your hotel, but kind of touristy. Millers Pub is very cool on the inside, but I've never eaten there. Elephant & Castle is a traditional British pub, with good food and beer selection. Buca di Beppo, in River North, serves good pasta, and is my standard pre-race venue.

If you want a truly eye opening experience, go to Ceres (inside the Board of Trade) for a Friday cocktail. NOTE: It closes at 8pm, and gets very busy with the post-work crowd by 5pm. If you like liquor, this is the place to go.

If you find yourself up at Lincoln Park Zoo, head to RJ Grunts. One of my favourites. Excellent food. Another good spot in that area is Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder.

Fun things:  Go take a walk through Millenium Park.  See the bean!  Catch a concert there in the Park for free.  Go to the John Hancock building and get a beer at the bar up at the top.  It's the Signiture Room I think.  Best view in the city.  Any of the museums or planaterium there are very cool as well as the aquerium.  I love the Museum of Science and Industry.  Catch a Bears game or Blackhawks game.  If you like jewelery check out jewelers row, also right by the Palmer house

Eat:  Right by the Palmer house Millers is good pub food.  For fancier, there are several.  The Italian villiage has 2 nice resteraunts inside that are good and reasonable.  Giordanno's is the best pizza around.  Edwardo's is awesome too if you get down to printers row.  If you like steaks go to Ruth's Chris or Gibson's, these are pricey though.  You can also eat at the Signature room, but it's also pricey.  Harry Carry's has good steak too but slightly less stellar ambience and service.

Have fun!

Of course you haven't- you're an athlete!  It's 565 W. Jackson, few blocks west of the river.  It's horrible for you, but it's so good once every few years.

http://www.loumitchellsrestaurant.com/

Custom House
Graham Elliot
GILT bar (also food)
Mercadito

All delicious. All a cab ride from Palmer House. Graham Elliot is expensive.

Have fun!

I agree with this.  I'm a much bigger fan of Meli in Greektown.  Incredible breakfast!  For cheap and good breakfast though you can go to Under 55.  It's a cafeteria in the basement of the building just across the street (eas) of the Palmer House

You will be pretty close to the theater district. I have no idea what's playing right now, other than Book of Mormon. Or you can just take a cab/the L and go to Second City.

You also could walk a few blocks south to the Harold Washington Library, which is 10 floors of awesomeness.

So many to choose from. 

Gioco (Italian)

Hub51 (Great fish tacos!)

The Saloon (chop house, and my favorite in town)

The Purple Pig (all things pork)

Publican (also all things pork and a great beer list)

The Gage (Americana with a Canadian twist.  Pretty good poutine and a ridiculously expensive but fabulous elk saddle)

Those are just a few of my favorites.