Chicagoans unite....kinda..
 

Ok, here is the deal, I am not so much looking to plan a meeting or get together as I am just generally looking for information about Chicago and a possible trip in the next few months.

I just got married and as sort of a belated honeymoon/vacation we might be taking a short weekend trip (maybe a week, depends on finances) up to Chi-town in May or June.

My pops said he would pay for rooming when we get there we would just have to find stuff to do, I mentioned that I would LOVE to see a Cubs game and visit Wrigley and he said if the tickets were expensive he would buy them for us instead of paying for a hotel. The wife would like to try some real down home Chicago style (insert food here).

So hit me with your hints of places to go, or the best places to see besides Wrigley. We might only be there for a weekend, maybe a week depends on how finances are with me out of a job still money is tight.

Every time I hit up Chicago I go to see Blue Man Group, climb the Hancock building (2nd tallest there), and stroll down Navy Pier (when available).

I'm not the longest standing Chicagoan by any means, but the group has made sure I knew all the food!

Cubs tickets just went on sale last week, so if you haven't pinned down a date yet and that's something she really wants to do, AND you want to pay the cheapest possible price for tickets, book those ASAP.

I have the same questions because my wife and I will be doing the exact same thing, albeit for our 10th anniversary.

We'll be hitting the Art Institute and doing an architectural boat-tour for sure, and maybe the museum of Science and Industry but what I really want to know about is food: Where are the quintessential Deep Dish Pizza and Hot Dogs?

I don't know when we're going yet.

I'm not worried about getting "good or cheap" seats for the games, and since I don't even know when we will be there it is kinda hard to nail down which game I would want to see.

I am more interested in just seeing the stadium and walking around taking in all the sights and sounds of one of the last "classic" ballparks.

First off, this city is great for cheap things to do. :)

Cubs tickets: We always get them about an hour before the game. You can usually talk them down and if you aren't concerned about where you'll be sitting you can generally get a decent deal. There are various vendors that sell the tickets either in buildings or have a set-up on the sidewalk around Wrigley Field. In the worst case-scenario, you'll never pay face-value or watch the game from a bar across the street which will give you an experience. There are also walk-ups along that area that let you watch the game from the top of them. I've never checked that out, but they have food and drinks included in the cost of sitting on their roof-top bleachers.

Lincoln Park is lovely. There is a free zoo, conservatory, and lily pond. The nature museum is also in the area and I think it's $7. The butterfly room is worth the cost, the rest of it is sort of sub-par.

Millenium Park is fun. The shiny bean, the huge faces that spit water, flower gardens, a place to sit and relax while dipping your feet in cool running water, and if there is a festival it is generally there or in the adjoining Grant Park which has Buckingham Fountain. I love going there and taking work breaks since I'm right across the street from it. I feel lucky.

Navy Pier is fun. I skip the ferris wheel and ride the swings. They also set off fireworks on Saturday and I believe Wednesday nights between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The lake shore walkway is very pretty especially when all the sailboats are out. It is a nice way to walk from park to park.

Food:
Giordanos has good pizza which is the deep-dished, stuffed variety. There is generally always a wait at the one in the downtown area. There is one on Belmont in the Lakeview neighborhood that is less crowded.

Portillos is great for whatever kind of food. I usually get the bacon cheeseburger, but you can get the chicago-style hot dog there. It is in the downtown area at Clark and I think Ohio. I generally don't pay attention to cross streets.

Museum Campus, which is south of Grant Park, has the Planetarium, Field's Museum, and aquarium. Personally, I'd skip the Field's. The Planetarium was my favorite and I was very surprised by that. But I really enjoyed the hands-on aspect of it. I believe you can buy packages which will probably save you money to visit all the museums (the 3 mentioned, the Art Institute, and the Museum of Science and Industry (which always has a horrific line)). The museum of Contemporary Art is east of Michigan Ave a couple blocks south of the John Hancock tower. Which is also in the area of the huge Hershey store and Ghiradelli chocolate which has delicious ice cream sundaes.

There are many tours: boat architecture tour, ghost tour, gangster tour (I can't remember the exact name of it), and the double-decker bus tour of the city.

For a feel of the neighborhoods, you can take the blue line north-west to Damon and walk around Wicker Park/Bucktown which is considered the artsy/hipster neighborhood. Take the Red Line north to Belmont and experience our pride areas/Boystown. There are many independent stores, like the cookie jar store and The Alley, which is alternative lifestyle central all within a mile or so from each other. Plus, the neighborhoods give you more of a chance to see the architecture in this city, which is gorgeous in my opinion. These neighborhoods also have places like the Weiner Circle, Flub-a-dub-chubs, and other hot dog places plus a variety of other types of restaurants from Mexican to Thai and of course sushi.

Whew, that was probably an over-load of info. I LOVE this city if you can't tell. :) Any other questions or clarifications, just ask.

Thanks Shesus! I'll probably have more once the dates are confirmed.

Shesus, exactly the type of information I was looking for.

THANKS!!

I looked in the chat room for you the other night since we had spoken before, I am the one in Columbus, OH so I knew you were in Chicago but not sure who else was.

Go to Pilsen. I like the National Museum of Mexican Art. They have a good variety of paintings, prints, sculptures, installations, photos, etc. There are bunch of good places to eat on 18th St. Just pop in one of them.

There's also Oak Park with all the Wright houses. Going out on the Green line will let you see what neo-liberalism has done for Chicago. Great views of ex-factories & slums. Then you can go visit some neo-liberal geniuses at the University of Chicago down in Hyde Park (there's also the Robie House, another Wright piece.) They've hidden the Henry Moore bomb sculpture behind the Regenstein Library, but it's worth a look.

It can be an interesting to walk around the steel-mill neighbourhoods on the south & southeast side. Not sure how much community is left.

And go see a mural by Bill Walker, Mitchell Caton, John Weber, or Caryl Yasko.

shesus did a great job of hitting most of the high points. There are a few others, though.

The Signature Room has mediocre steaks but great views from the top of the Hancock Building. But they also have a bar. Go get a drink there. It's worth paying for an $8 beer, which is only $0.75 less than Wrigley.

Cubs tickets can be impossible to find if the right team is in town. If the White Sox or Cardinals are playing the Cubs, forget paying anything under $100. But if it's the Dodgers or Mets (for instance), you'll probably find something reasonable.

There are HUNDREDS of great bars and restaurants. Rather than flooding you with names, give me an idea of what you want.

There are several architectural tours, which kind of sounds boring until you realize how many buildings are unique to the city and what architecture does for the place. The boat tour is good, but you should also take a walking tour. You'll see and learn more. The Chicago Architectural Society is the one that you want to on, not any of the others. The others have hosts that rarely know what they're talking about and often are absolutely wrong about the facts.

See the Science and Industry Museum if only for the only captured German U-Boat.

There are some cemetery tours that are pretty neat as well.

That's what I can come up with off the top of my head.

Glad I could help out. I'm in chat very rarely these days, especially since my laptop died.
Hope you have an enjoyable trip! This city is quite amazing, I don't think one could ever get bored.

i'm in chicago as i write this and have been remembering stuff i like about this city.

the bar in the customs building, 500 south dearborn, makes a dangerously good gin and tonic. this both a recommendation and a warning. yikes.

quimby's. it's a great, peculiar little bookstore in wicker park (on north, not far from the intersection with milwaukee & damen, so not far from the blue line stop). if you're interested in new graphics or situationist politics or chapbooks or zines, there's no place like.

i like the seminary book co-op in hyde park, but sometimes it scares me.
i like the soundsystem at sonotheque on chicago near ashland, east of it. excellent place to go dancing if there's a kind of music spinning that you're into.
i like the empty bottle.
i like the wednesday night music series at the hideout on wabansia.
i like the idea of taking a boat ride down the chicago river but i've never done it.
i like the collection of cornell boxes at the art institute. i like their artists book collection too.
i like the free concerts at millenium park in the summer, sitting under the giant bicycle helmet looking at the architecture of downtown while listening or not listening to a performance.
i liked riding my bicycle along the lakeshore trail except on weekends in summer.
i like the story about the city making the chicago river reverse the direction it flows in.

Get The_Jazz to take you to the Berghoff for beer! It's where he took me when I visited and it's really near his office, so he can duck out of a boring meeting.

Is this the same Berghoff that bears the beer name? I am curious as I just tried an amber bock from the Berghoff brand for the first time last night and it was quite tasty.

Shesus mentioned some awesome stuff.

I'd like to add that if you're architecture, make a trip to Wilmette and visit the Baha'i temple. The surrounding area is right on the lake and is always a great escape for me on warm days. Plus, there are only 7 Baha'i temples in the world and the only one in North America happens to be in Wilmette, about 4 miles from where I live.

They're doing some construction, however, so about half the gardens surrounding the temple are closed off.

http://www.photography-plus.com/imag...ai092900_2.jpg

If you go in July, Grant Park has free movie nights. It's awesome. Good to spend some romantic night outdoors overlooking downtown to a good movie.

Manny's Deli for lunch
Garrett's popcorn
Santorini for dinner in Greektown
Billy Goat tavern for lunch - the original location
Second City for the late show if you're there on a weekend

Awesome advice! Manny's is amazing (Barack stopped off there specifically after being elected.)

And Garrett's, well, just go and find out. :D

I swear the one on Randolph deliberately pumps their caramel corn scent up through the sidewalk gratings on purpose just to make everyone walking by there want some. You can smell it a block away.

damn you, jj...

now my nose is going crazy...

Chances are decent I will make a Chi-town appearance this week at some point. Probably weekend, maybe not. I'm off work until next Tuesday. :)

I'm headed there in a couple weeks myself. My typical weekend-in-a-training-room thing, but I'll have Friday night the 17th free, if y'all want to have some dinner. I hit O'Hare at about 7:30.

Toaster, you know you always have a place to crash. Hopefully we'll see you in a day or so. :)

Ratbastid, keep us up-dated on your plans.

Pictures please? I love seeing photos of tfp get togethers, no matter how small.

We totally forgot the pictures. It's really too bad too, what with all the naked twister we played with that baby oil...

We booked our tickets today and are coming mid-May. We got a really sweet online deal to stay at the Intercontinental.

It's our 10th anniversary and our first overnight trip without the kids so you'll have to forgive me if I'm too busy to meet up with any of you. :cool:

a sound piece i did with clairaudient is going to be played at milennium park in the main pavillion on 16 july.
not sure either of the context or the time, but i'll let you know.
i could well be there...

Thus far I'm in town that day. If I can make it, I will.

Dammit Toaster. That was supposed to be a secret...
At least you didn't tell them about the spankings you guys got from me. ;)

Mayfest | StarEvents is THE TOP CHICAGO EVENT and CHICAGO FESTIVAL COMPANY

Here's a link describing the mid-May street festival........I think it's the first one of the year, so a nice weekend will bring Chicagoans out in force after another normal (brutal) winter.

I agree with previous posters' advice on doing the architectural cruise, Millenium Park, and the Wicker Park blue line corner on a warm weekend night is always a good time.

Welcome & enjoy!

fresnelly, enjoy the trip and use our little travel guide here to hit all the hot spots.

Sadly I don't think I'll be making it anytime soon. Hopefully the financial picture can clear up a bit and then a vacation will be in order.

Any recommendations for an early morning bakery on or near the Mile and River where we could pick up some decent coffee and goodies for a quick breakfast?

You mean Michigan and the river, right? If so, there aren't that many "bakeries" in that area. The real estate's too expensive. If you're looking for coffee and pastries to go, you're better off with Starbucks or your hotel. If you're looking for a to-go breakfast sandwich, there's a Potbelly's at State and Lake, and their coffee isn't terrible.

Old Timer's at State and Lake is pretty good for a sit-down breakfast.

But if you're looking for independent coffee house with something ok to eat, try Intelligensia. There's one at 55 E. Randolf (between State and Wabash).

---------- Post added at 03:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 PM ----------

It is the same. It's also Liquor License #1 in the city, and the bar only opened to women in the 80's.

Any TFP'er that ever wants to grab a beer there has a standing invitation with me. If I'm in town, I'll be there.

There is a Cosi deli kind of place in that general area in several locations- it has quiche, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries. Their coffee wasn't bad.

Another option is the Corner Bakery. Both are more commercial chains.

Also beware that Intelligentsia locations downtown are not open on the weekends. I was dismayed when I discovered this after making a trip down there on Saturday.

a little on the pricey side but well worth it: japonais (sushi & asian fusion), gene & georgetti's steakhouse

less pricey and equally well worth it: giordano's deep dish pizza, potbelly's sandwiches (it's a chain but I loved it and the staffers were great)

and for cubbies tix: goldcoasttickets.com, bleachers (which are great) are just 80 bucks

and also an excellent experience, the Art Institute -- great collection (everything from ancient sculpture to contemporary) plus the best monet collection I've ever experienced.

good luck! you won't go wrong with chi-town.

We had a great time this weekend!

For all of you keeping score (and score I did) we:

Pizza at Lou Malnati's
Breakfast at Mary's Cafe
Architectural Boat Tour
Lunch at Gold Coast Dogs
Bike ride on the Waterfront
Dinner at Shaw's Crab House
Breakfast at Eleven City Diner
Planetarium
Lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern
Flight home (bonus Gold Coast dogs at the airport)

And now for some gratuitous touristy photos:

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Fresnelly,
Sounds like you had a wonderful Chicago trip.
The photo of the bean is different from most that I see people take. I see the bean everyday, but I've actually only been under it twice.