NYC & Chicago in Late Feb/Early March
 

The Lishs' are coming to NYC & Chi' Town!

i have leave for about 2.5 weeks in late feb early march (feb 26-march 13), so im working on an itinerary at the moment (and waiting for approval of my leave application).

i'll probably spend 1-2 days in NYC & then 5-6 days in Chicago, and then im open to suggestions. im thinking of flying to seattle to see some of she-lishs' family, but it depends on how much the whole thing will cost (im so used to having cheap holidays), or maybe even god forbid.... Colorado?

so who's in?

she-lish and i will be bringing baby-lish with us, so for me this will be a chilled out experience rather than the go-go-go im used to. im guessing that most of the stuff we'll be doing will be indoorsy kind of stuff, but suggest away...hmm...food glorious food

i should have confirmed dates in the next few days, but id rather see what everyones plans are here so i can work around them.

I'm in!

See you when you get here.

I suggest that you add in Florida and bring your falafel recipe. ;)

It will be COLD here that time of year. Make sure Baby-lish has warm clothes. Lots of them. We'll be happy to see you!

As far as other places, well, that's a little difficult. Seattle will cost you probably $600 to get to (assuming that Baby-lish travels as a lap baby). The train would probably take 4 days, minimum. Probably about the same for driving.

What else do you want to see when you're hear?

i know it'll be cold, monkie tells me its about zero C..BBRRRRR... but its the best i can do to space out my leave. i have kilimajaro booked in for mid year, so ive got to accrue leave for that too.

apart from the buffalo chicken everyone talks about, i dont really mind what i see.. im sure you guys will think of enough things, but ill do my research too..im sure i can find something to fill my time for a few days.

J, is that $600 for 2 adults and a lap baby? and is that a return flight?

noodle, how about i bring my recipe with me and you drive over with Toaster?

Uh Dlish... sorry to tell ya... its going to be 0 C on a WARM day when you're down here.


More likely to see -6 to -12C about the time of your visit. not trying to scare ya or anything, just want to make sure you're still alive at the end of the visit! :)

Chicago to Seattle is $259/adult roundtrip, including a weekend stay.

Monkie's given you more accurate weather to expect. And that's the air temperature. It will feel a lot colder with the wind. Seriously, you need to make sure that the little one has enough warm clothes for this kind of trip.

I can keep you busy in Chicago for 5 or 6 days no problem, virtually on museums alone. My question is that you've got at least 5 or 6 more days in your schedule to fill. Seattle is neat and worth a visit, but is there anywhere else you want to see? Grand Canyon? Disney? Gettysburg? This country is BIG (not that Oz isn't, but people don't drive across it too often), and I think that some foreign visitors forget that.

Honestly, I'd recommend using NYC as a base for those extra days and then taking the train to Boston or DC to see the sites. You could do the same in Chicago, but there's less to see and most of it would require car travel since train travel in the Chicago area is notriously congested (seriously, there's literally a constant traffic jam of trains within 100 miles of Chicago). Just a thought, though.

go to Boston.

seriously. It's the best city in this country. well.. the roads there are stupidly laid out, but the city is massive fun and has loads of history.

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oh..and leave your C4 at home :D

I am SO in for a Chicago visit. :)

And yes, I will also emphasize the need for WARM baby clothes.

C4? What? Huh?

...

This sounds like a gnarly TFP meetup. I shall attempt to work it into my schedule.

I wanna get a picture standing next to Dlish while he's doing his Incredible Hulk face.

Oooh...maybe the SW Ohio Peeps could all drive up to Chitown together..... TFP ROAD TRIP!!!!

When I know the dates maybe I can schedule to come to Chicago if I can find a cheap place to stay....Dont know where Dave will be then...could be in Russia or could be home, I have no hard dates on the job he has to do in Moscow yet

Also: Anybody who heads toward DC needs to give me a buzz so I can come and harass them.

Perfect timing! The campaign I'm working on ends Feb 2, so I'll either be totally free or mostly free when you visit. I'm definitely in!

Don't let them scare you: the average temperature in Chicago for February is -4C, and for March it's 3C. You should certainly pack for cold weather, and more importantly pack to protect yourself from the wind, but it's not like you're visiting the antarctic ;)

SM, speak for yourself, LOL - not everyone has a car that they use to get around :p

I'm going to be limited to nights and weekends during the visit unfortunately (feb 28 is our fiscal year closing at work) but I'm up for whatever!

If you are a big foodie, I can make some good recommendations in either city for some excellent restaurants, depending on what you are willing to spend. :)

You should try to make it over March 5th, cause that's my birthday, and therefore awesome. (kidding :p) I should definitely be free around then, looking forward to saying hi! :)

well this year is your lucky year!

i confirmed with jazz that i should be arriving on the 4th March and staying for 4-5 days!

borla, i'd be after anything from cheap takeaway to anything mid to high range. i do have a budget for the 2.5 weeks i plan on staying in the states. i intend on not spending it all on food!

Dude!! Seattle!!! We can have a Lebanese TFP meetup :D
We can definitely show you around :)

thats on my books ktsp!

I didnt want to get your hopes up if we changed plans..i was just waiting on feedback from she-lish's family in seattle before i sent you a PM

Hey, we're not that far away and my folks are up there, so if you end up in Seattle over a weekend, let me know.

Cool :). Now my hopes are up, so you can't bail out.
And yes, Snowy, come on up too! :)

I might be able to find my way to Chicago in March. Sounds like fun!

Here are some Chicago suggestions:

If you are willing to REALLY spend some money, I'd recommend a dinner at Charlie Trotter's. It's been named one of the 1001 places to visit before you die, and I can vouch that it deserves being called a lifetime experience.

For a more reasonably priced dinner, go to one of the Francesca's. It's a small chain in the Chicago area that has what I consider to be the best bang for the buck Italian food. You can get entrees from $12-20 that will rival the best Italian food anywhere. Google "Francesca's Chicago" and go to whichever location is most conveniant. I've been to several and they've all been consistently great.

For your cheap (maybe lunchtime) type stops, you have to go to at least a couple of the famous hotdog spots. Superdogs is probably my favorite. Dear god, please don't ask for ketchup. :squint: Portillo's, Al's Beef, or Weiner Circle are other good spots.

And go down to Lou Mitchell's at least once for breakfast. :thumbsup:

Borla, why haven't you and I hung out in real life? We obviously have some pretty similar tastes in food. (I'll answer that question for you by pointing out that it's "Superdawg", not "Superdogs").

The menu at the Francesca's varies a bit by location, so if you have a favorite at one, it's not necessarily going to be served at another. I found that out the hard way.

i'll eat pretty much anything i can get my hands on, so if francesca is the place to be, i'm there!

grumpy, book early bud!

whats the weather like in NYC at the start of march?

this may sound embarrasing, but ive never worn thermals in my life, its it really necessary? maybe for baby-lish?

Dress in layers. Thermals can be ok, but as long as you have 3 or 4 layers you'll be fine. That way, you can tear away or put on if need be. Caps and gloves are a must. Winter coats if you have them.

I will see what I can work out for spending a weekend in chicago.

Lish you might really like this, we are experiencing a cold snap right now and it was -50C with the windchill the other day, -39C without!! Now that is cold!!!

Chicago sounds like a good place to visit, all this talk of food has my mouth watering!

Haha, forgive me, it was late when I typed that and I had had a few Sam Adams, thus the Dogs/Dawgs faux pas. :D

An FYI on Francesca's, it's not just location to location, but their menu changes every few days even at the same locations. They often keep a few staples on almost all the time, but some items change regularly. However, if you want something that is off menu, they will often accomodate you if you ask.:thumbsup:



IMO, Francesca's is one of the best bang for the buck restaurants you will find anywhere. There are better spots, but you'll pay far more. I've not found a more consistently good meal in the $12-20/entree price range, and I've experimented quite a bit.



As far as thermals, I only would consider wearing them when shoveling snow, hunting, or otherwise spending long periods of time outside. If you are doing normal city activities, you should be fine without them. However, the suggestion to dress in layers is a great one, especially if you can't handle much cold.

Just an FYI, smeth and I will be attending an opera on the evening on March 5th, so if there are any TFP plans that night, we wouldn't be able to make it until late.