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Mayo, along with three of her friends, and myself are headed to Chicago to see The National and the Arcade Fire on April 22.
Anyone from the Chicago area want to give recommendations on where to go to eat/drink/play? We'll be staying downtown and taking public transit. This is my first trip to Chicago, but probably not the first trip for everyone else. I'm sure we'll do some touristy stuff, but I'd rather have the recommendations on things to do that are more local; cool restaurants, shops, bars. Where's the cool, hip area of town?
Also, this particular weekend in April is my birthday weekend! I'd love to go somewhere fun (and not too expensive) to celebrate with dinner and drinks. And I'd love to meet any fellow Inforoosters in the area.
PS. I've already hit up Chico, and I'm sure he'll show us a great time, but I figured I would ask others to take my mind off of Roo planning... I need to plan for something a little closer than June
Post by chloetuesday on Feb 21, 2011 13:41:08 GMT -5
Where is the show? Have you checked out the Wrigleyville area? There's a fantastic little spot for lunch, The Pick Me Up Cafe (Roscoe & Clark). Lots of great dishes and coffee www.yelp.com/biz/pick-me-up-cafe-chicago Also just down the street is Goose Island Brew Pub. 312 & Honkers Ale = YUM!
Post by chloetuesday on Feb 21, 2011 13:47:29 GMT -5
If you are doing touristy things, I can recommend the John Hancock tower, but I'd skip the Sky Deck if you want to just sit and relax. There's a restaraunt a floor above the sky deck where you can order a drink and just soak in the views. Not sure how pricing is on the menu items, but a beer will run you about $6 - this is still dramatically cheaper than the Sky Deck fee. Signature Room - www.signatureroom.com/ The Art Institute on Michigan Ave. is totally worth it, too. They have a $15 fee to enter, but you can give a donation if you can't afford the $15 and they'll gladly accept it. The museum is on Millenium Park property, more or less, it's a fun way to spend the afternoon for free
Great places downtown to eat include Portillo's, Mr. Beef and Lou Malnati's. If you have a bit of time, XOCO is also a great option. Probably the best torta I have ever tasted, but there is typically a bit of a line.
There is also a great little brewery that just opened up in the West Loop that has some delicious food and brews called Haymarket.
I lived there for several years, so let me know if you need any other tips.
The show is at UIC, but I'm not really looking for stuff around that area, per se. We'll have the rest of the weekend to check out the town (Friday will probably be dedicated to getting to town, getting to the hotel and getting to the show).
And the best original shops can be found in the Armitage area of Lincoln Park. There is a brown line stop that drops you off right in the heart of the area.
Post by chloetuesday on Feb 21, 2011 13:52:53 GMT -5
Bucktown (Damen Blue Line) Wrigleyville (Addison Red Line) Lakeview/Boystown (Belmont Brown & Redline) Those are my old stomping grounds and have lots of little shops & cafes ALL OVER! Belmont Harbor is my favorite spot in the city for some fantastic views and no crowds. www.chicagoharbors.info/harbors/belmont.php Belmont & Lake Shore Drive
Post by champagne cory on Feb 21, 2011 15:57:30 GMT -5
One of my favorite places to grab something to eat is Uncommon Ground on Clark. All local/organic food options. Goose Island Brewpub is also great, I prefer the one in Lincoln Park on Sheffield Ave, much better service. In terms of places to hang out, I would recommend Wicker Park/Bucktown. Blue line Damen stop. Essentially you'll get off the train and have several options for places to hang out. There is a super cool cocktail lounge called Violet Hour where the drinks are fantastic, but also have a price tag to match. For deep dish Chicago Pizza, everyone will tell you that (insert name here) is the best, so you have your choices between Gino's East, Lou Malnatti and Giordano's. I prefer Lou's. If you decide to head to Wicker Park, and would prefer thin crust Pizza, check out Peace. It is also fantastic, and they have won several medals for they micro brews. If your hotel is on/near Michigan Ave check out the Billy Goat on Lower Wacker ("cheeseburger cheeseburger cheeseburger! No Fries! Chips!"). You can PM me if you have more questions, I also work in a hotel, so let me know if you need any help with secrets of the city!
Thanks for the suggestions thus far! I'm pretty excited about this trip... seeing as I really never go anywhere. Except Bonnaroo, but that's only an hour away from me I tend to lead a pretty frugal life so dining out anywhere is a treat; Dining out in Chicago will be even more awesome!
Frank, if you have any suggestions of places we should stay away from, let me know! Our hotel is like a block or two from Michigan Ave, which I understand is the tourist area... probably plenty of tourist traps there.
It's cool to walk around the Mag Mile, but all of the stores are chains. It's still a beautiful area, though. Avoid the bars on Rush - that's a huge tourist trap. Don't bother w/ the Sears Tower (Willis Tower, whatever) - way too expensive. Check to see if the museums are running any specials while you're in town. They occasionally have free weeks/months throughout the year.
I second the Billy Goat recommendation. Newspaper columnists and retired athletes are routinely eating burgers in there during the week.
Hey I saw this thread about the chicago area and just wanted to know how many people from the area are going? I am actually in De Region(northwest Indiana) and looks like I might be going solo for my first Roo and was looking to chat with people in the area and such and who knows maybe meet up at Roo or form a caravan down to the farm
We've received some good recommendations for restaurants but I'm always looking for more! We're going out to dinner on Saturday night, to celebrate my birthday. I'd love suggestions on somewhere that was cool, near a train stop, and not terribly expensive.
Post by Whoreshack on Apr 19, 2011 15:35:22 GMT -5
Go to the Empty Bottle in Ukranian Village/ Wicker Park. Best small venue dive bar. Metro, of course, for larger shows, is great. Lincoln Park Zoo is free and close to the lakefront. Too many quacking bars and restaurants to mention. Every corner's cool.
