Guide to Chicago?

Q

Quadry

250+ Posts
My wife and I have decided to take a short trip in June somewhere we have never been before. It is between Chicago and Savannah, GA. Almost 100% Chicago now, but I need some advice on Chicago.

I am thinking of staying at The Drake, I have more than enough HH points to cover a deluxe room. Also will only be there for a few days, what are the must sees, places to eat, drink, etc.

I know we will hit up Wrigley Field one day and The Art Institute of Chicago as well.
 
It's a tossup between Chicago and Savannah? That's sort of like the Manning vs. Leaf debate if you don't have family involved. I know you can't be obsessive Paula Deen fans
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Chicago is a cool town. Hotels aren't that bad pricewise. The Hilton was $129 per night and across the street from Millenium Park. Millenium Knickerbocker is comprable both location and price wise.

There is a lot to see depending on your agenda. (Wrigley Field, Millenium Park, Lake Michigan, etc.)

Food wise it is awesome. Lou Malnati's buttercrust pizza is worth the price of admission alone. I hate to admit it, but they have Texas beat in the rib department as well. Carson's kicks ***. Of course there is the hot dog thing too.

You can get around via the rail or cabs fairly easily.
 
Definitely try to go to Wrigley. I went there in September for a day game, sat in the bleachers, drank Old Style, etc. It kicked so much ***.

U.S. Cellular, or Comiskey Park, is actually really nice too. I went there w/ DAGMAR in June for a game and it was fun.

I stayed downtown on the company's credit card when I was there in June. Everywhere I went I took a cab or the train. Lake Michigan was absolutely stunning in June....and so were the chicks.

For eats, go get some Giordano's Pizza whn you get a chance. Its the tits.

All in all, I would PM DAGMAR with where to go. He took me around and he was a kickass guide. Plus, he's fun to get drunk with...except when you have a presentation the next morning at 7 am and you are doing yager bombs the night before.
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Lou Malnatis is a great pizza. My favorite is Art of Pizza, but it is way up north and out of the way (Ashland and Wellington). Twin Anchors (Euginie and North Park) has great ribs. A few months ago, I went up to the bar at the top of the Hancock Tower and it was an amazing view (block away from the Drake). The ladies love it. You are with your wife, so you are most likely going to spend a couple of hours on Michigan Ave.

Wrigley is a must. Go to Murphys (Waveland and Sheffield) before the game and get an Old Style. If you like jazz, I would suggest Green Mill up north. It was Capones favorite place and it usually has a small cover.

Metromix is a good place to search for special stuff on the weekend you are going. There are always parades and festivals during the summer. You will have an awesome time for sure.

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Alright, we have decided on Chicago and The Drake. Flight is only $540 and free hotel!
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I am looking forward to the pizza and heading out. Too bad it is not during football season, I would love to see the Bears. I am looking forward to Wrigley. I will iron out some more details today, but thanks everyone for the suggestions and keep them coming.

Dag, I am sure you are going to get sick of my pm's!
 
I'm headed to Chicago in June as well. Taking the family, in-laws and a couple of brothers. We have bleacher tickets to two Cubs games vs. the Braves. We're staying in a rental house about 3 blocks south of Wrigley. I can't freaking wait. The Wrigleyville area looks like a great place to do plenty of drinking. I'd like to hear Dag's top 10 places to drink/hang out, aiming the suggestions at that general neighborhood as much as possible and for a 30-40 something age group (no dance clubs). Cool bars? Laid back beer gardens? I'd love to get opinions on those types of places.
 
Don't think it has been mentioned on here - you must do the architecture boat tour on the Chicago River. It is amazing. Will be perfect in June.

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Also, definitely go to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the Hancock Center for a drink. It is so cool. View from:

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The Field Museum kicks all kinds of ***.

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Your wife can shop all day on the Magnificent Mile.

Millenium Park looks bad ***.

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I am going to Chicago for work in a few weeks. Haven't been since 1998. Just talking about this stuff is getting me all geeked up for my trip.

I am definitely having dinner at the Chicago Chop House. Heard too many good things about it.
 
I am going to probably go in June also. My best friend is in Detroit and we're talking about meeting there. I am not sure Michigan Ave. is ready for the both of us being there in the same month.
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If you are a fan of John Belushi, The Billy Goat Tavern is a must. It was the inspiration for the Cheezborger, Cheezborger! No Pepsi, Coke! skits.
 
Went to Chi-town for a conference just this past weekend. I didn't have much say in where we went, so we didn't hit any of the places mentioned.

We were too early for Friday lunch at Harry Carey's, and the rude hostess ensured that we didn't stay or try again some other time. We ended up at Redfish. It was fine for a quick lunch, but nothing special.

We did Friday night at Ballo which is a nice little Italian joint on Dearborn. The Edmonton Oilers were in town, and sat at a table next to us. Most of them were missing teeth (I thought they were from Oklahoma at first). The grub was excellent, and the portions were more than enough to share. The vibe was casual albeit a tad loud. If you want something quiet and intimate, this ain't it. If you like a lively atmosphere, great service, and top notch eats, give it a look. Word to the wise, most of their pizzas are not in the Chicago tradition. This may be a good thing, depending on your tastes.

Saturday night, we ended up at Kinzie Chophouse. Among the 7 of us, we covered the flat iron, strip, ribeye, and filet. They were all edible, though nothing worth note. The key lime pie was one of the best I've had outside of Belize, but as much as I like key lime pie, that's not the reason to go to a chophouse. We would not go back there unless we couldn't get in anywhere else (which is why we went there in the first place).

Sunday lunch was at Navy Pier at a place called Riva Cafe. We should have gone to the Billy Goat, but cheeseboorga cheeeseboorga, didn't sound good at the time. The food at Riva was decent enough. The worst thing about it was that it was at Navy Pier. I'm sure some people like the pier, but it wasn't for me. It caters to the middle class tourista. I can't imagine that anyone who lives in Chicago ever actually goes there.

For cultural experiences, we only caught the Field Museum. You could spend a full day there, and not see everything. If you have any interest whatsoever in indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, this is the museum to see. I have never seen a more complete collection. My interests are slanted more toward the Southwest, and I was hoping they would have more collections from that area (they published several reports on the area in early quarter of the 20th century). Still, I can't say that I was disappointed.

There were plenty of things that we did not get to do that we would have had we had more time. I think it is a great choice for a getaway. I may have to go back with the wife sometime and burn some of my HH points there as well. Please report back on your Drake experience. My conference was at the Westin, which was plenty nice, but my HH points would not work there.
 
goin to chicago in may
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gonna be there for about 5 days to meet a hs friend, who is at northwestern. and, timed it around a cubs day game.

just a ttt to see if anyone has any more suggestions

ill post and let y'all know what we end up doin there
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just got back from a weekend trip. great city.

stayed at the w lakeshore and the hard rock hotel. did the mag mile deal, and thats probably the only part i didnt like about the city. locals must loathe that street, you can barely walk up and down without getting bashed in the side with a huge purse or handbag.

old town and gold coast were very cool. grant and millenium park are wonderful, as is the field museum. didnt make it to the science and industry museum but wouldve liked too.
 
You picked the perfect weekend to go to Chi Benson. That was perfect weather. Beer garden weather is coming up for sure.

I have live in Chi for 2 years and I have been on the magnificent mile once when some family visited. It sucks
 
I too am hitting up Chicago in the near to sorta near future. I am invading a friends extra bedroom in Hyde Park. Thanks for all the suggestions in this thread.

I am also going to hit up my own personal tour of the history of House Music. Also going to hit up pawn shops and thrift stores that sell music to seek some hidden gems that may be laying around. I doubt it but maybe there will be some.
 
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