Chicago input if you got it.

[BURCH]

I will be in Chicago for business in early January. I would like to fly my wife up to meet me for the weekend after to celebrate her Birthday. Neither of us have ever been there before but always hear such great things.

I will be staying near and working at 70 W Madison St. Couple of questions before I start doing research on my own.

Would this area be fine to continue staying at for the weekend? Or is it strictly a business district? Would it work for being able to just walk out and get to some local cultural spots during the day? Don't want to be in a dead spot for the weekend.

Any recommendations (interesting museums (not really art), we love old bars, good restaurants, and my wife really likes hitting up a local coffee house and strolling around). Might be too cold for the strolling part though... :D

I also want to avoid renting a car so I am looking to rely on cabs or public transportation.

Thanks in advance.

[malcolm]

I love Chicago and get up there a couple times/year. Others can probably comment better on the area you are staying, I'll stick to eats. For the best meal of your life try Alinea also very good in the uber spendy range is Avenues. Tru used to be one of my favs but I just ate there recently and was underwhelmed. Less spendy although still expensive but good is Kevin, I haven't been in a while but it has always been good also Japonais. Good moderate price and no reservations accepted is Blackbirds and right next door Avec. Avec is very interesting tapas and unusual wines and pretty good selection of Belgian and French beers. Tuscany is a family/local type italian rest there are several in the city and I think they are very good, but good italian shouldn't be hard to find. Gene and Georgetti's is also pretty good and if you are there on the right day has the best tiramisu ever.

[SManning]

I'm not from Chicago, but we visit there quite a bit. The neighborhood you're staying in is in the Loop area. I stayed in that area when I visited during college and I didn't think the area was very safe at night. During the day was great, but I didn't feel comfortable walking around at night like I do when we stay in the Northern Michigan Ave. area. I like the Amalfi hotel, the lobby is understated, continental breakfast is pretty good and they have Aveda bath products. The Hyatt and the Intercontinental are also very nice. Those hotels aren't super far north and you can walk or use public transportation to about everywhere.

Restaurants:

My favorite is Frontera Bar and Grill. It's in the North Michigan Ave. area. It's pretty close to the Amalfi. It's Rick Bayliss' restaurant. Awesome mexican cuisine, but expect a wait. Another way to experience Rick Bayliss' cuisine is to go to the Macy's store on State Street. He has a cafe on the 7th floor. It's called Frontera Fresca, the tamales are to die for. Yum, goat cheese and corn tamales with tomatillo salsa.

Museums:

The Museum of Science and Industry is pretty neat. My husband and I enjoyed it as adults. You can take the METRA straight to the museum.

The Aquarium and the Field Museum. They're next to each other and you can take the El or the bus to those.

It's also fun to take the elevator up to the top of the Hancock Center. Instead of taking the elevator to the observation tower and buying a ticket, take the elevator to the bar area, order cheesecake and a drink and enjoy the view that way. The cost ends up being about the same and the lounge and dessert is a lot more fun.

Enjoy the trip.

[14max]

*

[Ken Robb]

I think you'll be fine staying there. Les and I like Bin 36 at about 339N. Wabash. They serve flights of many kinds of wines and cheeses and have a pretty good menu for grazing. Heaven on 7 is nearby and kind of fun for New Orleans cuisine. Chicago Chop House is also walking distance and may be the epitome of an old-timey Chicago steakhouse. Pizzeria Uno (and Due) are also walking distance and a Chi-Town tradition. We used to go there when I was in High School. It wasn't so much for the pizza because there are a lot of good places for that but the place was dimly lit, romantic (for high schoolers) and they couldn't see i.d.s very well. :) If you only do one thing make it the Museum of Science and Industry. It can fill a whole day and leave me wanting more.

[Hardlyrob]

Yes for Heaven on Seven - go for brunch if you can.

Keep in mind that the Pizzeria Uno and Due have NO relation to the chain Uno Chicago Grill - which used to be called Pizzeria Uno. Bin 36 is a treat, and well worth it. There is also a fondue restaurant in that area - I think - that's fun, but you come out smelling like a French Fry!

Cheers!

Rob

[rphetteplace]

Rosebuds is the best Italian I've ever had.

Check out this website www.roadfood.com besides loving to bike I love to eat!

[MadRocketSci]

The 95th - named because it's on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. Pricey, but you won't need to do the $$$ trip to the top of the sears tower after that.

The rest of the time go regional with ribs, italian beef, polish, hot dogs, deep dish pizza (Gino's on Rush or Uno/Due, not Gino's East), steak, germantown, greektown, chinatown, and walleye-pike sushi fresh from the lake. Just kidding about the sushi. head out to the burbs for seafood at Bob Chinn's if you've got a car.

[ctric]

What a nice city. I've go to Chi. a lot (mostly for business) and would say it is like NY but smaller, cleaner, less congested with a touch of the mid-west. You can't go wrong. I see you've gotten a lot of good recommendations. I would add Nick's Seafood Market (not far from where you are, but it is pricey) and Pappa Gus' for good Greek food. Consider a walk to the Navy Pier.

Enjoy.

[djg]

I spent quite a bit of time in Chicago, including six years of grad school, but haven't visited much in the last couple of years so I don't really have the latest on the restaurants. I always liked the Frontera Grill, which has long had a following for its regional Mexican food (and on the very humble side, for real Chicago style hot dogs, the Wiener's Circle). We visited just a few weeks ago with the kids, but most of our time was filled with family activities, so we didn't get to try any of the newly famous food centers.

The Art Institute of Chicago is a great museum, really, but if you want museums sans paintings, you might try the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry (on the South Side, near the University of Chicago) or -- my fave, and an awesome aquarium, the Shedd Aquarium.

You might like a walk around Millenium Park, especially if the weather is decent, and there's great architecture (and tours) if that appeals to you.

There's all kinds of great music in town too, depending on your tastes.

Wrigley Field is very beautiful, of course, but the Cubbies don't play in January.

[Grant McLean]

Tour of the Oakpark neighborhood.

There are about 20 Frank Lloyd Wright properties to see.
If you don't have time for that, and you're staying in town,
get to the Robie House on the campus of the university.
Awesome atmo.

http://www.oprf.com/flw/H&S.html

http://www.wrightplus.org/robiehouse/robiehouse.html

-g

[capybaras]

The Green Mill is fun. Eat Thai, Vietnamese, and Polish food. Take a cab to hear good jazz and blues.

[Tom]

20 years ago I was there for a couple weeks of IBM school and I am not sure how I found my way but I wound up in a hole in the wall paying 50 cents for beers, moving my bar stool around so the leg wouldn't be on the floorboard that kept collapsing and being absolutely blown away by some band called Eddie Hawkins or something like that. The bass player played sitting down because he had artificial legs and one kept turning around backwards, between songs he'd flip his foot back right side up and the guitar player was some woman in her early twenties that sounded like the second coming of Son Seals.

10 years ago I went looking for the place again and the whole neighborhood was gone or I just couldn't find the place again.

If you find such a place, mark it well and tell me where it is so I can go back there.

It killed me to walk into some non-descript bar and hear a band that good on a little stage where they piled their instrument cases and coats on top of the piano and were complete masters of their craft. It made me wonder what the bands were like in the fancy places.

[djcrimmins]

The building you're working at is pretty centrally located in the loop. The financial district is to the west and south, and you're surrounded on the north and east by the shopping on State Street and the theater district. I would not be concerned about safety at all in this area; you'll be about two miles from anything that I begin to get uncomfortable about, even at night.

The main tourist zone is just across the river to the north, along Michigan Avenue and in the few blocks east and west of it. You'll find no end of high-end shopping, dining and hotels here if that's your thing.

If you're planning a weekend, I would plan on one day downtown, and one day exploring a neighborhood or two. Within easy walking distance of your hotel will be the Chicago Cultural Center, Millenium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as the shopping along State Street and Michigan Avenue. You'd be a short cab ride from the other museums, including the Field Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park. There's also the tours operated by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, either on foot or by bus. The history and architecture in Chicago are pretty amazing, imho. At night, there are plenty of theater choices, including broadway-style musicals and great theater at the Goodman. Check the half-price hot-tix booth at the cultural center if you're looking for discounts on the day of a show. Don't forget the Symphony or the Opera, if those are your thing. Both are world-class.

When I visit a city, I like to get a taste for how people live there. If you get some time, take an El ride (or a cab) to a neighborhood like Wicker Park, Lakeview or Andersonville. You can poke around in coffee shops, quirky stores and antique dealers for hours. Plenty of good music to be found in neighborhood bars, too. Oak Park is not a bad way to spend an afternoon (that's where my home is), if you have any interest in Frank Lloyd Wright. It's a short ride on the Green Line from downtown.

Good luck planning your visit. It's hard to not have a good time in Chicago, I think.

--Dan.

[Hard Fit]

Downtown is a bustling area. Tourists just stream to the city every weekend.


Public Transportation
http://www3.yourcta.com/Default.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1


For cheap theater tickets:

http://www.hottix.org/ or stop buy the office at 72 E. Randolph just a short walk from where you are staying.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

http://www.cso.org/

Theaters:
Downtown-
http://www.harristheaterchicago.org/calendar
http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/
http://www.goodman-theatre.org/
Neighborhood-
http://www.victorygardens.org/content/
http://www.steppenwolf.org/
http://www.blueman.com/ticketinfo/chicago/
tons of smaller theaters

Film(off-beat):
Downtown-
http://www.artic.edu/webspaces/siskelfilmcenter/
Neighborhood-
http://www.facets.org/asticat
http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/

Zoo:
http://www.lpzoo.org/

Architecture:
http://www.architecture.org/tours.aspx


Museums (not mentioned already):
http://www.mcachicago.org/


Opera:

http://www.lyricopera.org/

Bars:
State St. and Division


Ethnic Restaurants:
Polish - various, Red Apple 3121 N. Milwaukee (taxi)
Indian - Devon Avenue around 2500 West (taxi, it will be somewhat expensive)
Chinatown - 2100 S. Archer (taxi recommended, it will be somewhat expensive)
Ethiopian - http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=ethiopian+restaurant&near=Chicago,+IL&fb=1&view=text&latlng=41993206,-87660370,16560391190548111114&output=html
(taxi, it will somewhat expensive)

[Louis]

A couple years ago my GF (now ex-GF) and I went up to Chicago for the FLW house tour. We stopped off at a bookstore, flipped through a Zagat's, and picked a well reviewed semi-upscale restaurant somewhere out in the 'burbs. I now have no clue what the name was, or where it was located, but it was one of the best dinners I've ever had. If just randomly we could find something that good, then I'm sure with some research you ought to be able to find something awesome.

Also, getting around is quite easy, whether by car or public transportation. Over the years I've done both and had no problems.

Good Luck
Louis

[stackie]

Having lived near Chi town and visited frequently, I second the recs for Frontera Grill and Pizzeria Uno/Due.

However, since you mentioned coffeeshops. You MUST go to Intelligentsia. They have several locations and are widely thought of as the number one roaster and espresso bar in the US, David Schomer's Espresso Vivace notwithstanding. Going to Intelligentsia was a pilgrimage for me, the visit itself was an epiphany! You can find them on the web.

Jon

[RIHans]

Just bring the cake.

http://www.charlietrotters.com

I've been for a drink...I was a student. Very posh.

Like Paris, just cheaper. Chicago girls are very pretty.

[BobC]

The Parthenon on Halsted. Just ask a cabbie to take you to The Parthenon in Greektown. Best Greek food anywhere. Relatively inexpensive, quick service, no reservations required. Growing up there I used go every chance I could.

Shedd Oceanarium (formerly Shedd Aquarium) is fantastic. Ditto on the Museum of Science & Industy. I didn't like the Field Museum when I was a kid, but loved it when I went back with my kids.

Do a tour of Michigan Ave shopping district. And while you're there, do you mind stopping by "Hawkquarters"? I am running low on Blackhawk hockey stuff.

[BURCH]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I really appreciate it. I have lots of places to look into now and it should be a good time. Always wanted to see Chicago.

[malcolm]

One other place to suggest if you like beer. The Map Room. It is a dive bar but has at least 150 different beers on tap and in bottles. I'll +1 on Bin 36 and Frontera.

[Spinner]

Nick's Seafood, Rosebud's and Charlie Trotters, with Charlie topping the price list, but what a fine dining experience. At Charlie's they'll take you on a kitchen tour as well. You won't believe how small of a room they can pack 18 chefs into.

I've also had a great slab of tuna at a place out on the Navy Pier, but I can't remember the name.

The museum of art has one of the world's greatest collections.

Cheers!