Whoa. Check out this email I just sent to my friends. They asked for suggestions of what to do in Chicago, and I whip out this epic novel. I'm not going to label this post, and I don't even expect anyone to read it unless they want ideas of what to do in Chicago. Just wanted to show the sheer volume of stuff I came up with off the top of my head.
Here are some suggestions for you. You might want to double-check if places are still open. My information is about 2 years old. :) I'm also CCing Kevin, so he can pipe in if he thinks of anything else.
Food:
Giordano's is my favorite deep-dish pizza (and I've sampled an embarassingly large number of them). There are locations all over the
city, and they deliver if you want.
Geja's Cafe is where I had maybe my best Chicago meal. It's a fondue restaurant. It's expensive, but when we were there we found a "Cheese and Chocolate Special" for $18 a person. Definitely great if you like fondue and want to go someplace nice. Another negative (or plus, depending on how you look at it) is that they don't take reservations. It's usually a wait in the two hour range on the weekend - not sure about a weekday.
D.O.C. Wine Bar is also on North Clark and is a really nice, fun, laid-back, and usually not too crowded place to get drinks or even
dinner. You can get flights of wine for a reasonable price, and although the place looks pretty trendy the staff is usually really nice and approachable.
Carmine's is an Italian place Kevin LOVES. It used to be his favorite restaurant. It's also a little expensive, although probably less than Geja's. Right next door is:
Tavern on Rush which is also super nice, a little expensive, and very "Chicago." Both it and Carmine's are on Rush street just a little north of downtown.
Angela's Burrito Style: Late night Mexican food. The later you go, the more characters you'll see. Also on North Clark and very casual. The atmosphere is NOT fancy at all. Think fast food restaurant but less clean. Ha.
Clarke's: On Belmont near where it intersects with Clark. This is a really fun, young area (and also right by where our new apt is). This is also good late-night food. It's open 24 hours and is a diner so has about everything.
The Signature Room (John Hancock Building): One of the best pieces of Chicago advice I can give you is this: If you're interested in going up in a tall building and looking down, go to the Signature Room in the Hancock Building. They'll charge you a lot to go up in the Sears/Willis Tower or the Hancock Building. If you go to the Signature Room, you're like one floor below where the others go, and it's free except for the drink or appetizer or dinner you order! The views are stunning. The women's bathroom has the best, believe it or not.
Nacional 27: This is one of my very favorite restaurants. Latin American food. Really, really nice atmosphere and staff. A little expensive. Apparently, it turns into a salsa/flamenco club on weekend nights after a certain hour.
Activities:
Millennium Park: Really fun to walk around (and FREE!). There are 2 restaurants there. The one with outdoor seating is more casual. The Park Grille is indoors and a little fancier.
Art Institute: Kind of expensive to go to, but amazing if you like art. You could spend days in there.
Navy Pier: Definitely touristy. It's nice on a pretty day, though.
The Lakefront: Chicago's lakefront is really beautiful, and almost all of it is public park (in fact, literally all of it might be). It's nice to walk along and is also free.
The Vic Brew and View: I LOVE THIS THEATER. You get in for $5 (Bring your ID. You have to be over 18.) It shows fun stuff--second run films, TV show finales, etc. You can buy snacks or drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). It's in an old theater theater--like where plays used to be (I think. It looks old and fun regardless). It's just casual and fun and one of my favorite non-touristy Chicago things. Near the Clark and Belmont intersection also.
The Century Landmark Cinema is a place that, in the words of my cousin, "You can go in, pick any movie they're showing, and will love it." Also on North Clark. (Am I biased?)
The architecture cruises are really fun. If you take one, do the river tour.
Lincoln Park Zoo: FREE! And good. Kevin knows the gorillas by name. If you walk just a little farther north through the pretty parks you'll find the Conservatory, a really nice botanical garden/greenhouse that's also free.
Second City: A great comedy club on North Wells. A lot of Saturday Night Live's cast gets their start here but, in my opinion, it's way better than SNL. This is one of my very favorite things to do in Chicago. There are two troupes: Second City and Second City Etc. I like Etc. better because the humor is more political, but both are great.
North State/Dearborn: If you start at Division Street and walk north on either State or Dearborn, you will see the most beautiful mansions and their perfectly manicured postage stamp lawns. After several blocks you'll hit a park, and if you want you can walk out to the Lakeshore at that point. Walk towards the blue and find a bridge or tunnel to get out to the beach. :)
Pilsen: If you feel like an adventure, you can head down to the Pilsen/Little Village neighborhood. It's 95% Mexican, and you'll feel like you're in a different country. The National Museum of Mexican Art is down there and cool to visit.
Wicker Park Fest: I've never been, but Wicker Park is a "hip" neighborhood and the description says they have food and indie music. Here's a website where you can get more info: http://chicago.metromix.com/events/fair_festival/wicker-park-fest-2009-bucktown-wicker-park/225683/content
Celebrate Clark Street: Another festival, up north. More music! http://chicago.metromix.com/events/fair_festival/celebrate-clark-street-festival-rogers-park/939166/content
Shopping:
Water Tower Place: Really nice, fun, indoor shopping mall. On Michigan Ave.
Clark/Belmont intersection: Crazy, funky stores. Venture down Halsted Street and you'll see more male mannequins dressed as women than you can imagine. Also fun coffee shops and ethnic restaurants.
Armitage: I've discovered a really cute shopping area at Armitage and Sheffield. There aren't a ton of stores, but they're really
cute.
Handy Websites:
www.metromix.com - This is where Kevin and I get ideas all the time.
http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/trip_planner.aspx - Go here to plan trips on public transportation. If you're downtown or anywhere that I've listed, really, you'll also be able to hail a cab without a problem.
http://chicago.metromix.com/events/article/chicago-festival-guide/339943/content - A guide to all of the festivals in Chicago this summer. I stopped listing all the ones that looked fun above because there were too many!
No comments:
Post a Comment