Give me your Chicago rec’s.

[BurdineBandit 804]

Any thoughts on Ukranian Village vs. Pilsen? Looking up some Air BnB's for early October trip with family. Houses look good (and affordable), but everybody says they're walking distance from "trendy" bars and restaurants etc. Any other considerations? (We're brown as fuck so I think we'll blend into Pilsen nicely)

 

Also, we're beginning to get worried that 5 days might be a bit much (I'm happy just hanging around eating and drinking after day 3, but alas not everyone is), any recommendations for a day trip outside of the area? Milwaukee doable and/or worth it?

Edited July 17, 2018 by BurdineBandit

[Buzzrock 14785]

Holy shit the city is perfect today.  Gonna rip up and down lake shore drive before the boozing kicks in.  This is why you live through the miserable winters - admittedly, these days, I cheat and leave quite a bit for those 8 months...

It’s been spectacular the last two days too. Love being here when it’s like this.

[jebusshuttlecock 200]

See if you can get a brunch reservation at Roister. It's pretty cheap for a Michelin Star restaurant. A drink, a plate, and splitting a second plate ran me $35

[6th Street 6297]

On 7/17/2018 at 9:29 AM, BurdineBandit said:

Any thoughts on Ukranian Village vs. Pilsen? Looking up some Air BnB's for early October trip with family. Houses look good (and affordable), but everybody says they're walking distance from "trendy" bars and restaurants etc. Any other considerations? (We're brown as fuck so I think we'll blend into Pilsen nicely)

 

Also, we're beginning to get worried that 5 days might be a bit much (I'm happy just hanging around eating and drinking after day 3, but alas not everyone is), any recommendations for a day trip outside of the area? Milwaukee doable and/or worth it?

Milwaukee is a 90 min Amtrak ride from Union Station and absolutely worth it for a night. Lake shore in MKE is nice, some good bars along the river, and the public parks have beer gardens. 

Pilsen and Ukrainian Village are both a little out of the way from the sights but cool nonetheless. Pilsen a little rougher around the edges. You should also consider Wicker Park, Bucktown, West Loop, or Lincoln Park. 

[Buzzrock 14785]

I sat at the chef’s counter at Purple Pig a couple nights ago and it was awesome. Those folks hustle. We had pork belly, octopus, beets, paella, and probably something else I’m not remembering. All excellent.

[irishtexan 11414]

On 7/17/2018 at 9:29 AM, BurdineBandit said:

Any thoughts on Ukranian Village vs. Pilsen? Looking up some Air BnB's for early October trip with family. Houses look good (and affordable), but everybody says they're walking distance from "trendy" bars and restaurants etc. Any other considerations? (We're brown as fuck so I think we'll blend into Pilsen nicely)

 

Also, we're beginning to get worried that 5 days might be a bit much (I'm happy just hanging around eating and drinking after day 3, but alas not everyone is), any recommendations for a day trip outside of the area? Milwaukee doable and/or worth it?

UK Village all the way. Pilsen is cool, and there are some cool restaurants and art studios down there. But it's isolated from the rest of the city and there's no L stop. You're kinda stuck there. UK Village is adjacent to a lot of other cool spots, and isn't too far from downtown. I would stay there. 

[mbpcb 55]

all i can think about is ducking out of work early and hitting the Big Star patio for an afternoon of margaritas.

[BurdineBandit 804]

5 hours ago, 6th Street said:

Milwaukee is a 90 min Amtrak ride from Union Station and absolutely worth it for a night. Lake shore in MKE is nice, some good bars along the river, and the public parks have beer gardens. 

Pilsen and Ukrainian Village are both a little out of the way from the sights but cool nonetheless. Pilsen a little rougher around the edges. You should also consider Wicker Park, Bucktown, West Loop, or Lincoln Park. 

Thanks, 90 minutes isn't bad at all. Probably can swing a night so going to consider doing that.

1 hour ago, irishtexan said:

UK Village all the way. Pilsen is cool, and there are some cool restaurants and art studios down there. But it's isolated from the rest of the city and there's no L stop. You're kinda stuck there. UK Village is adjacent to a lot of other cool spots, and isn't too far from downtown. I would stay there. 

Thanks, that's great insight, I've seen the layout of the city on a map but you can't get practicality insight on a map.

[strangulation! 1694]

any recommendations for a good neighborhood for airbnbs? proximity to grant park, aquarium, etc would be preferred, wouldn't mind being within 20 minutes of those via public transport either.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Haven’t been in over ten years. But Gennaro’s on Taylor Street was awesome Italian food. Small. Old school.  You have to be buzzed in as the door is locked. 

[Neonmoon 38126]

It’s been a busy 3 days . Weather has been awesome 

Cloud Gate - aka the Bean - we did it. Nice park but this didn’t really blow my skirt up

Willis Tower - surprisingly no line on Thursday. It’s tall. You can see the city. Ok

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company - this pizza pot pie was fucking amazing. Fatness engaged 

Architecture River Boat Tour - highly recommend. Make sure to get Kevin as your guide. He made the tour. 

Portillos - had some Chicago Dogs here. They were delicious. 

(Walked across the street to McDonalds after to get some coffee but mainly because this was the nicest McDonalds I’ve ever seen. Free air phone chargers, computer kiosks, the future looks amazing.)

Cubs game - great experience. Saw the cubs beat the reds on Friday. Got there three hours before and drank at the Brickhouse tavern next to the park. Just a cool park and great experience. 

Raised - roof bar on the river. Great atmosphere and great view of all the towers. Weather was great 

this city is pretty cool. Really enjoyed the time here. 

Other observations: traffic is a bitch. Make sure to add extra time before an event as it’s hard to get around as there are way too many people. 

Negative: the Midwest is full of some ugly ass people. 

 

[Chewbacca 7620]

I'll just add that we ate at Topolobampo last summer and it was amazing.  Definitely worth going to one of RB's restaurants.

[irishtexan 11414]

On 9/16/2018 at 8:44 AM, Neonmoon said:

(Walked across the street to McDonalds after to get some coffee but mainly because this was the nicest McDonalds I’ve ever seen. Free air phone chargers, computer kiosks, the future looks amazing.)

That McDonalds used to be a shit hole. Wesley Willis wrote "Rock and Roll McDonalds" about it..

 

[G650 13282]

Am I imaging things or did we already have a Chicago thread?

[LW Goatman 1117]

Stuff for young kids?

[G650 13282]

I thought it covered everything, but yeah I guess the title was for kids.

[PorscheGuy 127]

I'll just add that we ate at Topolobampo last summer and it was amazing.  Definitely worth going to one of RB's restaurants.

Also recommend Topolobampo. Freaking outstanding! Went for lunch. Killer margaritas. Cheviche was excellent. I had some kind of blackened soft shell crabs in a tomato broth taco. Insanely good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Orange&White 5501]

Went to a high school buddy's wedding in Indiana this weekend. Had to bribe my 21 year old son by promising some time and restaraunts in Chicago. 

Stayed at the W lakshore. It's fine.

Ate lunch at Lou's for pizza.

Drank at some beach bar across the road from the W.

Dinner at some Imperial Dim Sum place that was ok but nothing spectacular.

Drank at the Redhead piano bar until 3:30 am.

Ate lunch at the Publican and it was spectacular as usual.

Stopped off at Calumet Fisheries on the way out of town and.grabbed $50 worth of smoked fish.

Came back through town today and ate at the Tiny Goat and it was incredible. Highly recommend.

I really like Frontera but couldn't squeeze it in this trip.

[Gale Snoats 242]

Will be there in a few weeks for a long weekend. Want to stay in a cool place but most important is probably location - want a good walkable fun to explore area with a bunch of cool shit. Out of 4 seasons, Chicago athletic club, soho house, and park Hyatt which one is in best spot for having fun walking around? I’ve heard that particular park Hyatt is great. Any standout hotels unique to Chicago? We love soho house in other cities but it doesn’t seem like it’s in as active an area (as far as I can tell but don’t know for sure).

Also any guidance on how far out you have to be to get a reservation at alinea? Any other recs for a great meal if only a few weeks away?

[shnsajax 3589]

If you are on Michigan Ave between Lake Shore and Illinois St I really don't think hotel matter all that much. Park Hyatt is nice as I love Rush St, and Gibson's is only a couple blocks away. 

[Brew 2917]

18 hours ago, Gale Snoats said:

Will be there in a few weeks for a long weekend. Want to stay in a cool place but most important is probably location - want a good walkable fun to explore area with a bunch of cool shit. Out of 4 seasons, Chicago athletic club, soho house, and park Hyatt which one is in best spot for having fun walking around? I’ve heard that particular park Hyatt is great. Any standout hotels unique to Chicago? We love soho house in other cities but it doesn’t seem like it’s in as active an area (as far as I can tell but don’t know for sure).

Also any guidance on how far out you have to be to get a reservation at alinea? Any other recs for a great meal if only a few weeks away?

We have stayed at the hotel Palomar for probably the last 8-10 years at least once or twice a year. It was showing a little age when we were there last, but we still like it. There are plenty of good restaurants right around it. Breakfast at Yolk is a given. We tried Roka Akor and Steak 48 when we were there last month and enjoyed both.

[ramirezut 63]

Honestly, the West Loop is my favorite location to stay in the city. A short train ride to pretty much anywhere, walkable to Au Cheval and Girl & Goat (as mentioned) and other cool restaurants. Plus one of the Goose Island brewhouses is nearby.

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

On 6/5/2019 at 2:49 PM, Brew said:

We have stayed at the hotel Palomar for probably the last 8-10 years at least once or twice a year. It was showing a little age when we were there last, but we still like it. There are plenty of good restaurants right around it. Breakfast at Yolk is a given. We tried Roka Akor and Steak 48 when we were there last month and enjoyed both.

Yolk has fallen off.  Go wildberry.  Use the yelp app to get in line remotely.  

[Brew 2917]

4 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Yolk has fallen off.  Go wildberry.  Use the yelp app to get in line remotely.  

We talked about trying it last month, but that State St. location of Yolk has been super convenient since they opened it. We’ll give it a try next trip.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Brew

[lemonlime 5485]

Any recs on places to stay?  I have to go there for a memorial service in Evanston. The hotels in Evanston itself are ridiculously expensive, so was thinking of trying to find a place on the north side.

To clarify:  not necessarily looking for a cheap hotel.  But if I'm going to spend $250/night on a room, it might as well be in the city proper.

Edited June 6, 2019 by lemonlime

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

27 minutes ago, lemonlime said:

Any recs on places to stay?  I have to go there for a memorial service in Evanston. The hotels in Evanston itself are ridiculously expensive, so was thinking of trying to find a place on the north side.

To clarify:  not necessarily looking for a cheap hotel.  But if I'm going to spend $250/night on a room, it might as well be in the city proper.

Godfrey May be close to that price?  Great rooftop there too

[Brew 2917]

1 hour ago, lemonlime said:

Any recs on places to stay?  I have to go there for a memorial service in Evanston. The hotels in Evanston itself are ridiculously expensive, so was thinking of trying to find a place on the north side.

To clarify:  not necessarily looking for a cheap hotel.  But if I'm going to spend $250/night on a room, it might as well be in the city proper.

If you are looking for a cheap place near Evanston, look in Skokie. I’m in Evanston for work a week a year. We used to stay in Skokie, but moved over to downtown Evanston several years back. There are a number of good restaraunts and bars right downtown, so it was more convenient to be down there. Bat 17 has a solid beer selection and excellent food.

[lemonlime 5485]

11 minutes ago, Brew said:

If you are looking for a cheap place near Evanston, look in Skokie. I’m in Evanston for work a week a year. We used to stay in Skokie, but moved over to downtown Evanston several years back. There are a number of good restaraunts and bars right downtown, so it was more convenient to be down there. Bat 17 has a solid beer selection and excellent food.

Thanks.   I usually stay at the Orrington, but it was $250/night, which seemed absurd.   I'll either stay at a really nice place in the city for that kind of money.  Or find something cheap in the burbs.

[Brew 2917]

1 minute ago, lemonlime said:

Thanks.   I usually stay at the Orrington, but it was $250/night, which seemed absurd.   I'll either stay at a really nice place in the city for that kind of money.  Or find something cheap in the burbs.

We stayed in the Orrington for the last 6-7 years, but we moved over to the Hyatt House this year. It was a significant improvement. There is a Courtyard a few blocks over that was s little cheaper than both.

[Errestaurants 2570]

2 hours ago, lemonlime said:

Any recs on places to stay?  I have to go there for a memorial service in Evanston. The hotels in Evanston itself are ridiculously expensive, so was thinking of trying to find a place on the north side.

To clarify:  not necessarily looking for a cheap hotel.  But if I'm going to spend $250/night on a room, it might as well be in the city proper.

Ambassador Chicago ( used to be the Public) I stay there pretty often and am always pleased with it.

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

59 minutes ago, Errestaurants said:

Ambassador Chicago ( used to be the Public) I stay there pretty often and am always pleased with it.

Love my neighborhood.  I live at 11 E. Walton so you can pop in for some booze.  I’m biased but Gold Coast feels less touristy then river north which is a plus in my book.  

[Errestaurants 2570]

8 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Love my neighborhood.  I live at 11 E. Walton so you can pop in for some booze.  I’m biased but Gold Coast feels less touristy then river north which is a plus in my book.  

I either stay at The Thompson or Ambassador. Big fan of Sparrow.

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

38 minutes ago, Errestaurants said:

I either stay at The Thompson or Ambassador. Big fan of Sparrow.

My man.  Sparrow is a gem.  

[Errestaurants 2570]

1 hour ago, ChiTownDoc said:

My man.  Sparrow is a gem.  

i mean I'm not Rocko. lol

[Gale Snoats 242]

Love my neighborhood.  I live at 11 E. Walton so you can pop in for some booze.  I’m biased but Gold Coast feels less touristy then river north which is a plus in my book.  

Hey doc - any thoughts on soho house v park Hyatt v peninsula? Love soho house in other cities but not as familiar with Fulton market area. Fun area to explore? Any other hotel recs for long weekend for our first time to city? Thanks!

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

3 hours ago, Gale Snoats said:

Hey doc - any thoughts on soho house v park Hyatt v peninsula? Love soho house in other cities but not as familiar with Fulton market area. Fun area to explore? Any other hotel recs for long weekend for our first time to city? Thanks!

That area has blown up. Would def go soho house.  

[Gale Snoats 242]

58 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

That area has blown up. Would def go soho house.  

many thanks!

[mdleast 8097]

mdmost and I will be in Chicago next week for s few days to take in a Cubs game amongst other activities. Staying in the Miracle Mile area. Any recs for a place with a really good, extensive beer selection and also with good food that is somewhat close to/along the rail lines or not too terribly far of an Uber from them? I’ve looked up several breweries and beer bars that look good but all seem to be much more north or out further west from where we are staying or along the rail line I’d assume we’d be using (such as the one we will take to get to Wrigley).

TIA

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

Bastille day party at Waldorf courtyard.  Talent is almost LA level.  Sold out both years but happy to host any shaggy degenerates next year.  Mark it down.   

Edited July 14, 2019 by ChiTownDoc

[lemonlime 5485]

On 7/12/2019 at 1:53 PM, mdleast said:

mdmost and I will be in Chicago next week for s few days to take in a Cubs game amongst other activities. Staying in the Miracle Mile area. Any recs for a place with a really good, extensive beer selection and also with good food that is somewhat close to/along the rail lines or not too terribly far of an Uber from them? I’ve looked up several breweries and beer bars that look good but all seem to be much more north or out further west from where we are staying or along the rail line I’d assume we’d be using (such as the one we will take to get to Wrigley).

TIA

The Publican.

Also, the Hopleaf isn't that far from Wrigley, and is off the red line, although somewhat far from where you're staying.

[6th Street 6297]

On 7/12/2019 at 12:53 PM, mdleast said:

mdmost and I will be in Chicago next week for s few days to take in a Cubs game amongst other activities. Staying in the Miracle Mile area. Any recs for a place with a really good, extensive beer selection and also with good food that is somewhat close to/along the rail lines or not too terribly far of an Uber from them? I’ve looked up several breweries and beer bars that look good but all seem to be much more north or out further west from where we are staying or along the rail line I’d assume we’d be using (such as the one we will take to get to Wrigley).

TIA

Not many good gastropubs off the Mag Mile. Try heading over to Old Town to Benchmark, Old Town Pourhouse, Woodies, or The Vig. Hopsmith Tavern in the Gold Coast always has a good selection of hot ass. 

Once in Wrigleyville try to grab a patio spot at the Old Crow or across the street at Deuces. 

[hobbs 238]

On 7/12/2019 at 12:53 PM, mdleast said:

mdmost and I will be in Chicago next week for s few days to take in a Cubs game amongst other activities. Staying in the Miracle Mile area. Any recs for a place with a really good, extensive beer selection and also with good food that is somewhat close to/along the rail lines or not too terribly far of an Uber from them? I’ve looked up several breweries and beer bars that look good but all seem to be much more north or out further west from where we are staying or along the rail line I’d assume we’d be using (such as the one we will take to get to Wrigley).

TIA

I'll second The Publican rec.  We were there recently and it was really good.

[ajax 2568]

On 7/12/2019 at 10:53 AM, mdleast said:

mdmost and I will be in Chicago next week for s few days to take in a Cubs game amongst other activities. Staying in the Miracle Mile area. Any recs for a place with a really good, extensive beer selection and also with good food that is somewhat close to/along the rail lines or not too terribly far of an Uber from them? I’ve looked up several breweries and beer bars that look good but all seem to be much more north or out further west from where we are staying or along the rail line I’d assume we’d be using (such as the one we will take to get to Wrigley).

TIA

Was there last weekend. I can't speak to beer selection but we ate at the Purple Pig and Boka. Food was amazing at both.

In general, we never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a Lyft ride at various locations in the city.

[Macanudo 12791]

Was just in the Chicago area from Wednesday-Monday.   Let me start off with in fairness, I spent the bulk of my time in Naperville or there abouts but we did venture into downtown on Sunday and Monday.  I have also been several times before and stayed directly in downtown. 

• O'Hare just flat out sucks balls.   It has to be the worst airport I have ever been too.  Traffic is horrific in the general vicinity and it doesn't matter what time of day or day of the week.
• Traffic in Chicago generally sucks ginormous donkey balls.    Every single part of the Interstate Freeways are under some kind of construction.  Entirely too many tolls (how do they get away with Tolls on US Insterstates) and some of the plazas are set up right before a necessary exit (like coming in from the west to O'Hare on 190). 
• Entirely too many Dunkin' Donuts and that place is terrible.  One morning I decided to go get some pastries.   The first local place I tried was a coffee/donut shop.   They had glazed donuts and one kind of bagel.   The second place I went to had two other kinds of donuts.   Ended up at Dunkin' and everything tasted stale. 
• Navy Pier is a complete waste of time.   We went only because none of us had been before and it was just worthless.  
• I'm not really sure what the allure of downtown is.   There are thousands of tourists walking up and down Michigan Avenue doing some shopping but most of the stores exist in any other medium to large city.   I guess if your from Podunk Iowa where there's a Family Dollar and a Dairy Queen as the center of town it has some kind of cool factor.   But I live in Houston.    It's just another downtown.
• A friend up there recommended Giordano's or Lou Malnati's for pizza.   We ended up at Lou Malnati's because the Giordano's we tried to stop at were in places where street parking sucked and I was driving a Yukon XL.   There are around 50 Giordano's in Illinois with another 17 in 8 other states.   Malnati's has around 50 locations in the Chicagoland and around.  Not exactly a unique experience.

So overall, not enthusiastic about going back.  I can see where flying in on a Friday, catching a Cubs game (I've never been to Wrigley) and coming home Sunday would be fun but I don't see any reason to visit Chicago anymore. 

[Carl Spackler 3457]

9 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

Was just in the Chicago area from Wednesday-Monday.   Let me start off with in fairness, I spent the bulk of my time in Naperville or there abouts but we did venture into downtown on Sunday and Monday.  I have also been several times before and stayed directly in downtown. 

• O'Hare just flat out sucks balls.   It has to be the worst airport I have ever been too.  Traffic is horrific in the general vicinity and it doesn't matter what time of day or day of the week.
• Traffic in Chicago generally sucks ginormous donkey balls.    Every single part of the Interstate Freeways are under some kind of construction.  Entirely too many tolls (how do they get away with Tolls on US Insterstates) and some of the plazas are set up right before a necessary exit (like coming in from the west to O'Hare on 190). 
• Entirely too many Dunkin' Donuts and that place is terrible.  One morning I decided to go get some pastries.   The first local place I tried was a coffee/donut shop.   They had glazed donuts and one kind of bagel.   The second place I went to had two other kinds of donuts.   Ended up at Dunkin' and everything tasted stale. 
• Navy Pier is a complete waste of time.   We went only because none of us had been before and it was just worthless.  
• I'm not really sure what the allure of downtown is.   There are thousands of tourists walking up and down Michigan Avenue doing some shopping but most of the stores exist in any other medium to large city.   I guess if your from Podunk Iowa where there's a Family Dollar and a Dairy Queen as the center of town it has some kind of cool factor.   But I live in Houston.    It's just another downtown.
• A friend up there recommended Giordano's or Lou Malnati's for pizza.   We ended up at Lou Malnati's because the Giordano's we tried to stop at were in places where street parking sucked and I was driving a Yukon XL.   There are around 50 Giordano's in Illinois with another 17 in 8 other states.   Malnati's has around 50 locations in the Chicagoland and around.  Not exactly a unique experience.

So overall, not enthusiastic about going back.  I can see where flying in on a Friday, catching a Cubs game (I've never been to Wrigley) and coming home Sunday would be fun but I don't see any reason to visit Chicago anymore. 

Sounds like you had a great time.

[lemonlime 5485]

Shocked that a trip to Chicago to stay in a far suburb and then to drive to and hang out in downtown Chicago during Taste of Chicago was a crowded and annoying experience.

[Macanudo 12791]

3 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

Sounds like you had a great time.

I didn't even get into my sister-in-law who took royal advantage of us.   She got married on Saturday and is the kind of person who last minutes everything and then half asses it at that.   When we showed up on Wednesday, she didn't have anything prepped or planned for the rehearsal dinner on Friday (at her house.)    I didn't plan on spending all day Thursday and Friday at her house helping.   But I felt like I had too.

And yes, I realize staying in the western suburbs results in a lot of driving.   But on Friday, one of my kids flew into O'Hare on a 10:00 pm flight.  It took me almost 2 hours to drive barely 20 miles to the airport nd getting off the highway to side street is tough if you don't know the territory.    That's just insane.   There's hardly ever a time when getting to Bush is even close to being like that over that distance.   I know O'Hare is a busier airport but come on.   And that's just traffic around the airport.   On Sunday, we were driving to Chinatown (don't ask) and we hit a major slow down before Cicero on I-55.   I got off the freeway to try and get around it but so was everyone else.   My detour still took me over an hour to go the last 10 miles.  

Naperville is less than 25 miles from downtown.   I realize that is a suburb but traffic was just fucked.     So, yeah, a little whiny but no one can deny Chicago sucks to drive in.

[ChiTownDoc 20890]

Lol.  Dude you did literally zero of the good shit in Chicago then complain?

Even in round 2 you’d fuck this up if flying in and catching a Cubs game is your plan.  I love sports and a Cubs game probably isn’t in the top 5 things to do for summer in Chicago.  

I lived here for 9 years before setting foot on Navy Pier then finally went for an ASO formal.  And you chose that as one of the few things you could squeeze in.  Lol.  Did you read anything from this thread or just the internet in general?  Fucking nobody recommends Navy Pier.  SMH

 

edit:  driving blows.  You nailed that.  I only work in the burbs but have a full time driver.  /humblebrag

Also ‘if you don’t know the territory’?   Waze. Lol

Edited July 17, 2019 by ChiTownDoc

[Bevo Num1 1003]

I was in Chicago all of last week and I had a blast. Besides it being hot as fuck on Wednesday, weather was great. Taste of Chicago was cool and I think Chicago has the prettiest skyline of all the major cities here in the US.

 

 

 

 

[Moby Ric 2058]

If you think O Hare sucks you have never flown out of LAX or Logan.