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Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
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 10/07/2008 10:04 PM
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TunaByte
Joined: 02/13/2007
Posts: 2357
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Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
I am stuck in Chicago for 10 days for work. I am looking for ideas to kill some time on the weekend. Anyone know of anything I should check out?
TunaByte
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10/07/2008 10:20 PM
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hamachi51
Joined: 06/04/2006
Posts: 21
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
Go see the U505 at the Museum of Industry. You can take the train there for a few bucks. Also, there is a 24 hour diner called 'Tempo' next to the Sofitel Hotel near State and Chestnut. They have omellets that are to die for. Hot dogs at Portellos. Go take a tour of Wrigley Field the home of the biggest losers in all of professional sports.
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10/07/2008 10:53 PM
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tonto
Joined: 08/12/2007
Posts: 205
Location: San Juan Cap
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
TunaByte wrote:
I am stuck in Chicago for 10 days for work. I am looking for ideas to kill some time on the weekend. Anyone know of anything I should check out?
Tough question to answer, since so much depends on personal interest.
I lived there for 15 years and here are some of my favorites:
- Blues clubs...(lots of neighborhoods to choose from: The Loop, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, and a lot of classic places like Buddy Guy's Legends, Kingston Mines, etc. Just check the Chicago Reader, which you can pickup free almost anywhere. It'll give you schedules, bands, etc. You can also ask most any cab driver.)
- Wrigleyville neighborhood...on the north side of Chicago, it's easily accessible by cab, train or bus (like most of the city). And it's a great (and safe) place just to walk around and discover lots of interesting bars, pool halls, restaurants, night clubs (Cabaret Metro), etc. Of course, Wrigley Field is there, too.
- Museums... (Art Institute of Chicago is excellent...great location, lots to see, and the people watching is just as fun. However, the Field Museum and Museum of Science & Industry are worthwhile as well)
- Wicker Park / Bucktown... in the old days, very bohemian. These days a lot more trendy... but it's another neighborhood where you can walk on foot for many blocks and explore some interesting places (neighborhood bars, good restaurants, weird book stores, etc.)
- Michigan Ave....downtown. Crowded and busy. But it's the heartbeat of the city and the architecture is pretty awesome. I don't know what they charge these days, but you can ride the elevator to the top of the John Hancock building and the view will blow your mind. One floor down, you can also have drinks or dinner in the restaurant: the 95th. You can walk for miles on Michigan ave....across the Chicago river...see Millenium Park, etc. If you've never been to Chicago, it's a great way to take it in.
- Second City in the Old Town neighborhood (the comedy club that gave birth to Belushi, Radner, and many of the greats.) The club is not what it used to be, but there's some good talent there; the place is historic; and it's a great neighborhood.
- Lincoln Park. It's crawling with yuppies, but the restaurants and pub crawl is excellent (you'll find several on every corner). The vibe is upbeat and the people are very friendly (especially if you like to talk sports).
- Rush St. Personally, I hate this area but a lot of tourists seem to really enjoy it. The place is crawling with bars, clubs, and drunk people looking to get laid (twenties/thirties crowd).
- The Billy Goat Tavern of Saturday Night Live fame...the place is below ground (in the Loop), lots of interesting characters... and of course, the employees do the whole chezburger...pepsi no coke thing or whatever it is.
- Wendella boat ride on the Chicago river. You pay your ten bucks or whatever it is, pile into a big boat, and the tour guide does what he does. If the weather's nice, it's a good time.
The chicago river, btw, is loaded with some monster carp. When I lived there, anytime I was jonesin' to feel the pull of a big fish, that was the cheap entertainment 
~ Randy
This post edited by tonto 10/08/2008
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10/08/2008 05:01 AM
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Brad_G
Joined: 02/14/2007
Posts: 7014
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
I used to go to Chicago every summer for a trade show. I also liked the museums (Field, Shedd Aquarium), walking around Michigan Ave (on both sides of the river, some real neat architecture), the original Pizzeria Uno. Rush Street is kind of yuppy/touristy, but there are indeed a lot of blues clubs, and a lot of small theaters too.
If you feel a bit more adventerous, you could also rent a car or even take a bus/train to Milwaukee or South Bend, IN.
In Deerfield, north of the city, years ago there used to be a Sara Lee baking plant with a nice tour and lots of free samples at the end. 
Brad_G
Common Sense is not Common Enough
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10/08/2008 09:29 AM
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Oldtimer
Joined: 12/03/1998
Posts: 10656
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Chicago.
Lived there for 8 years. Was glad to get out, but as cities go, it's a decent one. Much better than NY or Philly on average. We still go back once or twice a year for a couple of days to visit friends, etc.
Things to do:
Field Museum. Truly great.
The Art Institute. One of the best art museums in the USA. Has enough variety that you can find a period/art form you like and spend a half day looking at it. (I'm NOT an art guy, and I still enjoyed going once a year or so.)
The CUBS! Go to a Cubs game now that they are on their way to the World Series. OOOPS. Sorry bout that. They tanked again. 
FOOD:
Because it's quite diverse but yet still highly segregated (in the sense that various ethnic groups tend to stay in specific areas), restaurants are super. Here's some:
Greektown. Just to the west of downtown. Easy cab ride. There are a bunch of restaurants all focusing upon Greek food. Everyone has their favorite, but mine is The Greek Islands.
Pizza. I still think Chicago has the best pizza in America. We try to visit one of the good places every time we visit Chicago. Our two favorites are the Giordanos. We went when they had but one restaurant on the south side....now they are a chain. But really good. Another one that is good is Lou Malnati's Pizzeria.
BarBQue. Perhaps not as good as KC or Texas, but some pretty good stuff. One of the ones we like is Carsons (for ribs). Another is Smoque BBQ north of downtown; good ribs, great brisket.
Steak. The midwest is meat country, and Chicago is the center of the midwest. There are some great classic steak restaurants. They seem high priced to me, BUT to a person from LA, probably not. They do have good meat, and good atmosphere. Gene and Georettis is a classic Chicago steakhouse from the 1940s. Great old atmosphere....but sometimes the food is a bit uneven. Hit it on a good night, and it's wonderful. But we had an even better steak meal at Don Roths Steakhouse (Blackhawk).
Eastern European Polish Hungarian, etc.. Different stuff than SoCal type food. We like Lutnia for Polish food and The Epicurian for Hungarian food.
FISHING:
If you are going now, you can still do some salmon fishing. There are charter boats right off the lakefront at the harbors. Talked to a friend, and they are still catching some chinook and silvers....about 1 per person on average, so you could get skunked. HOWEVER, if you get a boat that knows how to do lake trout, Oct is a great time. If you like lake perch, there are a couple of boats that specialize in that....lots of fun on ultralight.
Have a good time. Be prepared to go on a diet AFTER you get back home.
Tight lines,
Oldtimer
World's best fish:
This post edited by Oldtimer 10/08/2008
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10/08/2008 09:57 AM
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jiggermyster
Joined: 03/24/2007
Posts: 2823
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
Last time I was there (1996) we went to a town outside Chicago, Elgin, there's a riverboat casino with a great buffet.
Clay
I got my fill of cows in the fall of 2005
dyholi!
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10/08/2008 01:29 PM
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titan05
Joined: 05/07/2007
Posts: 2450
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
If you really want to have a good time just go downtown and wear a sign that says "The Cubs Suck"....that should keep you busy
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10/08/2008 01:35 PM
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HD
Joined: 04/21/2007
Posts: 10241
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
Leave.
Attn: Dental Shoppers
You can advertise to every dentist in Calif. for $20.
Visit www.DentalTrader.com
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10/08/2008 02:34 PM
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Iron Thrower
Joined: 03/01/2007
Posts: 1134
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
White Castles, Pizza's, hot dogs, polish food,,, man, born raised in chi. so much to do,,,,,,
Ray
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10/08/2008 04:40 PM
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TAURUS
Joined: 02/14/2007
Posts: 2434
Location: port san luis
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re: Things to do in Chicago- Need Reccomendation
it really depends on where you are staying...if you're downtown, the navy pier is always fun on the weekends..the swiss is nice(not sure if it's still there).if you have the weekend off, i'd really recomend driving down to notre dame...tour the campus..it's amasing in the fall..also,it's off season but arlington park is always putting something on durring the weekends...usually auctions or car shows...the great thing about chicago is the public transportation...you get to sit next to vomit and travel anyplace for a small fee.
ps: bruce says to leave....i disagree...but i can definitly see bruce having problems in chicago...
This post edited by TAURUS 10/08/2008
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