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Chicago - Places to eat, things to do, etc
kime
Queen of BladesRegistered User regular
Queen of BladesRegistered User regular
Hi all! I'm taking my wife to Chicago for her birthday in a month or so. The main point is to see a specific concert that she wanted and that I couldn't get tickets for anywhere else, but beyond that we'll have a couple days or so to kill in the city.
So, what all should we do?
She's an art fan, what are some good art museums and such there? Any good parks or other nature-y things that will be nice in May?
Any restaurants/foods that we really need to eat?
And in particular, is there a slightly fancier/romantic place that people recommend? Preferably something near-ish the Chicago Symphony Hall, as it would be nice to go there afterwards.
As far as transportation in/around the city, public transit work best? Uber/Zipcar/anything like that?
Thanks!
So, what all should we do?
She's an art fan, what are some good art museums and such there? Any good parks or other nature-y things that will be nice in May?
Any restaurants/foods that we really need to eat?
And in particular, is there a slightly fancier/romantic place that people recommend? Preferably something near-ish the Chicago Symphony Hall, as it would be nice to go there afterwards.
As far as transportation in/around the city, public transit work best? Uber/Zipcar/anything like that?
Thanks!
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Posts
There are a lot of things to do in Chicago, including the museum campus.
Here is the art institute: http://gochicago.about.com/od/chicagomuseums/p/art_institute.htm
Which is super close:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chicago+Symphony+Center,+220+S+Michigan+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60604/111+S+Michigan+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60603/@41.8798396,-87.6269523,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x880e2ca3c25b7cd3:0xbf133e83ec91f1be!2m2!1d-87.625065!2d41.878988!1m5!1m1!1s0x880e2ca40f7a6527:0xe1315e31f9a6b6db!2m2!1d-87.6242154!2d41.8806822
Right next to that is a bunch of outdoor art, including the 'bean' (cloud gate), and all that green area on the map is parks.
I second the Art Institute, but there's also the Museum of Contemporary Art if you're into more modern stuff. It's a little further away, though.
You might also want to check out the Field Museum, which is generally awesome and does have some Native American stuff, if memory serves me right. There's also a sizable collection of taxidermy, a fantastic gemstone exhibit, and of course, dinosaurs.
We've got two zoos, the Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield. I personally prefer Lincoln Park zoo. Brookfield's exhibits are really far apart so it feels like you do more walking than animal-watching. (Also, it's not a free zoo and Lincoln Park is.) But Lincoln Park can be a little hard to get to if you're relying on public transportation.
There's also the aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry, which are both pretty fun. If you like astronomy, there is the Alder Planetarium. Although I don't really recommend spending more than three hours or so at the Planetarium. (There's not a lot to do, and I don't find it that interesting.)
Oh, and the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago is pretty cool, too. It's a little out of your way, but if you catch the Metra Electric and take it to 59th street, it's not too bad a walk. Then you can also check out the Semenary Co-op bookstore, which is the best bookstore I've ever been into. And there's a really great french bakery called Bonjour Cafe on 55th street, which would be a really great place for lunch. If it's too far a walk, I recommend Medici, which is much closer and where everybody at Uchicago eats. (Checking out Hyde Park would make a fun day trip.)
Chicago has a lot of different options for public transportation- there's the CTA (trains + buses) and the Metra (trains). I personally prefer the Metra to the CTA (it's cleaner, the seats are a little nicer, and it's quieter.) But the CTA services more places. I've generally had decent experiences with Uber, but honestly there are so many taxis in the Loop you won't need to get Uber. (Also, they're a bit better than Uber, in my opinion.)
Food wise, Tesori is supposed to be really good, "fancy" and close to the CSO. (It might be my mom's favorite place to eat in the city.) I know people think very highly of the Russian Tea Time restaurant, but I don't remember if I've eaten there. Giordano's supposed to be "Chicago's best pizza" but it's not fancy and you really have to like deep dish if you're going to eat there. (I personally think that their pizza is basically molten cheese over cardboard, but I am very much in the minority here.)
Either zoo would be a full day trip. But again, I suggest Lincoln Park. Personal preference aside, it might be kind of chilly in Chicago since it's May, and logistically, Lincoln Park is better to visit when it's chilly because since the buildings are closer together there are more opportunities to warm up while still looking at animals.
Also, the Field, MSI, aquarium and zoos wouldn't be particularly "intimate" trips. Like, they can get pretty crowded and there are generally lots of children running around, so you'll be very aware you're around other people. If you're looking for something relatively quite where you can really focus on enjoying each other's company, you want to do the Art Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, or make a trip to Hyde Park to see the Oriental Institute and some of the other stuff down there. (If you can arrange it, I've heard touring the new Mansueto Library is really fun.)
Oh, and if you don't mind the train ride up to Evanston (It's a suburb near Chicago, but it feels a lot like a city in certain areas) there is a fantastic rock and fossil store called Dave's Down To Earth Rock Shop. They even have a tiny museum in the basement, with some really spectacular amber specimens and a full cave-bear skeleton! To get there, I'd head down to Ogilvie Transportation Center, and take the Metra to Main Street Evanston. Dave's is just down the block and around the corner, and there's a Belgium Chocolate shop nearby that I remember having really great candied apricots dipped in dark chocolate. (It's got a better selection, higher quality specimens, and is cheaper than the rock store on Michigan Avenue.)
The Museum of Science and Industry is nowhere near the others. Field, Adler, and Shedd Aquarium are all right next to each other. The MSI is on the south side near the University of Chicago.
The museum campus would make a great all-day stop. The Museum of Science and Industry is also nice, but is out of the way so it depends on what you want to see.
I'd also recommend Lincoln Park Zoo over Brookfield. I actually think the Brookfield Zoo is a nicer zoo, but it's also a special trip since it's not even in Chicago.
I've always preferred Giordano's for a Chicago style pizza in the downtown area. Lou Malnati's is decent too. For something different you could try the pizza pot pie at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company. No matter what anyone (not from Chicago) tells you, Pizzera Uno/Due is not worth going to.
I found the Adler and Shedd museums to be a little underwhelming. Especially Adler.
Cabs are easily accessible and affordable for getting around. You can also buy a pass to the double decker tour busses. They're cool if you've never been there before and you can hop aboard them as makeshift taxis. It's not cheaper than a taxi but hey, you get a tour guide!
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Yep you're right I do get that confused sometimes
The Field Museum is great too.
Giordano's Sausage and Pepperoni deep dish.
From what I recall off the top of my head:
Walk the magnificent mile, see the Navy Pier, Pizzeria Uno / Due are great, also the Rainforest Cafe / Hard Rock Cafe, Velvet Lounge on Cermak for good music, The Second City for improv /comedy, Grant Park is a nice walk just outside the Chicago Art museum.
Be aware of your surroundings at night; the area can be a little rough outside of downtown.
If you do go down to Hyde Park, I don't recommend going south of the midway plaisance, or north of Hyde Park Boulevard. Just because the stuff you'd be interested in is between those streets. Plus, those areas are generally considered to be less safe and you guys don't know the area that well. It's not like you'll get shot if you cross those boundaries, but it's not a place I personally would want to get lost.
Museum Campus is pretty safe, but everything clears out once the museums close.
I would consider the Metra safer at night than the CTA. You'll see homeless people on both trains, but generally the homeless people on the Metra are just looking for a place to warm up and sleep. The drunk, aggressive homeless people seem to prefer the CTA. (Possibly because the Metra has cushioned seats, and the CTA's are hard plastic.) And as awful as it sounds, don't make direct eye contact with a drunk homeless man on a train. Or even look at him, if possible. I've seen people get screamed at/spat on for making eye contact, smiling, or looking at homeless people.
Oh, and if you're on the last car of the CTA, and some guy gets up and opens the back door and just stands out there for a while, leave him alone. He's not going to jump off the train. He's urinating, and wants to be left alone.
If you are walking south and the East West cross streets start to have numbers, you have gone too far. Start heading back North. Right next to the lake this rule could probably be relaxed to say street numbers higher than 55th. And the area near Midway is sorta an tranquil island.
opps, huge.
http://www.newrepublic.com/sites/default/files/chicago2_0.png
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http://giordanos.com/
Missed the posts above that mentioned it, but still recommended!
http://www.loumitchellsrestaurant.com/
For a few random places, Orange and the Bongo Room were good when I lived there and both have a few locations.
I'm trying to think of some more, but honestly most of the time we went out for breakfast or brunch it was at one of those 3 places. Or the Original Pancake House in Oak Park, but that was just convenience as it's not really anything special. Blue Max Coffee in Forest Park is good, but definitely out of the way unless you're doing something in the Oak Park area like the Hemingway birthplace/museum or Frank Lloyd Wright home.
Early last year my wife and I went to Do Rite Donuts and it was pretty good. One of the bonuses for us was that they had gluten-free doughnuts, which is important for my wife because she has Celiac disease. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, but if you're nearby and like doughnuts, why not? We've gone to Chicago a lot since last June when I moved to Illinois, but I still haven't made it back there.
I went to the aforementioned Giordano's during a solo trip about 2 years ago and enjoyed my first deep dish pizza, but I've got nothing to compare it to.
If you're into metal at all, Kuma's is a fun burger joint. We went to the second location, Kuma's Too, on Saturday night. I've heard it doesn't have as much character as the original location, but it has a lot more seating. We only had to wait 10 minutes to be seated, but I've heard the wait time can reach 2 hours. Also, lots of metal music blasting out of the sound system. It's not for everyone.
This doesn't really apply to a breakfast/lunch thing, but a friend of ours took us to Geek Bar Beta on Sunday. You can rent board games. Seemed like a fun place.
My Backloggery
For breakfast, I like West Town Bakery.
http://www.westtownbakery.com/locations/west-town.html
Also, I don't know if you're planning on driving at all, but if you are get Spot Hero for your phone. Shit is invaluable. It'll let you find and reserve parking spots near the venues you'll be at.
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