Things to do in and around Chicago
Hi,
I often post "things to do" threads asking advice whenever I travel to the U.S. (ie.
Los Angeles) and here is another one for Chicago. I am traveling there in January and I know it's a terrible time to be there due to weather but whatever, free trip. I lived in the U.S. for 7 years in 2000s and pretty much seen it all but never been to Chicago. I'll be there for business for 5 days and will have 3 days free afterwards, so any recommendation is appreciated.
Thanks!
i live in a country with a batshit crazy president and no, english is not my first language
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- There are a lot of museums! I enjoyed all the ones I went to, but the one that stood out for me was the Museum of Science & Industry which has a captured World War II U-Boat on display.
- Try some deep dish pizza! I only ever had the one from Giordano's, but there are more than a few places to get it there.
- If you're into heavy metal and burgers, check out one of the Kuma's locations. Looks like the one I went to has closed, but there are still two in Chicago.
- It's very touristy, but I enjoyed going up to the observation deck of the Sears Tower Willis Tower.
- I went to Navy Pier once and it sucked.
My Backloggery
Search for Koval Distillery. There are a bunch of breweries within a block or two included Emperical.
If you want dining recommendations, just let us know what you're looking for and I can provide more. Frontera Grill is one of Rick Bayless' classics and is phenomenal Mexican.
What else are you into when you like to travel? Dining, culture, museums, seeing the local neighborhood color?
Pfft...more like Bitterwood and Hopvolution.
No, I just went on a tour of Koval and Emperical last week so knew those were close by.
Also, if you are doing a bunch of touristy stuff in any major city, looking at CityPass or any of their competing services can save you a bunch of money (and skipping long lines) versus just going to the same places on your own.
one of my favorite things from spending time in Chicago was going to The Second City show, iirc it wasn't very pricey at all and I enjoyed it, of course the act changes all the time so who knows
Navy Pier is in fact very very very touristy and lame, particularly depending on the season... although they rotate out some attractions
Not sure if you are a sports fan but in January the Chicago Bulls (NBA) and Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) have home games in the United Center and, depending on how good or bad they are doing, nosebleed tickets may be on the cheaper side and an affordable way to catch a pro sporting event (possible bonus if the Chicago Bears are in the NFL Playoffs at that time but those tickets will be ridiculously expensive) .
Alternatively, Chicago has a great theater district in the heart of the city (The Loop) and usually have several productions and live entertainment shows going on any given time.
If the weather is decent, stop by Millennium Park and see the Bean.
I definitely dig theater productions and will check tickets.
@Simpsonia I'd love to hear some dining recommendations but I am a pescetarian so steaks and burgers are no good : ) I'd be happy to know about some good sushi and pasta places as well as others. I've already put Giardano on my list.
Thanks!
Catch a Blackhawks or Bulls game, both are gonna be bad this year so midweek tickets will be pretty cheap. The Bears still suck and thus will not be playing, so head over to Will's Northwood Inn up in Wrigglyville and watch a Packer game.
One of the theaters has one of the satellite Hamilton performances, which is a great way to catch it live if you care about musicals at all(and it is much better than your standard musical, if they aren't really your thing generally its worth seeing).
There's also tons of bands that tour through the city, so I'd just look up some venues and see who is playing the week you're there.
Have some Jepson's Malort.
Check the weather and bring warm clothes, a hat and gloves. Can you grow a beard? I'd grow one. I'm a Midwesterner born and raised but it hit -30C last January thanks to the polar vortex and that is just a different level of not fun. Also If you haven't booked already, get direct flights or at least direct to Europe or w/e. You really don't want a connection in JFK or Logan or somewhere in winter. You'll get stuck there, or get stuck on a ground hold in Chicago because of the weather there, or get stuck in Chicago cause the weather in Chicago, and then by the time you get rebooked and shit gets sorted the same storm is now shutting down Laguardia.
Oh god, I completely forgot that I had this there a few years ago. It's definitely a memorable experience.
My Backloggery
have a sip
So my recommendations are slightly more limited due to diet then, but here's a list of some amazing restaurants that are seafood or vegetarian friendly:
Pacific Standard Time (west coast style seafood)
Galit (Israeli/Middle Eastern contemporary, this is my wife's new favorite restaurant)
Mott's Street (Korean/American contemporary; try the crab brain fried rice, it's awesome)
Fat Rice (Macao/Macanese? these guys do some wild inventive stuff)
Nico Osteria (Italian seafood);
Monteverde (Italian pasta, all homemade in-house);
While none of these are super-expensive, none of them are exactly cheap either, but they are some of the best non-high-end restaurants in the city.
If you were looking to break the bank for a once in a lifetime experience, you could try to get tickets/reservations to Alinea (three michelin stars and frequently listed as one of the best in the world), that's as much art as it is dining. If you get tickets far enough in advance they can usually accommodate any dietary restrictions. They've got some wild stuff like the edible green apple balloon.
Arch,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_goGR39m2k
I mean, if you like video games.
It being mentioned a few times on a podcast I listen to makes me regret not hunting it down while I was out there for a conference a few months ago.
On that note, while it might be a bit chilly to do now (if it's still even going), I took the architectural boat tour along the river. I think it was about an hour and a half, and I really enjoyed the experience to see it all from that perspective, with someone on hand giving bits of history about the various buildings and their architects.
And of the various venues that we hit for dinner or drinks, my favourite was Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar that put on one hell of a show. I definitely plan to go back there when I have a few days in the area again.
FYI this is in Brookfield, something like a 30-60 minute drive from the city, depending on where you're at and traffic.
Was a beautiful thing, but it closed 5 years ago.
However, his old line cooks appropriated Doug's old recipes (with his blessing) and opened Hot G Dog in Andersonville. It's about 90% of what the original was, so still pretty dang good.
Lots of different bars that offer live music, Subterranean, Reggie's, Buddy Guy's, Weeds and a lot more.
Get a real Chicago deep dish pie, I'm partial to Tortorice's cuz it's pretty much everything I remember deep dish being as a kid. Spots like Lou Malnati's and Giordano's are like, out-of-towner pizza. It's alright, but doesn't remind me of home.
Wicker Park is a "meh" area, I don't like it cuz nothing but hipsters chill there, but some of the legal graffiti is cool to see. The writers out that way really blow my mind with some of the pieces they put together on the businesses.
The Lyric Opera House is always a great time, me and my wife try to plan date nights every now and then to go when we can get someone to watch the kiddo.
That said, we don't actually eat much deep dish - 2-3 times per year, maybe. I generally prefer your typical tavern-cut thin crust. If I'm going out with friends and we want pizza though, it's pretty much Pequod's or bust. Easily the best deep-dish in my book.
That's all I've learned one year in this area, cheese fries = good
Yeah the Lincoln Park Zoo is pretty cool, and it's free and in a pretty nice area of Chicago so you can hit that up and then walk to some good restaurants nearby. As a bonus, if you're there in early January the zoo will still be lit up/open late at night for ZooLights.
The Gage, on Michigan Avenue directly across from the park, is nice. My brother worked there for a couple of years and had nothing but good things to say about it.
Revival Food Hall isn't far and has small outposts of a number of good restaurants from around the city.
If you go south on Michigan Ave, Mercat a la Planxa is a good tapas restaurant with absolutely amazing lamb chops. My wife and I ate there around a month ago, and those lamb chops were so good we almost went back the next day for lunch to get them again.
Eleven City Diner in the south loop is a good breakfast or lunch option. A mix of diner and deli food, all done well. House-made root beer is very good. Big portions. Nice looking bloody mary if you're drinking.
The Purple Pig just north of the river used to be a great spot - the kind of place local restaurant staff would go eat at regularly when they get off work. Haven't been there in a while and I know the owner and original chef had a falling out at some point, so check current reviews.
The Billy Goat Tavern - immortalized in sketches in the very early years of SNL - is right by Purple Pig and an ok spot to grab a cheeseborger if you know which sketches I'm referring to. Huh, looks like they have an even closer branch near the park now too.
Toni Patisserie has some nice dessert options and coffee and is right by Millenium Park.
If you want deep dish pizza get away from that area and go to Pequod's. You'd probably want to cab it or Lyft though, since it's too far to walk and not terribly close to an L stop either. If you want deep dish and aren't up for going that far, go to the Giordano's near the park.
Naf Naf Grill does good shawarma and kababs. If it's a location where they make the pita bread fresh on site it's pretty damn good.
Heaven on Seven is over in that area now too. I haven't been to their current location on Wabash, but we used to hit their old spot once or twice a year. Good Cajun/Creole food.
Edit: In follow-up, the poutine with foie gras gravy was amazing, Bambi was delicious served on a bun medium rare, and their chocolate torte was divine.
My favorite aquarium I've visited and I've been three times. I've spent 7+ hours there before, admittedly an hour of that was sitting by the underwater window watching the dolphins & belugas and listening to music. Just a fantastic place to visit.