Life Going to Chicago. What do I need to do? Avoid? - Page 18

**BigRedChief** · 10:07 AM

Going to Chicago for a little 4 day vacation(Thrusday - Sunday) on spring break. Going to the Bulls vs. Cleveland NBA game and see Lebron, Derrick Rose, Shaq etc on Friday night. What is the can't miss "stuff" in Chicago? Avoid? opinions welcome...

Staying downtown at the Allerton hotel.

Any Planeteers want to get together?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
03/22/2010 edit to pay it forward for future chicago visitors:
Transportation:
Definitely take the trains and bus’s if you are planning to spend a lot of time downtown. We saved a fortune in cabs. Get the CTA pass and you can get on how ever many buses, trains, transfers etc that you want for how many days you purchase. http://faremedia.chicago-card.com/store/main.aspx?DepartmentId=34 Check the schedule and plan your route out:
http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/maps/default.aspx http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/populardestinations.aspx

We arrived at 8:00 at the O’Hara airport and not taking the train would have been a disaster. They highways are parking lots that time of the day. We flew out of Midway on the way out and took a cab out there to the airport.
We really enjoyed riding the bus’s and talking to the locals. They gave us great tips on where to eat etc.

You don’t need a car. If you are driving, there is no where to park and where there is parking is very expensive and driving downtown is dangerous trying to navigate all those cabs and buses? Not for the weak of heart.

Attractions:
Get the Go Chicago card: Saved us a ton of money on admission fees but more importantly we avoided the lines at the attractions to get tickets. It was snowing and the line to get into the Field museum was over an hour and a half to just get tickets to get into the museum. The lines to get tickets are long. Get your tickets in advance.
http://www.smartdestinations.com/chicago-attractions-and-tours/_d_Chi-p1.html?pass=Chi_Prod_Go

Sears Tower: Was cool but if you have to wait an hour or two? Question the value. The ledge is really cool. Nothing between you and the street 103 stories up but some Plexiglas. It’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else in the world.

John Hancock observatory: We actually liked it better than the Sears tower because of the better ocean and beach views. They have something cool there, a skywalk 93 stories up that you can walk along that is exposed to the wind, temperatures etc 93 floors up. Just some mesh screen between you and the sky.

Science and Industry museum: We all felt that this was the best of all the museums. You have to see the U-Boat. It’s another one of those you can only experience in Chicago things.

Millennium Park: The silver bean was really cool. Seems like a real simple thing but once you get there and see it up close you understand the draw the bean has for people. Make sure you go underneath the bean and check it out. Looks like a wonderful place to watch a concert.

Shedd Aquarium: We were disappointed in this one. Maybe we are just spoiled but we thought the Aquarium in Omaha was much better.

The Field museum: Another disappointment. Sue the T-Rex was really cool but the rest of the museum left us flat. Seemed really educational for kids but for us adults we would like to have seen more exhibits than some pottery.

Chicago Bulls game: We decided to take the bus out there. Straight shot to and from downtown. Not really a bad seat in the house. The mascot seems to be pretty athletic and entertaining. Highly recommend getting one of the monster dogs.

Navy Pier: We went there and it was cold. Looks like a great place to visit in the warm weather.

Second City: We saw “Rush Limbaugh, the musical”. Barney Frank, Hillary, Dancing Ronald Reagan’s…Very funny stuff. Had a bit in there when Rush with the Royals and George Brett on a toilet with hemorrhoids. Highly recommend checking out a show there.

The Art Institute: A wonderful place to see art. So many Picasso’s, Monet’s and Van Gough’s you can’t really appreciate them fully like if some were here in KC just because of the sheer volume of masterpieces in one place. Very impressive collection. We also enjoyed seeing the American Gothic and some American art.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/

Eats:
Ginos East: Great pizza. Love the crust. We went to the one on Shapiro and it has all the walls filled with customer graffiti. Not living off its past reputation. My son thought it was the best pizza ever.

Giordanos: on Shapiro, Excellent deep dish pizza here also. Better than anything you can get in KC. Try sprinkling a little Italian herb seasoning on the pizza here.
http://www.giordanos.com/locations.html

West Egg: Breakfast by the doubletree. Reasonable prices and great food. Everything we had was good.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/west-egg-cafe-chicago-2

Yokes: Breakfast on Lake Shore drive. Best crepes we have ever had. Very good food.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/yolk-chicago-2

Quaritinos: Best meal in Chicago. Very trendy and hip place but don’t let that push you away. You order 5-6 things and share them. Ravioli, Brusheta and the Bananas foster desert were our favorites but everything we had was real flavorful and well prepared. http://www.quartinochicago.com/

Lodging:
We stayed at the Allerton hotel downtown. I would highly recommend if you are coming to Chicago and you are going to do these things listed above to stay downtown. This was a great hotel. If you can’t afford the downtown rates just take the train into the city and go from there.

Brock · 07-26-2011, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petegz28

WTF goes to Chicago for thin crust pizza? Are you ****ing kidding me????

People who don't want to fill up on ****ing dough.

Frazod · 07-26-2011, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

People who don't want to fill up on ****ing dough.

There's a difference between thick crust and deep dish. With deep dish, the crust is generally fairly thin - it's the mountain of crap inside that gets you.

Jenson71 · 07-26-2011, 03:41 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong Frazod, but I think Lou Malti's is famous for its pizza, and it doesn't have near the volume that Gino's East or Giordanos has. I happen to think that's a bad thing, but if you are looking for that, you might like it.

**Dartgod** · 07-26-2011, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenson71

Correct me if I'm wrong Frazod, but I think Lou Malti's is famous for its pizza, and it doesn't have near the volume that Gino's East or Giordanos has. I happen to think that's a bad thing, but if you are looking for that, you might like it.

I think you mean Lou Malnati's. I've heard its good and I intend to try it on our next trip.

http://www.loumalnatis.com/

Frazod · 07-26-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenson71

Correct me if I'm wrong Frazod, but I think Lou Malti's is famous for its pizza, and it doesn't have near the volume that Gino's East or Giordanos has. I happen to think that's a bad thing, but if you are looking for that, you might like it.

I ****ing HATE Lou Malnati's.

Of course, if you like a can of stewed tomatoes baked in a pizza crust, then it might be your thing.

**petegz28** · 07-26-2011, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

People who don't want to fill up on ****ing dough.

It's not like pan pizza. It's stuffed.

**Reaper16** · 07-26-2011, 04:13 PM

Go to Pequod's, you ****s.

**BigRedChief** · 07-26-2011, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petegz28

It's not like pan pizza. It's stuffed.

This!

Big difference.

Frankie · 07-26-2011, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Eats:

Reza's Restaurant

If you don't do that don't even come back to the CP. (My favorite location: The one on North Clark)

SLAG · 07-26-2011, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Thoughts on my parking question? Almost avoided posting completely and just PM'ing you.

Not sure if its an option but we are staying at the Sheraton Suites in arlington heights and their parking lot is safe and free

Park here and call a cab to take you to where you need to go

just my $.02

KCBOSS1 · 07-26-2011, 08:12 PM

Make sure that you eat Giordanos Pizza. Awesome.
Gotta do skywalk, Sears Tower (will always be the Sears tower)
Very cool Museums

Stay away from:
Gay drama queen tour guides
White Sox stadium

Uncle_Ted · 07-26-2011, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankie

If you don't do that don't even come back to the CP. (My favorite location: The one on North Clark)

I ate at Reza's last week

Frazod · 07-26-2011, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCBOSS1

Make sure that you eat Giordanos Pizza. Awesome.
Gotta do skywalk, Sears Tower (will always be the Sears tower)
Very cool Museums

Stay away from:
Gay drama queen tour guides
White Sox stadium

Avoiding gay drama queens pretty much strikes Wrigley off the list, too. Unless you can find a way to get dropped in by helicopter.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 07-26-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

Avoiding gay drama queens pretty much strikes Wrigley off the list, too. Unless you can find a way to get dropped in by helicopter.

On that note, I scored tickets for the Saturday game a few hours ago.

Man, people are just dumping tickets up there. I'm sitting 6 rows behind the Cards dugout on Friday, and 4 rows off the field behind the plate on Saturday.

Way below face.

Frazod · 07-26-2011, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

On that note, I scored tickets for the Saturday game a few hours ago.

Man, people are just dumping tickets up there. I'm sitting 6 rows behind the Cards dugout on Friday, and 4 rows off the field behind the plate on Saturday.

Way below face.

Yeah, the epic suckage this year is enough to test the mettle of even the dumbest die hard Cub fans.

01-31-2010, 11:04 AM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3179627 VARSITY	Going to Chicago. What do I need to do? Avoid? Going to Chicago for a little 4 day vacation(Thrusday - Sunday) on spring break. Going to the Bulls vs. Cleveland NBA game and see Lebron, Derrick Rose, Shaq etc on Friday night. What is the can't miss "stuff" in Chicago? Avoid? opinions welcome... Staying downtown at the Allerton hotel. Any Planeteers want to get together? -------------------------------------------------------------------- 03/22/2010 edit to pay it forward for future chicago visitors: Transportation: Definitely take the trains and bus’s if you are planning to spend a lot of time downtown. We saved a fortune in cabs. Get the CTA pass and you can get on how ever many buses, trains, transfers etc that you want for how many days you purchase. http://faremedia.chicago-card.com/store/main.aspx?DepartmentId=34 Check the schedule and plan your route out: http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/maps/default.aspx http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/populardestinations.aspx We arrived at 8:00 at the O’Hara airport and not taking the train would have been a disaster. They highways are parking lots that time of the day. We flew out of Midway on the way out and took a cab out there to the airport. We really enjoyed riding the bus’s and talking to the locals. They gave us great tips on where to eat etc. You don’t need a car. If you are driving, there is no where to park and where there is parking is very expensive and driving downtown is dangerous trying to navigate all those cabs and buses? Not for the weak of heart. Attractions: Get the Go Chicago card: Saved us a ton of money on admission fees but more importantly we avoided the lines at the attractions to get tickets. It was snowing and the line to get into the Field museum was over an hour and a half to just get tickets to get into the museum. The lines to get tickets are long. Get your tickets in advance. http://www.smartdestinations.com/chicago-attractions-and-tours/_d_Chi-p1.html?pass=Chi_Prod_Go Sears Tower: Was cool but if you have to wait an hour or two? Question the value. The ledge is really cool. Nothing between you and the street 103 stories up but some Plexiglas. It’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else in the world. John Hancock observatory: We actually liked it better than the Sears tower because of the better ocean and beach views. They have something cool there, a skywalk 93 stories up that you can walk along that is exposed to the wind, temperatures etc 93 floors up. Just some mesh screen between you and the sky. Science and Industry museum: We all felt that this was the best of all the museums. You have to see the U-Boat. It’s another one of those you can only experience in Chicago things. Millennium Park: The silver bean was really cool. Seems like a real simple thing but once you get there and see it up close you understand the draw the bean has for people. Make sure you go underneath the bean and check it out. Looks like a wonderful place to watch a concert. Shedd Aquarium: We were disappointed in this one. Maybe we are just spoiled but we thought the Aquarium in Omaha was much better. The Field museum: Another disappointment. Sue the T-Rex was really cool but the rest of the museum left us flat. Seemed really educational for kids but for us adults we would like to have seen more exhibits than some pottery. Chicago Bulls game: We decided to take the bus out there. Straight shot to and from downtown. Not really a bad seat in the house. The mascot seems to be pretty athletic and entertaining. Highly recommend getting one of the monster dogs. Navy Pier: We went there and it was cold. Looks like a great place to visit in the warm weather. Second City: We saw “Rush Limbaugh, the musical”. Barney Frank, Hillary, Dancing Ronald Reagan’s…Very funny stuff. Had a bit in there when Rush with the Royals and George Brett on a toilet with hemorrhoids. Highly recommend checking out a show there. The Art Institute: A wonderful place to see art. So many Picasso’s, Monet’s and Van Gough’s you can’t really appreciate them fully like if some were here in KC just because of the sheer volume of masterpieces in one place. Very impressive collection. We also enjoyed seeing the American Gothic and some American art. http://www.artic.edu/aic/ Eats: Ginos East: Great pizza. Love the crust. We went to the one on Shapiro and it has all the walls filled with customer graffiti. Not living off its past reputation. My son thought it was the best pizza ever. Giordanos: on Shapiro, Excellent deep dish pizza here also. Better than anything you can get in KC. Try sprinkling a little Italian herb seasoning on the pizza here. http://www.giordanos.com/locations.html West Egg: Breakfast by the doubletree. Reasonable prices and great food. Everything we had was good. http://www.yelp.com/biz/west-egg-cafe-chicago-2 Yokes: Breakfast on Lake Shore drive. Best crepes we have ever had. Very good food. http://www.yelp.com/biz/yolk-chicago-2 Quaritinos: Best meal in Chicago. Very trendy and hip place but don’t let that push you away. You order 5-6 things and share them. Ravioli, Brusheta and the Bananas foster desert were our favorites but everything we had was real flavorful and well prepared. http://www.quartinochicago.com/ Lodging: We stayed at the Allerton hotel downtown. I would highly recommend if you are coming to Chicago and you are going to do these things listed above to stay downtown. This was a great hotel. If you can’t afford the downtown rates just take the train into the city and go from there. Last edited by BigRedChief; 03-22-2010 at 10:07 AM..
Posts: 78,971

07-26-2011, 03:41 PM	#258
Jenson71 fides quaerens intellectum Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: United States Casino cash: $8330900	Correct me if I'm wrong Frazod, but I think Lou Malti's is famous for its pizza, and it doesn't have near the volume that Gino's East or Giordanos has. I happen to think that's a bad thing, but if you are looking for that, you might like it.
Posts: 15,986

07-26-2011, 08:12 PM	#266
KCBOSS1 RAISE EM RIGHT Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Arkansas Casino cash: $10005366	Make sure that you eat Giordanos Pizza. Awesome. Gotta do skywalk, Sears Tower (will always be the Sears tower) Very cool Museums Stay away from: Gay drama queen tour guides White Sox stadium
Posts: 1,927