Didn't see a thread on Chicago yet, someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
My wife and I are going in early November for a weekend. We're already making plans to see the David Bowie exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. We'll be staying right on the river near the shoreline. I'm looking for suggestions for good restaurants, pubs, and things to do in Chicago that are can't miss. My wife is thinking about going to a "molecular gastronomy" restaurant called Alinea and I wanted to know if anyone has been. Help!
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"You know, that's kinda why I came here, to show that I don't suck that much" ~ Devin Cooley, Professional Goaltender
Giordano's stuffed pizza for sure. You won't leave hungry and you can pretend it's owned by Mark when you're there. If you're there during baseball season, try to go to Wrigley Field. It's a great experience.
ETA just saw it's November, so no Wrigley... But try to catch a Hawks game. The atmosphere is pretty awesome at the arena.
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That's so weird... I was about to start a travelling to Chicago thread. I'm down there for a trade show starting November 1st.
The Bears are on a bye week but the Hawks play that night against the Jets. It's definitely on my agenda. Other than that, just enjoy the atmosphere of the windy city, track down some Giordano's pizza and maybe go drinking with Patrick Kane. He seems to know how to party. :P
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The Shedd Aquarium is great. They sometimes have a discounted evening with jazz, but I think that might just be a summer thing. I'd look into it though.
Also, Johnnie's Beef makes what may be the finest sandwich in the world. Get it "wet" with hots.
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Food bike tour was good times. Get your hot dogs, Pizza and micro beers (Goose Island) all in one go all while seeing a ton of the city.
Lou Malnatis pizza was amazing!
Second City is where a lot of SNL people come from but might be hard to get tickets.
Boat tour... Lots of great architecture to be seen.
Walk around Wrigley. The tour is cheap and the area around it is young... Lots of good pubs and places to eat. It's also the bar area where the college kids hang.
Bring your own booze strip clubs.. If the wife is into it.
Standing room Hawks tickets up by the bar. Good atmosphere.
Bulls game if you can stomach the NBA. I got lucky and saw the playoff game a couple of years ago where it went into triple overtime.
Weiners Circle!!!
Such a cool city!
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Highlight for me as far as sight seeing was definitely the architectural boat tour.
Restaurant wise, my favorite was the Frontera grill: http://www.rickbayless.com/. We went to two of his restaurants and both were great.
Chicago is awesome, you'll have a blast!
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If you're going to Chicago you definitely need to try Chicago style pizza. There's a really good place downtown.....I think its called Uno? It's a hole in the wall and always a wait but probably some of the best pizza I have ever had.
Parking is very expensive there and lots of tolls. I'd avoid parking downtown if possible. I paid for one night and it was almost $60 (USD).
You may also want to check out a Blackhawks (or Bulls) game while you're there. I haven't been but I heard the atmosphere in the United Center is great.
Also check out the shopping on the Magnificent Mile
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Alinea is quite good it's a top #10 restaurant in the world so it should be. However, if you can't get in, Chicago has a few other awesome foodie joints.
El Ideas is one of the better kept secrets in Chicago. It was the best meal my wife and I have ever had. You bring your own wine, and they recommend 2 bottles. One was a $15 Pinot they recommended that was amazing.
El Ideas is an open kitchen resto where they get you to watch the Michelin chefs make the food, then you get to eat it. It makes for a really fun night, and the level of complexity and flavour of the dishes rivals any fine resto in any major American city I have been too. Plus it is super un-pretentious. These are skilled food chefs that just love to make high end food and get you in on the action.
If you can't do a tour, go to Coal Fire. Get the Odua (sp?) pizza. It is a special Italian sasusage, and it melts like butter into the pizza. Blow your mind good.
The "little goat" for breakfast. Little Goat is a popular resto from a local chef Stephanie Izzard who won Top Chef. Her main resto is "Girl & the Goat" which I hear is amazing. Little Goat is a diner she runs that is the best I have even been too.
Other good place I have heard of is "Goosefoot". I just heard good things so you may want to look it up.
But seriously go to El Ideas, it is incredible, and a hidden Chicago gem in the food scene (or at least a year ago it was). At the end of the meal we chatted with the other patrons and they were all from Chicago who had heard of this place through the foodie grapevine. Was a really cool experience.
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Chicago is a great place to visit. My list of things to do would be.
1/ Go to see a hockey game - best hockey atmosphere in the NHL.........
2/ Architectural Tour is very interesting. Learn about he massive fire that destroyed most of downtown Chicago and the buildings that were built to replace them that were the tallest in the USA at the time.
3/ Gangster Tour is very good as well - all about Capone and the gangs during Prohibition. Take you to the places where the gun fights took place. Some bullet holes still in the buildings.
4/ Bennys Chop House great steak
5/ Garritts popcorn - best popcorn I have ever had - so many different flavours - Chicago mix is to die for. Just off of Michigan Ave
Have a great time. Too much to do in one trip.
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Get the City Pass and hit all the museums/galleries in it. The Chicago Art Gallery and Museum of Science and Industry are particularly awesome. Also, hit an SCTV show, they are awesome and great value at about $30/ticket.
As far as food, Giordano's is pretty good. If you are a donut fan, check out Do-Rite Donuts. Just....wow.
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The Green Mill used to be owned by Al Capone and is a cocktail bar with good atmosphere. Went there on a Tuesday, good jazz band and the kind of place where talking during the music is minimal. A throwback
Buddy Guy's Legends has had good blues when I have been there and word has it Buddy often shows up when he is not on tour
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I found the aquarium very underwhelming myself. The beluga whales was probably the best part, but it wasn't a great place. The Vancouver aquarium is far better IMO.
But Chicago is awesome. The boat architecture tour as mentioned was great. Wish I knew about the gangster tour...guess that'll be for the next time I go there.
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Check out:
- Sports, sports, sports.
- Drumbar. Unreal drinks.
- Bar on the top of the John Hancock building
- As mentioned, Lou Malnattis, and Giordanos. Try the Chicago Chop salad at Gios.
- The engineered food "molecular gastronomy" is awesome. There's a few places like that.
- Butcher & The Burger (near Wrigley Field)
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Chicago travel thread
