Patterico's Pontifications

I would recommend that if you plan to spend your time in the city, you NOT rent a car. If you are going to stay in a hotel, especially downtown, the parking will be about $30 a night and once you leave the hotel in your car, you won’t be able to park it anywhere. Parking is a pain.

I suggest you check out Navy Pier, make sure to eat some pizza, the Shedd Aquarium, get Indian food on Devon Ave if you like Indian food, the Art Institute and Museum of Science. Don’t forget to check out some Jazz clubs!

Cassandra Metaxis (b3d1a0) — 3/9/2005 @ 4:18 am

Navy Pier for fun – even in winter the ferris wheel is great
The Art Museum is nice, Science and Industry, the Field Museum, the Planitarium = all the big things.

david (bae306) — 3/9/2005 @ 5:40 am

Lincon Park Zoo is really beautiful and it’s FREE! I believe the Museum of Science has a lot of kids stuff and there is also a children’s museum on Navy pier.

Make sure you have lots of pizza and an Italian beef sandwich!

Enjoy and thanks for all your hard work.

Kathryn Butterly (f81ab3) — 3/9/2005 @ 5:55 am

Eat at Lawry’s there if you like prime rib. You only choose amount and how cooked.
It’s a little high dollar, but very good.

Veeshir (7e4769) — 3/9/2005 @ 6:45 am

Nix on the rental car idea. Parking can cost upwards of $30 a day if you valet the car at your hotel — and that’s with no in-and-out privileges.

The Art Institute is great — make sure you ask to see the Thorne Miniature Rooms — the kids will love them.

If you go to Lincoln Park Zoo, be sure to take the kids to R.J. Grunts for a meal. It’s the original, and the first of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants. Great burgers and salad bar.

Millennium Park is beautiful, and I understand the cafe there is very popular.

If your wife is interested, there’s a special exhibit of Jackie O’s clothing at the Field Musuem. I’ve talked to a couple of guys who said it’s not too completely girlie, as it they also give a pretty good retrospective of the era.

Another thing your kids might find fun is the Museum of Broadcast Communications. (Oops! I guess it’s closed temporarily in anticipation of a move to new digs. Maybe next trip?)

Dinner at the Signature Room in the John Hancock building. A gorgeous room, and the views are phenomenol.

More?

Omnibus Driver (d4af9f) — 3/9/2005 @ 7:49 am

I agree with Lawry’s. Great food, great atmosphere, salad tossed at the table. Wonderful martinis!

The Art Institute is free on Tuesdays. They have a beautiful collection. There’s the new Millenium Park right next door. Lots of shopping on the Magnificent Mile.

Weather should be good for the Lincoln Park Zoo and there’s a new Ape House that opened last July.

Have fun!

kimsch (f7255c) — 3/9/2005 @ 8:00 am

If you’re staying a few days and plan on hitting a lot of attractions get the City Pass. You save a little money and hours and hours of time waiting in ticket lines. Covers the aquarium, planetarium, Field museum (which are all three right next to one another), art institute, John Hancock building, and museum of science and industry (which was the only one that was sort of lame).

There’s a Thai place just off the million dollar mile called The Big Bowl. Damn it’s good. Lots of good food in the Italian and Greek parts of town, too.

Navy Pier is OK, but it’s basically a place to go to eat and buy stuff with all the other tourists.

The one thing I want to do next time in Chicago is to see the Frank Lloyd Wright houses. I also wouldn’t mind scoring tickets to one of the TV shoes that are taped in Chicago. You have to get the tickets lined up weeks or months in advance.

Les Jones (514bb2) — 3/9/2005 @ 8:12 am

My advice, don’t go 🙂

If you do, you should get one of the hot dogs from the vendors at the airport with everything on it. Yum! Seriously, they’re that good.

SayUncle (56b6ac) — 3/9/2005 @ 8:24 am

You can’t not go to the Field Museum.

Also, you should go to the Shedd Aquarium if you have the chance- my father went to graduate school with the head marine biologist there, he’s a cool guy (the behind the scenes tour I got as a result of it was triple awesome to an 11 year old).

The Angry Clam (c96486) — 3/9/2005 @ 8:34 am

If you like German food, visit the Berghoff restaurant. If you like pizza, be sure to get Chicago-style (stuffed) pizza; Carmen’s and Edwardo’s are both quite good. If you like baseball, or even if you don’t but do like cool stadiums, catch a Cubs game if they’re in town, and consider a brief side trip to Wrigleyville even if they are not. If you sort of like beer that is really cheap, the Cubby Bear is right across from the stadium. If you prefer better beer, the Ginger Man is just a few doors down the street. If you worship beer, hail a cab to the Great Beer Palace, and let me know if my picture is still up after all these years (I’m not holding my breath).

I second the previous endorsements of the Art Institute, the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science.

As to getting a car, it depends on how much driving you’re thinking of doing. If you’re planning on spending most/all of your time in Chicago proper, and your hotel is anywhere near a Metra or El station, then having a car is probably more of a liability than an asset. But if you want to drive around a bit, including trips to some of the ‘burbs that aren’t well sereved by the Metra or the El, then you may want one after all. If you do end up renting a car, a drive along Lake Shore Drive on a clear day is a must. [And if the weather’s bad, wait a minute.]

Xrlq (e2795d) — 3/9/2005 @ 8:42 am

P.S. if you do go the Frank Lloyd Wright route, there’s a bunch of those in neighboring Oak Park. I don’t know if an el line goes there or not.

P.P.S. Also consider going to Ed Debevic’s. Yes, they have one in Beverly Hills, too. No, it’s not the same. Neither is the one in the Chicago ‘burbs (Deerfield IIRC). Only the original one really does their “good food, fresh service” schtick right. I don’t know if the same is true of Lawry’s, having only been to the one in BH.

Xrlq (816c74) — 3/9/2005 @ 9:37 am

Only get a car if you have to. Yes to City Pass.

Things to do:

Millenium Park
Art Institute
Lincoln Park Zoo
Field Museum
Museum of Science and Industry (great for kids)
Oriental Institute, University of Chicago (while you’re down there go to the Seminary Co-Op bookstore and there are some great ethnic restaurants in the area, Frank Lloyd Wright stuff too)
Shedd Aquarium
Navy Pier
Frank Lloyd Wright stuff in Oak Park (the El does go there)
Walk down Michigan Avenue
Watertower Place (a vertical shopping mall)
Lots of good shopping along Chicago Avenue, too
Second City
Lots of theater

for grown-ups:
instead of Signature Room ($$$$) have a drink on the 95th floor of the Hancock

Food:
If you’re there on Sunday, dim sum in China town (fun to walk around down ther BTW)
Greek Town (Parthenon’s more fun; Greek Islands has better food)
Yes to Big Bowl
Yes to Berghoff
if you want to spend money go to Blackbird

You must eat the following (dietary restrictions allowing):

Chicago-style pizza
Italian Beef sandwich
gyros

Consider: a burger at the Billy Goat (cheeseburger-cheeseburger-cheeseburger)

How many days you got?

Dave Schuler (67d409) — 3/9/2005 @ 10:08 am

I’m especially interested in hotel recommendations. My wife is interested in an area called the “Miracle Mile.” What I’m hearing from you folks is that it should be near public transportation. It would be ideal if we could get something within walking distance of the opera house, since I will be attending several operas there.

Patterico (08c813) — 3/9/2005 @ 10:11 am

Correction: “Magnificent Mile.” My wife keeps calling it the “Miracle Mile.”

Patterico (08c813) — 3/9/2005 @ 10:38 am

It can still be very cold in April so be prepared. Be sure to take in a baseball game, preferrably at Wrigley. Oak Park for the F.L. Wright tour and house, take the Green Line El. Along the way, stop off at the Clinton stop of the Green Line and go to Fast Track Dogs (underneath the station) for some great Chicago hot dogs.

We stated at the Congress, which was OK for a budget place but they did mess up our reservation a bit (didn’t want to feed us breakfast, which was supposed to be included in our package). It’s directly across the street from Buckingham Fountain.

A car is a waste of time and money there.

Darryl (227d8b) — 3/9/2005 @ 10:40 am

The Lyric Opera is between a half mile and a mile from the Mag Mile, so it’s definitely walkable. Both are in the downtown area, which is a fun walking area–especially if you like urban architecture. Public transportation downtown is excellent; the “Loop” is so named because it’s where all Chicago’s el trains form a rectangular loop. Riding the El in the Loop recommended just so you can enjoy a tour of the city from two stories up.

Incidentally, notice that the Lyric building is shaped like a giant armchair, facing west. The story goes that the tycoon who built it (whose name escapes me) did so for his mistress, a soprano who was rejected by the NYC opera establishment. So the shape of the building symbolizes his turning his back on New York. (This tycoon was, along with Hearst, an inspiration for Wells’ Citizen Kane.)

I also recommend going to see the Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Oak Park, and the El does go there (about 20 minutes from the Loop).

I can’t help you with hotels (I’m a former resident, so I never stayed in one), but can tell you that the bar in the Intercontinental has the best martinis I’ve ever had. They serve them in individual little bottles in an ice bucket, and you pour them into your glass. They stay ice-cold without getting bruised.

And when you get your Italian beef (they’re kind of disgusting, but yummy nonetheless–and they’re the quintissential Chicago food, even more than deep-dish pizza) order it like a true Chicagoan: dipped (i.e. briefly submerged in the cooking “gravy”), with peppers but without cheese.

Jarz (f2b419) — 3/9/2005 @ 11:17 am

Field Museum is the best of its kind in the country. Has a great skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Shedd Aquarium is wonderful and the dolphin show is a special treat for kids and adults. Chicago Art Institute is excellent and call ahead for tickets for special shows. Food, pizza, Chicago hot dogs. Thousands of great restaurants – go online. If you aren’t a member of Zaghats (sp) restaurant critics – they are excellent and give very accurate assessments of restaurants in the major cities of the US and I would highly recommend you join. Great pizza is Pizzaria Unos in the city…and the Oven Grinder on South Clark. It is at the scene of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Chicago is one of the greatest cities on earth…it is absolutely gorgeous and filled with fun. Museum of Science and Industry is alittle PC but the submarine and some of the other older exhibits are very special. Have a great time.

Henry Herschel (02ab03) — 3/9/2005 @ 11:23 am

Memories from my sole visit to Chicago:

The Chop Shop (or something like that — probably has a prefix, like “X’s Chop Shop”) had wonderful steaks, as did Ditka’s. Head and shoulders above any steak I’ve had anywhere else (but hey, I’m not the cultured type). Unfortunately, I have no idea whether or not either of those places is still in business.

Second memory: being pick-pocketed by a hooker downtown while walking back to my hotel. Lost $70.

Laudio (06d15b) — 3/9/2005 @ 12:00 pm

The Allegro Hotel is probably the closest to the Opera House (Randolph & LaSalle Streets). Walking distance to State Street. Short cab or bus ride to Mag Mile. If the kids are up to it, it’s not a bad walk. Other smaller boutique hotels in the area include the Burnham (State & Washington) and the Monaco (State & Wacker). For fun and funky, consider the House of Blues Hotel. Also, I have a friend in sales at the Tremont, which is in the Gold Coast/Mag Mile area.

Transportation downtown really is easy. Nothing is very far from anything else… except maybe the Museum of Science and industry…

Omnibus Driver (d4af9f) — 3/9/2005 @ 1:09 pm

My favorite hotel in Chicago is the Drake, which is located at the North end of Michigan Avenue, right near lots of shopping. They have a great High Tea on the ground level, complete with scones and clotted cream, a harpist, and a fountain with spitting fish. The Drake is pretty sumptuous, but it’s worth it. Right next to the Drake is the John Hancock building and the Museum of Contemporary Art. And The Cheesecake Factory, which your kids might like– funky decor and really big portions. The Allegro Hotel is near the Opera house and kind of funky. Have a look at the Civic Opera site for more info on hotels. I also like Hotel Intercontinental on Michigan, right next to the river and the very baroque-looking Tribune Building. Hey, they own the Dog Trainer Times, too! It’s the perfect place for their favorite gadfly.

Restauranting: I mentioned Cheesecake Factory (which is just a chain, but I thought I’d mention it for kicks); but some Chicago fun spots:

1) Russian Tea Time. Really enjoyable food (especially Chicken Pojarsky, which are croquettes) and great desserts. Not to mention the Russian tea!
2) Italian Village– right near the Opera, and directly up the street from the Art Institute. The place is made out to look like, well, an Italian Village, and the food is great. At least, to this non-Italian, it tastes great.
3) Charlie Trotter’s! He is famous for turning practially any food into a complicated napoleon structure. Make your reservations now.
4) Tru!!! The best restaurant in Chicago, and my favorite. Expensive, but wow. Make reservations right this very second.
5) Rick Bayless’s great Mexican restaurants, Topolobampo or Frontera Grill. Right on Michigan in the Mag Mile.
6) On the more relaxed side, try Gino’s East or Pizzeria Uno for Chicago-style pizza. I like Uno better, but Gino’s allows you to deface the property for fun. Every inch is covered in graffiti. Add “Patterico Was Here” to your tabletop
7) Museums, museums, museums. Or, try an architectural boat tour of the Chicago River. Go to the bridge at Michigan, and look down to find the boats.
8) DON’T RENT A CAR (unless you have appointments all over town). Chicago is all in straight lines, so catch a bus down Michigan or the El, or take a taxi or walk. It’s not like L.A., so you can pretty much walk anywhere you want to go. Ask any suburban commuter.
9) If you have a little girl, the American Girl Doll restaurant has a whole tea-and-dolly thing.
10) For “Touristy But Fun,” go to the top of the Sears Tower and look around. Go to Navy Pier. Eat at Ed Debevic’s (for faux-abusive, ’50s-era waitrons). Go to the Shedd Aquarium or the Planetarium.
11) Go into a restaurant and smoke. At least, I hear y’all can’t do that in L.A.

SmallishBees (5ddb65) — 3/9/2005 @ 1:50 pm

Do you want to experience the real Chicago, or the Disney-fied Daley version? If you want the Disney version, go along with the suggestions above. If you want the real version, you need to seek out Mr Beef or Al’s Italian Beef for lunch at least one day.

Beyond that, I would like to suggest going to the University of Chicago, and see the Oriental Museum and the site of the first nuclear reactor
U of Chicago

And lastly, get some great indian food up on Devon avenue. There are a lot of restaurants, jewelry and clothing shops, and other interesting nooks in that neighborhood. To the person that suggested getting a hot dog in the airport, SHAME! Get out a real hot dog stand, such as the wiener circle, or superdawg

Greg (e5d4c1) — 3/9/2005 @ 3:53 pm

Omnibus driver:

I know you e-mailed me at one point with hotel information and about getting a drink somewhere when the family is in Chicago. But my previous e-mail client crashed, and I can’t find your e-mail address on your site. Could you e-mail me again? patterico -at- patterico -dot- com. Thanks.

Patterico (08c813) — 3/9/2005 @ 4:14 pm

I have to agree with Greg…do you want the tourist spots or the local spots?

Ross (1a2d71) — 3/9/2005 @ 6:50 pm

Well, we are taking a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old . . . some amount of tourist spots will be inevitable. But if you know of good local spots, tell us!

I also want to visit Park Ridge, a suburb where I was born and spent the first 4-5 years of my life, to see if I remember anything. We’ll probably have to rent a car for that.

Patterico (756436) — 3/9/2005 @ 6:56 pm

Yup. Since you’re headed out that way, you might also want to show the kids the ancient McDonald’s museum in Des Plaines.

Xrlq (c51d0d) — 3/9/2005 @ 8:12 pm

You can catch a Metra train out to Park Ridge. It’ll drop you off in the center of town. And if you want, you can catch a cab down to Perry’s Pizza down on Devon there, which is my wife’s favorite pizza place from when she was growing up in NW Chicago.

My favorite Italian beef in town is Portillo’s. They’re mostly in the suburbs, but there’s one at 100 W. Ontario.

Your kids are too young to take to Wrigley Field in April. It’s likely to be too cold. But the Museum of Science and Industry is a great idea, but you’ll have to take a bus or cab. The bus will be cheaper. 🙂

The opera house is in the South Loop area. That’ll be closer to the Museum campus with the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium. They’re all worth seeing.

If you can handle the kids, it’s worth walking up Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile) and taking detours by the WGN building, Tribune Tower, and the Wrigley building. The first two have rocks and pieces of famous structures from around the world embedded in the walls; the last is just a really interesting looking building.

Bill Roper (f93cf2) — 3/9/2005 @ 9:16 pm

Add Giordano’s to the list of recommended pizza chains.

Xrlq (c51d0d) — 3/9/2005 @ 10:45 pm

Stay off the tour boats if Dave Mathews Band is in town…

BigMick (cf3e00) — 3/10/2005 @ 6:52 am

You were born in Park Ridge?? Me, too. Went to St. Juliana’s. (Lived five blocks from Hillary but didn’t know it then!)

Lived in OP, too. You can take the El there and OP has a nice tour, although there’s plenty to do downtown. Shop at Marshall Field’s for sure, and then go north to the Water Tower and shop some more and hit the hipper stores in the ‘hood. Uno’s for sure for pizza.

If you do go to the burbs, have a beef, with sop, at Johnny’s on North Avenue or Carm’s on Roosevelt Road.

http://www.oprf.com/flw/index-walk.html

Patricia (133563) — 3/10/2005 @ 9:07 am

Lots of decent restaurants walkable from downtown Park Ridge: Venus Restaurant (great Chinese), House of Pancakes.

Also the Pickwick Theater is a fabulous old Art Deco movie palace.

Dave Schuler (67d409) — 3/10/2005 @ 10:25 am

The Pickwick is still there? Cool!

Uh oh, I’m getting homesick…

Patricia (133563) — 3/10/2005 @ 7:39 pm

We stayed at the House of Blues Hotel. Centrally located in Marina City, stylish and quite inexpensive. Don’t miss Millenium Park, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Dave Matthews boat trip on the Chicago River.

Menlo Bob (c2b283) — 3/11/2005 @ 8:47 am

Didn’t see anyone else recommend it, so I’ll toss in a good word for the Architectural tour on the river. If it’s nice enough out for the kids, it’s a definite must-see.

carlitos (6264f8) — 3/12/2005 @ 10:54 am

For some fine dining, try the Cape Cod Room at the Drake Hotel.

For a different experience, try Billy Goats (near Water Tower underneath Michigan Ave). Welcome anyone who comes into Billy Goats after you by starting a club, start pounding down tequila shooters, start making up your club songs and you will have the best time ever.

B Bolton (70d226) — 3/15/2005 @ 12:51 pm

3/9/2005

Chicago Advice

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