What's fun in Chicago?

[pete6032]

Me. :sneaky:

Atot meetup?! :wub:

Seriously though, I wouldn't kayak in the Chicago river. It is much cleaner than it used to be but it is still pretty unsanitary. The Architecture Foundation cruise is really awesome.

If you want somewhere cool to drink try out Big Star taco or the Violet Hour.

Can't recommend a Chinese place but if you want good Vietnamese cuisine try Cho Sun Oak. Good American food try Au Cheval. Good Italian food try Sapori Trattoria. Good Mexican try Mixteco. Good Argentinian food try Tango Sur.

 

[Platypus]

there are a ton of threads on Chicago all with pretty good suggestions, you can look for some replies in those as well.

 

[torpid]

Atot meetup?! :wub:

Seriously though, I wouldn't kayak in the Chicago river. It is much cleaner than it used to be but it is still pretty unsanitary. The Architecture Foundation cruise is really awesome.

If you want somewhere cool to drink try out Big Star taco or the Violet Hour.

Can't recommend a Chinese place but if you want good Vietnamese cuisine try Cho Sun Oak. Good American food try Au Cheval. Good Italian food try Sapori Trattoria. Good Mexican try Mixteco. Good Argentinian food try Tango Sur.

Big Star is outstanding. Fuck the Violet Hour. The drinks aren't good enough for all of the horseshit you have to go through at that place. The only redeeming quality of the place is that it is across the street from and related to Big Star and so you might as well wait in line and experience people who take themselves wayyyyy too seriously while waiting for your Big Star table. The only way that place could redeem itself on its own is if they let you bring in paintball guns and/or lazer tag equipment.

 

[NoTine42]

I recommend the Art Institute.
I grew up in a suburb and took several field trips to the museums. While the Museum of Science and Industry was more "fun" the Art Institute was definitely the most memorable.
When taking a college humanities class, I chuckled as we reviewed the pictures of American Gothic, and Seurat's Sunday "in the park", and works from Picasso... textbooks do not do works of art justice.

But, yes get a city pass pre-booked, especially if you want an IMAX at the meuseum of science and industry, as some of those extras fill up in advance.

 

[smackababy]

19 replies and nobody has mentioned Second City. SHAME!

http://www.secondcity.com/

Edit: Also, if you've never been to NYC and/or never been to Shake Shack, they opened two locations in Chicago. I think they're worth the hype. /shrug

https://www.shakeshack.com/tag/shake-shack-chicago/

Honestly, I've been to second city a few times and maybe my expectations were too high, but it simply wasn't as good as I'd expect. I guess it doesn't help my biggest exposure to Second City prior to moving to Chicago was the SNL legends that came from there.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Not all body armor is made the same.

What you want at a minimum is probably type 3, as that can stop pretty much any handgun and many rifles.

Good luck!

 

[morkus64]

Big Star is outstanding. Fuck the Violet Hour. The drinks aren't good enough for all of the horseshit you have to go through at that place. The only redeeming quality of the place is that it is across the street from and related to Big Star and so you might as well wait in line and experience people who take themselves wayyyyy too seriously while waiting for your Big Star table. The only way that place could redeem itself on its own is if they let you bring in paintball guns and/or lazer tag equipment.

The violet hour is a cool thing to do once if you haven't experienced drinking overpriced cocktails in near darkness.

 

[torpid]

The violet hour is a cool thing to do once if you haven't experienced drinking overpriced cocktails in near darkness.

I agree with this assessment.

 

[morkus64]

The Art Institute is awesome. I grew up in DC, so I understand your aversion to paying for museums, but it's worth it.

I can't recommend a Wendella architectural tour highly enough. To me the river tour is fine, the lake gives a nice view, but it takes a while to get through the locks.

For food, I'd skip the deep dish because its disgusting and only about 3 Chicagoans actually eat that crap. Best pizza in town (begin flame war) is Piece in Wicker Park. Spacca Napoli in Ravenswood and Reno in Logan Square are good too. Though if you're heading up to Logan Square you should probably go to Lula instead.

The best, reasonable food in the city is in the neighborhoods. The loop is great for walking around and gawking at tall buildings and shopping, but the neighborhoods are where the character is.

If anyone in your party is a vegetarian, the Green Zebra is the place to go.

The Sears Tower (Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis?) will take forever most times of day. As any local will tell you, go up to the lounge at the top of the Hancock building, get an overpriced drink, and enjoy the view.

Oh also, if you're looking for a massage while you're there you can't go wrong with Acchaa in River North. While you're there you can check out the galleries a little bit to the west, then get a beer at The Green Door.

 

[IHAVEAQUESTION]

Thought I should conclude this thread with my 2 cents now that the trip is over.

1. Architectural cruise is a must for any Chicago visitor. Go at night! The view is mesmerizing.

2. Skydeck has very little line on Friday morning. I was worried not to have a fastpass but it worked beautifully. It's not scary standing on the glass at all...totally cool.

3. Art institute of Chicago...it's good, very good. But for someone who have lived in DC...it's sort of deja vu. Maybe I am just not artistic enough.

4. Shedd Aquarium is better than I thought. I read reviews about it being small but that's not true. It's a good size and has lots to see.

Tried Lou Mal's...was very impressed by Malnati salad. Must try! The pizza was meh though. Knowing this is one of the highest rated pizza in town, we didn't bother with any other joints afterward.

We bought the Costco explorer pass which gives you admission to four attractions. For us, that's enough. You don't need to be a Costco member to purchase.

 

[Xellos2099]

There are soem pretty good chinese food in chicago. What kind are you looking for?