Chicago

Take in the architecture, whether through a tour or on your own. Chicago does that well.

if you are going to a cubs game, spend the whole day bar hopping in Wrigleyville

We were there this past weekend, here is what we did. Obviously there might be a few additions to your itinerary. If you are there in the spring time, from what I hear it is an entirely different city altogether during spring/summer.



Friday morning arrived
Friday daytime - went to the top of Sears tower (now called Willis Tower)
Friday late lunch - Sushi San
Friday social - got massages
Friday dinner - Adalina
Friday bar - Chicago magic lounge

Saturday brunch - Beatrix
Saturday social - Griffin Museum
Saturday dinner - Niso’s Prime
Saturday evening - phantom of the opera at Cadillac Palace Theatre
Saturday bar - crying tiger then went next door Gus’s sip and dip

Sunday brunch - Beatnik on the river
Sunday afternoon flew back home

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If you are there in the spring time, from what I hear it is an entirely different city altogether during spring/summer.

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Meant to respond to this mention in the other Chicago thread, but 100% correct. The energy shift is difficult to describe, from weekly fireworks at Navy Pier, to the beaches at North Ave and Montrose, to the every weekend street fests across different neighborhoods... It's so damn fun and, honestly, makes winter worth it. When it's cold, everyone just sits at the bars It's fun because all the bars are crowded, but three months between December and end of February does get old.

April through October is an absolutely fantastic time to visit Chicago. April can be chilly, of course, but tends to stay mild even through October.

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Been registered on TD for a while, but have never posted. My daughter has been accepted to pharmacy school at the UI Med center in Chicago. She and my wife will be up there in a few weeks for a tour of the school. How safe is that area in general? I've heard mixed reports. And is there anything in the surrounding area that would be considered a place students would hang out or socialise?

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To clarify, you're speaking of UIC's Retzky College of Pharmacy, correct? Either way, Illinois Medical District is completely fine. Pilsen is the immediate neighborhood to the south that's gone through heavy gentrification - Really good restaurants and cocktail bars / bars. Does start to get dicey west of Illinois Medical District, but that's closer to Douglass Park, which she'll probably never encounter.

Since she's in Pharmacy School and will be with a number of post-graduates, I'm guessing most will live in different neighborhoods throughout the city. Pink Line runs right through Illinois Medical District, so she could look at West Loop, which the culinary center of Chicago.

Another idea is Wicker Park and West Town, which is littered with bars, cocktail bars, and young professionals. She can take the Damen (50) or Ashland (9) bus straight to school. My wife worked at Rush and took it for years - Both buses are loaded with people that work in the Medical District.

Illinois Medical District is along the Blue Line, too, so she could also live in a neighborhood like Bucktown or Logan Square. Depending how often she has to go down to campus, though, it's like a 30-minute ride on the Blue Line line from California, Logan Square, and Western since you have to take it through The Loop.

I personally would not want to live near the school. Not because it’s dangerous, it’s just kinda dead. If I were that age I’d probably want to live in West Town/ Ukrainian Village as close to Ashland as possible to use that bus for commuting.

Chicago rents have gone crazy the last few years. A 2br share situation is probably 2200-2500