hoopsgalore

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This happens once a week - use the search feature

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O/U 20.5 days for next Charleston thread to pop on F&D or Travel board

With 12 people, most restaurants will probably require to reach out ahead of time. Do some checking, but I'm thinking it'll be tough to book anything directly on OpenTable, Resy, and Tock. Don't get booted out of the restaurant for being TOO drunk, but few ideas of places that are used to larger groups: Quartino's, Gibsons Steakhouse (second floor private room), Frontier (full animal ordering available and Wicker is chalked with bars), and Topo Gigio (lively patio, walking distance from Gold Coast, and Wells St + Division makes for a great day and night of bar hopping).

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Anyone want to take a stab at giving me a 3 day itinerary for late June with a 4 year old?

We’re trying to think of things to do beside going to a beach and a few days in a big city was an option.

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- Play Garden at Maggie Daley Park
- Navy Pier for shopping, Ferris Wheel, and Children's Museum (can be overwhelming)
- Lincoln Park Zoo
- South Pond
- Garfield Park Conservatory
- Fountain in Millennium Park always has kids playing around in it
- SkyDeck at the top of the Willis Tower
- Shedd Aquarium
- Riverwalk
- Boat tour, whether it's architecture on the River or sightseeing on the Lake.
- Lou Mitchell's for breakfast, Portillo's for lunch, Lou Malnati's for dinner; There are so many families across our neighborhoods, too, especially on the north side. If you'd like to take your child on the Brown Line (clean, safe) into Ravenswood, Roscoe Village, North Center, or Lincoln Square, those are all neighborhoods heavily skewed to younger families.

As an aside, you don't have to completely skip the beach idea, either. There are several beaches along Lake Michigan - Closest to hotels downtown will be Oak Street Beach and North Ave Beach. If I had the choice, I'd go Oak Street and, potentially, even further north to Montrose Beach or Osterman Beach.

I probably should have added those beach activities into OP.

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Is there anywhere vegetarians can eat?

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Chicago Diner is a staple in Chicago, though I've only had it once. Live right near it. Handlebar and Bloom are popular, as well, but I haven't been to either. Neither my wife or I are vegan/vegetarian, so haven't sought out too many places. My buddy's wife is vegan and they really like going to Ramen Wasabi in Logan Square and Devon for Indian/Pakistani. We go up to Devon once every couple months, too, but it's a bit of a hike.

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Another interesting fact, I believe Chicago has 625+ recreational parks and outdoor facilities, golf courses, and pools that people can swim in for free.

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That's an awesome factoid. There's so much to Chicago, honestly, so I'm glad there are folks that can add to the thread with visits to Portage Pool, etc.

Enjoy your family visit in a couple weeks!

TWO separate posts for character limit. TLDR for most, so just scroll through the different sections and find what you're looking for. This is worth it, though, for the repetitive, annual questions that are asked on this board.

Got the idea from Abita, who did a similar thread with Boston. We see a lot of Chicago threads start to pop in spring/summer, so good time to get it started and answer any questions. I’ll periodically update with openings, closings, construction, etc.

Know there are a couple other current Chicago homies on the board, so let me know if you want to add anything. I definitely forgot stuff.

Quick Background

Chicago has 77 community areas and 200+ neighborhoods within those areas. For example, Wrigleyville is a neighborhood in Lake View and Wicker Park is a neighborhood in West Town. Less formally, no one really takes the time to make the distinction. Those numbers really highlight how neighborhood-centric Chicago is. You can see it by looking at the CTA “L” map. Everything meets in The Loop and moves back into the neighborhoods.

While the immediate downtown area has most of the tourist attractions, neighborhoods are the ‘lifeblood’ of Chicago. I understand a weekend trip makes it tough to explore much, but I encourage you to venture outside The Loop and River North.

Places to Stay

Greatest concentration of hotels—across all price ranges—is The Loop and River North. Staying smack in the middle of The Loop can feel a bit isolated after the 9-5 because a lot of businesses close early. My recommendation is to find a hotel along E Wacker (i.e. Hyatt Regency), S Michigan along Millennium / Grant Parks (i.e. Chicago Athletic Association), or anywhere in River North (i.e. Westin Chicago River North).

Hotels tend to be scarcer in neighborhoods, but some other considerations:

- West Loop has a few high-end hotels, including Nobu and The Hoxton, if price isn’t a big consideration. Plus, you’re in the center of Chicago’s biggest culinary neighborhood.
- If you really want to immerse yourself in a neighborhood, try for Hotel Lincoln in Lincoln Park, The Robey in Wicker Park, or Hotel Zachary in Wrigleyville.
- McCormick Place is a huge convention center that frequently hosts large conferences. Decent number of hotels down there, but wouldn’t recommend if you’re here for vacation.

Public Transportation

Cannot emphasize enough to utilize it! Chicago has one of the most convenient public transit systems in the country. Use Google Maps to your advantage – all routes are 100% accurate, but download Transit Stop app for specific bus/train times.

Unlimited passes are available at any Ventra vending machine. You can buy a card or load onto your contactless. It’s the cost-effective option if you’re planning to frequent public transit, otherwise feel free to use contactless / phone wallet at a turnstile.

Blue and Orange lines run direct to/from ORD and MDW, respectively. Blue Line has quickly become one of the busier runs in the city with population explosion on the city’s west side (i.e. Bucktown, Logan Square, Wicker Park).

I’m not going to dive into safety a whole lot, but weekend visitors are almost never going to be taking the Red Line south of Sox-35th or Blue Line west of Clinton. As long as you aren’t jumping on the train drunk at bar close, I wouldn’t spend much time extending safety past normal precautions. Personally, I take the Blue Line almost every day and have never feared for my safety. I always see people with suitcases going to/from ORD. I do the same unless work is paying, then I'll Lyft/Uber.

Sports!

Goes without saying – Chicago is a big sports town!

Both baseball parks are accessible via Red Line. Get off at Sox-35th for Guaranteed Rate and Addison for Wrigley. Far more pregame / drinking options around Wrigleyville, but still a fun tailgate atmosphere when the White Sox are home.

Soldier Field is a bit of a pain in the arse. Though not completely inconvenient from public transportation, a decent enough walk to be annoying. Tailgate in a lot near Soldier Field or hit a few bars in South Loop.

United Center is an easy run via bus or the new Green Line stop at Damen. Not much else to say, but the city will be developing the hell out of that area in the next several years. Plans look awesome.

Chicago is a melting pot of B1G alumni, which makes CFB football weekends very fun. If you want to check out a team bar, visit that university’s alumni website. As a Wisconsin alumnus, can tell you that Will’s in Lake View is the spot.

Craft Beer

Chicagoland nears 200 breweries, including ~70 inside city limits. There’s a lot to unpack with those numbers, so a few recommendations based on different styles:

- Best hazy IPA brewery is Hop Butcher for the World. They opened their taproom a few years in Half Acre’s old space in North Center.
- For traditional styles, Dovetail is a must-visit + walking distance from Hop Butcher.
- Goose Island is, obviously, the OG of BA stouts, so I’d encourage you to visit their Fulton taproom – great cellar list. They also re-opened the brewpub near Salt Shed, which is a nice setting along the river. I do like GI, but my favorite breweries for stouts are Maplewood (BA Cuppa) and Half Acre (Benthic). Revolution’s Deth series has a cult following that might be worth visiting, too.
- Funk and sours are a bit less for my palate, but Off Color is a nice space in Lincoln Park and Five Squared Pizza holds residence.
- With respect to large breweries, Guinness opened their second US brewery in West Loop just under two years ago. It’s a wonderful space in a great neighborhood.
- Moody Tongue is a brewery that has an accompanying restaurant with a Michelin star.
- Some of my favorite craft beer bars and bottle shops are Hopleaf, Bangers & Lace, Beermiscuous, Bitter Pops, The Beer Temple, Village Tap, Centennial Crafted Beer & Eatery, The Green Lady, and Map Room. My favorite of these? Hopleaf. In my opinion, best beer bar in the city and an incredible atmosphere.
- Other breweries in and around Chicago: Maplewood has a solid hazy offering, Solemn Oath has a location in Logan Square, Marz and Monochrome are worth visiting on the south side, Half Acre is one of the OG craft breweries in Chicago, and a few suburban breweries worth visiting are Brothership, Phase Three, MoRE, and Mikerphone.

Cocktail Bars

There are so many damn cocktail bars in Chicago. I won’t even scratch the surface of what’s out there, but I love going to The Meadowlark, Best Intentions, Queen Mary, The Alderman, Osito’s Tap, Kumiko, Nine Bar, Sparrow, Booze Box, and The Office.

Others I’ve been to / are known: The Victor Bar, TRUCE, Arbella, Three Dots and a Dash, Lazy Bird, Bisous, The Violet Hour, Billy Sunday, Scofflaw, Cara Cara Club, The Whistler, Heavy Feather, La Pharmacie, Larry’s (The Lawrence House), Sportsman’s Club, The Hi-Lo, California Clipper, Valedor, Punch House, The Pearl Club, and Matchbox.

100+ more, but this should be a good start.

Patio Bars, Rooftops, and Day Drinking: Happy Camper, Paradise Park, Cabana Club / The Up Room, J. Parker, Federales (Logan location because WL is ratchet), Recess, Kaiser Tiger, Pilsen Yards, Cindy’s, IO Godfrey, Utopian Tailgate, Shore Club (seasonal), Kirkwood, Barcocina, Park & Field, Welcome Back Lounge, Central Park Bar, Sheffield’s

Plenty others, including places I’ve mentioned throughout this thread (i.e. Parson’s).

Inspired by Abita, I'm creating a working thread for Chicago that should be posted within the week. Similar to Boston, a lot of Chicago threads pop this time of year asking for the same recommendations during spring and summer. It'll be a thread I continually edit / answer individual questions. There are, like, two other current Chicago residents on this board that I'd like to include after I post / they read through it.

Thread from a month or two ago: LINK

I'll still keep the Club card. Only difference, at least for me, is the new annual fee. Travel so much work from ORD -> LAX, SFO, LGA that I need continued lounge access + achieving Gold has always been damn easy with my job. I usually fall in Platinum.

If you like March Madness trends, last season was just the third time in the last 27 years that all 2 seeds reached the S16. If you follow, think you almost have to look at St. John's against Arkansas or Kansas. Last few 7/10 seeds to bounce a 2 have come from power conferences.