hoopsgalore

Yes, we stayed at Surfsand. Direct access to the beach and steps away from Haystack Rock. Didn't have a beach view, which wasn't a big deal since we were were out-and-about most of the time, anyway.

Use Abita's Boston thread. Everything you could want from someone living in Boston.

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Can get very expensive

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OP said he didn't need to stay downtown. I gave him another option nearby.

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They are much shittier

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Well, yeah, Mt. Pleasant isn't Charleston. Still plenty of name brand properties at a fraction of the price.

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Trashy and the food isn’t good

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Never said food was good, but most of the places double up with the option. Just a fun setting along the creek for entertainment.

There have been some decent Minneapolis threads over the last couple years that you should search.

North Loop will be your culinary and cocktail bar neighborhood - Spoon and Stable, Porzana, Demi, Billy Susi, Butcher & The Boar, and Bar La Grassa are all great choices for a nicer meal. For something more casual, Freehouse makes an excellent bloody / brunch, Wrecktangle for pizza, Graze for drinking and checking out different vendors in a food hall. North Loop also has some breweries worth going to - Modist, Inbound, and Fulton are all great stops before Twins games. Speaking of which, Target Field is in North Loop and worth a stop if the Twins are in town. Beautiful park and easily accessible by foot or light rail.

Minneapolis has some of the best recreation opportunities for a bigger city in the country - Spend time walking around Lake of the Isles, kayaking, canoeing, biking the Greenway, etc.

Linden Hills is a neighborhood in South Minneapolis that is worth checking out - Lake Harriet is a beautiful walk and you can stop for food at Martina, Rosalia, or Tilia then grab some ice cream from Sebastian Joe's.

Northeast Minneapolis is fun, as well. Again, a decent number of good restaurants and quite a few breweries - Indeed, Brocken Clock, Pryes, HeadFlyer, and Bauhaus all worth stops.

If you go just east of Minnesota's campus, Surly has an incredible space and a walkway connecting you to O'Shaughnessy Distilling. The Market is right there, too, which is another food hall an industrial space with a great patio and bar.

Enjoy. Minneapolis is great. Grew up there and a decent amount since a lot of my college buddies are from there. Coincidentally, will be there for Twins/Brewers in May.

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Minnesota was without Anthony Edwards too.

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No Ayo, either.

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EVERYONE will be picking High Point

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Wisconsin has the best backcourt duo in the country, including a 20 PPG lead guard with Final Four experience, and plays five out. Against a High Point team that hasn't been tested by a power conference team yet and allows opponents to take a ton of threes, I think this is an objectively rough draw for HPU. Doesn't mean they can't do it, but Wisconsin has some absolutely banging wins on their resume and a ton of experience.

I use it at ORD and it's always quicker than standard PreCheck line. Highly recommend opting in.

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Crazy question, what are some bars and hot dog joints do you recommend during my free time?

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Best hot dog spots will not be in River North or The Loop. Wolfy's and Superdawg top the list in Chicago proper, but going to be a bit out of your range. I've come to really enjoy Bangers & Lace's Chicago dog. Plus, it's just a great bar. Pretty easy go on the Blue Line from Clark/Lake - Less than 10 minutes on the train.

ETA: Also, wait, did I read you'll be in Chicago... this weekend? :lol: Holy shite. The city celebrates St. Paddy's on Saturday. It's going to be an absolute shitshow with traffic, crowded bars, river dying, etc.

Someone linked my guide in this thread. That should give you good insight and direction on a hotel. To echo that, your greatest concentration of hotels across all price ranges will be in The Loop and River North.

Think I put a couple specific hotel suggestions in that thread, but don't be alarmed if prices are a bit steep in August (and all summer). Between sports, events/concerts, and general tourism, summertime Chicago is an insanely busy time to visit.

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and staying InterContinental Chicago, can we walk that or should we take bus/uber?

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All about your tolerance for walking medium-sized suitcases, I guess. It's not a difficult walk from Clark/Lake. Just make sure you exit on the side of the platform mentioned in my last post. I'd probably just do it.

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a friend mentioned to me about Amtrak to Milwaukee so that is how we plan to get there. Staying E. Michigan and N. Milwaukee, and i heard that if you are drinking at a local establishment, they have busses or some transportation to "Miller Park"

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Yes, Amtrak from Union Station to the Intermodal in Milwaukee is incredibly easy and affordable. I do it multiple times each year. Milwaukee fricking rocks.

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Love Bloodies, and Beers, will start at Sheffields and make our way around.

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In my opinion, Chicago is trash when it comes to bloodies. Best I've had is Reno in Logan, but save that appetite for MKE. I dream about MKE bloodies every weekend :lol:

Sheffield's is great. Take Red Line to Belmont if that's your first stop.

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If you are around and want to drink a beer let's do it

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We do our best not to leave Chicago in the summertime. There's no place I'd rather be. We live through and tolerate winter (this one has sucked) to get to that.

Especially if you've never been, NHL is very worth it. The pace is incredible to see at that level. Hawks games are a fun time, but I understand why $375 might be too steep :lol: The 300 sections will be totally fine.