hoopsgalore

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But your suggestion that bears fans would have very little additional travel time or logistic issues is simply flat out ridiculously wrong.

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My post should have had almost zero alternative interpretation - For a portion of the population around Chicagoland, whom I acknowledged, "more planning" will be needed. Didn't think I needed to be explicit in defining what that means: Time. Other than that, all I said was:

(1) In response to the person I quoted, anyone living in The Loop will have an easier time getting to Hammond than others in the city, by virtue of the SSL at Millennium Station.

(2) The route is not a 'maze' because, well, it isn't. It's an easy-to-follow to/from, whether you're driving the Edens, Eisenhower or Kennedy.

Think you need to reread my post because nothing written "[suggested]" anything controversial or out of the ordinary :lol:

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The guy who started Under Armour is back in charge. They are refocusing on team sports, especially after losing some big time schools. He may very well throw a lot of money at Maryland to make them relevant.

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We'll see... Not like Plank was ever gone. He originally hand-picked Frisk and stayed on as Chair of the Board.

Maybe Plank bankrolls Maryland, but could be awhile. He has his work cut out for himself at UA. Has had to remove himself from several other projects.

Been hearing this for years about Maryland.

"Definitive" Chicago thread I created that you can read through, if you'd like: LINK

I will say, visiting in March is tricky... Weather is completely unpredictable and I would track it leading up to the day you leave. Could be 70 and sunny one day, then 40 and cloudy the next. shite, its been beautiful the last few days and currently 65 with clear skies, but we're expected to drop into the high 30s on Friday. Gives you a sense of how variable it is.

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Keep in mind, im 50yo old dude. Dont party like I used to

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If weather cooperates, highly recommend walking Lakefront Trail. Can do this one of two ways:

1. Walk north from your hotel in The Loop or River North and just turn around when you feel like it.

2. Take the Red Line to Fullerton and walk towards the skyline. Beautiful, beautiful walk. This would be my preference and it's a similar route my wife and I do every weekend in spring, summer, and fall.

Though you don't "party" like you used to, Chicago has an excellent stretch of breweries known as Malt Row in Ravenswood. You don't have to explore every brewery, but you can take the Brown Line to Irving Park and get to the know the neighborhood a bit. Ravenswood and North Center are beautiful neighborhoods. Very oriented to young families, but a lot of great independent, local shops sprinkled alongside breweries.

Some other activities and attractions to pass time: Skydeck (Willis Tower), Riverwalk, Boat Tour, Art Institute, Michigan Ave., Navy Pier, Museum Campus (Adler and Shedd), Millennium / Grant Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, Garfield Conservatory, Museum of Science & Industry, Montrose Beach / Bird Sanctuary, and Chinatown / Ping Tom Park.

Don't know if this is a "formal activity," but all of our independent, local shops and restaurants are in neighborhoods. With ease of the Red, Blue or Brown Line, you can pretty easily visit Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Roscoe Village, North Center, Logan Square, etc.

ETA: As someone else said, Cubs start the season with a four-game homestand against the Nats from March 26-30, if you're around during that time. Wrigleyville went full-blown Nashville, for better or worse, and isn't what it used to be, but still a fun time.

Silver Stamp has a fantastic beer list. Very divey, too.

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Even downtown LA with it's problems beats Houston's downtown with similar issues on a smaller scale.

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Honestly, DTLA has seen a really, really positive transformation. Like you said, still some issues but there has been such a concerted effort to make it more of a destination for residents and visitors alike - Arts District is loaded with great restaurants, South Park is a massive entertainment area, and the entire downtown area is undergoing significant zoning reform that will allow a reduction of parking and boost mixed-use buildings and residential development.

Meh. It's a travel advisory. They aren't telling German nationals not to travel here. USA has travel advisories all over the globe, for one reason or another, including Germany.

1. Rio - The most naturally beautiful city I've been. RJ simply has incredible landscapes.

2. Singapore - The density and thoughtful use of land (SG is loaded with wetlands and natural areas) is very impressive. Great recreational opportunities outside the immediate downtown core.

3. Villefranche-sur-Mer - Bit more of a niche mention but it's almost over a hill from Nice so I'll mention it :lol: An incredible setting in a small-ish harbor/peninsula that pours into the Mediterranean. Such cool elevation to the town and incredible water color.

One city I'm a bit let down by is Kuala Lumpur. I've been more than a couple times with one side of my wife's family from Malaysia. This is relative because I really like KL and some of its disadvantages are in part of rapid population growth. However, there's a decent amount of trash in the immediate downtown core and it's a little difficult to navigate with limited intersections. Some of the neighborhoods / townships outside of the core are nice (I've stayed multiple times in Taman Desa), but I don't totally need to go back. I know I will a few more times :lol:

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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 :lol: 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.

Quick heads up, but I updated/edited both of the first two posts in this thread. Always reminding you that none of this is exhaustive and I purposely left a lot out. Still, it can be quite overwhelming, so feel free to reply with any individual questions!