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Chicago-GAF OT of Not the Second City, the BEST damn city.

D

Dany

Banned
shagg_187 said:
Heading to Chicago for the weekend! So excited. Silly snow though.

What are the essentials to visit? I'll do some research by reading this thread as much as I can.

Also, spot me some weed!
Click to expand...

Pequads, Christkindle Market, Portillos, Bad Apple,

Whatcha wann do?
 
S

Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew

Banned
glow said:
What kind of vacation is this and is this going to be your first time here? Are you looking to do tourist sightseeing stuff or bars/clubs/nightlife, or both? Where will you be staying?
Click to expand...

Shit yeah, time to explain. It's my friend's birthday and he wants to celebrate it with us all by seeing Markus Schultz on Saturday night at The MID. So it's two nights in Chicago, and rest of time road tripping. Oh and we are going to go both sightseeing and bar/nightlife. Good food places would be welcome as well!

Dany M said:
Pequads, Christkindle Market, Portillos, Bad Apple.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll keep reading for more!
 
S

Sai-kun

Banned
Oh man, the MID is such a fun venue. Saw Duke Dumont there back in April with Dany and we had a blast. It's tiny but awesome.
 
I

IAmtheFMan

Member
Bollocks said:
There's even a christkindle market in Chicago?
As if Chicago wasn't already cool enough.
Is there anything this city doesn't have?
Click to expand...

I love Christmas in Chicago; the Christkindlemaket is fantastic. My brother's family recently moved here and I can't wait to take my niece and nephew there and load them up with sugary goodness. If it's not too crappy out, it'd be nice to hike to State street and the old Marshall Fields (now Macy's) where they still do the Christmas story displays and take them up to the Walnut Room for a Pot Pie too.
 
K

kitchenmotors

Banned
Nice, a Namco arcade would be amazing. Can they debut that Pokemon fighting game in the US at this place, plz?

Dany M said:
Man, Schaumburg really has everything, :(
Click to expand...

Schaumburg is excellent for a lot of things, but I wouldn't go near it right now. Woodfield is a nightmare during Christmas shopping season.
 
V

Viewt

Member
So what's everybody up to tonight? Personally, I'll be over at Alice's Lounge (best karaoke in the city) belting out a wildly drunk version of American Girl while my girlfriend covers her face and pretends she doesn't know me.
 
Z

Zapages

Member
Heading to Chicago in early March for a week.

I was wondering what are good Halal Chicago style Pizza places to visit and other halal places to go to. There are so many out there, but what are the best ones to visit?

Also any good places to visit and some places to avoid at the same time.

Its my first time going to Chicago.
 
T

talisayNon

Member
hey guys.

I'm going to be in your town for 8 hours thanks to that 32 dollar deal from JetBlue.

Anyone got a recommendation for something to do for ~4 hours? Restaurants? I know my girl wants to see millenium park
 
S

Sai-kun

Banned
There's two ice skating places in that area that are fun, and it's a nice area to walk around in for a bit since you (I assume) haven't been before.

4 hours isn't a ton of time though D: Hopefully more people can throw down some suggestions for Loop-ish stuff!
 
T

Thug Waffle

Member
Pizano's deep dish is kinda weak. Am I alone in thinking this? Nothing special about it for me... I almost would've rather gone thin crust.
 
V

Viewt

Member
Sai-kun said:
If it's not pequods deep dish then I'm not interested
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Giordano's is solid drunk food, but I wouldn't make much of an effort to eat there. Thin crust > deep dish.

EDIT: Have you guys seen an upsurge of people talking about moving away in your social circle? I feel like I've talked to a ton of people recently who are talking about moving to Seattle, LA, Denver, etc. Maybe it's just the winter blues making people itchy to leave.
 
V

Viewt

Member
Dany said:
Come again.
Click to expand...

Haha, as I mentioned, I really like Pequod's, and I've heard good stuff about a couple other deep dish places, but by both volume and quality, there's better thin crust to be had in the city. Even if we're just talking Chicago-style pizza, I'll take tavern pizza 9 times out of 10.
 
T

Thug Waffle

Member
Viewt said:
Pretty much. Giordano's is solid drunk food, but I wouldn't make much of an effort to eat there. Thin crust > deep dish.

EDIT: Have you guys seen an upsurge of people talking about moving away in your social circle? I feel like I've talked to a ton of people recently who are talking about moving to Seattle, LA, Denver, etc. Maybe it's just the winter blues making people itchy to leave.
Click to expand...

Happens every year, then summer hits and the Chi reels 'em back in.
 
W

wingwah

Banned
Hey guys!

I'm moving to Chicago in a couple months...looking for an apartment in South Loop/ S.Wabash.

Do you guys have any recommendations? I found an awesome looking complex on Clark St: 1 bed/bath for $1,900 which is really steep. I guess I want to see what you guys suggest since Chicago is completely foreign to me. (I'm from the west coast).
 
J

joelseph

Member
Is there a reason you want or need to live in the loop? Public transportation to the loop is cheap and easy and will put you far enough out to find a cheaper place to stay in a neighborhood that is more fun to live in.

Everyone here will tell you that place is the northside. I won't try and convince you otherwise.

Welcome to Chicago!
 
V

Viewt

Member
amphetamine said:
Hey guys!

I'm moving to Chicago in a couple months...looking for an apartment in South Loop/ S.Wabash.

Do you guys have any recommendations? I found an awesome looking complex on Clark St: 1 bed/bath for $1,900 which is really steep. I guess I want to see what you guys suggest since Chicago is completely foreign to me. (I'm from the west coast).
Click to expand...

Hi there! I was you two years ago (well, replace the West Coast with Florida).

First off, joelseph is right on the money - if you don't NEED to live in the South Loop, don't. Not that it doesn't have its charms (I know there's a pretty active "SoLo" community online), but honestly, your money would go WAY further elsewhere while still being close to a train stop and being safe.

Again, gotta hand it to joelseph, whose sage advice should not be ignored - the north side, which is generally understood to be north of the loop and east of the north branch of the Chicago River, has plenty of fun places to hang out, get a bite, drink, etc. But it's pricier, and personally, it can feel sterile sometimes.

The good news is, there are so many other neighborhoods you could choose that offer great night life, awesome restaurants, proximity to the El (the train) and more, while still being way less money. To give you an idea, here's where I currently live:

- Logan Square/Humboldt Park (the city's map would tell you it's Logan Square, the people who've lived there forever would tell you it's Humboldt Park - basically off Francisco & Cortland)
- 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
- Hardwood Floors, Fairly New Appliances
- A/C, In-Unit Laundry
- 10 Minute Walk to the California Blue Line Stop
- Short Walk to a Dozen Restaurants, Bars, Etc.
- $1185/Month

The area's much safer now than it apparently used to be. I still read about an occasional mugging/robbery online here and there, but in the two years I've lived there, I've never once had a problem.

Chicago's got the neighborhood for you, and it's likely at a price you can afford. Really, though, it depends on what you want. Are you more into bars or clubs, what kind of restaurants do you want to be close to, how much are you willing to spend, what are your space needs, are you going to bring a car with you, etc. Knowing these things will make it way easier to recommend a neighborhood.

But welcome!
 
I

IAmtheFMan

Member
amphetamine said:
Hey guys!

I'm moving to Chicago in a couple months...looking for an apartment in South Loop/ S.Wabash.

Do you guys have any recommendations? I found an awesome looking complex on Clark St: 1 bed/bath for $1,900 which is really steep. I guess I want to see what you guys suggest since Chicago is completely foreign to me. (I'm from the west coast).
Click to expand...

I live in the South Loop, specifically in Printers Row. I love it there since I love living IN the city, but it's still relatively quiet, I can drive everwhere I need to go without really running into traffic and it's not at all touristy (which can be a problem when you go to River North, Streeterville area, etc.) That being said, it can be pricier than other areas as already mentioned. There's a ton of new construction going on there, and these brand spanking new apartments with a million amenities tend to be pricey. In terms of whether it's a good fit, it really depends on what you're looking for. Where on Clark are you looking?
 
W

wingwah

Banned
joelseph said:
Is there a reason you want or need to live in the loop? Public transportation to the loop is cheap and easy and will put you far enough out to find a cheaper place to stay in a neighborhood that is more fun to live in.

Everyone here will tell you that place is the northside. I won't try and convince you otherwise.

Welcome to Chicago!
Click to expand...

Viewt said:
Hi there! I was you two years ago (well, replace the West Coast with Florida).

First off, joelseph is right on the money - if you don't NEED to live in the South Loop, don't. Not that it doesn't have its charms (I know there's a pretty active "SoLo" community online), but honestly, your money would go WAY further elsewhere while still being close to a train stop and being safe.

Again, gotta hand it to joelseph, whose sage advice should not be ignored - the north side, which is generally understood to be north of the loop and east of the north branch of the Chicago River, has plenty of fun places to hang out, get a bite, drink, etc. But it's pricier, and personally, it can feel sterile sometimes.

The good news is, there are so many other neighborhoods you could choose that offer great night life, awesome restaurants, proximity to the El (the train) and more, while still being way less money. To give you an idea, here's where I currently live:

- Logan Square/Humboldt Park (the city's map would tell you it's Logan Square, the people who've lived there forever would tell you it's Humboldt Park - basically off Francisco & Cortland)
- 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
- Hardwood Floors, Fairly New Appliances
- A/C, In-Unit Laundry
- 10 Minute Walk to the California Blue Line Stop
- Short Walk to a Dozen Restaurants, Bars, Etc.
- $1185/Month

The area's much safer now than it apparently used to be. I still read about an occasional mugging/robbery online here and there, but in the two years I've lived there, I've never once had a problem.

Chicago's got the neighborhood for you, and it's likely at a price you can afford. Really, though, it depends on what you want. Are you more into bars or clubs, what kind of restaurants do you want to be close to, how much are you willing to spend, what are your space needs, are you going to bring a car with you, etc. Knowing these things will make it way easier to recommend a neighborhood.

But welcome!
Click to expand...

IAmtheFMan said:
I live in the South Loop, specifically in Printers Row. I love it there since I love living IN the city, but it's still relatively quiet, I can drive everwhere I need to go without really running into traffic and it's not at all touristy (which can be a problem when you go to River North, Streeterville area, etc.) That being said, it can be pricier than other areas as already mentioned. There's a ton of new construction going on there, and these brand spanking new apartments with a million amenities tend to be pricey. In terms of whether it's a good fit, it really depends on what you're looking for. Where on Clark are you looking?
Click to expand...

I really appreciate the thoughtful responses, guys. I forgot about my post here so I just saw your responses.

My school is on S. Wabash (I think it's pretty obvious which one it is!), so I want to live relatively close by in order to meet more students and not worry about commuting.

Logan Square looks pretty nice, and the price is very appealing–bummer how it's a bit far from south loop.

I found a really nice 1br on Indiana street (next to mercy hospital)...$1650 a month

IamtheFMan, I'm actually really intrigued with Printer's Row....I'm noticing a lot of places on S. Dearborn st.
 
J

joelseph

Member
amphetamine said:
I found a really nice 1br on Indiana street (next to mercy hospital)...$1650 a month
Click to expand...

I pay 1300 for a 2 story stand alone coach house in Bucktown that has 1.5 bath, large master with walk in, in unit washer and dryer, the works. I am 5 minute walk to the Western blueline which is 15-20 min from the loop. No shared walls. Private.

Just to give you an idea of what else is available.
 
V

Viewt

Member
Provided you're within walking distance of an El stop, getting to the Loop is always pretty simple. Chicago's rail network feeds into downtown, so you're looking at 20 minutes from Logan Square. The South Loop does add a bit of extra time, though, since you'd likely have to transfer to the Red Line to head south. All in all, you'd be looking at around 35 minutes if you're close to the Logan Square/California/Western section of the Blue Line.

I'd just stress that you should look for a neighborhood that fits your lifestyle and personality. If the South Loop hits your needs, though, go for it. Just be sure to explore the rest of the city, as well, and remember the golden rule - Loop Pizza is bad!
 
I

IAmtheFMan

Member
amphetamine said:
I found a really nice 1br on Indiana street (next to mercy hospital)...$1650 a month

IamtheFMan, I'm actually really intrigued with Printer's Row....I'm noticing a lot of places on S. Dearborn st.
Click to expand...

Printer's Row is nice. Very neighborhood-y feel.

The SOUTH South Loop (south of Roosevelt) is nice and undergoing a lot of development. There's a lot of nice areas, and even some family areas but there's plenty of new construction development and revitalization of older places. There's still a few pockets of higher crime, so just be careful about that too.
 
V

Viewt

Member
Looks like the temp's finally going to be above freezing this weekend, so hopefully that'll get rid of some of the snow and make driving/parking less of a never-ending hellscape.
 
D

Dany

Banned
0DNlciol.jpg


I'm over this. I legit feel like im getting the winter blues because of this cold.
 
V

Viewt

Member
Getting into work today was fucking brutal. Just the walk from my apartment to the Blue Line froze the hair on my face. Not looking forward to it being even worse tomorrow.
 
A

Avon Barksdale

Member
My uncle, (who lives in Chicago) sent me a box of stuff to make Chicago-style hot dogs. I haven't tried them yet but I'll let you guys know what I think of them.
 
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