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[Escape Goat]

I am going to Chicago this weekend with a friend. His brother is out of town so we're going up and going to see what kind of trouble we can get into up there. We're both skating the poverty line so what is there to do up there that is fun/interesting? And, no, I will not be going to see Oprah.

 

[cubanb]

squirt oprah with a water bottle. go find belkai from perfect strangers. find the park where henry roengardner broke his arm only to become rookie of the year

 

[Escape Goat]

1/3 of your post is real. the other part is fictional...

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Go to Gino's East to eat the best pizza in the world. Northside is Wrigley, southside is White Sox territory. Go to Lake Shore Drive to watch people drive cars you only handle in games. It's a quick way to feel less of yourself. Walk around downtown to check the scenery. It's a sight to behold. There is no point if you don't have any money though. Dave and Buster's is there. State Street has the 'after-hours' entertainment if you need a 'fix' Other than that, enjoy Chicago

 

[dog$]

Well you're coming just in time for the Taste, so if you'd like to indulge, have fun wading through that crowd.

If you don't mind wandering around for a few miles, catch some L lines and try your hand at exploring some areas nearby the Loop. You can take the Red to Chinatown and maybe buy some cheap junk you'd like, or take a Blue up to the Clark & Belmont area and visit those interesting stores like The Alley and all neighboring places. Central Loop area will have the majority of museums and other buildings of interest to visit. Speaking of which, maybe bike rental would work, and you can ride the lakeshore from the Field Museum/Shedd/Adler up to Navy Pier.

If you're by Millennium Park, be sure to grab some pictures because I've heard that they're contemplating an ordinace to ban cameras from the area.

When I'm downtown I'm never at a loss of things to photograph or places to go, so, I can't think of many specifics to suggest. I always just go without a plan and end up finding something to do.

Oh yeah, and as far as safe vs unsafe boundaries... no further south than Archer, no further west than Ashland.. northside is basically safe, unless you're a 30 year old female You'll have a wide area of terrain to cover if you want to explore.

 

[beto]

this might help

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Well you're coming just in time for the Taste, so if you'd like to indulge, have fun wading through that crowd.

Say hello to traffic jams galore. Seemingly 1/3 of the men there are gay. When you see the same men dancing to 50 Cent's Candy Shop one minute and the next they are dancing to Who Let the Dogs out, you know what is up.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Get a deep dish pizza from Giordanos.

Visit downtown Chicago. Barring the hobos, it's a lot nicer than the shitty I'm from.

The Chinatown area was a nice place to get lost and be the nosey honky.

Visit Super Just Games.

Have fun, Chicago fuckin' rocks!

 

[yoshifumi]

super just games is called nickel city now i think

as far as deep dish pizza is concerned, i say lou malnati's is best

 

[dog$]

Yeah, and Nickel City is like an hour away from downtown, allllllll the way up in Northbrook.

Not especially worth it in my opinion... if you're really hurting for arcade action, just go to the wrigleyville area and look for Denis's Place For Games. It's right by a Blueline station on Belmont. Small, but they sometimes have newer games (they had Rumblefish 2 on test recently) and it's a hell of a lot closer than anything else in the suburbs. I'm still not a fan of D&B's.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Quick correction-- it's the red and brown lines that go the Clark/Belmont, not Blue.

That's one of may favorite neighborhoods, I highly recommend it. Gret comic shop there, too, if you are into that.

The taste can be pricely, but people-watching is free, and there are free concerts all weekend.

I believe the Top of the 'Cock (Hancock Tower) is free, and still one of the tallest buildings in the country, worth a look.

There's a ton a funny, cheap theater around, too. Check out Too Much Light Makes the baby Go Blind if yo ulike improv/oddball theater. it's not improv, but has the same sense of humor. Go early, it sells out.

There's also the beach, with more people watching (but less clothes).

EDIT: Dennis' Place for Games is also at the Clark/Belmont stop. RED LINE! Not Blue line.

 

[Bluecondor]

If you like to be outside, rent a couple of bikes and bike down the long trail down Lake Shore Drive. It is absolutely beautiful, and there are people out everywhere. Basically, you can bike all the way to the Navy Pier and grab something to eat/drink there (although not too much to drink obviously, if you're biking).

 

[Escape Goat]

Well, I have to say I love Chicago. The nearest "big town" is Indianapolis and compared to Indy Chicago is a million times more fun. The whole tone of the city is different. People actually were outside walking,jogging/playing tennis/walking in the park. You don't see that Indy unless you are downtown shopping.

I didn't get to see too many major sight seeing spots but I did visit the High Temple. Really beautiful place, very ornate. Navy Pier/Lakeshore/downtown were a blast! I was going to buy a Cubs hat from Wrigley but there was a game and so I decided to buy one in a store. There is a pizza pl ace not far from my friend's brother's apartment called Chicago's pizza which was the best deep dish pizza I've ever tasted. I wish I could have brought some back with me!

I'd love to live in Chicago if I had the money but just visiting I could tell its a pretty expensive place to live compared to Indianapolis.

 

[J2 Cool]

Art Musuem, Cub's game, and Planetarium are all cool.

 

[xsarien]

Pizzaria Due. Where they're so hardcore that they make you order when you walk in the door and tell them how many people are in your party.

 

[FoneBone]

Museum of Science and Industry is a must-see (unless that's just nostalgia), though I haven't been there in years... might be too expensive, though.

 

[MC Safety]

Pizzaria Due. Where they're so hardcore that they make you order when you walk in the door and tell them how many people are in your party.

I heartily agree with this post.

Oh, and also I might recommend visiting the "cheeseburger, cheeseburger" place. I forget its name, but it's an interesting little dive. And it inspired the Saturday Night Live sketch.

 

[Lonestar]

"I'd love to live in Chicago if I had the money but just visiting I could tell its a pretty expensive place to live compared to Indianapolis."

You betcha. I visited for a week back in May, and some, what I'd consider to be, "Modest Homes" were in excess of $500,000. Modest as in Single story, 1100 sq. ft. at best. Hardly any land, AND a good 20 miles from Downtown Chicago/Lakefront.

 

[suaveric]

Lonestar, it depends on where you were. Most of the pricest places to live in the area are no where near the city/lake.

 

[Escape Goat]

My friend's brother's apartment was on the northend I believe on Montrose. His rent was 1300 for a 2 bedroom. its pretty much 1 bedroom because they seem to count this other room which has no room for anything more than a bed as a bedroom. Its a duplex so people rent the upper half of the house.

 

[Lonestar]

well, I did spend most of my time in the Northside, mostly near Mt. Prospect and the Allstate Campus. Saw a HUGE CDW (I think that's the acronym) building.

 

[Dead]

Find a Portillos and eat there. Hot Dog, Hamburger, it doesn't matter. it's all godly.

 

[Desperado]

Go to a Sox or Cubs game.

 

[reggieandTFE]

"I'd love to live in Chicago if I had the money but just visiting I could tell its a pretty expensive place to live compared to Indianapolis."

You betcha. I visited for a week back in May, and some, what I'd consider to be, "Modest Homes" were in excess of $500,000. Modest as in Single story, 1100 sq. ft. at best. Hardly any land, AND a good 20 miles from Downtown Chicago/Lakefront.

Yep my great aunt lives in Norridge, about 45 minutes west of downtown and the houses there have gone for > 1 million despite the fact that they're all 1-story (with finished basements mostly) because of the location, community and schools. The big reason that the housing market is so flush is because the city of Chicago kicks ass , but also because the rest of the midwest is hemorhagging jobs (sp ?) like a mothefucker.