chunky jag Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Me and my girlfriend thinking of going next year, anyone got any tips where to stay what to do etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Was there for one day about 15 years ago, but apart from the freezing air conditioning in our restuarant (it was August), I don't remember too much about it. Ended up there after a Greyhound bus (maybe around 3 hrs) from Madison, Wisconsin, which was a very nice town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaveOnBobbyLaw Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Me and my girlfriend thinking of going next year, anyone got any tips where to stay what to do etc? Was there for a week in March 10. Cracking place but try to go in the summer/autumn as it was baltic! We stayed near Millenium Park, which is pretty central and has loads of amazing sculptures and exhibits, open air concerts in the warm months too. Its near the magnificent mile (shopping for the good lady) and Navy Pier which is touristy but good fun. Other things to do: Blues clubs - Buddy Guys Legends has live blues every night, was brilliant. Bit of a dodgy area though so get a cab. Gangster Tour - we booked a gangster tour via the hotel, sounds cheesy but gives you a good bit of the history and takes you round the city, the 2 guys that did it were hilarious too. Sears/Willis Tower - go on to the Skydeck - 2 glass boxes that jut out of the building on the 100-something floor. Shat myself. River cruises - another good way to see the city & some of the history. Take in the ice hockey, Bulls or Bear, easy to look up/book in advance in Ticketmaster. Lots of museums and a good aquarium too. Go to Giordanos for an original chicago deep pan pizza. We got a small between 2 and couldn't finish it. Thats why so many americans are fat. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky jag Posted November 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 thank you for advice mate that is superb. was actually hoping to take in something sporty, thinkin along the lines of the baseball but anything will do. thinkin of goin august Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gianlucatoni Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) you should head down to the intersection of madison and adams for the start point of route 66 ... ( a ) sporty? - go for a jog for a few miles along the route ( b ) alky? - do a pub crawl - you'll manage about 4 blocks before the autopilot kicks in ( c ) homoerotic? - rent a motorbike and get the leather chaps on for a wee donner down the mother road ( d ) normal? - rent a motor, crank up some tunes and go for a drive for the day - 200 miles takes you to springfield ... once you're past small towns like plainfield and joliet the route opens up and the road to springfield is the decaying way you picture it with some ghost towns along the way - couldn't recommend options ( b ) and ( d ) highly enough Edited November 23, 2011 by gianlucatoni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberteeb Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 I stayed in the Lincoln Park area, really nice part of the city, kind of a West End type feel to it and just a short ride on the L downtown. It’s a really cool city, I was there in November so it was proper cool, but in summer I reckon it would be awesome. This was 5 years ago so I don’t remember any of the places I went to but there were heaps of good bars, nightclubs and blues/jazz venues kicking about. Not as much touristy/well known stuff as NYC or San Fran but I thought it was a cracking place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky jag Posted November 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 who did u guys book through etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alx Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 Lincoln Park, river side restuarants, Sears tower. There's also a cracking big pier on the lake. Quite a good city, certainly not rubbish like Denver. I went to one of those grill restuarants that give you a bib to wear. The biggest pork chop i've ever seen that was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Scruff Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Visited Chicago a couple of months ago and it was just fantastic. Very friendly city with a great combination of the historic and the (sometimes overpowering) modern and monumental. We found lots of historic pubs which had a distinctly 'Chicago' flavour but were also reminiscent of the good things about Scottish pub culture - lively, great atmosphere and full of interaction. Definitely worth doing a river architectural tour; gives you a real grasp of the history of the city, and also what might be worth further exploration. I didn't realise the beach culture that exists there. Might be worth going in the warmer weather to get that as well as the 'big city' type tour. The whole coastline is beach/ marina and apparently the locals flock there during the warm Spring and summer months - and it's right next to the city centre. A big sporting city, but what you can attend depends on what time of the year you go. Baseball, basketball, american football, 'soccer', ice hockey are all well represented. And lots of blues clubs, comedy clubs, restaurants, galleries etc. Worth visiting: http://www.billygoattavern.com - surprisingly low key but an institution. http://www.yolk-online.com - fabulous breakfast with great service. Sets you up for the day. And Sears Tower, Hancock Tower, Mies van der Rohe towers etc. The Skydeck mentioned by Raveonbobbylaw is terrifying and unique but you have to do it. Millennium park worth a visit and that silver bean in the middle. We loved it. There's a strong architectural connection between Glasgow and Chicago and you'll get that real sense of "strange familiarity". Get into the mood by watching, the Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the Untouchables and Source Code before you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morfin Posted November 27, 2011 Report Share Posted November 27, 2011 I live just south of Chicago and should visit more. Be careful, tourist areas are as safe as anywhere but a lot of very dodgy parts of town, mostly on the South and West sides. Wrigley Field is worth a visit (Cubs baseball) with great bars all around including a Scottish bar I think called The Duke of Perth. The Rush/Division area on weekends is like Benidorm or something with lots of drunken women and bars open till about 4 or 5, worth seeing but with your girlfriend you may not quite enjoy it as much. Bears football tickets can be tough to buy but on the day you may get lucky and not ripped off too much if you buy outside from scalpers (touts). Taxis are everywhere but few drivers speak English and public transport is very good. If you get a chance I think the best music bar in America is The Hideout Bar, affiliated with Bloodshot Records and great live music. Its a bit off the beaten track though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 I live just south of Chicago and should visit more. Be careful, tourist areas are as safe as anywhere but a lot of very dodgy parts of town, mostly on the South and West sides. Wrigley Field is worth a visit (Cubs baseball) with great bars all around including a Scottish bar I think called The Duke of Perth. The Rush/Division area on weekends is like Benidorm or something with lots of drunken women and bars open till about 4 or 5, worth seeing but with your girlfriend you may not quite enjoy it as much. Bears football tickets can be tough to buy but on the day you may get lucky and not ripped off too much if you buy outside from scalpers (touts). Taxis are everywhere but few drivers speak English and public transport is very good. If you get a chance I think the best music bar in America is The Hideout Bar, affiliated with Bloodshot Records and great live music. Its a bit off the beaten track though. The first part of that sentence sounds like Paisley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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