116608 Thu Sep 02 20:41:36 -0700 2004 9 7 Chicago Area 0 636821 Hello Chicago from the City of Philadelphia. I'm coming to Chicago for a girls weekend from Friday, 10/15 - Sunday 10/17. My type A personality forces me to see and do as much as I possibly can in a relatively short period of time Right now we have a reservation at the Talbott Hotel (which I believe is downtown). Any and all suggestions are welcome for favorite restaurants, sights, haunted houses or Octoberfests. Would love to know the BEST place for deep dish pizza, hot dogs (or kielbasa), jazz clubs, brunch, and a nice dinner for Saturday night. Also, what is a Mr. Beef? Willing to taxi, if the food is worth it. Thanks in advance for all your responses. It is greatly appreciated. Don't be shy ... I have 3 days in your wonderful City and want to make the most of it. Karen Thu Sep 02 20:41:36 -0700 2004 0 Chef Karen 1 636822 Everything that I list below you can get to by public transportation. I sold my car when I moved to Downtown Chicago and I either take public transportation or a cab. Pizza Lou Malnaties Hot Dogs Demon Dawgs & Portillos Tommy Guns is one of my favorites Musical Show/Restaurant. Jazz Club Kazaba(?) It's located in the House of Blues Hotel or you can go to the House Of Blues bar. Brunch On Sunday's the House of Blues has a Church/Bruch. You can take a Haunted Tour in front of Rock N Roll McDonalds but don't expect to see McDonalds it's not there anymore so the tour is across the street from the Rain Forest Cafet. A good dinner out I would suggest Butterfield 8 and go with the Pre-Fix dinner you can't go wrong. Thu Sep 02 21:45:25 -0700 2004 636821 0 Chicago Chef 1 636839 If you like classic-style jazz and enjoy a place with a little history, check out Andy's (11 E Hubbard). The place is kind of a dump and the food is only slightly better than my old high school cafeteria, but the music there is incredible. I have some friends who play in jazz bands a this is the place a lot of them go to after their sets are done. The musicians often interact with the audience during the late set (again, a lot of musicians in the crowd by then). They also have a really good house band that place some days at lunchtime. Link: http://chicago.citysearch.com/profile?id=3668416 Fri Sep 03 10:00:12 -0700 2004 636821 0 HappyFatGuy 2 636871 Great advice on Andy's... Sun Sep 05 10:16:58 -0700 2004 636839 0 Mama-Maria 1 636840 For a starting point, get a copy of Chicago magazine (preferably the October edition when it comes out). The restaurant guide is reliable (at least for higher end spots) and it gives an excellent overview of what's going on in the city from concerts to galleries to museums. Also, if you do searches on this site for things like Italian beef, deep-dish pizza, Maxwell Street, Rick Bayless, you'll get a pretty good idea of some of our specialties. By the way, just got back from a weekend in Philly. Loved Valanni's, and don't go hunting for gelati around here, since you won't find anything better than Capogiro's. (Altho we've got some great Italian ice at Mario's on Taylor St., across from a renowned Italian beef spot -- Al's. Fri Sep 03 10:11:26 -0700 2004 636821 0 jbw 1 636851 You mentioned Oktoberfest. The food at Resi's Bier Stube on Irving Park has been drawing raves from Chicagoans and out-of-towners. Greektown is fun. Plenty of locals eat there. Top restaurants seem to be Santorini, Costa's, The Parthenon, Pegasus, and Greek Islands. Hit the Greek candle and voodoo-powder store at Halsted and Jackson, then continue south on that block to the Pan-Hellenic Bakery, Athens Grocery, and the Greek music store, with a drink at Artopolis, the uniquely hip bar/cafe/bakery. Artopolis' smoky upper level looking out on the street is more clubby than the open area by the bakery counter. Philadelphia does not lack for things Italian, but Harlem Ave. (7200 west, Chicago's western boundary) from North Ave. several miles north is home to Chicago's best Italian food stores (e.g., Caputo's), a restaurant I really like (Ristorante Agostino, 2817 N. Harlem, 773-745-6464), and Caffe Itallia, serving powerhouse cappuccino. A few Polish and Mexican spots are interspersed. A stroll up Harlem could make for a satisfyingly ethnic-funky Saturday morning. Marshall Field's on State Street is worth a stop. Almost as Chicago-esque is Miller's Pub, a block or two south on Wabash. This is not actually a pub but a large, loud, fast-paced, Greek-owned, large American-food restaurant (with a good bar) where you'll trip over M. Fields' shopping bags en route to your table and eat under walls covered with publicity stills of jocks, pols, and entertainers of forty years ago. Even more Chicago and older is the Berghoff. Stick with the first-floor bar and the sandwiches available there. Hyde Park is a beautiful neighborhood, intellectual and integrated. No absolute first-rate restaurants, but Dixie Kitchen and the Calypso(-something) in Harper Court have their fans. I'm fond of Medici Bakery and the few-doors-west 57th St. Books. Hyde Park is a fifteen-minute Metra Electric train ride from the Roosevelt St. station in the South Loop. On Wabash in the South Loop are trendy restaurant such as Oysy. A walk down Wabash from the Loop takes you through a revitalized residential-college belt and past some handsome, stolid old buildings. Others on this board can guide you to Devon Ave. (Indian, Russian), Albany Park (Middle Eastern, Latin American), and Argyle St. (Asian). For a quick take on Chicago's grit and color, you might read Alex Kotlowitz's short new book, "Never a City So Real." Have lots of fun. Report back, if you can. Fri Sep 03 12:13:39 -0700 2004 636821 0 Mugs 2 636852 If you follow Mugs advice on Hyde Park and South Loop, be sure to take a good walking guide with you. Neither of these neighborhoods are great food destinations (altho the recommendations he makes are good ones), but they are both of HUGE architectural (and in the first instance artistic and cultural) interest. Also, altho Harlem is a good street for eating and food shopping, it's not of much architectural/tourist interest, altho it is close to Oak Park, nirvana for Frank Lloyd Wright fans--again, a good walking guide would be of use. Fri Sep 03 12:58:12 -0700 2004 636851 0 jbw 1 636853 The Green Mill at 4802 N. Broadway is the oldest Jazz club in the country. It has changed very little since it was a speakeasy during prohibition. It is like a trip into the past (and the bands are usually pretty good also). It can get crowded, so get there early to get a table. It can also get a little smokey, but that just adds to the authentic ambiance. There are also many interesting dining options just to the north of there, including the Vietnamese strip along Argyle street. Fri Sep 03 13:16:33 -0700 2004 636821 0 dlc 1 636855 - favorite restaurants Your hotel is close to one of my favorites: Saloon Steakhouse in the Seneca Hotel, 200 E. Chestnut. - favorite sights It depends on your preferences. Chicago is an outstanding destination for architecture enthusiasts, art lovers, and power shoppers, among other things. At a minimum, you'd probably like to stroll Michigan Ave. and the lakefront, and take an elevator ride to the top of the Hancock Building. All of these things are very close to your hotel. Also, the Chicago Architecture Foundation hosts several outstanding tours, including their famous river tour. - haunted houses For an extremely mild haunted house in the center of the Loop, see the link below. - deep dish pizza Quite a divisive topic. I prefer Pizzeria Due, 619 N. Wabash, which is within walking distance of your hotel. - hot dogs (or kielbasa) Both can be had at Jim's Original, 700 W. O'Brien (cab distance). Chicagoans typically refer to Kielbasa as "Polish sausage." - what is a Mr. Beef? A preferred (by some) destination for the classic Chicago Italian Beef sandwich. It's typically served to order either dry or wet (juicy) and with sweet or hot peppers. Mr. Beef is located at 666 N. Orleans, a good stretch of the legs from your hotel or short cabbing distance. Link: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?0&contentOID=536912837&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&entityName=Special+Events&deptMainCategoryOID=-536884614&blockName=Special+Events/Content&context=dept Fri Sep 03 14:08:04 -0700 2004 636821 0 maurice 1 636862 Thanks so much everyone for all the responses! You guys are the best! Fri Sep 03 21:35:46 -0700 2004 636821 0 Karen