@dalek surprised me with a quick getaway and we’ll be in Chicago for a few days in December. We’re only there for 2 days, a Thursday and a Friday. What are the top things to cram into my short time? Top places to eat?
@carl669 woo! We like lots of stuff! Art, history, you name it! We’re flying out specifically to see Hamilton that Thursday night but don’t really know what to do the rest of the time. I know Derek wants to try the pizza but past that we have no idea. Any breakfast or brunch places? Anything for dinner? Super open!
of course, you must eat a chicago style hot dog. there’s a million places that have them. just ask your hotel front desk people for a good place close to you.
@carl669 Damnit, you’re making me hungry for home. Of course, they didn’t really have taco trucks when I lived there, so there wasn’t really any good Mexican food (@f00l).
@compunaut
If you don’t think Chicago has good Mexican food, specifically because they didn’t have taco trucks when you lived here, I’d recommend that no one listen to your advice on where to eat here. I assume you moved to the Los Angeles area and have bought into their idea that they have the only authentic Mexican food in the country. I think Chicago has the second largest Mexican population of any city in the US. There are many excellent Mexican food choices in the city. I do love the idiotic “if you didn’t get it from a dirty hole in the wall in a sketchy part of L.A., it’s not good Mexican food” attitude though.
@Barney yeah. unfortunately that ship has sailed. in a 26’ foot uhaul. with horrible shocks. and a steering wheel i had to hold 10-15 degrees to the left to go straight. and a useless gas gauge. and horrible shocks. and only am/fm radio.
actually, i should have just scuttled the damn thing.
but, if you’re ever in the chicago area, i’d be happy to get some breakfast! but if my eggs are purple, i’m running.
@carl669 I’ll be up that way around Christmas time this year. Maybe we should plan a Meht-up - or is it Meh-together? @Barney: If you’re in a car, never visit any big city during rush hour. Actually, in Chicago during rush hour, I recommend the train - you won’t even notice the traffic.
@carl669 No offense but as someone that lived in Chicago for several years, those are bad recommendations - Wildberry and the Pizza Pot pie are both pretty mediocre. Italian Beef is highly overrated.
For breakfast/brunch - M Henry in Andersonville is sublime. I don’t have a strong opinion on pizza and will defer except to say that Giordano’s is crap.
Be prepared for the cold!
Like carl said, there are a ton of places to eat. It all depends on what you want.
Be prepared to walk a lot if you want to sightsee. Millennium Park is a must.
December is a great time to be here! Walk Michigan Ave and State St and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere (and I guess you could shop, too). Navy Pier has a Winter Fest – it looks beautiful but I’ve never gone, so not sure if it is more geared for those with kids or not.
I’d recommend eating at the Purple Pig. Usually a long wait, so plan accordingly if you go.
Catch a play or a musical act, depending on your likes. Lots of good jazz clubs and small theaters. And museums. Really, your two days will fly by!
@pitamuffin Oh how fun! The Christmas markets were my favorite part about Europe, I’ll definitely add it to the list. No kids here so walking around and shopping sounds great!
Looking at the menu, Purple Pig looks amazing! We’re going to Hamilton Thursday, but maybe we can find a late night place to hang out or something!
Most people usually think of the river cruises, which are great, but you will be late in the year for one of those.
Chicago Architecture Foundation also offers walking, trolley, L train, and Segway tours. -Some of them are great, and most are reasonably priced.
Well… The Marriott downtown (I think) has a five-floor escalator. You can get those cool water balloons from the men’s room, and drop them on people you know while they’re on the escalator. Do not drop them on people who can run faster than you. This is unwise. Do not lean out too far over the railing if you are unstable in your balance (for example, you may have been drinking alcohol). Do not take pictures of your friends (or any collateral damage) as it may be used as evidence later on in a court of law.
@Shrdlu If you’re ever in the depths of Montgomery County, MD, be sure to hit up the Wheaton Metro station. Longest escalator in the Western hemisphere. Because it’s just a bunch of repetitious concrete on the way up instead of ‘floors’, I find it incredibly disorienting. My inclination is always to walk up escalators, but about halfway up that one I lose all sense of whether I’m walking up or down or even walking at all and why are the walls so angry maybe I should stop before I pass out.
@Shrdlu
I am desperate to know in what decade this “water balloon event” occurred with you as participant or “innocent witness” (long past or more recent), and desperately want pix I prob won’t get.
@brhfl
I watched the vid and quickly lost track of whether the camera as ascending or descending.
Perhaps they should just provide virtual reality helmets for the duration of the ride. That way someone can mug you while you’re getting more lost than you already were, and you can still have a good time going you-forget-where.
@f00l I am NEVER a participant in something so childish and potentially hazardous. If I had been, there would certainly NOT be photographs (I’ve been known to inflict physical injury on someone attempting to take my photograph; not joking).
This event, if it even occurred, was in the long ago days, when the world was a different and more joyous place. I thought you had an email address or so for me, in any case. I have known a lot of fools in my day, but only one f00l.
(It took place sometime in the nineties, and predates the idiot phones that everyone seems physically attached to in these latter days.)
@f00l Stop with the damned images, or I’ll have to go to TX just to do a smackdown. I left you a PM over on Wooterville. It was short, but poignant. ;-}
@f00l Sorry for being rude about images. It’s been a tough month. On the other hand, today was nice (because outside, raking leaves, and saying hello to neighbors, was very pleasant). Here’s a kitten (it’s one of my very favorites):
@Shrdlu
You weren’t rude about my over-use of giphy a and images. And you aren’t the first to mention it.
(Hi, @mfladd! Pls check in soon! We hope you’re ok!)
It was a rough - well - week and a half - for many of us. My brain just wouldn’t function even more than the usual non-compost-mentis last Wed-Sun for some reason.
I am kinda addicted to the odd associations giphy turns up. Combo of tags and genius and stupidity and random? As if someone - a much smarter doppelgänger - with my sense of off-the-wall commentary is always ready to snark. So I over-do it.
You are welcome to come to Texas and smack me over excessive images.
I’m sure I deserve it. For images and giphys or for something or other.
My brain could use a good shock. It might help many many things.
My family thinks someone should, but I just got out-argue or out-verbalized them and they throw up their hands even if my arguments are full of shit and that are wat more competent.
After you are done with that I might have to go change a lightbulb for @PlacidPenguin, depending. (Niv Blame thread). I’m sure I would change change with superior grace after an “@shrdlu corrective”.
[Hmmmm. Is it correct as “an @shrdlu” (sorta pronounced in my head “an at-shrdlu”); or is it correct as “a @shrdlu” (pronounced in my head as “a shrdlu”)? Dunno.]
Will head on over to woot in a min.
PS I know you a gardener. So while you’re spreading the compost keep an eye out for my mind. It is always getting loose and turning up in the weirdest places.
@f00l Just briefly, while I’m still waking up and getting on with the day, I read your missives. I’ll check on gmail in a bit, but no worries at all. More later.
Italian roast beef sandwiches! With hot giardinara. Mmmmm-mmmmmm! Order them “wet”.
Cannot forget to have some Chicago pizza, too.
I love Chicago, great city. My wife grew up there. We’ve been discussing a trip. Been a long time for both of us.
@hollboll Whatever you do, don’t call them “italian roast beef sandwiches”. You’ll be laughed at. They’re italian beefs, or just beefs. Ask for it dipped. Meaning they dip it in the au jus for you. Hot or sweet peppers, whatever you prefer. Also, since you’re kicking it downtown, go to the signature lounge in the Hancock building. It’s a bar on the 96th floor with a 360 degree view of the city. Get there before dark so you can see.
When visiting Chicago as a family, we’ve always enjoyed The Shedd Aquarium. Check in to specials they may be running on admission if you go as sometimes it is cheaper to buy a yearly pass than two of the single day full experience tickets.
You owe it to yourself to try your best to eat here (click). Go for brunch, if possible.
@Pavlov oh. my. fucking. god! i really need to go to this place. the beef tallow beignets and the bone marrow dish already have my mouth watering. top it off with some pork jowl and i will be in heaven.
My favorite museums are the Art Institute (111 S Michigan Ave) and Museum of Science & Industry (5700 S Lake Shore Dr), but the Field Museum (natural history), Adler Planetarium, & Shedd Aquarium are all close by the theater (as is AI; I think MoS&I is about 5mi south).
@compunaut
When I was elementary age we did a family trip to Chicago and spent hours in both the Field and the Science and Industry Meseums.
I have which exhibit is in which museum all mixed up in memory still; but loved both of them.
One of the other has a great Faucault Pendulum - the first one I saw.
One or the other has the great man-eating lions of the Tsavo, who ate so many people that the pair halted railroad construction on a British project in Kenya till some volunteers stalked them back to their normal habitat and hunted them down down a century or so ago.
(These are desert lions - this local variety is maneless.)
@f00l Pendulum is in Science & Industry. Last time we went they had a model of the John Hancock Center (tower) that was almost 2 stories tall. it was built entirely of Legos. There’s a new Lego exhibit there called Brick by Brick; which includes a 60-ft long Golden Gate Bridge.
The lions would be at the Field Museum.
I really enjoyed the Museum of Science & Industry but on a short trip it might be one to cut. Most of the major museums are located in the same small area, or in the heart of the city…and then there is Science & Industry. It is located on the south side, and is a long trip by public transportation requiring train with transfer to bus. There isn’t much else to do in the area so that’s a drawback. The planetarium, aquarium and Field museum are all within a block of each other not far from Millennium Park, easy to connect those that interest into a fully packed day. If had a week I would highly suggest Science & Industry, but with time at a premium have to take transportation time into account.
Those lions are also mentioned in various books on the history of Hapoy Vally in Kenya - and, if I remember, also in the book “White Mischief”.
[“White Mischief” - the film - is terrific and kinda accurate - but did the usual film-script history tweaking. But unfortunately, it lacks the lions, as the film-story happened way after their time. But Happy Valley would have never been without the railroad, and the railroad was a gourmet table for these lions for a time.
(Wikipedia) De Janze actually shot herself on 30 September 1941, while Delves Broughton eventually returned to England and committed suicide by morphine overdose in the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool in December 1942, over a year later.
Almost every known “name” in the story of Happy Valley and the murder of Josslyn Hay, Earl of Errol, is fascinating - part of an enormous tangle of aristocratic and colonial ambition, and upper-class-gone-bad. The murder was finally resolved decades later when Juanita Carberry (nurse, writer, wildlife expert, Swahili speaker, conservation activist, hospice activist, and sailor in the merchant marine) revealed that Delves Broughton (a baronet) had confessed it to her when she was a child in Kenya, told her how he did it, and where he disposed of the gun.
And Dan Trench, who (when a child) knew the all of them: the Carberrys, Hay, the Broughtons, the other decadent characters, and the getaway driver also finally told that story when in his last years.
The driver was reputed to be Dr Athan Philip, who may have been simply performing a favor and quite possibly had no idea what he was giving a ride in a murder setup that night. The upper class Europeans and N Americans choosing to close ranks against the middle-class/colonial courts and police was typical mid-century aristocratic code of conduct. They did not want one of their own convicted or their laundry washed in public. But after the acquittal, they clearly believed or knew Broughton to be guilty, and froze him out.
Any of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants. I especially like Wildfire for steaks and Big Bowl for Asian type food. Shaws Crab House, the bar not the main dining room, for martinis, oysters, and crab cakes. Mon Ami Gabi if you like French bistro food. Also, Chicago has a lot of great Greek food
You will be a mile from Frontera Grill when you’re at Hamilton. It’s a fantastic Mexican Joint owned by Rick Bayless. Look it up. I second millennium park, and the Chicago zoo is free, while also very nice. The best views from skyscrapers are from the Hancock tower. Shop on Michigan ave, and then walk to the Hancock tower and have lunch at the top. No admission, but the food is a bit overpriced. ARchitectural tour on the riverboat is a great way to see the city. Finally, try Avec, or Blackbird (if you can get in)…these and many fine restaurants are on Randolph street…where the foodies eat. Amex cooks their food in a pizza oven style grill…everything that comes out of it tastes amaze. Expect to wait to get into any good restaurant, and take the el train to get around town…that’s what everyone in chi town does. ️IMG_5025.PNG
@jamminonthejuan
If the pic is on the web, post the URL (of the pic itself, not the webpage). Or copy/paste the pic. Sometimes it does not work. Mostly does.
If you wanna post a pic from your phone, turn phone sideways to landscape before you start the post or reply. Now start post or reply.
See the icon at the bottom of the post box that looks like a mountain? Click on it - it will let you upload a pic.
While we haven’t eaten at the Chicago location (we prefer to stick to the suburbs) Hackney’s has some really interesting foods; the buffalo burgers and the onion loaf are really good.
My wife ate at the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields sorry, meant Macy’s and enjoyed it. Long lines (hours) unless you get reservations though.
Be careful where you go, especially in the evening and night. Eyes open. Condition yellow. Chicago can be unsafe if you’re unaware or go into some areas.
@cranky1950 No idea. I haven’t been back since it was Marshall Fields and she doesn’t remember the details. I know some of the stained glass is visible because Macy’s will happily charge you for a tour, but I don’t know if it is all still there.
I seriously try to stay outside of Chicago any more so I’m not current on a lot of stuff.
there is a korean day spa on the north side. a little pricey but worth it, but both my spouse and i really enjoyed it even though one of us was quite reluctant to try something like that out. highly recommended and plan for at least 4 hours!
@Yoda_Daenerys I know this is a super-old thread, and I was looking for the northern suburb pizza recommendations, but I have to ask: are you talking about the King Spa in Niles? Or is the greater Chicagoland area carpeted in Korean spas?
I recommend renting a car and checking out the Bahai temple north of the city. You can stop for brunch at M Henry in Andersonville; my fav for unique/interesting brunch.
@f00l Just a quick note. Over on Woot, if you delete a thread, and someone makes a post on it (in the PM section), the person who deleted it WILL NOT see the additional posts. I just deleted all the PMs (after saving relevant bits off), so if you felt the need to add to it, you need to start a new PM. On the other hand, email is WAY easier.
@hollboll, I lived in Chicagoland for almost 35 years. There are a ton of great places, especially for food, and there are already a ton of fantastic suggestions here. So, I’ll only make two general suggestions.
There is no such thing as “Chicago-style” pizza. There are a lot of different styles. Seriously, a lot. I have my favorites, as do many others. But when I go back to Chicago, there are three pizza places I almost always hit:
— Giordanos, stuffed pizza. Two pounds of cheese alone. Heaven. It’s a chain, so there are plenty of places all around Chicagoland. (Here in San Diego County, I have only found ONE place that makes a stuffed pizza. sob)
— Quonset, a local mom and pop place up in the far north suburb of Waukegan. about 45-hour drive, so you probably won’t make that trip. But their thin crust sausage pizza is FANTASTIC.
— RJ’s Eatery, also way up north, in Lindenhurst (just below the border of WI). They have a pretty unique double decker pizza, which is great. I worked here for over a year and half in high school, and had all the free pizza I wanted. Still never got sick of it.
Italian beefs. If you’ve never had, you have to try. And they are ubiquitous in Chicago… seriously, there’s a beef joint virtually every block on the north side. And you don’t need to find a ‘big name’ place for the beef, even the greasy spoon/dive places do them well. You can get them with mozzarella/provolone cheese, hot and/or sweet peppers, and ‘normal’ or ‘dipped’ or ‘dry’. I personally get the cheezy beef with no peppers, sometimes dipped.
And like others have mentioned, it can get REALLY cold, so be prepared if you aren’t used to that. Enjoy!
@haydesigner
A friend of mine who grew up in Chicago once moved back from Manhattan to to take a new job in Chicago. When she came back to hang out, she remarked:
“in New York, people who care about being stylish normally still care on the really cold days, they make an effort, they look good. In Chicago it’s so cold that all of them, even the fashion plates, stop caring at all about appearances. They are just trying to survive the next block and the block after that. They are just trying to survive till spring…”
@f00l that probably sounds about right. I always crack up when people complain about it being cold (no matter where). I always say “Ppbbtt. This isn’t cold, not even close. It ain’t cold until it hurts to breathe.”
Also, I have to add that I have no idea how people in places like, say, Minnesota or Buffalo do it. Winter (and traffic) is what finally drove me out of Chicago (and into the sweet, sweet loving arms of San Diego).
@haydesigner I drove by Quonset on Wednesday afternoon and was just thinking that I have never eaten there.
I may have to break from my Kaiser’s habit and try it out.
You definitely should, @zachdecker ! You live/work around there, obviously? Try just a plain cheese and sausage for the first one. It’s messy and greasy, but oh oh oh so good.
And if you do live around the area, head over to RJ’s Eatery sometime, too, for their double-decker pizza. Love it.
For those of you who do live in the Chicagoland area, both of those place are just south of Wisconsin border, and both are off of the Grand Ave./132 exit of 94… Quonset is about 10 minutes east of 94, and RJ’s is about ten minutes west of 94. You shouldn’t be disappointed at all
hey! i just moved back to the chicago area!
what do you two like to do? what kind of food do you like? there’s a ton of stuff!
@carl669 woo! We like lots of stuff! Art, history, you name it! We’re flying out specifically to see Hamilton that Thursday night but don’t really know what to do the rest of the time. I know Derek wants to try the pizza but past that we have no idea. Any breakfast or brunch places? Anything for dinner? Super open!
@hollboll since you’re here on a weekdays, this place is pretty awesome:
http://wildberrycafe.com/
they’re only open for breakfast and lunch. (i’ve only had breakfast there. the Berry Bliss pancakes are great!)
i also second @Lurker’s suggestion of italian beef, wet (or some places say dipped or extra gravy) with hot giardiniera.
if you want a little bit different take on pizza, check out the pizza pot pie at this place:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-pizza-and-oven-grinder-company-chicago
of course, you must eat a chicago style hot dog. there’s a million places that have them. just ask your hotel front desk people for a good place close to you.
/image chicago style hot dog.
@carl669 yes! Wildberry cafe looks legit! Pizza pot pie looks very interesting. I feel like I’ve seen that recently somewhere!
@hollboll the pizza pot pie place got featured on one of those food shows on food network. or maybe travel channel.
for regular pizza though, giordano’s, lou malnati’s, geno’s east… everyone has their favorite place.
@carl669 Damnit, you’re making me hungry for home. Of course, they didn’t really have taco trucks when I lived there, so there wasn’t really any good Mexican food (@f00l).
@compunaut come on by for a visit!
@compunaut
If you don’t think Chicago has good Mexican food, specifically because they didn’t have taco trucks when you lived here, I’d recommend that no one listen to your advice on where to eat here. I assume you moved to the Los Angeles area and have bought into their idea that they have the only authentic Mexican food in the country. I think Chicago has the second largest Mexican population of any city in the US. There are many excellent Mexican food choices in the city. I do love the idiotic “if you didn’t get it from a dirty hole in the wall in a sketchy part of L.A., it’s not good Mexican food” attitude though.
@carl669 What, no chance of a breakfast with you at Sunbreak? Waaaaa! My
is broken.
@Barney yeah. unfortunately that ship has sailed. in a 26’ foot uhaul. with horrible shocks. and a steering wheel i had to hold 10-15 degrees to the left to go straight. and a useless gas gauge. and horrible shocks. and only am/fm radio.
actually, i should have just scuttled the damn thing.
but, if you’re ever in the chicago area, i’d be happy to get some breakfast! but if my eggs are purple, i’m running.
@carl669 I’ve been to Chicago, once, during rush hour. Nope, never again, so I guess you are safe from any runny purple eggs.
@carl669 I’ll be up that way around Christmas time this year. Maybe we should plan a Meht-up - or is it Meh-together?
@Barney: If you’re in a car, never visit any big city during rush hour. Actually, in Chicago during rush hour, I recommend the train - you won’t even notice the traffic.
@carl669 @hollboll
I just saw Threadbanger recreate that pizza pot pie. Looks delicious.
/youtube Threadbanger pizza pot pie
@hollboll oh God lawrys downtown best steak ever a little pricy best pizza Gino’s east on diversy and Clark
@carl669 No offense but as someone that lived in Chicago for several years, those are bad recommendations - Wildberry and the Pizza Pot pie are both pretty mediocre. Italian Beef is highly overrated.
For breakfast/brunch - M Henry in Andersonville is sublime. I don’t have a strong opinion on pizza and will defer except to say that Giordano’s is crap.
@thrashertm no worries. food preferences are subjective. I’d still recommend those places.
@carl669 if you and @KittySprinkles each moved, where am I going to send all of these dumdums??? Shaking my head in sadness…
Be prepared for the cold!
Like carl said, there are a ton of places to eat. It all depends on what you want.
Be prepared to walk a lot if you want to sightsee. Millennium Park is a must.
@ELUNO Yes! Adding Millennium Park! We like pretty much anything, but @dalek doesn’t like seafood.
December is a great time to be here! Walk Michigan Ave and State St and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere (and I guess you could shop, too
). Navy Pier has a Winter Fest – it looks beautiful but I’ve never gone, so not sure if it is more geared for those with kids or not.
I’d recommend eating at the Purple Pig. Usually a long wait, so plan accordingly if you go.
Catch a play or a musical act, depending on your likes. Lots of good jazz clubs and small theaters. And museums. Really, your two days will fly by!
@pitamuffin Oh how fun! The Christmas markets were my favorite part about Europe, I’ll definitely add it to the list. No kids here so walking around and shopping sounds great!
Looking at the menu, Purple Pig looks amazing! We’re going to Hamilton Thursday, but maybe we can find a late night place to hang out or something!
@hollboll Hamilton! That’s an impossible ticket to score. @dalek must know somebody!
You will be near Trattoria No 10, one of my favorite restaurants. Petterino’s is also a before/after theater Chicago classic.
@pitamuffin yeah I have no idea how that happened, not questioning it! Definitely will check them out!
@pitamuffin good suggestions… While I didn’t used to live there (I was in Champaign) I went there a lot.
@Kidsandliz did you live in champaign? i went to U of I and then worked down there for a couple years at covenant hospital and pro ambulance.
@carl669 Yes. Was a grad student there. Played the chimes and the small carillon in the church near some residence hall.
Malört.
@brhfl
@brhfl my mouth cringes at the memory. I have some on my desk from @trillian, so gross. (edit: the malort is gross, not dear trillian).
TimeOut Chicago is a good source of info – here’s a link:
https://www.timeout.com/chicago/things-to-do/10-ways-to-experience-a-classic-christmas-in-chicago
@pitamuffin Great ideas! Looking at the Arboretum lights, outdoor ice skating, and Christkindlmarket!
I like the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours.
Most people usually think of the river cruises, which are great, but you will be late in the year for one of those.
Chicago Architecture Foundation also offers walking, trolley, L train, and Segway tours. -Some of them are great, and most are reasonably priced.
@zachdecker Oooh good idea!
Well… The Marriott downtown (I think) has a five-floor escalator. You can get those cool water balloons from the men’s room, and drop them on people you know while they’re on the escalator. Do not drop them on people who can run faster than you. This is unwise. Do not lean out too far over the railing if you are unstable in your balance (for example, you may have been drinking alcohol). Do not take pictures of your friends (or any collateral damage) as it may be used as evidence later on in a court of law.
I love multi-floor escalators. They’re the best.
@Shrdlu
@Shrdlu now that’s making a splash!
@Raider You are not the boss of me.
/image not the boss of me
@Shrdlu
@Shrdlu If you’re ever in the depths of Montgomery County, MD, be sure to hit up the Wheaton Metro station. Longest escalator in the Western hemisphere. Because it’s just a bunch of repetitious concrete on the way up instead of ‘floors’, I find it incredibly disorienting. My inclination is always to walk up escalators, but about halfway up that one I lose all sense of whether I’m walking up or down or even walking at all and why are the walls so angry maybe I should stop before I pass out.
/youtube wheaton escalator
@Raider XXOO
@Shrdlu
I am desperate to know in what decade this “water balloon event” occurred with you as participant or “innocent witness” (long past or more recent), and desperately want pix I prob won’t get.
/giphy "we who are about to die salute you"
/giphy "water balloon"
@brhfl
I watched the vid and quickly lost track of whether the camera as ascending or descending.
Perhaps they should just provide virtual reality helmets for the duration of the ride. That way someone can mug you while you’re getting more lost than you already were, and you can still have a good time going you-forget-where.
@f00l I am NEVER a participant in something so childish and potentially hazardous. If I had been, there would certainly NOT be photographs (I’ve been known to inflict physical injury on someone attempting to take my photograph; not joking).
This event, if it even occurred, was in the long ago days, when the world was a different and more joyous place. I thought you had an email address or so for me, in any case. I have known a lot of fools in my day, but only one f00l.
(It took place sometime in the nineties, and predates the idiot phones that everyone seems physically attached to in these latter days.)
@Shrdlu
I should really do something about pulling my various email addresses into something organized. Sigh.
Yet Another Fatal Flaw [YAFF]
Is mine.
And I am sure you never dropped anything interesting and mushy (watermelon-like) off of some high point or other just to watch it “go splat” either.
/giphy science
/giphy splat
PS you may know a combo @f00l/fool. Just sayin’.
@f00l Stop with the damned images, or I’ll have to go to TX just to do a smackdown. I left you a PM over on Wooterville. It was short, but poignant. ;-}
I’ll check back much later in the day.
@brhfl pitty the dude who has to lube and maintain those hundreds of escalator steps X 3. Must take weeks.
@f00l Sorry for being rude about images. It’s been a tough month. On the other hand, today was nice (because outside, raking leaves, and saying hello to neighbors, was very pleasant). Here’s a kitten (it’s one of my very favorites):
@Shrdlu
You weren’t rude about my over-use of giphy a and images. And you aren’t the first to mention it.
(Hi, @mfladd! Pls check in soon! We hope you’re ok!)
It was a rough - well - week and a half - for many of us. My brain just wouldn’t function even more than the usual non-compost-mentis last Wed-Sun for some reason.
I am kinda addicted to the odd associations giphy turns up. Combo of tags and genius and stupidity and random? As if someone - a much smarter doppelgänger - with my sense of off-the-wall commentary is always ready to snark. So I over-do it.
You are welcome to come to Texas and smack me over excessive images.
After you are done with that I might have to go change a lightbulb for @PlacidPenguin, depending. (Niv Blame thread). I’m sure I would change change with superior grace after an “@shrdlu corrective”.
[Hmmmm. Is it correct as “an @shrdlu” (sorta pronounced in my head “an at-shrdlu”); or is it correct as “a @shrdlu” (pronounced in my head as “a shrdlu”)? Dunno.]
Will head on over to woot in a min.
PS I know you a gardener. So while you’re spreading the compost keep an eye out for my mind. It is always getting loose and turning up in the weirdest places.
@f00l Second verse, same as the first. Yet another reply to you over on Woot. Dammit, I really wish Meh had a PM system.
@Shrdlu
Left a couple of pm’s at woot since something has gone snafu with email.
Unfortunately neither short nor graceful.
TL;dr don’t read them.
@f00l Just briefly, while I’m still waking up and getting on with the day, I read your missives. I’ll check on gmail in a bit, but no worries at all. More later.
What happens if that Wheaton Metro station escalator breaks down for any length of time, @brhfl ? Especially the up one… yeesh
/image marriott chicago escalators
Italian roast beef sandwiches! With hot giardinara. Mmmmm-mmmmmm! Order them “wet”.
Cannot forget to have some Chicago pizza, too.
I love Chicago, great city. My wife grew up there. We’ve been discussing a trip. Been a long time for both of us.
@Lurker sounds like the perfect time! Dang, Italian roast beef sandwiches sound heavenly. Adding to my list!
@hollboll Whatever you do, don’t call them “italian roast beef sandwiches”. You’ll be laughed at. They’re italian beefs, or just beefs. Ask for it dipped. Meaning they dip it in the au jus for you. Hot or sweet peppers, whatever you prefer. Also, since you’re kicking it downtown, go to the signature lounge in the Hancock building. It’s a bar on the 96th floor with a 360 degree view of the city. Get there before dark so you can see.
When visiting Chicago as a family, we’ve always enjoyed The Shedd Aquarium. Check in to specials they may be running on admission if you go as sometimes it is cheaper to buy a yearly pass than two of the single day full experience tickets.
You owe it to yourself to try your best to eat here (click). Go for brunch, if possible.
@Pavlov oh. my. fucking. god! i really need to go to this place. the beef tallow beignets and the bone marrow dish already have my mouth watering. top it off with some pork jowl and i will be in heaven.
@carl669 And when you find yourself to full to move and thoroughly inebriated, they have rooms to rent.
I could live there full time.
Room 55 is nice when I’m with the Mrs. - Room 76 however, is my personal favorite.
@Pavlov I just saw the restaurant & ampersand on a Chicago tv show which was recommended a place you should eat at.
@mellaine Navy pier is a great place to see.
My favorite museums are the Art Institute (111 S Michigan Ave) and Museum of Science & Industry (5700 S Lake Shore Dr), but the Field Museum (natural history), Adler Planetarium, & Shedd Aquarium are all close by the theater (as is AI; I think MoS&I is about 5mi south).
@compunaut
When I was elementary age we did a family trip to Chicago and spent hours in both the Field and the Science and Industry Meseums.
I have which exhibit is in which museum all mixed up in memory still; but loved both of them.
One of the other has a great Faucault Pendulum - the first one I saw.
One or the other has the great man-eating lions of the Tsavo, who ate so many people that the pair halted railroad construction on a British project in Kenya till some volunteers stalked them back to their normal habitat and hunted them down down a century or so ago.
(These are desert lions - this local variety is maneless.)
@f00l Pendulum is in Science & Industry. Last time we went they had a model of the John Hancock Center (tower) that was almost 2 stories tall. it was built entirely of Legos. There’s a new Lego exhibit there called Brick by Brick; which includes a 60-ft long Golden Gate Bridge.
The lions would be at the Field Museum.
I really enjoyed the Museum of Science & Industry but on a short trip it might be one to cut. Most of the major museums are located in the same small area, or in the heart of the city…and then there is Science & Industry. It is located on the south side, and is a long trip by public transportation requiring train with transfer to bus. There isn’t much else to do in the area so that’s a drawback. The planetarium, aquarium and Field museum are all within a block of each other not far from Millennium Park, easy to connect those that interest into a fully packed day. If had a week I would highly suggest Science & Industry, but with time at a premium have to take transportation time into account.
@compunaut
More man eating lion info here
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsavo_Man-Eaters.
Those lions were bad-ass.
Those lions are also mentioned in various books on the history of Hapoy Vally in Kenya - and, if I remember, also in the book “White Mischief”.
[“White Mischief” - the film - is terrific and kinda accurate - but did the usual film-script history tweaking. But unfortunately, it lacks the lions, as the film-story happened way after their time. But Happy Valley would have never been without the railroad, and the railroad was a gourmet table for these lions for a time.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Valley_set
Almost every known “name” in the story of Happy Valley and the murder of Josslyn Hay, Earl of Errol, is fascinating - part of an enormous tangle of aristocratic and colonial ambition, and upper-class-gone-bad. The murder was finally resolved decades later when Juanita Carberry (nurse, writer, wildlife expert, Swahili speaker, conservation activist, hospice activist, and sailor in the merchant marine) revealed that Delves Broughton (a baronet) had confessed it to her when she was a child in Kenya, told her how he did it, and where he disposed of the gun.
And Dan Trench, who (when a child) knew the all of them: the Carberrys, Hay, the Broughtons, the other decadent characters, and the getaway driver also finally told that story when in his last years.
The driver was reputed to be Dr Athan Philip, who may have been simply performing a favor and quite possibly had no idea what he was giving a ride in a murder setup that night. The upper class Europeans and N Americans choosing to close ranks against the middle-class/colonial courts and police was typical mid-century aristocratic code of conduct. They did not want one of their own convicted or their laundry washed in public. But after the acquittal, they clearly believed or knew Broughton to be guilty, and froze him out.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-454133/White-Mischief-murder-finally-solved-66-years.html
]
Go see the Blackhawks.
I second the Art Institute.
I’d also add Ed Debevic’s, but it appears its old location is permanently closed (property sold) and they’re changing locations.
Any of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants. I especially like Wildfire for steaks and Big Bowl for Asian type food. Shaws Crab House, the bar not the main dining room, for martinis, oysters, and crab cakes. Mon Ami Gabi if you like French bistro food. Also, Chicago has a lot of great Greek food
We enjoyed Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse, and The Signature Room at 95th last time we visited.
The Signature room has an astounding view, especially at night (you see all the street lights lining the roads, going off into the far, far distance).
You will be a mile from Frontera Grill when you’re at Hamilton. It’s a fantastic Mexican Joint owned by Rick Bayless. Look it up. I second millennium park, and the Chicago zoo is free, while also very nice. The best views from skyscrapers are from the Hancock tower. Shop on Michigan ave, and then walk to the Hancock tower and have lunch at the top. No admission, but the food is a bit overpriced. ARchitectural tour on the riverboat is a great way to see the city. Finally, try Avec, or Blackbird (if you can get in)…these and many fine restaurants are on Randolph street…where the foodies eat. Amex cooks their food in a pizza oven style grill…everything that comes out of it tastes amaze. Expect to wait to get into any good restaurant, and take the el train to get around town…that’s what everyone in chi town does.
️IMG_5025.PNG
@jamminonthejuan good picks.
Avec not Amex…friggin spell check…
Help meh!
I’m too dumb to post picks on this forum from iPhone. . .i need a tutorial please
@jamminonthejuan
If the pic is on the web, post the URL (of the pic itself, not the webpage). Or copy/paste the pic. Sometimes it does not work. Mostly does.
If you wanna post a pic from your phone, turn phone sideways to landscape before you start the post or reply. Now start post or reply.
See the icon at the bottom of the post box that looks like a mountain? Click on it - it will let you upload a pic.
@jamminonthejuan
https://meh.com/forum/topics/image-uploading
The Chicago Athletic Hotel’s Cherry Circle Room is good place for a drink if on Michigan Ave. http://www.chicagoathletichotel.com/eat-and-drink/cherry-circle-room-chicago-restaurant
While we haven’t eaten at the Chicago location (we prefer to stick to the suburbs) Hackney’s has some really interesting foods; the buffalo burgers and the onion loaf are really good.
My wife ate at the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields
sorry, meant Macy’s 
and enjoyed it. Long lines (hours) unless you get reservations though.
Be careful where you go, especially in the evening and night. Eyes open. Condition yellow. Chicago can be unsafe if you’re unaware or go into some areas.
@duodec I still actively boycott Macy’s for the way they ruined Marshall Fields
@compunaut did they cover the stained glass?
@cranky1950 No idea. I haven’t been back since it was Marshall Fields and she doesn’t remember the details. I know some of the stained glass is visible because Macy’s will happily charge you for a tour, but I don’t know if it is all still there.
I seriously try to stay outside of Chicago any more so I’m not current on a lot of stuff.
@compunaut @duodec Macy’s ruined a lot of regional department stores all over the country. Like they ruined Foley’s in Texas
If you’re into architecture you have to check out the interior of the Macy’s State street store. in the daytime.
there is a korean day spa on the north side. a little pricey but worth it, but both my spouse and i really enjoyed it even though one of us was quite reluctant to try something like that out. highly recommended and plan for at least 4 hours!
@Yoda_Daenerys I know this is a super-old thread, and I was looking for the northern suburb pizza recommendations, but I have to ask: are you talking about the King Spa in Niles? Or is the greater Chicagoland area carpeted in Korean spas?
@mossygreen yes, i think that is it, i’m not from chicago though, so not sure about question #2
@Yoda_Daenerys Ah, I’ve toured the facility but never used it. It looks pretty amazing.
http://www.kingspa.com/chicago/facilities.html
Eataly is a massive Mario Batale Italian mall/eatery - https://www.yelp.com/biz/eataly-chicago-chicago . It’s worth checking out and in your vicinity.
I recommend renting a car and checking out the Bahai temple north of the city. You can stop for brunch at M Henry in Andersonville; my fav for unique/interesting brunch.
@thrashertm yes! Mario is super legit.
Do I have to wear crocs when I go?
I wish we had more time there, would totally rent a car and check out the farther stuff. Next time for sure!
Haven’t been to Chicago since I dunno. More than 20 years. So not up to speed.
But I hear things about this guy:
Harry Dresden. He seems to mean well, but mayhem kinda follows him around, and I hear the Apocalypse has put a bounty on him…
So if you see him, just be ready to run or take cover
@f00l Just a quick note. Over on Woot, if you delete a thread, and someone makes a post on it (in the PM section), the person who deleted it WILL NOT see the additional posts. I just deleted all the PMs (after saving relevant bits off), so if you felt the need to add to it, you need to start a new PM. On the other hand, email is WAY easier.
@Shrdlu
I think I get it. I can see the thread you deleted but you can’t? So if I want you to see, I need a new thread?
Did i grok?
@f00l Correctimundo.
@hollboll, I lived in Chicagoland for almost 35 years. There are a ton of great places, especially for food, and there are already a ton of fantastic suggestions here. So, I’ll only make two general suggestions.
There is no such thing as “Chicago-style” pizza. There are a lot of different styles. Seriously, a lot. I have my favorites, as do many others. But when I go back to Chicago, there are three pizza places I almost always hit:
— Giordanos, stuffed pizza. Two pounds of cheese alone. Heaven. It’s a chain, so there are plenty of places all around Chicagoland. (Here in San Diego County, I have only found ONE place that makes a stuffed pizza. sob)
— Quonset, a local mom and pop place up in the far north suburb of Waukegan. about 45-hour drive, so you probably won’t make that trip. But their thin crust sausage pizza is FANTASTIC.
— RJ’s Eatery, also way up north, in Lindenhurst (just below the border of WI). They have a pretty unique double decker pizza, which is great. I worked here for over a year and half in high school, and had all the free pizza I wanted. Still never got sick of it.
Italian beefs. If you’ve never had, you have to try. And they are ubiquitous in Chicago… seriously, there’s a beef joint virtually every block on the north side. And you don’t need to find a ‘big name’ place for the beef, even the greasy spoon/dive places do them well. You can get them with mozzarella/provolone cheese, hot and/or sweet peppers, and ‘normal’ or ‘dipped’ or ‘dry’. I personally get the cheezy beef with no peppers, sometimes dipped.
And like others have mentioned, it can get REALLY cold, so be prepared if you aren’t used to that. Enjoy!
@haydesigner
A friend of mine who grew up in Chicago once moved back from Manhattan to to take a new job in Chicago. When she came back to hang out, she remarked:
“in New York, people who care about being stylish normally still care on the really cold days, they make an effort, they look good. In Chicago it’s so cold that all of them, even the fashion plates, stop caring at all about appearances. They are just trying to survive the next block and the block after that. They are just trying to survive till spring…”
@haydesigner man I wish we had more time out there for sure! Definitely going to find me some Italian beefs, sounds amazing.
As far as the cold goes, definitely! I’m from CA originally, now in TX so I’ll make sure to bring the warmest coat I can find!
@f00l There are ways to dress for cold weather and still look good: Leather, cashmere, wool; hat & scarf
/giphy cold weather fashion
@hollboll Umm, don’t forget a handkerchief (see unfortunate reporter in giphy)
@hollboll Maybe you need something like this. Looks pretty AND toasty.
@compunaut oh man, I’d love to see her face once she realized. Jacket looks comfy!
@f00l that probably sounds about right. I always crack up when people complain about it being cold (no matter where). I always say “Ppbbtt. This isn’t cold, not even close. It ain’t cold until it hurts to breathe.”
Also, I have to add that I have no idea how people in places like, say, Minnesota or Buffalo do it. Winter (and traffic) is what finally drove me out of Chicago (and into the sweet, sweet loving arms of San Diego).
/giphy It ain’t cold until it hurts to breathe
@haydesigner I drove by Quonset on Wednesday afternoon and was just thinking that I have never eaten there.
I may have to break from my Kaiser’s habit and try it out.
You definitely should, @zachdecker ! You live/work around there, obviously? Try just a plain cheese and sausage for the first one. It’s messy and greasy, but oh oh oh so good.
And if you do live around the area, head over to RJ’s Eatery sometime, too, for their double-decker pizza. Love it.
For those of you who do live in the Chicagoland area, both of those place are just south of Wisconsin border, and both are off of the Grand Ave./132 exit of 94… Quonset is about 10 minutes east of 94, and RJ’s is about ten minutes west of 94. You shouldn’t be disappointed at all
@hollboll @dalek update? did you enjoy your visit?
@carl669 We’ve had some bad weekends lately. Way too cold, and snowy. Hope they didn’t hate it.
@pitamuffin yeah. i don’t they ever said when they were coming here.
(Normally wouldn’t post in this thread, but somebody (not typing names, but hi @mossygreen decided to make a post.)
This seems appropriate for Chicago:
