Chicago

From Imakoopedia

Chicago is a city in Illinois, and the unofficial capital of the Midwest region of the United States of America. It's the third-largest city in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles.

Chicago will be the host of the 7th Gay Games (http://www.chicago2006.org/) in 2006.

Chicago's skyline from North Avenue Beach
Enlarge
Chicago's skyline from North Avenue Beach
Table of contents
1 Understand

1.1 Newspapers

2 Get in

2.1 By plane
2.2 By car

3 Get around

3.1 Using Public Transit

4 See
5 Do
6 Eat
7 Drink

7.1 Bars
7.2 Music

8 Sleep

8.1 Budget
8.2 Mid Range
8.3 Splurge

9 Suburban Highlights

9.1 Long Grove
9.2 Des Plaines
9.3 Highland Park
9.4 Park Ridge

10 External links
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Understand

Chicago is known as The Windy City - although people disagree about whether this refers to the severe winds that blow off the Lake Michigan or the hot air of Chicago's notoriously corrupt politicos. The nickname originated in an editorial in the New York Sun during the city's bid for the 1893 World's Fair, wherein the editor railed against the city's raucous boosterism: suggesting that no one pay attention to the "nonsensical claims of that windy city. Its people could not hold a world's fair even if they won it".

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Newspapers

The The Chicago Reader (http://www.chireader.com/) is a weekly newspaper. The Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/) ("The Trib") and The Chicago Sun-Times (http://www.suntimes.com/) are the daily newspapers that pretty much everyone there gets.

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Get in

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By plane

Chicago is served by two large airports -- O'Hare in the north and Midway on the south side. The CTA's blue line runs from O'Hare to downtown Chicago taking around 45 minutes. The orange line runs from Midway to the loop in around 30 minutes.

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By car

I-55 will take you directly from St. Louis into downtown Chicago. I-90/94 comes in from Indiana to the east. I-90 comes in from Madison, WI to the west. I-94 comes in from Milwaukee, WI to the north. I-80 will get you to the city from Iowa.

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Get around

Navigating Chicago is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. State Street is 0 E/W downtown and Madison Street splits 0 N/S. Standard blocks are 1/8th of a mile long. Parking will be a pain.

Good weather? Rent a bike from the North Avenue Beachhouse and pedal your way around the city. Chicago has many bike lanes, including the scenic Lakefront Trail (trail map (http://www.cityofchicago.org/Transportation/BikeInfo/parkmap.htm)), which runs for 18 continuous miles along the beautiful downtown shoreline. Bicycles can also be rented from several bike shops in the city. Chicago has a fine bicycle culture. Chicago is also completely flat -- a boon for any bicycler!

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Using Public Transit

The Sears Tower and the Loop seen from the near south side
Enlarge
The Sears Tower and the Loop seen from the near south side

There's two parts of the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority (http://www.transitchicago.com/)) -- the El (elevated train) and buses. (There's also Metra (http://www.metrarail.com/), a commuter rail system for getting to and from the suburbs.)

All the El lines basically go to and from downtown. The circle the trains tracks make downtown is what forms the "Loop" (which has become another name for downtown). If you are staying downtown, or are visiting downtown, the El is probably all you'll need. Note: the "subway" is used to refer to the Red and Blue lines downtown, where those lines go underground. People might be confused if you refer to the El as a subway.

There's an attendant at every El station. They can't provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go, or guide you through using the machines. The attendants are usually very bored and are happy to have something to do, so don't hesitate to ask them questions.

The El runs fairly late, though different lines run to different times, and some lines don't run their full length late at night. The red and blue lines run 24 hours a day.

The fare for the El and buses is $1.75. But be sure to hang on to the card you purchase--you can use it for transfers. The first time you re-enter the system within 2 hours it costs $0.25, and subsequent transfers are free. The cards and transfers work for both the El and buses, but you can only get a card at El stations. Buses also accept cash, but don't provide change, and you have to specifically ask (and pay) for a transfer. But though buses won't give you cards, you can add money to your card on buses--just put your card in (that has less than $1.75 on it) and then insert cash and the $1.75 will be deducted and you'll get the card back with your balance.

There are also visitor passes (http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/fares.html#e) for unlimited travel, but these are fairly expensive--you'll probably save money by using normal fare cards.

Buses run on all the major streets in Chicago, and seldom run less frequently than every 30 minutes. The "major" streets are every 400 (400, 800, 1200, etc) in the numbering system, or every 1/2 mile. So you can get nearly anywhere with one transfer. But the El feels friendlier than the bus to most people.

Downtown there is also a free trolley (http://www.cityofchicago.org/Transportation/trolleys/), used mostly by tourists. This is actually an uncomfortable bus made to look like a trolley. It's a quick way to get around downtown. They use specially-marked bus stops, but they'll usually let you off wherever you want.

If you have a larger group (three or four people) taxis become fairly affordable compared to the CTA. Taxis are easy to flag down on the street, even late at night (especially if you are in an area with bars or clubs).

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See

  • Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Ave, +1 312-443-3600. M, W-Fri 10:30AM-4:30PM, Tu 10:30AM-8PM, Sa-Su 10:30AM-5PM. One of the premiere museums in the United States -- definitely not to be missed. Famous pieces include American Gothic by Grant Wood -- yeah, the one with that sour-looking farm couple. But there's lots of other paintings - one of the best collections of Impressionists in the world, and early 20th-century pieces. Suggested donation: $10 ($6 children and seniors, free Tu). http://www.artic.edu/aic/
  • Chicago Cultural Center (http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/CultureCenterTour/), 78 East Washington Open every day except holidays from 10am to 7pm, Monday through Thursday; 10am to 6pm, Friday; 10am to 5pm, Saturday; 11am - 5pm, Sunday. Built in 1897 as Chicago's first public library, the building now houses the city's Visitor Information Center, galleries, and exhibit halls. The ceiling of Preston Bradley Hall includes as a 38-foot Tiffany glass dome.
  • The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, +1 312-922-9410. 9AM-5PM every day. Chicago's Natural History Museum - highlights include the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the world as well as a great, kids-friendly Egyptian exhibit. $10 ($5 children, $7 seniors and students, Mo and Tu free seasonally) http://www.fmnh.org/
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago Ave., +1 312-280-2660. Tu 10AM-8PM, We-Su 10AM-5PM. Art of all types from around the world made since 1945. $10 ($6 student, free Tu after 5PM). http://www.mcachicago.org/ Be sure to check out what the current exhibit is -- the museum can be rather boring when they are between exhibits.
  • the Oriental Institute (http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/l) - part of the University of Chicago, one of the best collections of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeology in the world
  • Museum of Holography. It'll only take you twenty minutes, but it's kind of interesting.
  • Museum of Science and Industry. Spend hours upon hours there looking at really cool stuff you never even knew you didn't know about. So much to do, so little time. Great for kids, with many hands-on exhibits.
  • Shedd Aquarium. 1200 S. Lakeshore Dr. +1 312-939-2438. Located on the Museum Campus, the Shedd Aquarium is home to a large collection of marine life from throughout the world. The Pacific Northwest themed Oceanarium features dolphins, whales and other animals from the region, as well as a panoramic view of Lake Michigan. The recently-opened Wild Reef exhibit offers floor-to-ceiling windows for an extraordinary view of a Philippine coral reef environment, complete with dozens of sharks. http://www.sheddaquarium.org/
  • United Center. Chicago Bulls/Blackhawks stadium.
  • Soldier Field. Field of the Bears. Once a fantastically wonderful building. Now, hideous on the outside, sweet and juicy on the inside.
  • Wrigley Field. Historic Stadium of the Cubs. Now distinguished as a historical landmark, no more corporate conversions here.
  • Comiskey Park. Officially the US Cellular Field, this south-side stadium is the home of the Chicago White Sox.
  • Spertus Institute. a museum dedicated solely to Judaica.
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Do

  • The Old-Town School of Folk Music. 4544 N. Lincoln Avenue. 773.728.6000 fax 773.728.6999. If you're interested in Folk music from America or anywhere else in the world you should definitely plan to spend some time at the Old-Town School. There are classes ranging from beginners clawhammer banjo to advanced Flamenco dance. Even if you are just passing through town you should seriously consider stopping by to see a concert or just to check out the store which features a fabulous array of banjos, fiddles, guitars, and quite a few rare folk instruments from around the world, as well as recordings of just about every sort of folk music (and early Jazz) you can imagine. http://www.oldtownschool.org/
  • Lincoln Park. Five-mile long park with nearly everything one could hope for. The Lincoln Park Zoo (http://www.lpzoo.com/) is located here, and is a great free urban zoo -- one of the few remaining. Don't miss the penguins!
  • Grant Park. Park located between Lake Shore Drive and Colombus Drive. Home of the famous Buckingham fountain.
  • Chicago Botanic Garden. Amazingly beautiful, and completely diverse. The 385 acre park, research, and art facilities are open year round for your visiting pleasure. http://www.chicago-botanic.org/
  • Navy Pier. Home of the excellent Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a Children's Museum, an IMAX theater, a small stained glass museum, and a wonderfully large Ferris Wheel. http://www.navypier.com/ The Navy Pier isn't as exciting as it might first seem -- it has lots of silly little shops, and lots of tourists and couples wandering around. However, it is an easy place to entertain a child.
  • Garfield Park. History filled Chicago park. Contains the amazing Garfield Park Conservatory. It's in a rough neighborhood, though you can take the El (green line) right to the park. Looking at the city from the El gives you a picture of a different part of Chicago. On the trip out, you might also notice the gentrification spreading West from downtown -- there are startlingly rapid changes from gentrified to more decayed neighborhoods.
  • Second City. The origin point for Saturday Night Live and many of its stars, this Chicago fixture still features great shows on two stages. http://www.secondcity.com
  • Steppenwolf Theater. The home of John Malkovitch, Gary Sinise, and many others, Steppenwolf features cutting-edge theater. http://www.steppenwolf.org/
  • Symphony Center. Winter home of the Chicago Symphony.
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Eat

Great restaurants are scattered across the city, from the long established, traditional Greektown to the street-glam, edgy East Ukrainian Village, from the exotic Indian-flavored Devon Avenue in West Rogers Park to the eclectic Clark Street in Andersonville, where you'll find great Swedish, American, Korean, Persian, and Italian restaurants, (to name a few) lined up in a row.

  • The Chicago Diner, 3411 N. Halsted. 773-935-6696. A fully vegetarian restaurant on Chicago's north side, the Diner's emphasis on quality has kept it around for more than 20 years.
  • The Handlebar, 2311 W North Ave. 773.384.9546. A vegetarian friendly restaurant in Chicago's Hip Wicker Park, A home to Chi-town's bicycle culture.
  • Leo's Lunch Room, 1809 W Division. 773-276-6509. Leo's is sort of somewhere between being the perfect example of and the anti-thesis of an American Greasy Spoon diner. Its dining room, decorated with postcards of everything from beaches to punk-rock to country-and-western stars, is tiny, but you can almost always get a seat at the bar. The veggie chilli rocks, and the sandwiches are huge. If you are in the wiker park neighborhood at lunch time this is a must. $4-10 for lunch, more for dinner (BYOB).
  • Mirai, 2020 W. Division Street, just west of Damen. Tel: +1 (312) 773-862-8500. Sushi has come to Wicker-Park, in a setting that is possibly more about atmosphere than the food, which is still formidable.
  • Buffalo Joe's, 812 Clark Street, Evanston. Tel: +1 (847) 328-5525. For travelers visiting from outside of the midwestern and northeastern US (buffalo wings hail from Buffalo, NY), we should probably explain that "Buffalo" wings are chicken wing segments which are either deep-fried (without breading) or baked, then tossed with a sauce. Traditional buffalo wing sauce in its simplest form is a buttery hot pepper sauce. Buffalo Joe's offers their wings at three heat levels - mild, hot, and "suicide" (topped with jalapeno peppers). People swear that this place has the best wings and burgers in the city, no contest.
  • Mama's Fish and Chips, Red Line, Morse Stop. Total dive, fantastic fried chicken. Skip the fish.
  • Gino's East. The best deep-dish pizza in Chicago. (also try Giordano's for good Chicago deep dish)
  • Leona's. Good all-around Italian fare.
  • Potbelly's. The best submarine sandwich chain in the city. Several downtown (State & Lake, Nordstrom's, CBOT), one on Lincoln, and one in Evanston.
  • Lou Malnati's. Great place to get real Chicago style deep dish pizza.
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Drink

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Bars

  • The Velvet Lounge. 2128 1/2 S. Indiana Avenue. 1-888-644-8007. (Probably take a cab). If you want to go to a bar that represents the real Chicago jazz tradition from Louis Armstrong right up to Pharaoh Sanders, then you must go to the Velvet Lounge. As owner/operator/saxophone player Fred Anderson points out, jazz at its best is nothing other than a black American folk music, and this bar is (one of) Fred's contribution to that folk tradition. http://www.velvetlounge.net/
  • Quenchers Saloon. 2401 North Western. Chicago's premier beer bar, with 200 different beers from around the world and 60 different whiskeys, not to mention free (and often even good!) local music every night of the week. Reflecting the diverse neighborhood of east Logan Square/West Bucktown, everyone drinks together at this comfortable neighborhood bar. http://www.quenchers.com
  • The Map Room. 1949 N. Hoyne Ave. 773.252.7636. Their motto is "Don't be lost," but you may as well give in to their disorienting collection of exotic beers. Their tap selection has to be the biggest in the city, with surprises for even the most jaded beer drinker. http://www.maproom.com/
  • Hopleaf. Though it doesn't have the the biggest selection of beer, it has the most carefully chosen, with a surprisingly accessible menu for delving into the world of Belgians and local microbrews. The food is great (their steamed mussels are fantastic), but the beer is even better.
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Music

  • Delilah's. 2770 N Lincoln Ave. (773) 472-2771. This is the joint where Kurt met Courtney. No kidding. The booze selection is unbeatable, and recent almost rock-stars spin the records. http://www.barsonline.com/chicago/delilahs/
  • Heartland Cafe. Live band or open mic almost every night.
  • The Hideout. 1354 w wabansia chicago il 60622. 773.227.4433. One of the finest drinking and hollering Establishments in the U.S. of A. the Hideout hosts the best in alt-folk, bluegrass, Americana and just plain hillbilly music. The place is a bit hard to find, hidden as it is next to the city' main north-side refueling station for garbage trucks, but more than worth the trouble. Say "hi" to Maria for me. http://www.hideoutchicago.com/
  • The Empty Bottle. 1035 N. Western Avenue. 773.276.3600. To Chicago as the Knitting Factory is to NYC, the Empty Bottle hosts a mix of touring indi-rock veterans, local bands, and on Tuesday and Wednesday nights the best in American and Dutch avant-guarde jazz. http://www.emptybottle.com/home.php
  • Green Mill. 4802 N. Broadway. +1 773-878-5552. Jazz and lots of it. Go on a Sunday evening for the weekly poetry slam. National talents Kurt Elling (http://www.kurtelling.com) and Patricia Barber (http://www.patriciabarber.com) perform on weekdays.
  • Fireside Bowl. Venue for off the charts indie/underground groups. This is a really cool, if somewhat dirty, bar. The ceiling is moldy and falling in, the cockroaches are a little too outgoing, but, as a bowling alley with a separate bar, they're able to please the baby punks and the old-school crowd at the same time. Acts come in from around the country to play on a little stage by the closed off lanes to an often surly, but somehow charming, audience. In the summer of 2004, booking at Fireside Bowl ceased, and has not yet resumed. Word is that when it does, all shows will be 21+, in contrast with its previous reputation as an all ages venue.
  • Katerina's. http://www.katerinas.com/ 1920 W. Irving Park Road. A small and intimate setting for music most nights and poetry, performance and movies when there isn't music.
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Sleep

As a major U.S. convention hosting city, Chicago has plenty of places to stay, although most of them are in the mid or splurge ranges. The vast majority of hotels are either at the airport or downtown (loop or near north). If you want to explore the city aim for the latter. Budget oriented places are usually pretty far out, so when you're booking remember that Chicago is vast, especially compared to European and east coast cities.

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Budget

  • Days Inn. 644 West Diversey Parkway. Frequented by touring bands in town to play at one of the many big clubs on the north side. $98-$130 per night.
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Mid Range

  • Hotel Allegro, 171 West Randolph Street at Wells. (Just across from the Clark and Lake stop on the Blue line.) +1 866 672-6143. Open 365 days/year. This lovely full-service hotel calls itself a boutique hotel, probably in reference to its friendly, full service, designer decorated rooms and prices that are the same, or just a little bit more than you would pay for a blander place just north of the river. $109-$209 per night (The $209 room has a double jacuzzi). http://www.allegrochicago.com/
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Splurge

  • The Peninsula, 108 East Superior Street (at North Michigan Avenue). +1 866-288-8889. Known as one of the city's most luxurious hotels, The Peninsula has been recognized by AAA with a Five-Diamond award. http://chicago.peninsula.com/
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Suburban Highlights

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Long Grove

  • Old Long Grove, when someone says someonething like "I've just been to Long Grove" they usually are talking about this. Old Long Grove is a historical street with a whole bunch of moderately expensive, yet very interesting, stores and restaurants. located in the Northwest suburbs. Different festivals go on there during the year. Definitely visit the Long Grove confectionery. It's a great place to buy candy. It's best known for its chocolate-covered strawberries.
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Des Plaines

  • The First McDonalds, was the first McDonalds. now is a museum dedicated to the history of McDonalds. You'll know you have seen it when you get to an old looking restaurant with a sign saying McDonalds, and another sign saying that they sell hamburgers for something around 15 cents.
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Highland Park

  • Ravinia Music Festival, usually just called "Ravinia". The summer home of the Chicago Symphony. Other orchestras (like the Ravinia Festival Orchestra) play there also. You can either choose to sit in the pavilion (which costs a bit more), or bring a blanket and chairs and sit on its humongous lawn. It has a few places to buy food and drinks (including wine and beer). If you go, definitely buy some Ravinia ice cream (not the Dove stuff) If you sit in the Pavilion you get a special program. If you sit on the lawn, you'll have to go and find one of the green newspaper dispensers -- they hold the lawn programs. Every so often it has family/kids concerts, but for the others, you shouldn't really bring young kids because they don't look well upon things like running around or playing catch.
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Park Ridge

  • Park Ridge Music Concerts, a bunch of free Friday night concerts during the summer. in front of city hall. always starts at 8:00pm.


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External links

  • CityOfChicago.org (http://www.cityofchicago.org/) -- official City of Chicago web site


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