soooo...bump? also, stuff to do? Places to see? Will be spending about 3 days here.

you can get a good hostel for heaps cheaper than that. I stayed at this place in Lincoln Park - pretty standard run-down cheap place but good. arlington house

Go to the zoo in Lincoln Park, it's free. Go see Shellac play.

Go to Millennium Park and see the giant bean

start a treble-heavy, discordant indie rock band

oh i'm due there too, no idea what to do but apparently i have a detroiter being my 'tour guide'. raven's suggestion previously was to do a lake/river cruise and casey r's suggestion is for me to hit up all the bars he used to live across. sounds ace!

Go to Millennium Park and see the giant bean

i second this! be sure to get a coupla beers at the outdoor bar.

love your icon jose! i like giant monuments. is it impressive in a big pineapple kinda way?

i was hoping to go see a ball game there, but there's no home games on, so i'm going to see the giants play houston in SF instead. So far all i've got as things to do is:

Sears sky tower deck, and possibly 6 flags great america. also check out the navy pier and possibly hire bikes there and go for a ride around? and check out lincoln park and lake michigan. i'm starting to wonder if we should maybe do a day trip to detroit!? that might be extreme though, considering we'll only be there for 3 days. i kind of want to skip museums here because i'll be going to quite a few in NYC.

also i'm not a shellac fan, sorry. they kind of just make me feel violent and angry.

LOVE CHICAGO!!!! LOVE

awesome. why?

fuck Detroit. Total shithole. Just go to one of the shitter areas on Chicago for the same experience.

don't tell me that. i'm doing 4 days in detroit hah. everybody says it a hole, unless you talk to any native mitten staters who will vehemently defend their city something fierce. i wanted to go to a ball game too (love baseball!) but season doesn't start til april :( so i'm going to a basketball game instead. pistons of course!

I want Motown paraphenalia!

put your hands up for detroit! (as you are being mugged.)

I went to Motown. It was awesome. I didnt wanna leave. They have Michael Jackson's glove there. Chicago is rad. I did a Ferris Bueller's Day of reality tour. The stock exchange was boring though. Not like in the movie.

so can anyone specifically name cool stuff to see? or are we all just going to argue the virtues of chicago without explaining why?

Spend some time in WIcker Park - the coolest part of Chicago

what is there to do/see in wicker park?

There are a lot of cool cafes and thrift/vintage stores to shop in. One street in particular is very cool, can't remember the name tho...

Is it a pretty safe place to cruise around in?
yep very safe and quite easy to get round, $21 will get you a 7 day unlimited pass for bus and trains, which basically run every 10mins 24/7

Can i get tix to Oprah
probably not, we tried for a week with no success especially now she's in her last season there,

My brother in law lives in Chicago. I cant wait to see him. sweet free accom always the best type.... man i want to see Oprah too

awesome, awesome city, would move there in a heart beat

bump. heading there for the chicago blues festival in mid-june. any tips for things to see/places to eat/drink etc?

yo charly, this is the best music message board of the midwest: MRMB's thread on chicago. it has good recommendations. i also just noticed my conspicuous presence on this thread. how awkward.

I have to be the flower girl in a wedding in august so I can't make it to pitchfork this year :( and instead I'm going to lollapalooza - an inferior lineup BUT also some rad racket going on too. anyone else hitting either one of these?

bump. heading there for the chicago blues festival in mid-june. any tips for things to see/places to eat/drink etc?

I'll be there then too! I don't know if I'll go to the Blues Fest as I don't know anyone playing .. but mayhaps. Some investigation required methinks.

Goldbuttons i'll hook you up with friends of mine if you want a place to stay.

Don't know how I feel about burdening total strangers but thank you ever so much for the thought! Booked into that hostel you linked to at the top of the thread.

Booked into that hostel you linked to at the top of the thread.

i stayed in this hostel, highly recommend it plenty of bars in walking distance and close enough to the train line,

So Chicago is wonderful and in the spirit of pointing people to good spots, when there you must go to Rose's Lounge on 2656 North Lincoln for a drink or 5 and get 7 songs for $1 on the jukebox and meet Larry the doorman. And Delilah's just a little further up from that is good too. And Myopic Books and Reckless Records on West Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park (lots of vintage there too).

Flying to Chicago today. Stoked.

$3 six packs. Deaf Wish. That's my plan for tonight.

don't forget dunkin donuts dude

Dunkin donuts were such a let down.

Go to Cal's Liquors for some sweet, cheap grungy beers.

The Empty Bottle is a good place to catch a show and drink too.

Ha - just clicked my own link and saw that Deaf Wish are playing at the Empty Bottle, so you're already going there. Great job!

yep.. empty bottle is GREAT!

knomadix said 14 hours ago:

yep.. empty bottle is GREAT!

and the food they serve up in their cafe next door is great as well,

Just going to throw it out there: I am in chicago now if anybody happens to be in chicago and wants to get a drink.

wrong coast goldie! i'd meet you for a drink if you were in LA :P

It's possible that I will be in a couple of weeks! Will let you know