Unfortunately, for those of us who are way over 21, that Thanksgiving week involves a lot of family obligations (kids coming home from school, Grandparents to be picked up and transported, meals to be prepared, etc.). That’s OK, go with what’s best for the majority, and the rest of us can do our best to make it if possible. Don’t know Penny Lane Pub, but I know my way to Barrington.
Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs.
-Tom Waits
Ooooh! Tuesday night before Thanksgiving Eve is the Counting Crows concert at Aragon. So I won’t be able to go to the SD Rendezvous if it’s that night. Not a biggie - but maybe I’m not the only one going to see Adam Duritz & Co??
Sucks to your assmar.
Somehow I missed this thread until now. Please add me to the list of those interested, if a longtime lurker who just started posting qualifies.
I’ll let you guys pick the place, but as I’m very familiar with some of the spots mentioned, I’ll add my 2 cents. Durty Nellies is one of the better bars in the NW suburbs (I’m a liitle biased, because I know the owners), but gets crowded on the weekends, as someone said. It has several rooms, though, so a non-weekend night might work there. Anything around Thanksgiving won’t be good there, because Nellies is popular with college age people, many of whom will be back in town for that week/extended weekend.
John Barleycorns used to be one of my favorite places when I lived in Lincoln Park. It lost some character when they expanded some years ago, but is still interesting, and does have more room now. It also will be crowded on weekends, and parking is not easy there. Good beer selection and bar food, though.
There are dozens of other bars that combine good beer selections with some atmosphere, such as Southport Lanes (despite the name, it’s not really a bowling alley),Sheffields, Justins and Schuba’s. I also just was introduced (last night) to a new place called Matilda on the north side that I really liked, but it probably would be too busy on a weekend.
Actually, just about any place will be crowded on the weekend, especially in the city (and I vote with whoever said that most suburban bars are boring). Have Valerie and whoever else is helping her put this together decided to choose a weekend?
I’d like to participate, too, but I am in that “way over 21” league that requires advanced advance notice to get around the family/church schedule for the holiday.
Im in the far south east suburbs - - near the Indiana border (South Holland, to be exact) and my office is in Lockport, so the further south we can make the locale, the better off I’d be. But downtown is OK too.
Thanks,
SoxFan59
“Its fiction, but all the facts are true!”
OK, I don’t want to automatically exclude the ‘way over 21’ people, so are you guys saying that the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is a DEFINITE no, or you’re just not sure?
It now looks like we’re split about 50-50 on the city/suburbs debate, but since the suburban vote is scattered all over the place it seems like we almost HAVE to find a place in the city.
I know of a couple of bars that could work. One is the Morseland, in Rogers Park (yes, it’s waaaay north) - it’s a great bar, and besides the downstairs area that has bands, there’s an upstairs area w/ pool, couches, air hockey, junk like that. The only problem I can see there is that there’s no food. I’m friends with the owners though, so they might let us take over the upstairs part if I talked to 'em.
Then there’s the Bird’s Nest in Lincoln Park. They have food AND pool tables, etc, and a back room that they can open up. Plus, my brother-in-law’s cousin owns the place, and he’s cool to me so he might let us have the back room.
I’ll just bring a bucket of chicken 
Actually, having a section of a joint to ourselves almost sounds too cool. Pity it’s so far out for me, else it’d be ultimately cool. Nevertheless, it’s still in the definate ‘cool’ range.
I can bring a bucket of chicken, right?
“I guess it is possible for one person to make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
I’ll be out of town, tied up with family obligations the few days before Thanksgiving… and in Europe the week after.
Well, the Tuesday is almost a definite no for me, unless everyone was willing to trek up here to the NW suburbs. I’d be getting off work at 5, home around 6, change, get to the el station about 6:45-7, travel time to downtown, by then it’s almost time for me to turn right around and go home, as I have to get up by 6 for work on Wednesday.
Wednesday night would’ve been good because, although I would still get there late after work, I wouldn’t have to get up the next morning.
Unfortunately, that entire week of Thanksgiving is out for me. It’s the one week of the year that I devote exclusively to family. Actually, as I look at the calendar, I note that I already have obligations for every weekend from now until the Y2K, except for Nov 6-7 and Dec 4-5. Location dosen’t matter as much as date/time, at least to me, as I am mobile enough to go most anywhere. I don’t think that it’s going to be possible to satisfy everyone, anyway, so go with what seems best for the majority and those who can’t make it will just have to wait for the sequel, if one seems appropriate.
Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs.
-Tom Waits
The Bird’s Nest in Lincoln Park sounds like a good option, for all the reasons Valerie mentions (having a distant relation in charge would make it less likely we get thrown out when we get rowdy).
Plus, I’m dealing with my snotnosed New Yorker’s disdain for the suburbs…whaddaya want me ta do? Rent a pickup truck? What if I hit a friggin’ DEER?
Of course, if Dex isn’t coming, it won’t be any fun anyway. C’mon, be a MAN! Blow off that family stuff! I’M willing!
Uke
Tie it to the front of the pickup truck, of course.
(and it would probably fit in the overhead luggage bin on your flight back to NYC)
OK, here’s something I need to know from the out-of-towners: WHEN are you getting into town?
And for those that are busy all of Thanksgiving week, what about the Sunday right before? The 21st? What if we got together earlyish and just started drinking then so that everyone might have a chance to sleep it off by Monday morning?
As you may all be able to tell, I’m still not giving up on the idea of everyone being able to make it.
Oh, and Uke? I drive a pickup truck.
Just checking back in to let you all now I’m still game. My schedule is pretty flexible, so I’ll just wait for ya’all to decide when and where.
Don’t get me wrong–I love life. I’m just finding it harder and harder to keep myself amused.
Sunday, 11/21 is cool. Just say where. Oh, and Uke, let me know where I can find that deer. I hate to see good venison go to waste.
Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs.
-Tom Waits
Helloooooooo…
Sunday the 21st? Yes? No? Please?!!?!?!
(I’m not nagging, really. Just want to make sure this stays close to the top so you guys don’t forget about it)
The 21st is Ok with me.
Well Val… since you begged, I guess we could get together on the 21st. What about everyone else though?
Oh… that was a “yes” by the way
“I guess it is possible for one person to make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
Yay! That’s 6 or 7 of us that can make the 21st so far.
I talked to my brother-in-law about the possibility of us using the Bird’s Nest. He seems to think it’ll be cool, if Lincoln Park’ll work for everyone.
OK, everyone else???
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it into town before the 24th, but it looks like I’m outnumbered.
I can do the 21st. If its not going to be a weekend it really must be downtown IMHO. The weeknights in the burbs are just pathetic, it’d be a morgue. Lincoln Park is always kosher with me, I hope not to many people want to be in bed by 10.