It’s finalized. I’m going to Chicago for three days in May for a class. I’m arriving the evening of 15 May and leaving the evening of 18 May. I’ll be staying downtown.
I know it’s weeknights and all, but I’d love to meet some Chi-dopers. Is this at all possible?
lemmeno,
Spritle
I’m available…as long as you remember…stand right, walk left 
Seriously, my husband’s going to be in Vegas for a few days so I’m all about not being home alone. Anyone else?
We could meet at my house actually…if you want, or something…
jarbaby
Sounds groovy.
Anyone else? If nobody else shows, people might talk… 
How would they ever know?
oh right…the message board thing.
jarbaby
I’ll make sure my schedule is clear as well.
…can we dope…heh, oh you have noooo idea how well we can!
Oh, and the idea of being at jarbabyj’s with no hubby around…
I will try and make it. Just let me know the specifics when they are decided.
Keen!
maybe, Mike…maybe he doesn’t really exist. I mean, you’ve never seen him, right? Maybe I’m just making it all up for security reasons.
As for doping…where are you staying Spritle? Should we meet downtown for dinner or something? Can we trash your hotel room?
jarbaby
Sorry, have to extend my regrets.
I won’t be able to make it on the 15th because I GOT U2 TICKETS!! WOO!!
ahem…
anyway, Thursday night would be the best for me. I’m looking forward to it! (Whatever “it” may be…)
Wait. I just realized something. SOMETIME in that week I will be required to be onstage acting in a play…I’ll have to confirm that date and get back to the list.
I ALSO got U2 tickets, Tig, but for Sunday…so I’ll be there before you 
jarbaby
Well, I don’t know about May, but I’ll be there tomorrow (Thursday) night through Saturday afternoon for work. Actually, I’ll be in Shaumburg, but if my maps are any good, it looks like that a 'burb, so…
Is it safe to tell you that I’ll be staying at the Best Western Inn of Chicago (Oh yeah, my job treats me nice!) on East Ohio Street? I will not have a car (the job don’t treat me that nice) but am not against walking.
For those who know the area, my class is at the Univ. of Chicago’s Gleacher Conference Center on Cityfront Plaza Drive. According to Yahoo maps, it’s about 3 blocks from my hotel.
As far as trashing my hotel room… as long as it’s on the last night… But with the number of people “signing up”, I doubt we’d all fit.
Well, jarbabyj, it looks like we’ll have a tough time being alone. 
Unless you’re into that…
A GREAT place to eat and hang out in that general area is the Cambridge House restaurant. It’s a diner with a back room that’s usually where they send smokers, but hardly anyone sits back there (at least, not the hundred or so times I’ve been there). I don’t have the address right offhand, but the Cambridge House is located on Ohio, one (short) block east of Michigan Avenue. Good food, inexpensive (especially for that area!) and casual atmosphere…you can’t go wrong.
(No, this is not a paid ad, my husband and I just like the place. We usually eat there when we go to the movies at the nearby 600 or McClurg Court theaters).
Eq
I’m in 
Just give me time and place.
OK, let’s get organized, and I’ll organize it. The only day I’m NOT available is the 15th. The sixteenth would be an absolute dream.
People who want to Dope with Jarbaby and Spritle, get to bumping this thread and talking about dates…
jarbaby
I work right next to the Gleacher center. I’m going out of town the evening of the 17th, so the 15th or 16th would be ideal to Dope.
And hmmm…I’ve never met thinksnow…wanna drive into town? I know this bar called the Baba Luci…
[continued hijack]
Sure, magdalene, I’ll head into town. I’m planning on getting up there about 7-ish tonight, so if anyone wants to get together for dinner or drinks or whatnot, drop me an email by 1:30 (EST) or so. I don’t really have to work Friday, just sort of sit in and make sure the people don’t do anything stupid (it’s a training course), so…let me know.
[/continued hijack]
Given the other responses, the 16[sup]th[/sup] would probably be best. I will land at O’Hare at 6:40 pm. then it’s a cab to the hotel and check in. By then, it’ll most likely be too late to start anything.
Many thanks to jarbabyj for taking the reigns on this. I am really looking forward to meeting you all. In that this is a semester course packed into 3 days, I’m sure I’ll need to “unwind”.
The Cambridge House, as suggested by Equipoise sounds neat. Even if we don’t dope there, I’ll probably drop by for supper one of the other nights I’m in town.
As an aside, sort of, what else is there to do nearby after 4:00 pm? I looked on line and found out that most of the museums (incl. Science & Industry) close at 5:00. Bummer. I wanted to see the U-505! What about a museum about the rich organized crime history of Chicago? Where is the garage famous for the St. Valentines Day Massacre? (torn down?) O’Banion’s Flower shop? Is it worth it to go to the Sears Tower? Gimme some ideas.
We’ll find a way for you to pay me back…she said, with a raised eyebrow.
Well, if you really want to, there’s the Untouchable Tours that take you to all those places, I see them in front of the Biograph all the time…or you could go to the top of the Hancock building and have a look around, they have a cool new observatory.
What we should do is this. Everyone who can get together on the 16th, email me at jarbabyj@yahoo.com…I’ll compile a list, and throw some suggestions around for fun and games in Chicago. Let’s show Spritle what we Windy Citiers are all about:
NUDITY, BEER, POOL, DARTS and HOT HOT GIRL ON GIRL ACTION.
oh wait, that’s another group of people I know…
jarbaby