What to do in Chicago?

Factual Questions
1

My Gf’s daughter got married and moved to Chicago with her husband. We’re going up to see them this coming week, and I’d like some suggestions on things to do. We tried to get tickets for the Medieval Times restaurant, but they don’t have any openings for the days we’re going to be there.

We will be arriving Monday night and leaving Friday morning. We don’t have tons of cash, so things more on the inexpensive side would be nice. They live on the SE side of Chicago, very close to the Midway airport.

Some of the things I’d like to check out food-wise are the famous “Italian Beef” sandwiches, and the deep dish pizza, if anyone can recommend some places close by. I’d also like to know if there’s any really good Mexican restaurants in the area. GF also mentioned that Wisconsin is only an hour and a half away, so I’d like to sample some of that Wisconsin cheese, if there’s anywhere near Chicago can be had. Not sure what else is worth eating in that area, we like Mexican, Italian, Chinese, gppd steak (though most really good steak places would likely be out of our range).

For arts and entertainment we’re pretty much open to anything as long as it’s not horribly expensive. Amusement parks, festivals, museums, etc.

2

If you’re on a budget, you can’t beat Free things to do in Chicago.

While not free, I’d recommend the Untouchables Gangster Tour. It’s about $20 a head, and good cheesy fun.

For Italian Beef, try Portillo’s or Al’s #1 or Buona Beef. I think they have locations near you. For deep dish pizza, you can’t go wrong with Giordanno’s, Lou Malnatti’s, Bacino’s, or a half dozen others that escape me at the moment. Go to www.yelp.com and type in their address and see what’s nearby.

Have a great trip!

3

So for dinner, how much are willing to spend and for how many people?

In terms of places to go holy crap get on the subway and your choices are greatly expanded. Without spending more than the subway fare, try Lincoln Park, Grant Park, the Miracle Mile (you can look without buying), the Loop, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, the Lakeshore (and LSD), among others.

So what are your interests other than not having a lot of cash?

4

As far as Mexican food goes, the main Mexican-American community in Chicago is Pilsen. Plenty of taquerias and inexpensive sit-down places there.

5

My standard suggestion is the architectural boat tour. You’ll get some outstanding views of the city and learn some history as you take a pleasant cruise up and down the river. I recommend the 90-minute tour run by the Chicago Achitecture Foundation. For a few bucks less, the competing 60-minute version is surely nice too. (Get there early enough to get a seat on the top deck!)

Stop by the original Billy Goat Tavern (“Cheezborger! Cheezborger!”) on Lower Michigan for lunch.

As for the Wisconsin cheese, you can probably find a good selection at any local grocery store. I wouldn’t waste any time going out of your way for it.

6

Eat a gyro. They’re much better here than anywhere else I’ve ever tried 'em.

7

Go hear some real Chicago blues: Buddy Guy’s Legends, B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted, Kingston Mines (across the street from B.L.U.E.S!) – all Loop or Lincoln Park areas; Rosa’s (West Side); Lee’s Unleaded Blues (South Side). What bands are playing where can be found in the music/entertainment section of the local freebie paper, the Chicago Reader.

Lucky you!

8

My brother lived in Chicago for about four years and I visited several time a year. I echo the suggestion for the architectural boat tour, it’s really interesting.

Navy Pier, Museum of Science and Industry, Millenium Park, Art Institute, take a long walk along Lakeshore drive (there’s a dense constellation of museums and cool stuff there as Waterman pointed out), walk around Hyde Park and look for wild parrots. There’s a part of town with a lot of African immigrants (sorry can’t recall where exactly; I just drove while my brother and his friends directed but not far from the uni district) that has a lot of very good, inexpensive, African restaurants.

Is it too early in the year for the Thanksgiving/Christmas displays along the Magnificent Mile? Even if it is, that’s a really nice walk. Look UP when walking around Chicago. There’s all sorts of interesting architecture above your head. :slight_smile:

Wisconsin squeaky cheese/cheese curds might be sold at restaurants and truck stops along your drive…you don’t say where you are coming from but you said “up” so I’m guessing somewhere south. Bags of cheese curds are a fairly touristy thing and you might find them in outlying places along the highway. Tasty little suckers!

Look for blues, too, if that’s your thing.

9

[nitpick]Actually, neighboring Little Village (to the west) has a much larger Mexican population.[/nitpick]

10

Drive to Navy Pier and view the Chicago skyline; nothing like it in the world. In they still have a boat that does public rides, try to get one. They just cruise back and forth and you can see the skiline in all its brilliance at night.

The BEST PIZZA in the world is Pizza Due’s, which should be just down the street from Uno’s pizza. I don’t remember the street. It is not on the SW side of Chicago, but Pizza Due’s is worth driving a thousand miles for. I’m not sure it is still there. I have moved away from Chicago. There are also some Connie’s pizza shops and Giordanos will do a good pizza. If you are on the Southwest side and want some neighborhood history, there is a pizza shop called Vito and Nicks, or Nick and Vito’s. It is on Pulaski, around 85th street. They don’t have deep-dish pizza, but my mouth waters just thinking of their pizza. They cut it into squares.

Pizza, Navy Pier, and the skyline about covers it for me!!!

11

I’ve lived away from Chicago for 20 years but grew up there, and I’ve been to the Billy Goat Tavern. I was trying to think of some of those places that it looks like have already been listed in this topic.

13

I’ve used this tour line twice for an architectural tour. They were excellent. If you’re interested in architecture, the boat tour is very much worth the money. Also, if you’re going to go to multiple attractions you can save money by getting a museum pass or city pass or a Go Chicago Pass (more destinations, but also limitations on some stops - can’t use it after 5:30 at the Willis (Sears) Tower, for instance). Chicago Public Library patrons can check out passes; there’s a limited number avaialble per branch. The Field Museum and Art Institute are my favorites.

If tours and museums are outside of your budget, do a self-guided walking tour. There are lots of books with recommendations and many interesting things to see.

14

It’s still there (at least, it was a month ago, when I stopped working at the office which was two blocks away from it). Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due (same owners, same recipe) is the original Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.

Uno is at the SW corner of Ohio and Wabash, in the River North neighborhood (a couple of blocks west of North Michigan Avenue). Due is at the SE corner of Ontario and Wabash (i.e., one block north of Uno).

15

Hop Leaf, Hop Leaf, … oh, and Hop Leaf.

16

The Field Museum is AWESOME. It’s not cheap. but it’s fantastically cool. An absolutely overwhelming amount of natural and cultural history exhibits. Chicago has an inferiority complex and so any of its cultural attractions are probably going to great as it tries to better New York at every turn.

–Cliffy

17

Cliffy,
Rush, Division, Lincoln Park Etc. are all spots to go, but one of Chicago’s best kept secret is their expansive Chinatown. Many blocks and most restaurants serve the best Dim Sum. Something different than Ed Debevics.

18

I’m not originally from Chicago but I worked there from 1999 to 2004 and for two years lived in Lakeview and the remaing three years in the western suburbs (Wheaton and Warrenville). In my opinion Chicago is one of the top three cities in the US. It has a very good public transit system within the central part of the city and many miles of congested freeways (sorry for the temporary negativity). Aside from other attractions already mentioned there are the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Oak Park and office buildings along S. Michigan Avenue, Evanston and the North Shore communities, the aforementioned Hyde Park and UofC, all of which can be viewed for a pittance. I am a huge pizza fan and my favorite (sorry I don’t remember the name) was a little dive on Broadway about a third of a block north of where Broadway splits from Clark at Diversey (but before you get to Surf Street - that street name always amused me for some reason).

There are a great selection of small, locally owned restaurants and shops (House of Fine Chocolate also on Broadway for great treats including candy, cakes, pastry, etc) that would just love your business instead of going to all of the chain places like Pizzeria Uno, etc.

19

For the SW side (which is where Midway is at), as far as restaurants go, here are my suggestions:

Grand Duke’s, near 63rd and Harlem, for stick-to-the-ribs, quality Lithuanian fare. Lots of meat, potatoes, and dumplings here, with a European atmosphere (from the wooden decor to the beer list and waitresses.) One of my favorite places for comfort food.

Szalas, on Archer, east of Cicero. My go-to Polish food in this neck of the woods. There’s a little bit of kitsch to this restaurant, like the rope-pulled bell you have to ring to get in, and the interior decorations, which include a stuffed bear and a large sled, but don’t let that put you off. This place is legitimate, and attracts mostly Polish clientele. Another great place for comfort food. I’ve eaten a lot of Polish food in my life (my parents are both from the country), and I’ve found nothing that isn’t exceptional on their menu.

Vito & Nick’s Pizza on 84th and Pulaski. If you want Chicago-style thin crust pizza, this is my favorite place in all of the city. Order half special, and half beef & giardineira on your pizza if you want to try what are, in my opinion, their best offerings. It’s a cheap date, no fancy beers on tap. The interior of this place looks like its been frozen in time. Note, in particular, the carpeting on the walls.

This is a great area for Mexican, too. Birrieria Zaragoza is a Mexican goat place on 49th and Pulaski that constantly gets high praise for its goat dishes and made-to-order tortillas. According to Yelp reviews, it’s the second most highly rated restaurant in all of Chicago, right behind the wallet-busting molecular gastronomy gem Alinea. Even if you think you might not like goat, I’d give it a try. It’s nowhere near as gamey as you might expect. The goat is focus of this restaurant (there really isn’t anything else on the menu except maybe for a quesadilla), but those tortillas are also worth the trip. Hot, full of earthy corn flavor, and more crepe-like in consistency and thickness than the packaged tortillas you’re more likely familiar with.

There’s also good Mexican seafood down the street at 54th and Pulaski with Las Islas Marias. Zacastacos, a bit farther down at 59th and Pulaski, has my favorite grilled steak tacos, but also a deep-fried potato taco which is just the perfect interplay of textures and flavors. Kapeeko on 63rd and Pulaski is a relatively new Puerto Rican joint, and the closest place to you to try a lesser known Chicago culinary innovation: the jibaro/jibarito sandwich. Think cheesesteak with onions, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream, stuffed in between two flattened, garlicky planks of fried plantains. It’ll satisfy your caloric requirements for the rest of your stay, but worth a shot.

There’s plenty more, but that should give you some idea of what food, at least, is in your area.

20

Do you mean Nancy’s (west side of the street) or Ranaldi’s (east side of the street)? They are both still there. But much of that first block north of Diversey has been razed and rebuilt and a lot of the little dives are gone.

21

Duke’s Drive-In
8115 S. Harlem Ave.
Bridgeview, Illinois