Summer in the Windy City

You all want to know about the Pizza and Beer, I know. After much trial and error, it has been determined that Pizzaria Uno is the champ (see my dining review). The beer you can get anywhere, with the local favorite seemingly a simple Bud Light.

The museums are great, and most are free on Tuesdays if you can stay that long. The Field Museum, home to Sue the dinosaur, currently has two exibits worth seeing, one on Chocolate (my personal downfall), and another on pearls which is quite interesting. Special exhibits are expensive, even on Tuesday. The Museum of Science and Industry on the south side has an exibit on the Titanic and an IMAX about the space station. This museum is great for kids, but expect to shell out at least for either.

My personal favorite is to take a ride on the lake path that runs about 25 miles along Lake Shore Drive. If you have never seen the lake you will be amazed by the waves and the beaches and the fact that the smell is that of the ocean, even though it's fresh water. Trust me on this, I don't want people to get sick from drinking it!

Go on an Architecture Tour. They leave from the bridge over the river on Michigan right across the street from the Chicago Tribune building. If you can't find that I think some also leave from Navy Pier. This is a well spent if you are at all into Architecture.

If you happen to be here in the summer you will be happy to note that there is a festival every weekend in Grant Park (just East of Downtown). My personal favorite is the Chicago Jazz Festival at the end of August. Chicago is a very cultural city, and jazz is at the heart of that culture. Other Festivals include Gospel, Blues, the "Taste of Chicago" (food), and many others.

Don't miss the theater. I have never payed for an off-broadway production in Chicago because there are so many local theater companies that you will never see anywhere else. "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" is a show that has been running for about 11 years and tends to make people very happy. You should also check to see what is playing at the Vic, because if it's not theater or music they'll have "Brew and View"- three movies for five bucks plus lots of drinking and screaming at the screen.

Go to a concert. Chicago is full of small venues playing relatively big acts. Dan Bern and Lucinda Williams often play a small club called Shubas on the north side. The Note has Samba on Thursdays. Other great venues which usually double as bars are the Elbow Room, the Green Room, the House of Blues (a little bigger, but bigger names come here), the Vic... just look in the Reader, you will see.

Quick Tips:

If you are staying in the city, don't rent a car. The "L" will take you everywhere you want to be.

If you are in the city over the weekend, don't stay in one of the hotels in the Loop, pick one further to the north- Gold Coast, River North or Lincoln Park if you have the option. The loop is dead on weekends.

Best Way To Get Around:

This restaurant is popular during normal dining hours, and the deep dish pizzas take a good 45min-1hour to prepare. Give yourself at least 1 hour before you are going to be starving to get your name on the waiting list. In order to speed things up, when you give the hostess your name, you also give her your order. This means that by the time you get a seat your pizza is already in the oven and you won't have to wait another hour to get it. Of course, you have to hang around for your name to be called, but since it is usually at least a 1/2 hour wait you can walk down Ohio to Michigan and check out a shop or two. You can also sit outside and have a beer or two. The Boston Lager is excellent.

A typical Chicago topping is sausage. My favorite combo is the Numero Uno with Mozzarella, chunky tomato, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions & peppers. The Chicago Classic is good too with Extra mozzarella, extra sausage, extra tomato, extra crisp crust, but may just give you a coronary.

The pizza is excellent, but don't let your stomach do the talking. This is heavy stuff, and the recommendations are usually about right. One Small is good for 2 people. Really.

Enjoy!