Chicagolife

This journal contains a resident's view of some of my favoriate things about Chicago including walking tours (both planned and on your own, visiting the neighborhoods), a list of some great restaurants that I always recommend to people coming to visit, and a hotel.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Depending on where you stay and what you want to see you can consider walking around Chicago and get a view of a few neighborhoods. If you are more into getting a macro view of Chicago, the El and bus system offers an easy way to explore the entire city.

I called Spring last minute late on a Wednesday night for a table for 2. They were extremely gracious and told me to come right in, although I would recommend a reservation unless you are dining very early or very late.

The ambiance is spectacular - light, airy, soothing, zen like and elegant but not stuffy. The menu looked wonderful. There were so many thing I wanted to order. I'm a big fan of fusion (although I dislike when every item on the menu lists 20 ingredients - this didn't). Spring definitely favors seafood although you can find a rack of lamb and chicken selections as well. We ordered an appetizer with Scallops which were generously sized and very fresh.

The wine list is extensive but not overwhelming and clearly assembled with a focus on their offerings. The service in particular, is outstanding. Our server was extremely knowleadgable and attentive without being pushy. My husband and I had a few appetizers and split an entree with no resistance or upsell attempts.

If you want to explore a different area of Chicago (Bucktown is probably the closest thing to Soho in NYC or the Castro / Haight in San Fran) and have a wonderful dining experience, Spring has it all.

This area has easy access to the El and the Highway.

Greek Island's is my family's favorite restaurant so I go there frequently, and it never fails if you are looking for a fun, Greek restaurant with superior food at a great price.

Although the restaurant is huge, it's composed of various rooms that make it feel cozy. The decor is very Mediterranean - bright and friendly and warm. They host a lot of large family parties who are looking to celebrate - so the place can be somewhat noisy. My favorite room is off to the right of the entry way, closest to the bathrooms, where some of the tables are slightly elevated and you look down on the chefs preparing the food.

The place offers a nice variety of traditional Greek food. For appetizers, I recommend the calamari which always comes out crisp and not too greasy, the gyros, spanakopita, taramousalata are all wonderful. For a small group, you can easily make a meal out of 4 - 5 appetizers.

For entrees, the Chicken rigonati with its tangy lemony flavor is a healthy option with plenty of flavor. The moussaka is really tasty lamb dish but not for those who fear rich food. I would also recommend the fish of the day and the grilled octopus. But those are my favorites - rest assured, all the entrees are great.

The baklava is not to be missed - always flaky and rich.

Perhaps the best thing about Greek Islands for out-of-towners is the accessibility from down town (Greek town is west of the loop) and the fact that they offer FREE valet parking. For those who remember this as a questionable neighborhood it has become increasingly upscale in the past few years and shares a similar feel the the tony strip of Randolph which is just north of it.