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Chicago

Sweet Home, Chicago

  • by supercat
  • A travel journal
  • Last Updated: April 12, 2005
Journal Usefulness Rating 2 out of 5
Journal Usefulness
11
Reviews

An Insider's Look at Chicago

Sweet Home, Chicago

Overview

To really experience Chicago, try venturing off its main tourist strip of Michigan Avenue. Even walking just a few blocks west of the Mag Mile will provide some great (and free!) experiences (like the wonderful Newberry Library).

Trekking farther afield to Argyle Street and Devon Avenue promises culinary adventures as well.

Quick Tips:

Time Out now has a weekly Chicago guide!

The Chicago Reader is *the* source for planning nights out, getting dining reviews, and finding interesting info about the city.

Best Way To Get Around:

Between the Chicago train system (called "the L") and city buses, it's easy to get around. You can find a ton of info, even trip planners, at the CTA website .

Taxis are everywhere and are a great option when you are all dressed up and don't want to take a bus while wearing a gown and high heels!

Green Zebra

Restaurant

Green Zebra

This is one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago. It's mostly vegetarian cuisine served in tasting portions that range from $8 to $15 apiece. Each person chooses two to three dishes apiece, very similar to ordering in a tapas restaurant. This is not your typical brown rice-and-vegetable restaurant: menu items include avocado pannacotta with a tomato gelee; shitake rolls; and scallion pancakes with kimchee. Although it is very crowded (we were elbow-to-elbow with our neighbors), it is a very unique experience.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Green Zebra
1460 West Chicago Ave Chicago, Illinois 60622
+1 312 243 7100

Star of Siam

Restaurant

Star of Siam

Star of Siam seems like it has been around forever, and it always provides pretty reliable Thai food. They do basics pretty well: chicken satay, spring rolls, pad Thai... They also have a spicy beef appetizer (served like satay) that is a fave of mine. Another plus is that Star is a 1-minute walk away from the Grand Avenue stop on the Red Line train, making it a nice place to hit before or after seeing a movie or play at Navy Pier.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Star of Siam
11 East Illinois St Chicago, Illinois 60611
+1 312 670 0100

Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant

Restaurant

Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant

Very unusual and surprisingly addictive. Each table orders a variety of dishes (servers are helpful) or a combination plate, and then are given sour, spongy, crepe-like bread with which to eat - no other utensils. It's sometimes difficult to identify what you are eating, but it is generally fun and healthy.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant
6120 N. Broadway St Chicago, Illinois 60660
(773) 338-6100

Newberry Library

Activity

Newberry Library

This is a private library that is open to the public. You can't check books out, but you can see rare books and manuscripts, such as sheets of Mozart's music, a fragment of a Gutenberg bible, civil-war diaries, illuminated books of hours, and much more.

There are free tours on Saturdays at 10:30am. In the lobby you can see exhibits on subjects such as Queen Elizabeth I, calligraphy, Lewis and Clark, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and more.

Check their website for more info.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Newberry Library
60 West Walton St Chicago, Illinois 60610
+1 312 943 9090

International Museum of Surgical Science

Activity

International Musuem of Surgical Science

This is definitely off the beaten track. There are four floors of exhibits about surgical science, past, present, and future. Exhibitions on everything from polio to heart disease to ophthalmology are presented in a surprisingly entertaining way.

Two highlights are the 19th-century apothecary shop, created from two apothecaries originally located in upstate New York and Iowa, and the polio exhibit, with a rare, working iron lung.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

International Museum of Surgical Science
1524 North Lake Shore Drive Chicago, Illinois 60610
+1 312 642 6502

Chicago Architecture Foundation

Activity

Chicago Architecture Foundation Tours

Take a boat cruise along the Chicago River, embarking from the Michigan Avenue bridge, with a top-notch tour guide (often an architect) who points out various buildings and provides commentary. You can choose to sit outside, up top the boat, or inside (nice for inclement weather). A variety of drinks/snacks are available. The tour concentrates on architecture and offers a wonderful view of Chicago.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Chicago Architecture Foundation
224 South Michigan Ave Chicago, Illinois 60604
+1 312 922 3432

Navy Pier

Activity

Navy Pier

Pricey, touristy, and depressing. Please don't waste time and money at Navy Pier. Most of what is there can be found at any mall in America. The two reasons I do go there are for the IMAX theater and the Chicago Shakespeare theatre (really, really terrific). The food is terrible and overpriced, and the whole place seems like a drain on the wallet. If you have to go, pack a lunch and enjoy walking around outside (admittedly, it does have lovely views).
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Navy Pier
600 East Grand Ave Chicago, Illinois
(312) 595-5300

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Activity

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Top-notch Shakespeare plays and other works are performed in both the courtyard theatre and the smaller upstairs theatre. It can be a bit pricey, but there is not a bad seat in the house and the performances are generally wonderful, even for theatre novices.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
600 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 595-5656

Lincoln Park Zoo

Activity

Lincoln Park Zoo

Lovely and FREE. Pack a lunch, watch the sea lions, and sit on one of the many grassy areas. It's a great low-key date spot (and somehow, watching monkeys is kind of romantic).
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 North Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60614
(312) 742-2000

Green Mill

Activity

Green Mill Cocktail Lounge

The Green Mill is a classic cocktail lounge. Its sign, done up in lights, and swanky interior will take you back several decades. Check the Chicago Reader to see what/who is on - it can get *very crowded.*
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Green Mill
4802 North Broadway St Chicago, Illinois 60640
(773) 878-5552

Shake, Rattle, and Read Bookstore

Activity

Shake, Rattle, and Read Bookstore

This is a wonderful used bookstore specializing in pulp fiction and old music magazines. You can find a variety of used books, though: fiction, mysteries, self-help - it's all there. The best stuff is the old Rolling Stones, Playboys, sexy-ish pulp fiction, as well as a selection of records and CDs. Bands who are playing at the nearby Aragon Ballroom and Riviera Theatres always stop in.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by supercat on April 12, 2005

Shake, Rattle, and Read Bookstore
4812 North Broadway Chicago, Illinois
(773) 334-5311

About the Writer

supercat
supercat
Chicago, United States

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