I'm going to Chicago for new year - What to do?

[madman]

Maybe it's because Chicago is so similar to columbus, but more of a hassle to have fun in a lot of ways. I'm sure the summer would be much better, it's frigid here right now.

Chicago is similar to Columbus? What? I'd be interested to hear what you did in your 2 days here. Which museums did you check out? Restaurants?

 

[roker]

Maybe it's because Chicago is so similar to columbus

Lolz

 

[cdamm]

Chicago is similar to Columbus? What? I'd be interested to hear what you did in your 2 days here. Which museums did you check out? Restaurants?

ive been to columbus like 5 times in the last year. its a neat town and all but aside from both cities being on a grid system and a couple of the neighborhoods having a similar feel (layout/ home design), they are very different cities. they couldn't be any more different.

i dont understand how greedo was finding it to be a hassle to have fun. there is something happening in every neighborhood at all times.

 

[BanishingFlatsAC]

ive been to columbus like 5 times in the last year. its a neat town and all but aside from both cities being on a grid system and a couple of the neighborhoods having a similar feel (layout/ home design), they are very different cities. they couldn't be any more different.

i dont understand how greedo was finding it to be a hassle to have fun. there is something happening in every neighborhood at all times.

I think what he's trying to say here is if you take the Winslows and dump then in Columbus they won't become the Keatons.

 

[cdamm]

I think what he's trying to say here is if you take the Winslows and dump then in Columbus they won't become the Keatons.

holy shit. lolol.

 

[greedostick]

I am having a good time, we're going to stay a few hours longer today, instead of leaving in the morning as planned, to do a few more things. I will explain later why I feel it's similar, there are many reasons.

Again, I would like to clarify, I don't hate this place, I had a good time. I just don't think it's amazing like other places I have visited, and that's because it does seem similar to columbus in many ways, regarding things to do,among other things.

 

[madman]

i dont understand how greedo was finding it to be a hassle to have fun. there is something happening in every neighborhood at all times.

I suppose if one doesn't like eating, drinking, sight seeing, visiting museums, seeing live theater, watching live music and a handful of other activities, it would be a hassle to have fun here.

 

[cdamm]

I suppose if one doesn't like eating, drinking, sight seeing, visiting museums, seeing live theater, watching live music and a handful of other activities, it would be a hassle to have fun here.

and if there was a bad time to be had he could have gone to a handful of other neighborhoods and had himself shot or something.

 

[greedostick]

No, that's not what I mean. There's plenty to do. I think Chicago is sweet. The hassle I am talking about is being new in the city, with loads of transportation, and still spending hours wondering around lost. I think you all think I hate Chicago, it's much better than columbus, in almost every way. There's just a steep learning curve to get around, and the cta People are useless. I eventually gave up on the subway because I was getting completely wrong, and half directions to get to navy pier. I'm almost home now, just at gas station. Overall has a lot of fun, but not somewhere I would hope to go again.

 

[mr_b]

Chicago isn't' a very unique location. It just simply has everything. The town has a vibe. Most of the time the people hate each other, but the few times the city is behind something especially sports related. It's a really cool place.

It grows on you and you eventually love it.

 

[madman]

No, that's not what I mean. There's plenty to do. I think Chicago is sweet. The hassle I am talking about is being new in the city, with loads of transportation, and still spending hours wondering around lost. I think you all think I hate Chicago, it's much better than columbus, in almost every way. There's just a steep learning curve to get around, and the cta People are useless. I eventually gave up on the subway because I was getting completely wrong, and half directions to get to navy pier. I'm almost home now, just at gas station. Overall has a lot of fun, but not somewhere I would hope to go again.

Navy Pier was one stop south of the Chicago stop, the closest to your hotel, but considering you'd have to walk West to get to that stop, then double back East to the pier, walking would've been your best bet from your hotel. I've had a lot of people ask me for directions to Navy Pier over the years, honestly I'm not 100% on it as nobody who lives here goes there so that's probably why you only got half directions. I can always get people close and then I say just use Google maps or look for signs. Any public transport system can be confusing if you're not used to it.

 

[greedostick]

Chicago isn't' a very unique location. It just simply has everything. The town has a vibe. Most of the time the people hate each other, but the few times the city is behind something especially sports related. It's a really cool place.

It grows on you and you eventually love it.

I did get the feeling summer would be much better. The combination of cold, and GPS not working in downtown was frustrating. I hated the first day, but it got better every day for sure.

 

[cdamm]

I did get the feeling summer would be much better. The combination of cold, and GPS not working in downtown was frustrating. I hated the first day, but it got better every day for sure.

well if you stayed downtown the entire time, thats your first mistake. once you clear the museums it gets thin over there quick.

 

[madman]

well if you stayed downtown the entire time, thats your first mistake. once you clear the museums it gets thin over there quick.

+1 unless you're into high end shopping and restaurants. Any time other than Winter is probably the best time to visit in terms of walking around and outdoor activities. Plenty of stuff going on in the Summer, mostly free too.

 

[greedostick]

OK, so I am finally back. Yes I did enjoy Chicago, a lot actually. However, I still stand by my opinion I have no reason to go back again, except maybe once during the summer months. I hear the summers are especially cool (weather), and I hate humidity. I also stand firm on my opinion that Chicago, at least downtown, is very similar to Columbus, but bigger an better in every way.

Here's why I feel that way. Downtown Chicago, has the same type of stuff as downtown Columbus, except 5 times better, and 5 times more compacted, but through a larger area of course. Museums, almost all the food stuff is the same, the buildings look the same, except taller, same type of bus transit system above ground, Chicago Theater looks exactly like the Ohio Theater, and a few more homeless begging for change and sleeping in the street. The most notable difference is the navy pier, which is pretty awesome the downtown is situated basically on a beach. That's a big draw for sure, that is if people use it in the summer to relax. There were a few restaurants and food spots I have never saw, and I made it my mission to only visit new food spots not in ohio.

Unfortunately most of the museums were closed for new year, but I don't care much I missed those anyway.

Here is where I went:

Navy Pier - First at night for fireworks, which was a lot of fun, then in the day to check it out again.
The Bean Statue - It was neat, my girl really liked it.

Willis Tower - Unfortunately it was a 4.5 hour wait to go to the top. So I didn't do that.

Gino's East - I actually really liked the Chicago pizza, but coming from Ohio, the land of the square cut, and from what I am told, land of pizza like bubble gum, it was impossible to compare the two. They are both completely different, and good in their own way. I however don't see Gino's as something I would crave.

Portillo's - Or whatever it's called. Got the beef sandwich. Pretty damn good.

The Grill - Some fancy steak restaurant, with a killer filet mignon. It was crazy expensive compared to a steak house here in ohio, and you didn't even get bread beforehand, and only one side. Which was weird. Maybe that's a Chicago thing. A filet and one side was about $60.00 before tip. That's crazy.

Jam and Honey - A nice little breakfast joint, that had some really good stuff.

Bubba Gump Shrimp - The one place I had been before in Gatlinburg, but it's so awesome I had to go again.

Chinatown - I really wanted to eat here, but my lady didn't want to. China town was pretty cool. I really wish we had one in Ohio. There are various Asian restaurants spread around here though due to the Asian population in ohio.

Northwest side - I did meet up with my friend Friday, and he drove us around a large portion of the city, and since he has a Venezuelan wife he took us here. We went to a cool grocery store his wife loves, that sells baked goods.

We drove around literally all day and checked out the bulls stadium, Wrigley field which was unfortunately closed. It was pretty cool that's it's right in the middle of all the houses. We also went by the WhiteSox stadium. We tried to get bulls tickets but the cheapest was $88.00 by the time we realized there was a game going on. We looked for scalpers, and couldn't find any 10 minutes after the game started, which I though was odd.

Subway - I spend some time just riding the subway, and getting off at random stops and walking around.

Trump Tower - It was trump tower, really nice outside.

Galloping Ghost Arcade - by far the best arcade I have ever seen. I could spend days there. They had it all! Radiant silvergun, ikaruga, all the ghosts n goblins games, mortal kombat games, street fighter games, gauntlet games. Also had Lucky and Wild, Bionic Commando, and so much more. They had to have hundreds of arcade games, including various MVS setups, and they were mostly all late 80's early 90's stuff. it was a $15.00 cover to just play all day. Well worth it.

I did a bunch more stuff too besides exploring.

For the most part I really loved the city, BUT there are a few things I did not like. Just from what I experienced, which is very little, it is really hard to judge. My main gripe is the people. I am use to traveling south, where people are much nicer, and more approachable. I feel like everyone was in such a big damn hurry, and didn't care about anyone except themselves. People never stopped honking their horns, as if it was going to help, and everyone seemed pissed at the world. Which is very similar to Columbus, and the reason I want to some day move from here. I definitely feel the further south you go, the nicer the people are, southern hospitality and all, because it was pretty noticeable that it was non existent here for the most part. One thing I noticed, was a girl slipped on the ice, and hit the ground, so naturally I was a gentleman and helped her up. By the time I made it to her at least 4 guys walked past her. Another weird thing was that I always hold the door open, and let people pass when going in somewhere. People looked at me like I was some sort of freak. One girl said "WOW! thanks a lot, that doesn't happen every day". I definitely noticed, when we walked into places, people just let the door shut in front of you if their wasn't one of those revolving doors.

People also didn't want to give any directions. I passed one guy, and asked how to get to Portillo's, he was wearing a Bulls jacket, and just said "I don't know", and never looked up. The directions I managed to get were from the CTA people in the subway. They told me to take the next sub down to the next stop, and I would be at the pier. Well, I went from 20 minutes away, to 40. I went back, and they gave me the right directions, but failed to tell me I needed to hop on a transit bus as the subway doesn't go there. I finally figured out, there was a transit and the subway was unnecessary. I guess maybe the locals don't know where it is like was stated earlier. But I did ask a cop too, I was surprised he couldn't help me. All that aside though, those are minor gripes. I can handle that.

What I really hated, which was the only thing I hated, was the ridiculous cost of parking. Good thing we did valet at the hotel, but when I was with my friend we paid all day, and it was a minimum of $16.00 per park. Which adds up fast. This morning we decided to eat it, and parked at navy pier, and 1.5 hour park was $20.00. The food prices and such were similar to Columbus for the most part, but the parking was insane. Then on the way out of town, we hit 3 toll booths in a matter of like 10 minutes. Now I'm all about a toll booth, since they go to the roads, but we paid $4.75, then 2 minutes later, paid $2.00, the 5 minutes later paid $0.85 cents. Why couldn't they just charge me the whole price the first stop and be done with it? A stop for 85 cents is stupid.

That's really my main gripe, and sole reason I would never want to live there. Anytime you leave the city, or want to go downtown you're paying out the ass. If I went to school downtown, or worked downtown, It would be impossible to afford. I felt like the entire city was desperate for money.

But all in all, no regrets, had fun, just got nickel and dimed the whole time. I know if I lived there, it would be like Columbus, I would rarely go downtown. I'm not into lavish restaurants, or Gucci crap. But it would be nice to be able to enjoy downtown without being reliant on public transit, or wads of cash.

 

[madman]

You went to a chain steakhouse in the expensive tourist district. There were many other better steakhouses within walking distance. Don't judge a Chicago steakhouse based on that place. But either way, you're going to pay more than you will in Columbus.

 

[greedostick]

You went to a chain steakhouse in the expensive tourist district. There were many other better steakhouses within walking distance. Don't judge a Chicago steakhouse based on that place. But either way, you're going to pay more than you will in Columbus.

I don't for sure. I've lived in Columbus for 12 years, and I've hit so many shit places. We finally settled down on Texas Roadhouse, which also happens to be the cheapest, after hitting all the 5 star crap. It's just the best all around here, with amazing sides. The expensive places I have learned are normally for show, and have comparable meals. If anyone ever comes to Columbus, I would highly recommend Ocean Club at Easton mall if you don't mind dropping $100.00 or more on two meals. It's one of the few fancy, but amazingly good places.

Now that Grill place was good, and she loved it, which is all that really matters anyway. She was talking about it the whole way home. We normally tend to however hit the places that do one thing, and one thing only good. Like grilled cheese places, Barley's Smoke House, Asian Pho, and such. We love Vietnamese Pho noodle places.

 

[cdamm]

OK, so I am finally back. Yes I did enjoy Chicago, a lot actually. However, I still stand by my opinion I have no reason to go back again, except maybe once during the summer months. I hear the summers are especially cool (weather), and I hate humidity. I also stand firm on my opinion that Chicago, at least downtown, is very similar to Columbus, but bigger an better in every way.
.

whomever told you that told you wrong. humid as fuck. especially by the lake.

Some notes for your future visit:
went to portillos- skipped the dogs (which they are known for) and got the beef: oops. next time you can correct that one. Also go to a proper place known for their beef like al's.
The grill: overpriced downtown faire. you could do better for less.
bubba gump shrimp: did you also hit a tgi fridays?
chinatown: shoulda ate here. oh man! killer dim sum places.
square cut pizza? its all over the place here too. it makes no sense, but you can get it. wedges and the fold is the only way to go for thin pizza, lol.

The people: You were mostly in the business districts (loop) where people are pretty much in business mode. it gets friendlier in most other parts of the city.
tolls and parking: part of the territory. shit sucks. sorry about that.

the biggest issue you had was staying downtown. your experience was probably sullied by that. doing touristy things tends to add up in the nickle and dime sort of way. you could have taken the metra train to the galloping ghost (about $15 round trip) and where the train station is (about 1/2 mile from the arcade on the same street) is also great little area called downtown lagrange (the suburb you would get off at) with fantastic restaurants.

I realize you didn't have the greatest time here, but you can probably chalk it up to putting the trip together a little last minute. Next time you come out- look up one of us on here who live in the area. we'll help you out. it is very much all about having a plan of attack when visiting the city due to its sheer size.

 

[greedostick]

whomever told you that told you wrong. humid as fuck. especially by the lake.

Some notes for your future visit:
went to portillos- skipped the dogs (which they are known for) and got the beef: oops. next time you can correct that one. Also go to a proper place known for their beef like al's.
The grill: overpriced downtown faire. you could do better for less.
bubba gump shrimp: did you also hit a tgi fridays?
chinatown: shoulda ate here. oh man! killer dim sum places.
square cut pizza? its all over the place here too. it makes no sense, but you can get it. wedges and the fold is the only way to go for thin pizza, lol.

The people: You were mostly in the business districts (loop) where people are pretty much in business mode. it gets friendlier in most other parts of the city.
tolls and parking: part of the territory. shit sucks. sorry about that.

the biggest issue you had was staying downtown. your experience was probably sullied by that. doing touristy things tends to add up in the nickle and dime sort of way. you could have taken the metra train to the galloping ghost (about $15 round trip) and where the train station is (about 1/2 mile from the arcade on the same street) is also great little area called downtown lagrange (the suburb you would get off at) with fantastic restaurants.

I realize you didn't have the greatest time here, but you can probably chalk it up to putting the trip together a little last minute. Next time you come out- look up one of us on here who live in the area. we'll help you out. it is very much all about having a plan of attack when visiting the city due to its sheer size.

I got your message, and I will hit you up for sure. We were talking on the way back possibly going again to see a game at Wrigley Field.

And it was pretty last minute, she was like lets go on vacation, and I suggested Toronto, but she couldn't find her passport, so Chicago we agreed on only a few days in advance. My tour guide, Danny, my good friend since middle school, only lived there maybe 2 years, and hates it. He kept going on about Florida, and Europe, about how much better they were, and how he was moving back to Florida ASAP. The negativity was present, and furious. He didn't even know Chinatown existed, and kept stating "I have kids and a wife, and school, I never go downtown", and how everyone called him a redneck for owning a truck. He was in the air force, and said he does contracts for some government place. I am definitely not a sight seeing guy, unless it's nature related, like oceans, or mountains. I would much rather immerse myself in real culture, and do what the locals do. Like eat at the hole in the wall joints, and go to do the things they do, not museum and mall related.

 

[andsuchisdeath]

I would much rather immerse myself in real culture, and do what the locals do. Like eat at the hole in the wall joints, and go to do the things they do, not museum and mall related.

Real culture can be found in museums and malls.

 

[greedostick]

Real culture can be found in museums and malls.

I guess that all depends on what you consider culture, and the type of culture you want to be part of. For me the mall isn't it. And it depends on the museum. I could visit a dinosaur museum, and I wouldn't consider it culture, or an art museum for that matter, unless it was art created in that specific region. I also think there's a difference between exploring a past culture in a city, and present day culture, that you can immerse yourself in. Instead of visiting a museum, I would much rather hang out with a family, and live the way they do for a few weeks. Museums are fun and all, just not the type of stuff I want to do an entire vacation.

 

[smokehouse]

I think you hit what are some of my (all joking aside) real complaints about Chicago. To me, it's too much. Too much $$, too much to do, too much to see, too much traffic, too many tourist traps, too many pissed off people.

I could see living there, and the people that I know that do like it. My problem is that I simply do not spend enough time there to learn the city and the tricks of dealing with all of it. If you know the good spots vs the tourist traps, if you know the way to get around in a car that doesn't involve the heavy highways, if you know how to navigate downtown...Chicago can be one of the best places to spend time in the US. I've been there once with a person who knew the city...it was a completely different experience then when I go on my own.

The problem is, only going there a few times a year...it's a real pain in my ass.

On that note...it looks like I'll be going up there for business Wed/Thurs. I'll be visiting the Galloping Ghost Wed night for sure.

 

[oliverclaude]

Do the day off 250 GT tour + Von Steuben Day Parade Karaoke .

 

[Some Mist]

at least you made it to GGA which is probably the best thing you could've done. Falco's pizza (my personal favorite) is on the way back too :> I was probably right by you when you were at the bean (NYE?) since I was skating at the ribbon in Maggie Daley. It was pretty crazy out there.

Chicagoans are pretty shitty but it does get much better as you make your way out into the surrounding neighborhoods as Chris said.

Where did I say it's bad to go anywhere with good marketing? I said there are places that do well solely because of their marketing and/or hype. I think Au Cheval is based on marketing, I've proven the point. It's generic 80/20 food service beef and Kraft singles. That is a fact. If you want to wait 3 hours for that, more power to you. The other user who thought I was making that up then asked how people buy into it and later admitted he'll still go there is a perfect example. People buy into the marketing hype.

that's because they still make it into a good burger regardless if it's sysco and kraft, and you don't have to wait for 3 hours any more since there's small cheval.

 

[mr_b]

What people need to understand is that Michigan Ave and the Navy Pier area during the week is a shitty time to try and sight see. A lot of people on the streets are actually out working. They can't always stop and give you detailed directions.

I tried to be a nice guy and help when I could. Problem was I knew how to get to everything by landmarks not by street names, so I was a shitty guide. Sometimes I would have to be a dick and tell them no I can't help you. I have a meeting in 10 minutes I have to get to. Sucks but true story.