Chicago
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- _niko
Heading to Chicago with the kids and wife at the end of the month and am looking to check out some cool and interesting
-Art, design book shop
-Comic book / sci-fi store
-deep dish pizza resto
-something interesting off the beaten track
- Ramanisky20
Gino's Pizza for sure
- bigtrick0
there's a cluster of awesome bookstores in hyde park - powell's:
http://www.powellschicago.com/co…
seminary co-op:
http://www.semcoop.com/
o'gara & wilson's:
http://www.abebooks.com/home/OGW…
57th street:
http://semcoop.indiebound.com/57…you could spend days browsing those stores.
there's a storefront called "the boring store" in wicker park that you should stop by. it's part of the dave eggers mega-empire of weirdness and coolness:
http://www.notasecretagentstore.…the boring store isn't far from quimby's, which is a bookstore with a ton of zines and other things:
http://www.quimbys.com/it's also right by this comic store:
http://www.brainstormmcg.com/- great list, it's getting harder and harder to find places like those anymore._niko
- identity0
if you can - stop over at Hot Doug's (reputably, the best hotdog in the united states)
Check out the museum of contemporary art - beautiful museum - also, check out the art institute, in particular, their modern wing!
If you have the little ones, check out the Shedd Aquarium - it's a really BEAUTIFUL aquarium - they have 4 beluga whales there (+1 baby), seals, penguins, dolphins, etc... (all in doors and air-conditioned)What big trick said - quimby's and the boring store - both in the heart of Wicker Park (where I live)
- mg330
Honestly, if you want to bypass the hype of deep dish pizza and grab something better, I highly suggest Piece in Wicker Park (New Haven, CT style pizza and great award winning beer) or, the place that was named the best pizza in the country by GQ last year, and the best pizza in Chicago by several publications - Great Lake Pizza in Andersonville (neighbrhood on the north side of the city).
Great Lake does not have a web site, but Yelp should suffice: http://www.yelp.com/biz/great-la…
If you manage to go (if you have a rent car you're all set) you should get there early on a Saturday. Like 4:00 pm early because it is a TINY place and takes forever to get a table. As long as you're the first one in line you'll be OK. The pizza is AMAZING and you'll remember it much more than cheese-overload deep dish.Something interesting off the beaten track:
Sears Tower (Willis Tower now) might be worth it because your kids will never forget stepping out onto the glass viewing platforms that hang off the side of the observatory.
- spookDD0
Chicago Cultural Center is a great free gallery in the loop that has a lot of good work and variety. You can usually bump into some interesting folks there too and plan a night from it. Also be sure to hit the MCA and Art Institute modern wing.
Pizza - there's Great Lakes (written up in GQ or something) and Coal Fire. My 2 personal favs!
Cheers!
- mg330
Also - go somewhere along the lake and walk along the lakefront. Kids will love it. I think too many people come to Chicago and forget there's this huge lake that's practically like looking out on an ocean. Oak Street beach area is nice, in the shadows of the buildings, and close enough to take a quick cab from your hotel or something like that.
- Word. Rent a 4 person bike for the fam and go for a cruise around the lake. And catch the fireworks at Navy Pier. Always good.spookDD
- ItTango0
Regarding architecture, you will enjoy the Architecture Foundation shop:
http://caf.architecture.org/Plenty of books, posters, and functional objects based on the work of some amazing architects. They also provide architectural tours via boat along the Chicago river.
- ItTango0
I must also give "big-ups" to the Museum of Science and Industry:
http://www.msichicago.org/My daughter and I killed an entire day there last month... it was the bomb! Plenty of stuff for the kids to do, and the Smart Home (built on site and designed by Michelle Kaufman) http://www.msichicago.org/whats-…
is a design wet dream.
- bigtrick0
mike - YES! what a loss! now there's nothing in the loop anymore - just the border's on state, and the b&n a couple blocks south of it. sigh.
what struck closer to home for me was when they closed the powell's on wabash though. they had such a wonderful photography section ): and it was soooo enormous...
- ItTango0
mg33 & bigtrick: here's a bookstore on south Dearborn my wife and I just visited. You may like.
https://www.sandmeyersbookstore.…
- wordssssss0
fuck a hot dougs
- bigtrick0
What do you know - there's an alligator in the river that runs by my office building:
- roscoperez0
potbellys is a must see
- _niko0
Just got back, loved it once again, Chicago seems to do everything bigger and bolder than other places. They seem to be outside New York's circle of influence and do whatever they want and do it well.
Loved:
Museum of science and industry (the captured nazi u-boat was fucking awesome)Wicker Park, kids got such a kick out of the boring store
Goose Island beer
didn't love:
running out of gas in garfield park