You can get pretty good views from any tall looking building you see in the loop. Heres what you do, walk in to the reception area, you will usually see a tuff looking guy at a desk in the middle of the lobby, he will have a list sign it make up a company name --- these work Velo, standard, ontime (they never really check anyhow)---walk to the elevator press the highest button, ride the elevator to the top and enjoy the spectacular view! Heres some of my favorites I.B.M building 600 n state. The absolute best is 500 N michigan, when you you get up there you can see some surrealistic views of the wrigley building. The predential building has some good views too, but it is a kind of confusing to get around in there.

This method will not work on sears and hancock unfortunately because they have messenger centers.

Good luck

hah thats a great idea

i guess youd want to look messengery though while doing it, not so good if hes with girlfriend

you have to hit up the Flying Saucer for breakfast. It is so important.

flying saucer is good, but toast is the joint. French toast orgy ftw! (kind of a yuppie joint, but if you can overlook the class warrior **** its so worth it.)

bongo room for breakfast. mmm..

i LOVE chicago.

Eat at Mundial - Cocina Mestiza in Pilsen.

And don't abuse the chefs or I will poop in your vagina.

get out of the loop (after you see a few things). not that the loop is completely lacking, if you have never been to chicago millenium park is fun to walk through and the art institute is nice, but after around 8-9pm the loop basically shuts down.

it's not the best pizza, people have already suggested places for that, but if you want the biggest slice of pizza you've ever had go to bacci pizzeria (it's super good when you're drunk, partly because it's pizza, partly because it is so huge). take the red line north and get off at addison, it's right outside of the stairs of the stop. you'll just happen to be next to wrigley field too.

someone already said it, but the galleries in the west loop are nice (and free). the museum of contemporary art is good too, and kind of close to you (walk up michigan and take a right on chicago, 220 E Chicago Ave).

Oh, and keep your damn mouth shut about baseball unless you are prepared to defend your opinion to the death.

Nobody mentioned theatre...sigh...

Actually, it's the last thing I'd do for my first trip to a new town, but it does have a legendary store-front, little theatre scene.

I know we all want you to get out of the loop, etc. but don't feel bad if you don't cause there's plenty there for a first trip, but I would head to Wickyland or Bucktown and the aforementioned Empty Bottle or Doubledoor or some such in the evening. If ya'll are thinking of one nice, not too expensive meal, I know some north side stuff but there's probably plenty around your hotel. The good news is you can trip over good places--the bad news is you'll then fall into a corporate place. Just ask around for a neighborhood joint, not a "Let us" place (a big restaurant company here, Let Us Entertain You--they're good, but not what you want for this trip). Folks will know what you mean. Feel free to pm me.

The chicago architecture foudation (they do the "boat tour" folks talk about--don't take the others) run all sorts of cool tours. www.architecture.org/tours.aspx

And, although I'd save the neighborhoods for another trip, just in case you do want to go to the Swedish one, it's called Andersonville, and it's more like 5200 north, Clark and Foster, (the Hopleaf is like three doors south on the West side of Clark but try Konak for unpretentious and Simons for an old neighborhood joint). If you do ride the lakefront path to Loyola, that's a trippy neighborhood, too, and worth exploring. Try the Heartland Cafe there for a big greasy breakfast, even a big greasy vegan breakfast (still, I'd save these neighborhoods for another trip and maybe a local guide...except the Heartland, mmm biscuits).

Eff a bunch of Hopleaf - if you go to Andersonville, hit up Simon's.

And the neighborhood of the north end of the LFP with Heartland is Roger's Park (if you are bikeless, you can take the El - Red Line - up there). Heartland also has a great Bloody Mary (the secret is Spike) and I would whole-heartedly concur with it's food quality.

Oprah show



.

Visit Yojimbo's and go party at Mr. City ! two places I miss the most..now I'm stuck in Glasgow. : )

Really? All we gots up in Rogers Park are the crack dealers...havent found anything there I cant find somewhere else...I live there and have no hangouts, I head down to Wrigleyville-ish area for stuff to do.

My dad and sister ate at Czerwone Jabluszko (Red Apple) Restaurant when they were last there. They said it was insanely good and cheap.

Don't diss on the Rogers Park too much. I do agree that there are a few more crackheads than necessary, but they're all up on Morse and Howard. I live right near the Loyola stop and besides the occasional drunken Loyola student, it's pretty nice here.

Metropolis Coffee on Granville is a great place to hang out –*their coffee is excellent and the free wireless is nice, too. Blue Elephant at 1400-ish on Devon serves up some delicious and cheap Asian food. I really like the diner on the corner of Clark and Devon when I don't feel like going to Heartland Cafe. Both of those places have pretty decent food and the prices are right.

I'm sure I've seen you around if you live up here –*what do you ride?

as someone mentioned above...the loop closes down around 9, and so do the commuter trains. i had no idea that was the case, and my girlfriend (now wife) and i almost got stranded in the city (we were staying in glen ellyn) for the night.

-do the sears tower. i know i know. but when you're a tourist, you're a tourist. it's pretty cool.

-championship vinyl. check it out.

-go back during baseball season and catch a day game at wrigley field. i hear if you wait until the fifth inning or something, you can pay $5 bucks and get standing room to watch the game. eat a hotdog while you're there. nothing tasted sweeter to me than that hotdog.

-since it's not baseball season now, head up to wrigleyville anyways and just walk around. there's some really cool thriftstores, used bookshops and music stores up there. that was the first place i went when i visited chi the first time. it was great. saw the Field and bought some cool vinyl.

-ride the el's after dark. find a quiet car, and let the guy's voice hypnotize you: "Adams and Wabash is next..."

-check online before you go. we called the chicago transit authority and told them we were visitors. they mailed us some "visitor passes." we paid a small fee and got unlimited rides on all public transport. you're only going for a weekend, so it may not be worth it to you.

-go to navy pier, but don't stay long. maybe ride the ferris wheel. i didn't really like it that much. the best part was the view of the skyline from the water.

-stand on one of the bridges over the river and pretend you're in perfect strangers.


i dunno.

maybe listen to that sufjan stevens song when you get there.

Another geeky touristy thing that I really enjoyed was the river architecture tour.

two words...

puppet bike

find it, be amused.

I got hit by a car on Navy Pier.

I guess thats the problem, I live up at Touhy and Sheridan, so Im sandwiched by Morse and Howard. Hang out at Ennui a decent amount (though probably not anymore since the laptop died...). Loyola stop area is nice, I get off there at night instead of the Morse stop. Only places I can think to take people are Giordanos and Leonas, both of which have other (more famous) locations elsewhere in the city.

I ride a lighter blue '86 Schwinn Prelude thats a few sizes too small for me. A lot of times I commute in jeans, but ride with blue jersey if I'm being serious. Never really head south though, mostly ride north into Evanston (up Sheridan). What about you?