Overnight Chicago trip

You really could travel to Chicagoland just to eat. And if you have relatives there, they'll load you full of food, too.

I think I gained a pound just reading Fly's description of the Reuben Burger ...

 

Worth every damn calorie

 

Friend of mine was at Kaiser Tiger last night. Sent me a photo of the menu featuring The Bomb. Good Lord, BACON!

And in the review below, pairing a flight of craft beer with a flight of BACON apps, oh my! I might have to revisit Chicago soon and find some SJers too.

There’s a new Chicago beer hall that's making 5lb bacon bombs

 

How about this pool:

 

Doubtful. But intriguing. Might have to give that a shot. And I realize there's not much difference.

 

Looks like a pain in the ass if it's strictly a glass bottom lap pool. You have no idea when you're getting close to the wall. Unless there's some kind of markers on the bottom that aren't in the rendering, I foresee a lot of bonked heads and muttered curse words.

 

Will be staying at Willows near Wrigley for two days this summer. Any restaurant/pubs suggestions that is walking distance?

 

There's a pizza joint I thought was pretty good at the corner of Addison and Southport.

 

On a related note, I'm headed to Chicago for leave in a couple of weeks. We're looking for Chinatown and Little Italy food recommendations. Got most of the trip mapped out. Just need to sew up food in those neighborhoods for the first day.

 

Was just in Chicago for a work/pleasure trip and now discovering this thread. For future use, I'll share my experience for critique from however Chicagoans say yinz, yous guys or y'all.

• Stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in the classic Carbide and Carbon building in the loop (on Michigan Ave.) for five nights. Solid view from the 21st floor facing north.
• Tuesday - Friday ... in town for a conference, so most of my experience was dinner based:
  • Walked to Lou Malnati's on Wells in River North. While waiting for a table to open up, got a drink nearby at Bottled Blonde. Ended up with ordering thin and deep dish pies. The deep dish won.
  • Ordered a carryout sandwich from Giordano's near Aon Center/Millenium Park.
  • Another dinner at an inauthentic Arizona-based chain Mexican place, El Hefe, in River North. it was tasty enough and the server was a super six brunette with a Chicago accent and attitude to go with. She didn't seem too interested in our request to have the USMNT/T&T match put on a nearby TV.
• The fun stuff:
  • Walked north to Division to meet a friend at the divy The Lodge for a quick drink.
  • Late lunch, this time with the stuffed deep dish, at the same Millenium Park Gioradano's. I think I prefer it to Lou Malnati's.
  • Saw the quite funny "The Winner ... of Our Discontent" late show at The Second City mainstage.
  • Headed to Lincoln Park, first eating a pricy but very good burger at The Butcher & The Burger before buying a day pass for the Divvy bikeshare, passing through the free zoo and onto the lake shore south to Navy Pier.
  • Took the fantastic early morning Chicago Architectural Foundation (CAF) Chicago River architecture boat tour.
  • Walked to Printer's Row for a late dinner at Flaco's Tacos. Very good.

 

In my experience (and others' mileage may vary, of course), Giordano's is fail-safe. Been to locations in the city, near O'Hare and in the far northwestern suburbs, and all were outstanding.

Will be up there in two weeks and most of my time will be spent in the outlying areas visiting relatives, but I do plan to squeeze in a trip to the city. Might be a meet-up with a few old college friends, and we've talked about gathering at Miller's Pub downtown. Don't know what it's like now -- might be a tourist trap like Billy Goat's -- but I do recall going there after a Sox game in the early '80s and seeing a chain-smoking Earl Weaver and most of the Baltimore Orioles coaching staff there.

 

Chicago: So much good pizza to eat, so little time. Giordano's was always my go-to for deep dish, but if you like thin crust, Home Run Inn is the place. The one near the White Sox stadium (whatever the hell it's called now) has plenty of history to go along with your pizza toppings.