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jjudge/chicagoans-on-chicago.md

Created April 15, 2019 19:55
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Chicagoans guide to Chicago
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chicagoans-on-chicago.md

Via ORD Camp discussion:

  • Get a donut and walk the 606. Chicago's version of NYC's High Line, except it runs through residential neighborhoods. It's really great. 2.7 miles long, but you can get on and off here and there
  • Weird Chicago tours. Really fun, plus they don't take the whole day. https://www.weirdchicago.com/
  • The story of George Streeter is a great "if you want to understand Chicago" stories (alongside the reversal of the river because we didn't want to stop dumping into it); maybe find an excuse to swing through Streeterville to show where that calamity led
  • Chicago Detours is great and definitely not the usual – World’s Fair Tour with Bars!
  • Mural walk in Humboldt Park with stops at Cafe Colao for quesitos and coconut oatmeal and passionfruit lemonade plus a Chicago invented Jibarito at any of the multiple restaurants that claims to have invented it
  • Mural walk in Pilsen stopping by the National Museum of Mexican Art, Hector Duarte's home and studio mural, and, of course, Jumping Bean cafe
  • El Faro (lots of vegetarian options), Atotonilco, El Milagro (on 26th) in Little Village for authentic Mexican food
  • Events at any of the homegrown cultural spaces depending on your interest: Old Town School of Music, Co-prospherity sphere, Women and Children First, etc.
  • Visit Emmanuel Pratt's Sweet Water Foundation farm and Think Do house and hitting up Bronzeville on the way is cool
  • Ride Kayaks on the main branch of the Chicago river (start from near Columbus)
  • Glass of vino on the bench at City Winery on the river (Anything on the river, really)
  • When on the riverwalk, grab a water taxi and head down to Chinatown
  • Rent a Divvy bike at any one of hundreds of stations and bike on the lakefront path https://www.divvybikes.com/
  • Bike along the lake ALL THE WAY SOUTH to the Calumet River. The South Works site is like something out of Stonehenge.
  • The Chicago Full Moon Jams start again in May: https://www.fullmoonjam.org/schedule
  • Dovetail Brewery. The tour starts with tasting samples of Lake Michigan water as it is progressively filtered for beer making.
  • Laurie’s Planet of Sound in Lincoln Square
  • For authentic, non-touristy Chicago foods, aka not deep dish pizza, there's Calumet Fisheries for smoked fish, Lem's Bar-B-Q (or Honey 1) for rib tips, Al's Beef on Taylor Street (not the chain), Papa's Cache Sabroso for a jibarito, Jimmy's Red Hots for a Depression dog and hot tamales, and, fine, Portillo's or any other place for a Chicago-style hot dog (and don't put ketchup on the dog -- they're inherently sweet and ketchup just clobbers that) Oh and Calumet Fisheries is by the 95th street draw bridge - fun connection to the Blues Brothers
  • Steve Dolinsky's pizza tours. You walk or take a bus around a neighborhood, try a bunch of different pizzas, and learn a lot of culinary and Chicago history. https://pizzacityusa.com/
  • Quirky and near O'Hare: The Hummel Museum
  • House of Blues' Gospel Brunch is pretty quirky http://www.houseofblues.com/chicago/gospelbrunch
  • A seat at the Green Mill that was also used by Al Capone is pretty quirky too html the booth in that picture is not Capone's booth. He sat across the aisle from there. There's two horseshoe booths in the room's center. He sat in the north one of those. The advantage of that seat being that people at the table could keep an eye on either door
  • Sailing with 3rd Coast Cruising and seeing the Chicago skyline from the lake is pretty awesome - https://www.i3rdcoastcruising.com/
  • A drive on Lower Wacker Drive, during the night
  • Neofuturists.org
  • The Nighthawkrestaurant in Albany Park hosts The Joy of Drinking, Wednesday nights. It is a Bob Ross paint along
  • Raks Geek (bellydancing Wookiees! firespinning Wonder Woman!) and Raks Inferno (badass bellydance and firespinning), which both feature myself and Michi. We do theatre shows every month in Wrigleyville.
  • Browse at Myopic Books, one of the best used bookstores I've ever seen.
  • Get a drink at the Chicago Athletic Association's Lobby Bar, which feels like being in Hogwarts.
  • Watch Improvised Shakespeare at iO, where they improvise an entire "Shakespeare" play from audience suggestions. In iambic pentameter.
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