Paging Chicago Oppos

"boxrocket" (boxrocket) 06/19/2015 at 00:07 • Filed to: chicago, travel

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I’m going to be in Chicago all day next Saturday. Anything my wife and I should not miss? I thought about visiting the downtown McLaren showroom (closest McLaren dealership to Saint Louis, for now), but that might be awkward since I’d be there to ogle and drool and pick up some cheap merch while taking pictures. Our favorite restaurant there, Lizzy McNeil’’s Irish Pub is a depressing shadow of itself, and Navy Pier seems too touristy, and we did the Michigan Avenue run last time. Will the Stanley Cup be on display? I almost saw it in Toronto but the museum closed just before my group arrived.

Ideas/suggestions? I won’t have access to a car and will be staying on the river (near Lizzy McNeill’s, incidentally), and prefer to walk to places.

Nibby > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:09

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GIVE PATRICK KANE A HUG FOR ME

TheHondaBro > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:12

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GIVE HUG A PATRICK KANE FOR ME

boxrocket > Nibby 06/19/2015 at 00:16

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If by hug you mean find a way to get him drunk on his dime and have a Blues logo tattooed on his face, then sure!

boxrocket > TheHondaBro 06/19/2015 at 00:16

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Who's Hug and how do I give them a Patrick Kane?

Birddog > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:17

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Sounds like a Chicagoland Jalop meetup is in order?

If not, Hit Palace Grill (a bit east of the UC) for a Breakfast or lunch. George is awesome!

Steve in Manhattan > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:20

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See the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, and his other nearby building - Unity Temple. Philip Johnson called the latter the most dignified public space in the US.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:24

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Go through The Field Museum and see The Ghost and The Darkness.

boxrocket > Steve in Manhattan 06/19/2015 at 00:26

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That sounds neat but a bit too far for my wife and I to walk to this time, and we don’t want to have to bus or taxi-hop this time around. It’s on the list for next time though, thanks!

desertdog5051 > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:28

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Any Blues bar.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:30

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Bentley Gold Coast . Look at their inventory, and then realize that a large chunk of it will be on display in their showroom or parked on the street in front of it.

bwp240 > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:31

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I assume the McLaren dealer you are referencing is Bentley Gold Coast on Rush street. The last time I was there they didn’t mind, they get a lot of googly eyes. However, you can only see the Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and anything else on the first floor. They didn’t let the general public on the second floor where all the cool stuff is.

If you are into architecture check out Marshall Fields (it’s not f**king Macys lol), your wife will love the handbags, but you can just stare at the ceiling because it is amazing (I highly suggest going at night). The Shedd Aquarium/Adler Planetarium/Northerly Island area is a great scenic spot. I know that you did Michigan Avenue but there is a Lego Store in Water Tower Place and a gallery in there with art by Dr. Seuss which is certainly different.

boxrocket > Birddog 06/19/2015 at 00:34

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We had planned on mostly walking and maybe taking the Water Taxi, because of time constraints and just in case something medical happens with my wife we’re not far from Northwestern or the hotel. The trip is mostly due to her annual visit with a particular oncologist there, which works out thanks to Amtrak and shuttle service to and from the hotel from the train station.

Birddog > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:39

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The Water Taxi is a good choice. It runs the Riverwalk and you’ll get some nice scenery.

Foodwise, everything is good in Chicago. You’d have to really work hard at finding bad eats here.

boxrocket > bwp240 06/19/2015 at 00:48

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We did Shedd a few years ago when the Jellyfish exhibit (‘Jellies”) was new, and were shocked when it came out to be more than a day at Six Flags, especially as damn near everything like it is free in Saint Louis. It was a good experience, just bit into the travel budget more than expected.

We went through the Lego Store last year and it was very interesting, but we felt a bit out of place, and it was packed with kids fresh from seeing The Lego Movie.

The Planetarium and Island have good potential.

As for architecture we both appreciate it, and I have a deep abiding fascination with the Carbon and Carbide Building.

The McLaren showroom is actually the one at 77 W Huron St, described on McLaren’s website as the Chicago Downtown Showroom . Bentley Gold Coast sounds interesting and is within walking distance.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 00:49

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If you’re looking for a variety of things to do, I actually put together a guide for people coming into town for another site I write for. You can check it out here .

boxrocket > Birddog 06/19/2015 at 01:11

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We haven’t encountered bad food there, true, but have encountered disappointing experience that didn’t meet expectations (if there were any), or so-so food at outrageous prices. Finding the balance of quality and price is paramount, hence it being a one-day trip with the travel expenses, out-of-pocket medical costs, and accommodations. It’s easy to blow a month worth of both of our salaries in under 48 hours there, hence we travel with a very strict budget.

bwp240 > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 01:18

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Yeah, Chicago and free don’t go together for most things, especially the touristy stuff.

I have walked by the block where the McLaren dealer is and never noticed it, that makes me look silly.

If you get to Northwestern and need a little time to kill you can also go to the Chicago Water Tower, there is a gallery inside with pictures and things about the Great Chicago Fire. It’s free and many people miss it because they don’t think they can go into the water tower. IIRC the hours are a little odd.

Also to entice the Bentley Gold Coast, they do have a Veyron there, and it is on the first floor.

boxrocket > Where have all the lightweights gone? 06/19/2015 at 01:18

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Oooh, this is wonderful, thanks! We walked by the Art Institute last time but were completely bushed and couldn’t make it back there after we’d recovered. The Signature Room Lounge sounds like just the ticket if my wife’s feeling adventurous - she’s not one for heights, having only been up in our city’s beloved Gateway Arch a couple times. I have some mapping and research to do!

Birddog > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 01:21

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I hear that. Smith and Wollensky (not really budget friendly), O’Briens (friendly) and Fado (meh..) are safe bets. If you hit the Suburbs at all Irish Times is awesome.

boxrocket > Where have all the lightweights gone? 06/19/2015 at 01:21

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This is intriguing. While we have a lot of the same stuff here, we don’t have them all in such close proximity or in such seemingly welcoming atmosphere. I don’t even like Veyron but the opportunity to see two at once has my inner gearhead bouncing with excitement, though those might be in the upstairs restricted area.

boxrocket > bwp240 06/19/2015 at 01:27

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Oh neat. We have walked past the Water Tower countless times and didn’t realize it was accessible. Granted most times we were en route to the Water Taxi or another destination, or contemplating the artistic value of the giant Marilyn Monroe statue.

Veyron’s don’t excite me but I checked BGC’s inventory and apparently they have 2 right now, and my inner gearhead wants to take a look, if only as a checklist item. Plus seeing a car that costs at least more than ten times the value of my house is intriguing, let alone two.

boxrocket > Birddog 06/19/2015 at 01:37

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The budget can handle an exorbitant meal - we ate at a hoity-toity hotel (near Shedd, I think it had numbers in the name) bar restaurant which had tasty food in small portions, depressingly bad bartenders, appallingly slow service, and was about $20-30 for a basic entrée plus $12-18 for a side, and my local brew (Goose Island IIRC, or something else Chicago-y - when in Rome) which was like $11, and $18 for each of my wife’s cocktails. It was the first time I’ve yet considered wanting to leave a single-digit tip.

That said, budget-friendly is preferred: we’d rather pay more for a memorable experience and acceptable food than a lot of boring walking or a forgettable taxi ride just to eat an expensive meal. By “Fado (meh...)“ do you mean the price is meh, or the food is worth the less-than-stellar experience (which we encountered a few times in New Orleans, for example)?

bwp240 > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 01:40

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I was last downtown in April and the Blue one was sitting right on the corner of the building in plain sight next to a Rolls and Maserati. I didn’t see the other one. They will let you on the first floor which has ~12 cars, but the second (where most of the rarer and relatively neater stuff is) is for clients only, iirc. But it was certainly a sight to see because you won’t see one anywhere else.

Birddog > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 01:54

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Food and pricing is meh at Fado. I’d go for Smith and Wollensky. It’s primarily an evening type Steakhouse but at Lunch it’s not bad. (I’m a cheap sob) It overlooks the river that the Plumbers dye green and seems to stay green. And it’s on the same side as the Water Taxi, Wendella and House of Blues.

boxrocket > Birddog 06/19/2015 at 02:09

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I like your style. I'm adding it to the list!

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 07:36

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If you’re going to partake in food, particularly deep dish, get Lou Malnati’s, and for the love of God do not even go near a Giordano’s.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 09:29

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They almost always have at least one on the ground floor.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 09:31

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The picture I used in that piece was one my fiancee took at sunset. That is one of the coolest times to go there on a clear evening.

desertdog5051 > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 10:59

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Forgot to include this. Take the boat tour on the river thru downtown. Amazing architecture that you won’t see from the street. Worth it.

boxrocket > desertdog5051 06/19/2015 at 17:56

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We did that the first time we went there. It had some good views but the tour guides were old and got mixed up and didn’t explain which buildings they were [mis-]describing. We also did the sunset cruise that goes through the lock into Lake Michigan. My wife looooves water, and if our itinerary was up to her, it would involve getting on the Water Taxi, and staying on it until it was time to get food.

desertdog5051 > boxrocket 06/19/2015 at 18:15

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Trivia: (which you may know) The Chicago river used to flow into Lake Michigan. It was reversed to flow backwards in the late 1800’s for sanitary reasons because Chicago drew their drinking water from the lake and raw sewage flowed into it from the river.