I skipped the Chicago Auto Show because of nightmarish parking

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 02/17/2014 at 14:09 • Filed to: None

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Yesterday I went to Chicago for my grandma's 90th birthday brunch. It was at a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in Hyde Park, my grandma's neighborhood on the south side. The auto show is at McCormick Place, between Hyde Park and my home in Madison, WI. I figured maybe after brunch, I'd go to the auto show.

On the way down to the brunch, I made amazingly good time. Like, I made it from Madison, WI to the south side of Chicago in like maybe 2 hours 25 minutes. Sailed on through. As opposed to right now, with typical Chicago traffic, Google Maps says it would take about an hour longer.

But also on this drive, one of the ONLY places I experienced any kind of a delay, was the I-55 off ramp to auto show parking. There was a huge line of cars waiting snaking all the way from the lot entrance, up the off ramp, and onto I-55. A couple people had run into each other trying to merge over to the exit, one of these cars was abandoned with shattered glass in the middle of I-55, and traffic was creeping around it.

So, after much family nonsense including my grandma trying to say quietly as an aside to my cousin, that my mom "means well but she comes through like a tornado," then compared her to some long-dead relative, which my mom then insisted on arguing about, " No , I am not , because she did things like blah blah blah, when I do things like thusandsuch," I once again had to drive past the ramp for auto show parking.

It was an even longer line. So...I didn't go. I've already seen all the cars there online anyway.

(There were however, no giant crabs terrorizing the parking lot.)

Brian Silvestro > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 14:12

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That sucks. I'd be so pissed.

Also, that lead picture is worth saving. Thank you.

horspowr1001 > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 14:13

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Brunch = Original Pancake House?

Textured Soy Protein > Brian Silvestro 02/17/2014 at 14:16

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It was ok since after that I went to my cousin's place near Wrigley Field where we consumed herbal remedies. And then consumed taco remedies.

Textured Soy Protein > horspowr1001 02/17/2014 at 14:16

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Fancy chefy french-ish place.

Brian Silvestro > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 14:16

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Taco remedies are the best

Arben72 > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 14:19

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Always and I mean always go to the underground garage. It cost more so it's empty plus you can hear your exhaust. Also you don't have to run through freezing cold.

Textured Soy Protein > Arben72 02/17/2014 at 14:22

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Duly noted. Thing was, the off ramps from I-55 and Lake Shore Drive were super backed up, like back on to I-55 and Lake Shore Drive. So mostly I didn't want to sit in a slow-moving line of cars waiting to park, regardless of which parking option I ended up choosing.

Stupidru > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 15:08

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I have a buddy who rents a condo on Calumet, so I was able to score a parking pass from him. It sure beat the hell out of paying through the ass (for us WI folk) for parking

The New Garage > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 16:15

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I made it to the show from Cincinnati .... then started throwing up in the bathroom at McCormick Place. Got some sort of food poisoning. So I only remember seeing about 3 cars.

Shiarlis > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 16:43

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OF ALL THE CARS IN THE LOT, THE FIERO GETS KILLED?!

Arben72 > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 18:05

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I see your from Wisconsin so your probably not used to Chicago driving. The "emergency lane" becomes a great driving lane in traffic. There's always a "back road" to go on too. All this goes out the window when there is a single snow flake. Then everything is hell and just drive like the Armageddon hit.

Textured Soy Protein > Arben72 02/17/2014 at 18:22

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I live in Wisconsin but I'm from DC and with a good chunk of my family living in Chicago, I have plenty of Chicago driving experience.

I'm also very familiar with the Chicago right-lane dive bomb wherein someone clogs up the left lane doing maybe 65 tops, a train of cars forms behind them, someone else in the left lane going 85 comes upon this train of cars and then without slowing down dives all the way across to the right lane to pass.

Arben72 > Textured Soy Protein 02/17/2014 at 18:25

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"Right lane dive bomb" don't think I've ever heard that one before. I throw away the idea of not passing on the right in Chicago. Only way to keep moving. The best thing is the 55 mph speed limit, what a joke.

Textured Soy Protein > Arben72 02/17/2014 at 18:27

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"Right lane dive bomb" is my own term that I made up, but I'm sure if you've driven in Chicago you've experienced the phenomenon.

horspowr1001 > Textured Soy Protein 02/18/2014 at 11:15

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Hmm looks interesting. What did you have/think? I'll add it to my ever growing Chicago restaurant list :)

Textured Soy Protein > horspowr1001 02/18/2014 at 11:34

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It was ok. Portions were a little smaller than I would like and they tried to fancy up their bloody marys with an anchovy wrapped around an olive, but they were in such tall skinny glasses that left no room for a big ole celery stalk.

Now I live in Wisconsin where you order a bloody mary and it is minimum a nice full pint glass or possibly a big ole mug or pilsner glass or something, with giganto celery, a whole pickle spear, likely some cheese, a bunch of other crazy garnishes, and a beer chaser. Like this.

So while I thought they did a good job on my particular thing I ordered, some other people at the table were less pleased. I just wanted my bloody mary to be more like the pic. Oh and don't order the lobster crepe, my 2 cousins both got it and were disappointed.

I think it was chosen because A) it was in Hyde Park and B) my mom picked the place and she tends to pick chefy places then order stuff but hold this add that and can I have the sauce and/or dressing on the side please.

In this case she actually did a reasonably simple (for her) order of the fried oyster eggs benedict with the hollandaise sauce on the side, which she actually ate a decent amount of, shockingly.

Looking at their menu, I think sunday brunch is likely the weak spot. There's more interesting stuff on the regular lunch and dinner menus.