[citanul]

CHICAGO

General:

Chicago is the third largest city in the US, by population. Chicago is famous for architecture, museums, theater, meat, pizza, sports, bad airports, and political corruption. One of the most striking things about Chicago is the ethnic segregation between neighborhoods - there's distinct Korean, Vietnamese, Polish, Ukrainian, Swedish, etc neighborhoods. There are also large gay and lesbian neighborhoods. As with any other city, there's gentrification, and always a new hot place to live, eat, or be seen.

Museums:

Downtown Chicago features the fantastic Art Institute, which frequently has discounted admission (or free admission), and is packed with art you know, but had no idea was in Chicago (like Suerat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jette", and Nighthawks). Just south of Downtown you'll find the main museum campus, with the Field Museum (natural history), the Shedd Aquarium, and a planetarium obviously named after someone that I'm too lazy to google. Also on this campus is Soldier Field. Downtown also has a modern art museum, and many smaller museums. South of Downtown you'll find Hyde Park, home of the University of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry. Scattered around, you'll find museums for things you didn't think there were museums for, like holography.

Food:

While thought of as a town of meat-eaters, Chicago is one of the premier food destinations in the US. There's no shortage of great steakhouses, with the Chophouse, Mortons, Gibsons, Select Cut, N9NE, Lawry's, Sullivans, and Keefer's starting the list. However, the city is also famous for its high end cuisine, with restaurants like Tru, Alinea, Spiaggia, Charlie Trotters, Everest, Moto and Aruns filling in much of the super-high-end.

Deep-dish pizza is a calling card, and invention of, Chicago. You'll get different choices for what's the best, but Gino's East, Lou Malnatti's, Pequods, and Giordano's are all always mentioned. They all have their own idiosyncrasies, and it's best to just try them all! Similarly, there's debates about where you can get a great italian beef or a great hotdog, but you can't go wrong with any of many places, including Portillo's.

More interestingly, if you're not up for steak, pizza, hot dogs, or dropping $100 on dinner, ethnic food is everywhere. Thai (Tac Quick, Sticky Rice), Vietnamese sandwiches (Ba Le), Ethiopian, Indian (Udupi Palace), and many others are all great, exciting food for under $10. On the north side of Chicago, where you can't spit without hitting an Irish pub, you can't go wrong with a buffalo chicken sandwich, burgers, beer, and some sports. At the Duke of Perth (Scottish), you can get all you can eat fish and chips twice a week for around $10, and it's very good. Stop by next door for Belgian waffles.

Theater:

While Chicago houses the famous Shakespeare Theater, the Goodman, and the Steppenwolf, possibly the theater of most popular interest is Second City. Second City is a sketch and improv comedy group that has been a feeding and proving ground for future SNL actors for decades. Tickets are decently priced, and if you go to the late show, you can stay for the free after hours show.

Hotels:

If you're coming to Chicago, just stay downtown. It's not the place to go if you're looking to live here for years, but it's by far the most convenient place to stay for a few days or a week. Public transit is decent, but not nearly as good as the New York system. Downtown is central, and cabs will run you under $15 to most places you want to go. Don't fall for the trap of a cheap hotel by Ohare or Skokie. They're both nowhere.

Where to go at night:

Lincoln Park, West Loop, Wrigleyville, Wicker Park, Andersonville, and Lincoln Square are all popular places to go out at night. Downtown is not, unless you're middle aged. Each of those neighborhoods has a distinct personality, but a few minutes of research will lead you to the one that matches you best.

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Alright, that's a good start, I think. If you've got a question, please put CHICAGO at the top of your post.

citanul