keakdasneak
| Favorite team: | LSU  |
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| Number of Posts: | 7212 |
| Registered on: | 12/6/2006 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
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re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by keakdasneak on 7/21/26 at 12:08 pm to BluegrassCardinal
quote:
That’s what attracted me to Albany Park, in addition to it being a quiet neighborhood. We’ll survive the longer travel times on the Brown. Being a huge railfan, I’ll rather enjoy it.
I’m hoping to get to Chicago much earlier that Friday, so this will likely turn into three days, and still I feel like I’m only scratching the surface. I don’t want to spend much time in the Loop, other than to see the Sears Tower and some of the older buildings like the Rookery, maybe towards Millenium. I’ve heard it’s sketchy towards Harold Washington, so might steer clear.
I’ll study the bus routes and consider bus from Albany park to Wicker.
Noodles Party and Birrieria El Texcal are great Albany Park spots. You didn't mention bars but Nighthawk is a great neighborhood spot as is Bokeh.
Be sure to take the brown line all the way to the loop at some point. Not many better city rail experiences than crossing the river on the brown line.
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re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by keakdasneak on 7/20/26 at 2:43 pm to BluegrassCardinal
You can transfer Brown to Red at Belmont to avoid the Clark/Lake transfer. I don't really see a reason you'd transfer Brown to Blue. For going to Wicker/Bucktown from where you are, you'd probably be best to take the Kimball bus south to Belmont Blue Line.
As for breakfast/brunch you can take the brown line to Western which is just 4 stops. You have your pick of Willow Cafe, Pastores, Bagel Miller. None are anything special but they all have outdoor seating.
Spoken at the Montrose stop is owned by a couple from New Iberia. Mostly a coffee/bagel place instead of a full menu.
Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club at the Damen stop is solid. Just make sure you are headed to the one on Damen and not the one on Bryn Mawr.
Southport Grocery and Little Goat Diner are options near the Southport stop.
As for breakfast/brunch you can take the brown line to Western which is just 4 stops. You have your pick of Willow Cafe, Pastores, Bagel Miller. None are anything special but they all have outdoor seating.
Spoken at the Montrose stop is owned by a couple from New Iberia. Mostly a coffee/bagel place instead of a full menu.
Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club at the Damen stop is solid. Just make sure you are headed to the one on Damen and not the one on Bryn Mawr.
Southport Grocery and Little Goat Diner are options near the Southport stop.
re: Great Lake summer town- where to go?
Posted by keakdasneak on 7/16/26 at 12:43 pm to simonizer
quote:
Traverse City
And if you have the time do a circuit of Traverse City, Glen Arbor, Sleeping Bear Dunes.
re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by keakdasneak on 7/13/26 at 8:47 am to OhioLSUfan
You can swim at all the beaches.
re: Places to stay for a day and night on a Midwest trip
Posted by keakdasneak on 7/4/26 at 4:19 pm to done dancing
Frankenmuth is not worth going out of the way for.
Petoskey
Charlevoix
Traverse City
Glen Arbor
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Frankfort
Ludington
Grand Rapids
Grand Haven
Saugatuck
South Haven
This is a list of places in north/west Michigan that I recommend. It’s in geographical order working toward Ohio
Petoskey
Charlevoix
Traverse City
Glen Arbor
Sleeping Bear Dunes
Frankfort
Ludington
Grand Rapids
Grand Haven
Saugatuck
South Haven
This is a list of places in north/west Michigan that I recommend. It’s in geographical order working toward Ohio
re: 4 days in Montreal in July
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/4/26 at 2:56 pm to keakdasneak
If you're staying in a hotel downtown, NYKS was a great spot for poutine and great bar vibes.
re: 4 days in Montreal in July
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/4/26 at 1:08 pm to BeachDude022
We really enjoyed meals at Fleurs et Cadeaux and Le Majestique. Brasseire Dieu du Ciel for beer. Atwater Market. Atwater Cocktail in the area for cocktails. Le Vin Papillon as an alternative to Joe Beef.
You can really just walk around and pretty much eat and drink anywhere and it'll be good. Rent the public bikes. Hit up the pedestrianized streets in the summer.
Bota Bota if you're into spas.
You can really just walk around and pretty much eat and drink anywhere and it'll be good. Rent the public bikes. Hit up the pedestrianized streets in the summer.
Bota Bota if you're into spas.
re: Chicago seems like a wonderful city - why does everyone here shite on it?
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/3/26 at 10:59 am to Everyday Is Saturday
The short day light is absolutely worse than the cold.
re: Chicago seems like a wonderful city - why does everyone here shite on it?
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/3/26 at 10:52 am to Jim Rockford
quote:
Important part bolded. My uncle used to work for a Louisiana subsidiary of a Chicago based company. Every few weeks he would have to go to meetings at the corporate HQ. In winter he had to dodge chunks of ice falling off the buildings.
ETA every year there's at least one early season Cubs game played in a snowstorm.
I will try to not make this point too strongly, because I get it. I go a little crazy in March but mitigate it by taking a warm weather vacation.
Chicago winters are really not as bad as people make it out to be. November is still nice fall weather. December, the city is alive with holiday stuff. January and February are fine to me because I love the snow and when you go all out (IYKYK) during a Chicago summer you look forward to the hibernating. It's only March and April that really get you.
re: Chicago seems like a wonderful city - why does everyone here shite on it?
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/3/26 at 10:32 am to Radio One
Yet, and this won't be talked about on Fox News, Chicago is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country right now. 2 bed 2 bath condos listing for 500k and selling for cash offers 100k over listing. Rentals get bidding wars.
re: Chicago seems like a wonderful city - why does everyone here shite on it?
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/3/26 at 10:23 am to nvasil1
quote:
My office used to be in the Financial District, and that area is a ghost town during the week compared to what it was pre-2020.
Are there less permanent offices in the loop compared to pre-covid? Of course.
Is describing it as a ghost town (even comparatively) ridiculous? Absolutely.
I'm down here every day and it is busier than I can remember pre 2020.
re: Chicago seems like a wonderful city - why does everyone here shite on it?
Posted by keakdasneak on 6/3/26 at 10:19 am to StringedInstruments
quote:
Just spent a week in Chicago. We stayed at an AirBnB in Jefferson Park. We drove into the city each day, and thoroughly enjoyed our time. When we were at the AirBnB, we loved the family friendly vibe of the neighborhood. School was still in session, and it was nice seeing so many kids walk to school. Kids were playing outside in the afternoons.
When we were downtown, there was plenty of security. Even the public restrooms were clean. We never felt unsafe or threatened in any way. We spent time at Millennium Park, Hyde Park, the Magnificent Mile, and Navy Pier. Yes, these were touristy areas, but it seems like many neighborhoods in the area are safe with a tremendous amount of things to do.
Were there big city problems? Sure. Traffic was bad everywhere, but multiple public transit options are available. There were some homeless guys around in the city but nothing compared to New Orleans or Atlanta. There are bad neighborhoods to avoid but that’s the case for every city in America.
Almost every time Chicago is posted here, there’s a negative opinion of it. That’s it’s a bankrupt shite hole with corruption at its core.
But it seemed pretty nice for one of the largest cities in the world.
So why the hate?
Believe your own experience and not propaganda. I've lived a lot of places and never want to live anywhere other than here.
re: Visiting Chicago Late May/Early June with Kids?
Posted by keakdasneak on 5/29/26 at 9:17 am to StringedInstruments
Hyde Park around campus is completely safe, beautiful, and worth walking around. You just don't want to go west on public transportation (to make a connection north going back toward the Loop) if you don't know what you're doing.
There aren't alot of great restaurants in Hyde Park. I'm a fan of Plein Air Cafe. It's an order at the counter kinda place and it'll be busy with students but the vibe is great.
edit: sorry I just realized you said dinner. Plein Air is a daytime spot. Your best bets are probably Medici or Cafe 53 though neither are anything to write home about. With kids, you might wanna do something like Small Cheval.
There aren't alot of great restaurants in Hyde Park. I'm a fan of Plein Air Cafe. It's an order at the counter kinda place and it'll be busy with students but the vibe is great.
edit: sorry I just realized you said dinner. Plein Air is a daytime spot. Your best bets are probably Medici or Cafe 53 though neither are anything to write home about. With kids, you might wanna do something like Small Cheval.
re: Upper midwest recs
Posted by keakdasneak on 5/18/26 at 10:55 am to Naked Bootleg
Higgins and Houghton Lake are about a 2 hour drive north and are great inland lakes
re: 2 days in Montreal
Posted by keakdasneak on 4/3/26 at 10:46 am to Bayouboogaloocrew
quote:
Will be there in September for a concert. Never been and just looking for must see’s and places to go on the down time. TIA
Bota Bota
Renting bikes is the best suggestion. During September many of the streets will still be pedestrianized. There are a million great places to eat and drink. We had a great time at Fleurs et Cadeaux and Sans Soleil. Another great night was Le Magestique and Big in Japan. Either or both of the markets.
re: Recs for Chicago trip
Posted by keakdasneak on 2/20/26 at 11:52 am to MsandLa
If it's at Merchandise Mart you should at least go walk around. The building itself is worth it.
re: Philippines Recommendations
Posted by keakdasneak on 2/17/26 at 10:46 am to OliverTwist225
My information is about 11 years old so not sure how relevant it still is.
I wanted to do something quieter than El Nido and ended up spending time in Port Barton. There's not much there in the way of tourist infrastructure but that's what makes it great. There are a few small beach front hotels with restaurants.
The snorkeling and island hopping was the real get.
Accomodations
I wanted to do something quieter than El Nido and ended up spending time in Port Barton. There's not much there in the way of tourist infrastructure but that's what makes it great. There are a few small beach front hotels with restaurants.
The snorkeling and island hopping was the real get.
Accomodations
re: Portland/Washington Coast Road Trip
Posted by keakdasneak on 2/13/26 at 8:28 am to ThirdCoast13
There are a couple of recent posts you should check out.
You really can't go wrong. Every direction you go there's something beautiful. I recommend Ecola State Park and Astoria. Sunset Beach on the way to Astoria is not as scenic as something like Cannon or Ecola but it's nice for real solitude. Expansive stretches of beach with hardly anyone out there.
You really can't go wrong. Every direction you go there's something beautiful. I recommend Ecola State Park and Astoria. Sunset Beach on the way to Astoria is not as scenic as something like Cannon or Ecola but it's nice for real solitude. Expansive stretches of beach with hardly anyone out there.
re: Chicago
Posted by keakdasneak on 1/27/26 at 5:11 pm to SWLA
I personally would not want to live near the school. Not because it’s dangerous, it’s just kinda dead. If I were that age I’d probably want to live in West Town/ Ukrainian Village as close to Ashland as possible to use that bus for commuting.
Chicago rents have gone crazy the last few years. A 2br share situation is probably 2200-2500
Chicago rents have gone crazy the last few years. A 2br share situation is probably 2200-2500
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by keakdasneak on 1/2/26 at 5:53 pm to keakdasneak
You might also consider The Green Mill. It's an adventure from where you're staying but it's legendary and adds music to the mix.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by keakdasneak on 1/2/26 at 5:43 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
It's not somewhere I'd normally put on my list but Vol. 39 is right by The LaSalle and is probably the coziest place you'll find in walking distance. Just in case you need a break glass in case of emergency recommendation. Sometimes on date night it's nice to not have to spend a lot of time getting back to your place.
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