One outsider's opinions (Chi & Heart of Chi) (Chicago, Cicero: hotel, trip)

[oscottscotto]

Opinions are like a-holes ... so what I say doesn't matter at all, but this forum is great for getting entertainment out of debating opinions . Here are my thoughts after a short weekend trip and obviously I only got to see about 20% of chi-town at the most.

Chicago
First off, let me say that you guys have an AWESOME city. Secondly, I must say that while it is an awsome city, it is not my style. I prefer the southeast and the southwest/west coast, but then again, those areas are where I have spent 98% of my life. But let's get back to the good. The city is huge. The housing structures are very cool (at least in what I observed hanging around Clark, Ashland, and Halstedt in between Peterson and Downtown). The skyline is great, the lake is nice, and Navy Pier is a great tourist spot. Wrigleyville is a good hang-out area. The city has alot of diversity. There are more latino/mexican than black or white (which I found unexpected and weird considering the city's location in the U.S. ... but that is cool in its own way). Downtown itself felt VERY safe and had ALOT to do. Plus, the beach is nice to have right next to booming city streets. However, I was not that impressed with the magnificent mile. Sure, it looked very cool and there were thousands of people there. But it only consisted of boring high-end snooty shops and nothing else. I much prefered the funky districts north of downtown. We did go in the Hancock Tower though which was amazing. But anyways, everyone in each part of town was very nice to us. Kudos for that. Had a great time. Plus, everyone bikes everywhere and the feeling of a community seems strong there. We didn't spend much time on the southside, but on the way out today down I-55 we wanted to eat in a food court, and were told that there was a mall (Ford City) off S. Cicero by the Midway airport. We went there. Kindof a low-end mall to say the least, but everyone was still nice (even though we were the only "caucasion people" in the entire mall). On a side note that I forgot to mention, we loved the huge "Nuts on Clark" sign considering that we are immature perverts.


Heart of Chicago Motel
This place was "good enough". It served its purpose, which was to be a cheap place to sleep. Our room did had the coolest bathroom. Yellow floor, yellow tiles, yellow wallpaper, yellow tub, yellow sink, yellow toilet, and yellow shower curtain. The only thing that was not yellow was the mirror. Another positive was that the front desk employees were very nice and helpful. Now, the area was not the best. We didn't feel "unsafe", but we didn't feel completely comfortable either when walking around the block. Most people we came by were great, but wanna-be thugs also roamed about. On a side note (and I mean this in a humerous way and do not mean to offend regarding that area), we felt less like "white outsiders" when we stayed in El Paso, TX. No biggie though. Hopefully we will be better off financially next time, but I would stay there again if I needed another $70-a-night place.

[dsimicata]

Very interesting detail about your trip. Thanks for posting.

You say you prefer the southeast/southwest/west coast. What do you like better about those areas?

[SoonToBeChicagoan]

Originally Posted by dsimicata

Very interesting detail about your trip. Thanks for posting.

You say you prefer the southeast/southwest/west coast. What do you like better about those areas?

I'm guessing the sun.

[Lookout Kid]

Plenty of sun in Chicago in July...

[Drover]

Interesting observations. For one, it may have seemed like there were more Latinos than blacks in Chicago, but that's not the case. It just seems that way if you spend most of your time between downtown and the north side, because there are so few blacks on the north side. However, the south and west sides are predominantly black and they form a plurality of the population. Latinos are better integrated into the rest of the city so they have a far stronger presence in the north side.

Second, it's kind of weird that you felt like "white outsiders" where Heart of Chicago is because that area is predominantly white with some Hispanic.

I can't believe I didn't think to have you check out The Fireside pub that's about 3 blocks away from the hotel, especially since it was open until 5am on Saturday night. It's one of my faves in town.

[supernerdgirl]

Originally Posted by oscottscotto

We didn't feel "unsafe", but we didn't feel completely comfortable either when walking around the block. Most people we came by were great, but wanna-be thugs also roamed about.

Hah, you learn to ignore the thug wannabes if you're here for any extended period of time.

[prairiestate]

Hurrah! You've survived visiting Ford City! (A joke. Way too many people firmly believe they will promptly be shot if they venture more then a block from Midway).

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by Drover

I can't believe I didn't think to have you check out The Fireside pub that's about 3 blocks away from the hotel, especially since it was open until 5am on Saturday night. It's one of my faves in town.

Is that place great or what? It's not just great late night food. It's great FOOD. I'm a big fan of the Fireside.

[Drover]

Heh... I'm more a fan of the beer selection and the patio out back. I've actually been underwhelmed by the food enough times that I don't eat there any more.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by Drover

Heh... I'm more a fan of the beer selection and the patio out back. I've actually been underwhelmed by the food enough times that I don't eat there any more.

Really? I mean, I'll grant that I'm kinda grading on a curve because I never eat there before midnight, but I think the food's pretty darn good.

I dig the patio and the beer, too.

And I like that it's by the castle where we keep our dead.

(Seriously, the gate to the Rosehill Cemetary over by Fireside gives me the heebie jeebies at night when it's all lit up.)