Visiting Chicago. (Evanston, Skokie, Addison: consignment, motel, house)

[regina george]

I'll be in Chicago for about a week next month and I'd like suggestions for things to do. I'm not really anti tourist things, but I definitely like to experience the true cultural aspects of a city when I visit.

I like:

- independent films
-museums (especially modern art)
-bars with good imported beer
-shopping (especially vintage)
-bookstores
-history
-festivals (music and film)
-"ethnic" restaurants, particularly interested in trying some African (vague I know, but any region/country), mediterrean (including north African), Thai, Russian, and/or Jewish

Also, I may take in a game @ Wrigley, is there anything worthwhile to see in the neighborhood?

Being that I haven't been to Chicago since I was a small child, I have no idea if any/all of this is readily available there. Recommendations would be much appreciated!

[Drover]

Independent films: Music Box

Art: Modern wing of the Art Institute, and/or Museum of Contemporary Art

Bars with good imported beer selection: Map Room, Hop Leaf

Vintage shopping: I don't know what kind of vintage items you're looking for, but there's a handful of vintage clothing stores along Milwaukee Avenue in Bucktown

Bookstores: Bookworks (one block from Wrigley), Bookman's Corner; Women and Children First (if that's your thing)

History: Chicago History Museum; for something a little esoteric and unique, check out the Bridgehouse Museum where Michigan Avenue crosses the river. They have a great history of the Chicago area waterways there.

Festivals: depends on what week you're in town.

African/Mediterreanan food: a handful of joints along the Clark Street corridor in Andersonville, including Taste of Lebanon, Andie's, Reza's, Turkish Cuisine, Arkadash Cafe. There's also an Ethiopian restaurant on Ashland Avenue, about a block west of Turkish Cuisine, but I can't remember what it's called. [EDIT: it's called Lalibela.] (Note: the aforementioned Hop Leaf bar and the Women and Children First bookstore are also in this same neighborhood, aka Andersonville; you might want to get yourself acquainted with it. There's even a cheap and reasonably clean independent motel nearby called Heart of Chicago that might be your best option if you're going to spend a lot of time up there anyway.) There's a Moroccan joint kind of off the beaten path in the Irving Park neighborhood (my neck of the woods, by the way) called Shakran Moroccan Grill. Hope you're a meateater as that's their specialty.

Thai food: all over the North side. You'll pass a hundred of them just wandering around the city. Pick one that looks cute and walk in. If you're vegetarian, Cousin's in Irving Park is your place. In fact there are quite a few Thai restaurants in Irving Park -- I think this is where the city's tiny Thai population is concentrated; there's even a Thai community center up here

Jewish food: Devon Avenue near Kedzie is the last remnants of a major Jewish enclave.

[Kevin J]

Drover covered it all pretty well. I would add that there are several Ethiopian restaurants on Broadway in the Edgewater neighborhood, which is 1 mile northeast of Andersonville, where several of Drover's suggestions were. The best one is Ethiopian Diamond, 6120 N. Broadway.

If you're near Wrigley, the nearby attractions are:

--Halsted Street: The gay entertainment strip. Lined with gay bars and some gay-oriented businesses. A 5-minute walk from Wrigley.

--Clark Street: The anti-Halsted Street strip, lined with sports bars for the Wrigley crowd. It's a Chicago oddity that two such diametrically opposite entertainment areas are a 2 blocks from each other, but that's life in the big city.

Southport Street: About 1/2 mile west of Wrigley. Known for good restaurants and boutique shopping. Also where the Music Box Theater is, that Drover mentioned above. Also: it's worth seeing a movie here for the theater itself. It's a movie palace from the 1920's decorated with a Spanish/Mexican villa theme inside, which pinhole lights on the ceiling to represent stars, and a working pipe organ that is actually played before most evening shows.

Broadway: About 1/2 mile east of Wrigley. For a mile from Addison to Diversey, it's a mix of chain stores and some interesting independents (new and used books, a consignment store or two, house decor, etc.)

Another thing you may want to consider for your history fix is a tour with the Architectural Foundation of Chicago. Obviously, their focus is buildings, but their docents are very knowledgeable and you'll get a lot of information about Chicago's development as a city from what you find out about it's buildings. Their are walking tours and a boat tour that takes you down the Chicago River.

[deechee]

Can we include Boystown and its many "ethnic and cultural" shops? It's one of the first places I take my friends...

[surlycue]

Don't forget to go buy your Kaltene bars at Old Orchard mall in Skokie (where parts of Mean Girls was filmed).

[deechee]

Nice piece of Morgan Park/Beverly history on 103rd right before Longwood Drive also.

[Drover]

Almost forgot re: independent films. Also check out Century Theaters in Evanston. Most of their screens show major-studio movies, but they also have a few screens showing indie films to cater to the Northwestern crowd. Easily accessible by public transit, right by the Davis stop on the Purple line.

[regina george]

Originally Posted by surlycue

Don't forget to go buy your Kaltene bars at Old Orchard mall in Skokie (where parts of Mean Girls was filmed).

Hahaha, thanks!

Thank you to everyone. Very helpful!

[Attrill]

For film don't forget Facets and the Gene Siskel center.

[regina george]

Bumping because I'll be there this week. Is there a specific area where good thrift stores and/or flea markets are in the city?