Help me make my Chicago Trip better! (Lincoln, Buda: apartments, rent)

[TheBrownBuffalo]

So far this forum has given me a lot of great insight on Chicago, Thanks Everybody! I will be visiting Chicago the last week of March to look for apartments and get to know a little of the city. Here is what I plan to do so far, please help me get the most out of my 6 days in Chicago.

When: March 28th - April 3rd
Where: Staying at the Allerton Hotel on the Magnificent Mile
Transportation: 7 day CTA Pass
Budget: $550 in spending money

Goal of the Trip: Look for apartments, get to know the public transportation system, visit the Chicago Kent College of Law (Enrolling Fall 2010) and getting to know as much as the city as a can in the limited 6 days of the visit.

Looking for apartments in: Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Bucktown, & Wicker Park. Looking for apartments close to public transportation to go into downtown and up towards Loyola (If my wife gets accepted to her PhD program). Any good tips?

Entertainment/Tourist Traps: What did I miss?

John Hancock Center or Sears Tower (Not both)
Lincoln Park Zoo (Free)
Navy Peer
Cloud Gate
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Field Museum
Millennium Park

Food: Looking for Cheap Chicago Food. Any Suggstions?
Portillos Hot Dogs
Gino's East of Chicago
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Carnitas Don Pedro

Thanks for your Help!

[knitgirl]

With the amount of time you have, I would skip Navy Pier. I would skip Navy Pier anyway because it's just an enormous tourist trap, though in summer I guess it has it's charms. I personally would spend the bulk of my time checking out the neighborhoods. I can't remember what your neighborhood parameters are, but you might also want to check out Lincoln Square and Ravenswood. They're on the brown line, so great for getting to the Loop. If you have time to wait in line, Hot Doug's is cool Hot Doug's

[jdiddy]

If you're looking to commute between the loop and Loyola's Rogers Park campus, I would just stick to neighborhoods along the red line.

Looks like you've got the main tourist attractions covered, I'd recommend that during a nice day, you rent a couple of bikes. You can get a better feel for neighborhoods this way, while still able to cover more ground than walking/cta.

-I'd also recommend stopping by the Cultural Center (across from Millenium Park), you'll find information on some of the various events going on that week, while also enjoying one of the great buildings of Chicago.

[gregr072]

I hope you enjoy your trip to Chicago. You can go to the 95th floor of the Hancock and have lunch for the same price (on weekdays) you'd pay to go up for the view. I often take out of town guests to the 95th floor for lunch. Or you could go to the 96th floor for drinks. THe drinks aren't cheap but you get the view for less than the tickets up the Sears Tower or the Hancock Tower. Something to consider.

The Art Institute of Chicago is free on Thursday nights. I always recommend going at this time, unless you had planned on spending more than 3 hours there.

Neighborhoods: If your wife goes to Loyola you definitely want to stick to areas around the Redline as JDiddy said. A commute from Bucktown or Wicker Park to Loyola in Rogers Park would be very long. Now if she would be attending Loyola in Streeterville living in Bucktown Wicker Park wouldn't be out of the question.

Check out hottix.org for halfprice day of show theater tickets. You can get some good deals there.

The Water Tower Place is a mall close to your hotel. They have a nice foodcourt inside that is quick and reasonablly priced and not just mcdonalds;wendys/panda express, etc, etc. You can get some affordable, tasty fast food there.

Good Luck!

[TheBrownBuffalo]

Originally Posted by gregr072

I hope you enjoy your trip to Chicago. You can go to the 95th floor of the Hancock and have lunch for the same price (on weekdays) you'd pay to go up for the view. I often take out of town guests to the 95th floor for lunch. Or you could go to the 96th floor for drinks. THe drinks aren't cheap but you get the view for less than the tickets up the Sears Tower or the Hancock Tower. Something to consider.

The Art Institute of Chicago is free on Thursday nights. I always recommend going at this time, unless you had planned on spending more than 3 hours there.

Neighborhoods: If your wife goes to Loyola you definitely want to stick to areas around the Redline as JDiddy said. A commute from Bucktown or Wicker Park to Loyola in Rogers Park would be very long. Now if she would be attending Loyola in Streeterville living in Bucktown Wicker Park wouldn't be out of the question.

Check out hottix.org for halfprice day of show theater tickets. You can get some good deals there.

The Water Tower Place is a mall close to your hotel. They have a nice foodcourt inside that is quick and reasonablly priced and not just mcdonalds;wendys/panda express, etc, etc. You can get some affordable, tasty fast food there.

Good Luck!

That helps! Thanks!

[TheBrownBuffalo]

Any good BBQ places, or any other good Chicago food? Cheap Eats?

[New2SouthernIL]

I've heard of this but never actually used it myself: www.apartmentpeople.com

Navy Pier is much better is nicer weather.

As for good fast food, I have always enjoyed
Budacki's: 4739 N. Damen Ave. Chicago, IL 60625 (773) 561-1322 (American) and
Garcia's: 4749 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60625 (773) 769-5600 (Mexican-American).

Have fun and good luck!

[Attrill]

For BBQ Smoque, Honky Tonk, and Honey One are all really good. There are some great places on the far Southside (Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's are two of my favorites), but they are a bit of a hike from downtown and don't have indoor seating. Sun Wah has an incredible Chinese BBQ duck that is definitely worth a trip.

Hot Doug's is great - go on a Tuesday or Wednesday and get there a little before noon (even 11:55 is decent). There will be almost no wait at those times, while Fridays and Saturdays can have 2 hour waits around lunch time.

What sort of cheap eats are you interested in, and what is your definition of cheap? There are literally hundreds of great options in all different types of cuisines. Some newer places that are reasonably priced and getting a lot of attention are Belly Shack, Xoco, and Big Star. All are good, but can have long waits towards the weekends. Like Hot Doug's the waits aren't bad earlier in the week and in off hours. Some of the old standbys are Manny's, Arturo's, Harold's Chicken Shack...there are really just loads of them, more specifics would be helpful. There really is a lot. Lately The Publican and Rootstock are my two favorite places, but it all depends on what type of food you are interested in.

Oh - yeah, skip Navy Pier.

[jlawrence01]

There are basically three things worth seeing on Navy Pier. The Children's Museum is pretty good if you have small children under eight. There is a stained glass museum that is one of the best in the country if that is your cup of tea. Finally, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is located on Navy Pier but buy your tickets at half-price from Hot Tix.

Unless those things appeal to you, avoid Navy Pier. The parking is expensive and the food is really overpriced for the quality.

[TheBrownBuffalo]

Originally Posted by Attrill

For BBQ Smoque, Honky Tonk, and Honey One are all really good. There are some great places on the far Southside (Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's are two of my favorites), but they are a bit of a hike from downtown and don't have indoor seating. Sun Wah has an incredible Chinese BBQ duck that is definitely worth a trip.

Hot Doug's is great - go on a Tuesday or Wednesday and get there a little before noon (even 11:55 is decent). There will be almost no wait at those times, while Fridays and Saturdays can have 2 hour waits around lunch time.

What sort of cheap eats are you interested in, and what is your definition of cheap? There are literally hundreds of great options in all different types of cuisines. Some newer places that are reasonably priced and getting a lot of attention are Belly Shack, Xoco, and Big Star. All are good, but can have long waits towards the weekends. Like Hot Doug's the waits aren't bad earlier in the week and in off hours. Some of the old standbys are Manny's, Arturo's, Harold's Chicken Shack...there are really just loads of them, more specifics would be helpful. There really is a lot. Lately The Publican and Rootstock are my two favorite places, but it all depends on what type of food you are interested in.

Oh - yeah, skip Navy Pier.

Noted on Navy Pier. As far as food, I want to try the local spots away from tourist traps and "flare". Thanks for the tips!