Why is Chicago's beauty a secret few seem to know about? (Berwyn: restaurants, airports)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Gunner0325

Haha! Or even this May ....

Yeah, no kidding. A freaking frost advisory on May 16th??

At least it's climbed up to a skin-blistering 53 degrees today.

[Irishtom29]

Given the number of tourists I've seen the last couple of days as I idled smoking stogies on park benches downtown I'd say many people are wise to Chicago. And come summer there are great crowds of them.

I like to sit on the a bench by the Aquarium where the path from the water taxi crosses the bike path. One day I'll see someone get killed there by a Lance Johnson wannbe.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by MoItaly

I was looking at the LTH forum, and ended up clicking on a link to Anteprima in Andersonville.
I found, among other stuff on their menu:

orecchiette, spicy house made lamb sausage, bitter greens, chilis, pecorino 10 16
pappardelle, pancetta ragu 10 16

I saw another thread about how expensive is to live in Chicago and in particular when it comes to nightlife and dining out.

Are you kidding me? I pay more than that for a lousy Pasta Alfredo down here in So Fla.
"Pappardelle pancetta ragu"...I am almost getting emotional here...

I already know I am going to put up some weight during my vacation in Chicago.

It's funny that my buddies/co-workers ask me why I am going back to Chicago for a 7-day vacation. When I tell them “no, I don’t have family or friends in Chicago, I am just going to vacation” they look at me like I am nuts.

They probably think I exaggerate when I tell them about how great a time my wife and I had in Chicago, which is why we are going back.

Great museums.
Great Live music
Nightlife of any kind
Great food at great prices.

People who seem happy on the street when you ask them for direction or an advice on a place

Wonderful scenery in fall: my wife and I being from North-Eastern Italy miss the seasons here in Florida. A walk in Lincoln Park or on Armitage Rd in fall, stepping on yellow, red, orange leaves is memorable, the air is nice and cool, problem is...it works on my appetite!

Beautiful neighborhoods to walk in, discover.

Plenty of international “everything”: food, music, people, you name it.

Walking, Public transportation (well, for many in Florida is not really a plus but it is for me).

It seems to me that all people (from outside Chicago) know (or point out) about Chicago is the crime and the violence.

But at the end of a long day, sometimes I would love to have a place here in So Fla to go listen to real blues or real jazz (without that place being a super-expensive, fancy place where you pay just to be there and not for the quality of music/food/drinks), sipping on a single malt scotch and minding my own business or chatting with my wife or friends.

That’s why we are going back to Chicago on vacation: it doesn’t feel like a vacation, it’s a place where both my wife and I seem to immediately melt with the city.

My buddies take a 3 hours cruise to the Bahamas almost every year ans epdn a full week there. I go to Chicago, to each his own. They think I am nut, I think they are wasting their time, going back to a place where you visit nothing, and spend most of your time on a beach drinking.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind at all drinking and cooling off on the beach, but we have plenty of that in South Florida, we don’t need a cruise to be on the beach.

You know, you'd better change your reservations. You're never going to make it until September...

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Drover

Yeah, no kidding. A freaking frost advisory on May 16th??

It's not all that unusual, there's about a 10% chance of getting frost in Chicago in mid-May (and even higher as you head inland).

The latest last freeze was May 25 (in 1992). Some years the last one is in late March - it can vary pretty wildly from year to year. Anyways, we didn't even get close to frost in the city, the low was around 40 for most of the city.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Attrill

It's not all that unusual, there's about a 10% chance of getting frost in Chicago in mid-May (and even higher as you head inland).

The latest last freeze was May 25 (in 1992). Some years the last one is in late March - it can vary pretty wildly from year to year. Anyways, we didn't even get close to frost in the city, the low was around 40 for most of the city.

Thanks Tom "Rain Man" Skilling.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Given the number of tourists I've seen the last couple of days as I idled smoking stogies on park benches downtown I'd say many people are wise to Chicago. And come summer there are great crowds of them.

I like to sit on the a bench by the Aquarium where the path from the water taxi crosses the bike path. One day I'll see someone get killed there by a Lance Johnson wannbe.

Priceless!
I think you meant Lance Armstrong. Lance Johnson was a center fielder for the White Sox. I do the name mix up thingy all the time.
And you mean the pedestrians using the path from the water taxi conflicts with the speed-demons, not that the water taxi actually crosses the bike path? (Although THAT would be hugely entertaining also) Heck the inattentive speed demons mixing with inattentive taxi cab drivers at the street crossing south of the aquarium is interesting. I'm brain dead/tired mixed with my odd/sarcastic sense of humor so thanks for humoring me.

[OhAcid]

Chicago is one of the best little secrets ever kept by the world.

[eureka1]

Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. So is Sacramento. Both are under-appreciated.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

Um, mostly because the entertainment and media industries aren't centered there. But I've found 'awareness of Chicago's coolness' to be an extremely sensitive barometer of human coolness/"Is this a person I even want to invest five minutes talking to?" People who know nothing about Chicago ("oh, that's some mediocre city with crime") are usually the types who only know how to get from their homes to their workplaces (and sometimes don't even know the names of the streets in between); they also tend to shop at the types of stores I won't name for fear of offending someone.

And, yes, OP, lots of the people I've known who are totally uninhibited about praising Chicago have been Europeans. They're not stuck in the subconscious mindset of "That (praising Chicago) is not what people ('people' being Joe Averages, really) do" (just one of many cultural memes one absorbs being raised as a run-of-the-mill American citizen). Just a couple of examples off the top of my head: "New York is the only urban-type city worth visiting from halfway (or all the way) across the country. Chicago is NEVER one [even though first-time visitors are usually totally blown away by their first drive down Lake Shore and everything else unexpectedly superlative about the city]. LA is ok for the Universal Studios tour, but the traffic is bad, and I'd get sick of that 'Hollywood' lifestyle with all the surfing and tanning and stuff" .

Don't you think you are being a little judgemental here? Don't you think that is these kinds of post that incite the anti-Chicago trolls?

I very much beg to debate you on a couple things.

One of THE best and greatest things about Chicago, more than just about any other city in America is that is the most convenient for tourists to get the most of out, as everything that is of any tourist interest is concentrated and compact. Its much more visually stunning and requires little research to enjoy it.

I would go so far as to say that my barometer as to whether one is "worth investing five minutes to talk to" is one who is aware of the great things that ANY city has including the much hated rustbelt of southern sunbelt cities. Sure, they aren't as dazzling as Chicago, but anyone who can make the most of out a visit to metropolitan Detroit or greater Cincinnati has gotten my respect. Places like these require even MORE openmindedness, and often a map and rental car.

One can have a great time in Chicago, since everything is so compact and accessible that you wouldn't need great map and guide reading skills. This is neither good nor bad.

Now, I totally understand the criticisms of Hollywood and the entertainment/media industry. But not all of them are like Charlie Sheen.

I personally love LA. There are million things to do, but you have to really know how to get around to them. The number of museums are amazing. And I don't even care if I see a celebrity. However, I do respect the risks many of the took, and the dreams that many have of getting to that point. The high stakes world of entertainment and media is one that honestly gets my respect and can inspire anyones goals in life.

And why put down surfing?? Its a good physical activity. There are beautiful protected beaches and moutains all over there. You can explore tide pools and watch whales. You can't do that on lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is great, but it really is more like a super-wide, clean, swimmable version of the Mississippi river. Essentially used for transport of industrial goods, with no marine life and salt scent. And yes people can be vain and into themselves in their and appearance. But are you going to put down those who want to look good? Are you going to judge people because they want to be stylish and fit? So what if you want to prolong your youth a bit. If it makes you feel good then great.

Chicago is a great city. And I'm very happy that the OP had such a great time. But posts like this don't do any good.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Don't you think you are being a little judgemental here? Don't you think that is these kinds of post that incite the anti-Chicago trolls?

I very much beg to debate you on a couple things.

One of THE best and greatest things about Chicago, more than just about any other city in America is that is the most convenient for tourists to get the most of out, as everything that is of any tourist interest is concentrated and compact. Its much more visually stunning and requires little research to enjoy it.

I would go so far as to say that my barometer as to whether one is "worth investing five minutes to talk to" is one who is aware of the great things that ANY city has including the much hated rustbelt of southern sunbelt cities. Sure, they aren't as dazzling as Chicago, but anyone who can make the most of out a visit to metropolitan Detroit or greater Cincinnati has gotten my respect. Places like these require even MORE openmindedness, and often a map and rental car.

One can have a great time in Chicago, since everything is so compact and accessible that you wouldn't need great map and guide reading skills. This is neither good nor bad.

Now, I totally understand the criticisms of Hollywood and the entertainment/media industry. But not all of them are like Charlie Sheen.

I personally love LA. There are million things to do, but you have to really know how to get around to them. The number of museums are amazing. And I don't even care if I see a celebrity. However, I do respect the risks many of the took, and the dreams that many have of getting to that point. The high stakes world of entertainment and media is one that honestly gets my respect and can inspire anyones goals in life.

And why put down surfing?? Its a good physical activity. There are beautiful protected beaches and moutains all over there. You can explore tide pools and watch whales. You can't do that on lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is great, but it really is more like a super-wide, clean, swimmable version of the Mississippi river. Essentially used for transport of industrial goods, with no marine life and salt scent. And yes people can be vain and into themselves in their and appearance. But are you going to put down those who want to look good? Are you going to judge people because they want to be stylish and fit? So what if you want to prolong your youth a bit. If it makes you feel good then great.

Chicago is a great city. And I'm very happy that the OP had such a great time. But posts like this don't do any good.

Ummm, not really. More like an inland sea! When I visited Germany's Baltic Sea coast, it reminded me of Lake Michigan. The sand dunes on the Michigan side have no counterpart on the Mississippi River. The waves generated by a Great Lakes's storm have no counterpart on the Mississippi.