So what's worth seeing in Chicago?

[Shi Huangdi]

I'll be heading to Chicago next week on a business trip, and I figured this would be a good place to go this a number of Chicagoans/Ex-Chicagoans are on here. I'll be pretty busy, so I don't think I'll get the chance to go too far from where I will be staying(Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago), but is there anything in particular worth checking out in that area? Any good places to get some of that famous Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza?

[Q Classic]

Ming is roughly in that area.

[Colonâ„¢]

Indeed, but he's smoothly elsewhere though.

[Q Classic]

For pizza downtown, I'd suggest Uno or Duo, but I find them slightly greasy; there's Giordano's, which isn't bad, but it's also chain-y.

I'd deeply recommend Portillo's for Chicago-style hot dogs; it's right by the Rainforest Cafe; Clark and just north of Grand.

Who can forget the original Billy Goat Tavern, which is below Michigan Avenue, just down the first staircase north of the River.

Also, for Cajun food, there's Heaven on Seven, which is on Ohio and Rush.

Lawry's is good for steak. Ontario and Michigan.

If you're slightly more adventurous or have 20-30 minutes of time to travel, consider Chinatown (Red Line southbound, to Cermack/35th) or Greektown (Blue Line south/westbound, to UIC/Halsted).

[Jon Miller]

I liked going down to the pier.

Jon Miller

[Q Classic]

Navy Pier, while it has some decent things, is Chicago's Underground Atlanta.

Overpriced, generally avoided by anyone but tourists, and once you've been there, you've seen it all.

If you have 30-40 minutes of travel time, I'd suggest Red Line/Northbound all the way up to Belmont for Ann Sather's, a Swedish restaurant; to boot, you'll be within two blocks of the Briar Street Theatre, where you can watch the Blue Man Group.

Closer to the Loop/Downtown, next weekend will be the Taste of Chicago; for $7-21, you'll get to sample foods from many Chicago restaurants.

For fairly pricey but pretty good sushi, there's Oysy, which is pretty much just north of the Art Institute.

The Art Institute is fantastic, but you'll spend lots of time there; further south of there is the museum campus, where you have the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Museum of Natural History. Pretty good stuff.

If you have 30-40 minutes of travel time, take the 6-Jefferies bus southbound to the Museum of Science and Industry down in Hyde Park. Just south of that museum is a fantastic park with walking paths, but I don't recommend walking around around dusk or after dark.

[Jon Miller]

I was in Chicago for ~1 day

I went to a play at the pier, waited in line at that tall building (Sears?), went on a 25 mile bike ride through downtown Chicago (Started at 2 am?), went on a architecture boat tour (slept through most of it, as I had done all this other stuff and not slept when it started at 8 am), went to the Chicago Science thing.. (which was big and impressive, but was mostly at a lower level then I was/am).. hmm, what else? (oh, ate at a restaurante with the 2nd largest wine list in the nation)

Jon Miller
(before I went to Chicago proper I visisted Fermi Labs)

[Dinner]

Uno is a chain so I'd look for a honest to goodness local family owned place instead. That said a true Chicago deep dish pizza pie is AWESOME! My problem is it's so huge and filling that I get full after just one slice.

[PLATO]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Uno is a chain so I'd look for a honest to goodness local family owned place instead. That said a true Chicago deep dish pizza pie is AWESOME! My problem is it's so huge and filling that I get full after just one slice.

The original Uno and Duo are not at all like the chain they spawned. Though both resturants are small and the wait time for the pizza is long, they are well worth the trip.

[GePap]

The Art Institute is one of America's great Museums. Worth a short visit. Millenium Park actually turned out quite nice.

[PLATO]

I agree GePap. The Art Institute is awesome! It does, however, demand more than a "short visit", but nonetheless a must see.

[Sava]

Poly meet?

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by Sava
Poly meet?

I'd like to, but if it's like the last one I was on I'll have to spend my "free time" socializing with the people I will be working with in the futre, doing whole the Networking deal.

Thanks for all of the suggestios. I don't know what I'll have time to do, but I'll try to make it a point to hit up those Chicago Pizza and Sausages places.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by PLATO


The original Uno and Duo are not at all like the chain they spawned. Though both resturants are small and the wait time for the pizza is long, they are well worth the trip.

Amen to this. I prefer Due (pronounced Dew-ay) to Uno myself.

All recommendations are good so far. I'll add:

Pizza - if you're any place near a Nancy's Stuffed Pizza, go. You will not regret it.

You're in Chicago - go hear some blues! Lot's of great bars for this; pick up a Chicago Reader and see who's in town.

Repeat that last suggestions, substituting "jazz" for "blues."

See a Cubs game; save your pennies and buy a ticket from a scalper if you have to. Wrigley Field is not to be missed.

Chicago is, hands down, the greatest American City for architecture. You can get a good sense of this just wandering around, but there are also excellent city tours to be found.

[Jonny]

Originally posted by PLATO
The original Uno and Duo are not at all like the chain they spawned. Though both resturants are small and the wait time for the pizza is long, they are well worth the trip.

I third this nomination.

If you have half a day free somewhere, I recommend the trip down to the Museum of Science & Industry. There's currently an exhibit of da Vinci's inventions which is alright; I also highly suggest the U-505 (captured U-boat) exhibit there. Closer to downtown, the Field Museum, Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, are also all good, as others have said.

Pretty much everything else mentioned here so far is good, too.