when is the pappy hitting chicago this year?

FYI if anyone hasn't checked out the new Headquarters bar location in River North, it's pretty awesome.

If anyone has any connections to 3br+ condos/mid-rises anywhere vibrant in the city (preferably RN) that'd be available 10/1 in the 4-7k/mo range, let me know. We had agreed to move into a Blackhawk player's place in River North but hadn't signed the contract and he reneged a couple days ago so we are scrambling. Nothing looks that great on MLS.

Hotel Palomar in River North used to have 3 BR apartments for rent. Might be best to show up there and ask if any are available.

Cosign

Parents are coming into town next weekend, thinking about going to Avec or Blackbird for dinner. Is there a big difference between the two?

Avec is much more casual - I'd wear a tshirt to avec but not to blackbird. Never been to blackbird but the food at avec is absolutely top notch, so that would be my rec

It's been a long time since I've been to Blackbird (Mike Sheerin was still there then), but I would say go with Avec. Like NH mentioned, it's more casual and you get sharing plates across the board. You won't go wrong with either one though IMO.

I went to blackbird a few weeks ago, there were ppl there in jeans...

Also, food was great, need to do Avec sometime though

For 6 people on a Friday night at Avec: How long of a wait do you guys think there would be if we get there at like 5 or 530 pm? Obviously after 7 would basically be impossible I'm just trying to figure out how early we need to go in order to not wait 2+ hours.

Id guess an hour tops that early, probably way less - plus you can order wine and drink it outside while you wait so it doesn't matter too much

Looking for higher end sports bar type place to watch SNF next week. Something like Legassi stadium in Vegas?

IMO Fifty50 (2100 West Division or thereabouts) has the best bar food in the city and good viewing for football also. A little bit of a pain in the ass to get to from downtown area but their food is worth it.

Wow this place was good, especially considering the price point. Here are a few things I loved:

Steak Tartare
Sausage/Pepper Entree
Pork Belly
Roasted Cauliflower

Octopus was meh, but really, most everything I tried was killer. Too bad I'm kind of trying to stay low-carb for now, when I'm off this diet I need to go back and try the pasta.

Also, I'm moving to Chicago next month. Most likely renting a place in River North. Excited to make the move and review more places!

Fifty/50 is nice but it's not exactly "high end".

Just go to Public House or Benchmark. Both have solid food and lots of tvs.

I'm moving to Chicago from Amsterdam in a couple months and I'm looking for places to live. The consensus here appears to be that Lincoln Park is optimal for somebody in their mid 20s like myself. I'll be working in North Chicago however, and I fear the commute from Lincoln Park would be too long. Does anyone have an idea how long that would take in the morning? Google maps says 48 minutes but everything I've heard indicates it would be significantly longer.

To make it more manageable I've been looking at options in Evanston and one in Rogers Park. How are these areas? Close enough to make get into the city easily? Are they areas a single person in their 20s would want to live?

Are there any other areas I should be looking at that might offer a compromise between proximity to the city and a commute under an hour?

For reference I am looking for a 1 bedroom (or possibly studio) in the $1300-1600 range.

'North Chicago' is vague. Where exactly are you working? Evanston is fine ... it's a little sleepy and w/o a nightlife scene but you'll be able to find some very smart grad students to hang out with if that's your thing. Citanul lives in an area (not sure he wants it published) that is roughly as north as Rogers Park that might be worth considering. I'm not a huge fan of Lincoln Park, it's a little 'fratty' for me, but if you like drinking then it's a good neighbourhood.

Personally, I wouldn't like a one hour + commute. Plenty of areas north of Lincoln Park will cut down your commute by an hour (return) a day and offer plenty for a mid 20s guy/girl. $1,300 - $1,600 will get you a nice 1 bedroom in pretty much every area of town.

I think he means the city of North Chicago? Correct me if I am wrong. Also do you mean driving or commuting by other means? I would not live in the city personally if I were working in North Chicago and had to drive. I do Evanston to Deerfield, and its a 30-60 min drive already, and the worst part is driving back into the city after 5pm.

If youre looking at Evanston or Rodgers Park because you plan to take the metra train, that would probably work out fine. You can look up the schedule and the times they give are fairly accurate.

I dont know much about Rodgers Park but Evanston is pretty decent. Its no Chicago, but theres plenty to do, and you have easy access to the city. Most people around the main city are pretty young.

North Chicago as in the city of North Chicago, IL. Thanks for the input

I will be driving. Hadn't considered taking the train. 30-60 minutes from Evanston to Deerfield scares me...

Train is a good option tbh, I just dont have the correct one near me or I be taking it daily. How flexible is your start time each day? I can keep my commute pretty short by working 10-7. If you leave at like 8 and 5 it can really suck though

Bingo, you should definitely check to see if the Metra North line is even somewhat close to where you'll be working. If it is, you actually would have options in the city as the Clybourn stop takes you up there (that would allow you to live in bucktown or wicker park) as does the Ravenswood stop (which would allow for Lincoln square, Ravenswood, North Center, and possibly Edgewater on that budget). The Davis stop in Evanston would be your main plan of action if you decide to live in Evanston.

If your job isn't near the metro north line, then I would say look to living in Highland Park. There isn't really a nightlife(though they are trying to make something happen), but you'd be closer to your job andyoud have a Metra connection into the city. Route 41 is pretty open to drive on up there and you'd be close enough to your job to where you won't have to live in the dump that is known as North Chicago or Waukegan.

I can't offer much input except google thinks Evanston won't reduce your commute that much v. Lincoln Park. For $1,600 I'd consider getting two places - one to live in and one to sleep in. E.g an $1,100 place in Wicker Park and $500 near work.

sorry if this has been posted before, but recommendations for places to watch EPL in the morning?