Also nuf - If you aren't ogre-like in terms of looks, you will get hit on by many girls because of your accent. Play it up, take advantage of it. You may think I'm joking but I'm not. British accents drop panties over here.

Haha awesome, not ogre like, but my voice is so ridiculously monotone (though identifiably British) that I will be very impressed if it improves my chances!

nuf,

Yeah, Chicago rent is much, much, much lower than NYC or London.

Also, you should know that English food is a big hot thing here right now, so you'll feel right at home, maybe.

nufc if you have any questions about moving to Chicago from England, shoot me a pm.

chicago: cheaper, cleaner, calmer, probably good if you're from london for a change of pace

new york: more 24/7 and imo a better choice unless you're big on one of the 3 c's above. feel like it's a better international place and a little more exciting.

(i'm from chicago and have only been to new york a few times on trips)

I agree with above plus would add space (so three Cs and an S). New York is crazy dense, Chicago not as much. Could be good or bad depending on your preference. I will say though that having been to all 3 cities and lived in 2 of them, New York is more similar to London than Chicago is.

I actually ended up getting a ticket b/c I figure it could be a great Chicago memory. Pretty excited for tonight.

My situation: I'm a Canadian driving across the country from Alberta to Ontario and I'm taking the US route. Chicago is the only interesting city I'm going to hit and I was going to spend an extra night there so that I could check out the city and catch Bulls/Heat game 4. I'm still figuring out whether I'll stay downtown or not but, regardless, I need somewhere safe and secure to stash my car for two nights since I've got basically my whole life in there. Any recommendations for a safe parkade I could leave it at for a couple nights? Thanks for any help.

Good to know, I live within walking distance of this place but have never tried it.

Sorry. That was a bit hard to understand but thanks for the reply.

I'm planning to leave my car somewhere safe and cab everywhere. I'd rather not drag it around because it's packed full of stuff with my tv in plain sight in the backseat. It just seems like it'll scream "steal me". I'd rather not deal with that worry.

hipho,

seems like this would be a situation where calling some hotels and asking them directly about the security of their parking, and then choosing what hotel you stay at based on the answers you receive would be appropriate. a day of parking at a downtown hotel isn't going to be cheap, but might be your best bet since they are off street, have cameras, guards, etc. you can even park overnight at most of them if you're not staying at the specific hotel iirc. i'd probably look for a good hotel with underground parking.

check in to (find them in a phone book if possible) the lot under 900 N Michigan (the lot which valets with Spiaggia restaurant) which is underground and is valet park only. note: there's another lot in the same building which is public park and above ground, and like all other places with those attributes, i wouldn't choose those. regardless, i would probably throw a blanket over your tv in the back seat.

Totally lucked into some free Bulls vs. Heat game 2 tickets this week. Decent chance same thing will happen with Game 5 and Game 7 (if there is one). Tickets were in section 116 if I remember correctly ($325 face each).

http://www.bhgchillandgrill.com/home/index.php

Anybody going? Only downside is the possible rain all day tomorrow. Think I'll just go on Sunday if that's the case.

Hello everyone, great thread.

I'm a young professional and will be in Chicago this coming long weekend with a bunch of my buddies.

We are looking for good bars and places to go in the night. Any suggestions?

Thanks

We'd be happy to help but we need some more info.

How old are you and your friends?
Where will you be staying and do you mind travelling to different areas of the city for nightlife?
What is your preferred scene - night club, lounge, dive bars?

I'll probably make my way over to this after I get done working the Green City Market.

Yeah, btw I'm working the Bennison's Bakery tent at the market. If anyone goes to this you should def check out their breads. Very good stuff.

Thanks Cos.

We range from 26-31 and want to hear some hiphop (old school) or some 80's retro or just a good spot with good music. We would rather a club or lounge and we don't mind travelling. Closer to the main area would be best though.

The River North neighborhood is where all of the best clubs and lounges are. I'm not into that scene so much, so I can't really help you on specific places.

Best clubs/lounges downtown:

Hub 51/Sub 51
Underground
Cuvee
Enclave
Y Bar
Spybar

Cheers all, won't be making till towards the end of the year.

Will be in touch closer to the time. thanks.

do you prefer it? where were you in england? i might do that in reverse soon.

Any suggestions for places to watch the bulls game for a group of 6-10 people? Thanks in advance.

Went to Violet Hour with a friend of mine on Saturday night for the first time. I have to admit the place is vastly overrated imo. We had to wait an hour to get in and the drinks were not that great. Maybe because I'm not a big cocktail fan in general.

Brownian,

Where do you like the drinks better? TVH has clearly gone downhill the past couple years, while a few other places have been getting better and better, but I'd like to hear your opinions.

FWIW, there's basically no place I would wait an hour to get in, certainly not a bar. Going on a Saturday night and waiting an hour is a pretty fish move. (FWIW, the drinks are almost definitely worse, as is the service, and the atmosphere, on Friday/Saturday nights.)

You're 100% correct on the fish move. We started talking to these two girls in front of us and lost track of time. I usually drink straight Vodka/Whiskey/Cognac so I don't have much experience with cocktails but drinks I ordered were all too sweet for my taste to the point that they had to change it and make it less sweet every time.

As far as the place itself, I think it is good for a romantic date but the tables are isolated and there is no room for mingling really so it is hard to socialize and meet new people.