Good points and I agree the database thing is crazy and also I often get greedy looking at things only in terms of $$, but feel like there must be a better way to reduce the luck factor by modifying the system/effort factor/$$ factor.

Yeah I'm in Toronto through the rest of the year and based on friends who went to NEXT last night I'm not missing much not getting the Thailand menu. Not very happy w/ Toronto though- it's very similar to Chicago but worse in every category except being more international.

The feel of the city and people is very sterile and boring. I haven't seen anything close to matching Wrigleyville or Rush St or Michigan Ave. The people are very polite but I just want to get yelled at or disagreed with more.

Restaurants have generally been very bad and expensive. After moving to Chicago I got interested in more unique places and took the more generic ones for granted but man would I love a big bowl of Maggiano's spaghetti or a Wildfire chopped salad. The nicest restaurant we tried here was a 5 course meal and the 3 middle courses all had a green soupy base with really weird green ear-like vegetables that were very bad (though the main meat course was v good).

Activities seem extremely weak and their waterfront is very bad. There are few worthy tourist attractions or events that I've seen. Nightlife seems very club-heavy and haven't seen anything close to something like Rush St or Lincoln Ave in Chicago.

Upside to all these complaints is that I appreciate Chicago a lot more and it is very clean and comfortable here so will be nice for grinding/getting work done.

Well...my time in Chicago has come to an end. I'm moving to the W. Burbs in 3 weeks and once my x-fer goes through back to the west coast it'll be ba-bye to the midwest. It's been a great time...meeting new people, hanging with old college friends, and of course I meet an awesome girl on the way out.
Such is life, what can ya do?
I'm in the city for 3 more weeks if any of ya'll wanna meetup.
In the interim I'll be enjoying Lollapalooza, the air and water show, as well as having one blowout party at my loft before a cubs game against the braves (eff the cubs though for real).
Otherwise I'll continue to give sparingly semi-decent advice on the Chi-town area.

Peace out m'fers!

congrats surf, where on the west coast are you moving to

I'll be at Lolla on Sunday by myself if you had any interest in meeting up with peeps

heh tried messaging you last night to meet up actually

I dont have a ticket but was thinking about hanging around. Only bands I have any interest in are deadmau5 and foo fighters and they are on at the same time.

I went and had a couple drinks at The Office, which is the speakeasy downstairs of Aviary. The cocktails were very interesting, nothing too 'experimental' like upstairs. I had a kirsch with flemish ale, as well as a gin/honeydew/chartreuse drink. Both were great. They also had some food, which was very decadent and delicious. We shared the oysters (which come out with various tinktures), the beef tartare (amazing), and the shrimp cocktail.

Overall it was a fun experience. For those that have been there or seen pictures, it is a pretty cool ambiance down there. Looks like a den in a home, very dark, comfy couches, etc.

Definitely recommend if you get the chance to grab a drink down there...

Lolla was magnificent. The monsoon that occurred right before Arctic Monkeys' set and during the beginning of Foo Fighters' set made this one of the most memorable concert experiences of my life.

Sunday's Best in Show*: The Joy Formidable
Runner Up: Arctic Monkeys


* Not including Foo Fighters since they are my favorite band ever and I'm hugely biased

How'd you get into The Office? I thought it was invite only.

yeah my friends got in too, it's quickly feeling unexclusivized!

Yes it is invite only...I know someone semi-important, which was the main reason I got a table. Also I am a pretty regular patron. I've eaten at both NEXT menus and been to Aviary a few times, know many of the servers/hosts by name, etc...all that probably helped a bit too.

25 most expensive restaurants in the country: http://money.bundle.com/content/imag...nts-Full_1.jpg

Chicago w/ 5 of the top 10 and 6 total

Cannot seem to find a bar I really like

What I'm looking for:

22 year old couple, we like to get pretty smashed. I definitely appreciate a good beer selection, but don't care that much. I'd like a place to sit on the weekends while I get drunk, but also would be cool if there was a place to dance eventually if we wanted. Regardless, if there was just a place to sit and drink with good music and $5 beers or whatever, I'd be fine. I can't seem to find a happy medium between nightclub and restaurant

What neighbourhood(s)?

The Crossing on Southport and Wrightwood imo

Josh Barlecornes is always good.

no

We are in the loop, so anywhere that is within like a 30 minute train ride is perfectly fine. Old Town was a pretty good area last night, suite lounge was fun but maybe a little too dressy and not enough space, but the waitress was super nice and did a great job

Public House is pretty good. Gets pretty packed though and there's not too much dancing room.

Go up to lincoln and belden, there's gotta be something there that floats your boat (the apartment maybe?) or up to the clark and addison area, also a bunch of bars up there that fit your description

Yea I think my biggest thing is actually being able to sit down at the place. Like I can find any X nightclub when I'm super drunk and go dance, so being able to sit down and get beers/drinks quickly/easily is first priority, after that perks like a good amount of people and possibly just being able to dance at the place when I'm drunk later on.

The Suite Lounge was cool because there were only a couple tables free, and they actually suggested we just sit at the biggest one. Then the girl waited on us all night, and there was good music and a bit of dancing. It is a place I'd definitely go to again.

Oh, and thanks for the suggestions so far. Added to my list for next weekend and beyond

Thinking about this some more, if you're looking for something that's not too dressy, there are just tons of options in lakeview/lincoln park that cater to that scene and your age group. McGee's and Tin Lizzy are two that come immediately to mind. There are tons though. Sounds like you might want something a little nicer though than essentially a college bar.

Yea definitely a bit nicer than college bars and such. Like I couldn't stand wrigleyville because I may have been in a frat in college but I don't want to feel like I'm going to get stabbed by some guy in an Affliction shirt and his boys every time I go out. I much prefer some hipsters or something before the roided up Affliction dudes, although I guess my biggest preference is you know normal people wanting to get drunk and dance some or something?

Anyone have any good connections w/ IT placement firms in Chicago? I've got one or two leads from friends already but wouldn't mind hooking up with a decent headhunter. I haven't had much luck with the places I've found online, most either had unprofessional websites or have only had a handful of job listings. I already posted my resume to the usual places (Dice, etc.) but would really prefer working with a reputable headhunter.

My background:
13+ years progressive IT experience, 4+ year management experience. Finishing my MBA in December and looking to move from Cleveland to Chicago at the start of 2012 (or Dec '11). Looking to spend the next few months interviewing and finding the right position.

PM me if you either know someone or want more info. If anyone is working in IT and gets referral bonuses I'd be happy to work with you on leads at your company.

Thanks for any and all help. Hopefully I'll be posting in this thread a few months from now repeating the same questions about where in Chicago to live. =)