| the guides | reviews | about | press |
|
||
Chicago City Guideby Jonathan Stockton |
 Chicago Travel Pictures
|
||
 Famous for: Al Capone, May Day, Losing Baseball, Machine Politics, Improv Comedy, Modernism, Blues, John Hughes films, That One Song.
Overview: Christened with an American Indian word that means “stinky onion,” Chicago incorporated in 1833 with a population of 350. By 1930, the population had soared to about 3,400,000. In that time, Chicago gobbled up trains from the east and spat them west, stored the nation’s grain and sold agriculture futures at the Chicago Board of Trade. Union Stockyards mechanized animal slaughter; McCormick mechanized farming. Factories flourished. The city burned to the ground and rebuilt. Skyscrapers rose. Engineers reversed the flow of the Chicago River, creating the Sanitary and Ship Canal and a new continental divide. Workers rioted. Fortunes amassed. Gangsters fought. Unbridled Chicago challenged the world. After a population peak in 1950, waves of people moved to the suburbs. Daley took control, and the 1968 Democratic Convention turned ugly. Cops murdered Fred Hampton. UIC killed Maxwell Street. Disco died. In the 1990s, the city’s population began to rebound, bolstered by immigration from Mexico. Gentrification has “revitalized” neighborhoods with doggie bakeries and UGG boots. Some poor have “chosen” to move to the suburbs. Chicago still wears a blue collar, but it is not the manufacturing behemoth it once was. It’s affordable for its size, and more than a few longtime New Yorkers have told to me that Chicago reminds them of New York before Manhattan was bought out. I don’t believe them, but Chicago can boast of neighborhoods that feel, for lack of a better word, authentic. Wait. I found the better word, and the word is ghetto. Segregation? Yep. Violent crime and gangs? Yes. The architecture will impress, and the better man roots for the White Sox. Quotes: “Voter early, vote often.” “I’m moving to New York.” “Fucking Northsiders.” Books About: The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, will invigorate socialists and disgust vegetarians. The Man With the Golden Arm, by Nelson Algren, shows us Polish junkie war vet lose. Native Son, by Richard Wright, uses Chicago’s Black Belt as a setting for his famous novel on race. In Division Street: America, Studs Terkel publishes taped transcripts of Chicagoans to reveal a country’s innards. Columnist Mike Royko’s Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago explains how “the city that works” really works.  What’s “The Loop”?: The Loop refers to the downtown section of Chicago where various elevated tracks meet to form a loop. Also a bad radio station.
What’s the “El”? Short for El Camino. Half truck, half car. Architecture: Buy/borrow/steal the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) Guide to Chicago. I bought mine used for $1.50. New copies go for $30. Pricy, yes, but all other guides pale in comparison. You’re a tourist. Try a tour. Visit the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s ArchiCenter at 224 S. Michigan Ave. Boat tours cost $20-25, bike tours about $10. On some Saturday mornings, the Chicago Transit Authority offers FREE architectural tours. If boat tours are too expensive, see water taxis. Free: Worth the price of admission. Lincoln Park Zoo (2200 N. Cannon Drive), Art Institute of Chicago (111 S. Michigan Ave.—suggested donation: $0.01), Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago Ave.—free Tuesdays, 5 p.m- 8 p.m.) and Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Blvd.). Food: Eat Standing Up: Ever try a pork chop sandwich? Get it with mustard and fried onions at Maxwell Street Café, 411 W. 31st Street. Visit Al’s Number One Italian Beef, 1079 W. Taylor Street. Get the Big Beef with hot giardiniera and dipped in au jus. Miss Lee’s Good Food serves soul and succotash at 203-205 E. 55th Place. For duck fat fries and chicken sausage (or even a veggie dog), try Hot Doug’s, “The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium,” at 3324 N. California Ave. And don’t put ketchup on your hot dog! Taquerias are everywhere, but Roomz and I dine at Taqueria Traspazada #2, 881 N. Ashland Ave. Order a steak torta with everything. Vegetarian: We all have skeletons in our closets. Vegetarianism is one of mine. Try Alice & Friends Vegetarian Café (5812 N. Broadway Street), Chicago Diner (3411 N. Halsted Street), Soul Vegetarian (205 E. 75th Street) and Victory’s Banner (2100 W. Roscoe Street). Other: The Berghoff (17 W. Adams Street) is a meat and potatoes artifact, and expensive Charlie Trotter’s (816 W. Armitage Ave.) houses Chicago’s only celebrity chef. But I’ll take moderately priced Mas (1670 W. Division Street) for Latin meals and the best mojitos in the city. Booze: Cocktails: Cram into The Matchbox (770 N. Milwaukee Ave.), swing at the beautiful California Clipper (1002 N. California Ave.) or head south to Skylark (2149 S. Halsted Street). All have fine, reasonably priced cocktails. Late Night Desperation: Border Line Tavern (1958 W. North Ave.) or Estelle’s (2013 W. North Ave.), two-kitty corner hookup spots.  Dives: Stop at Rossi’s (412 N. State Street) when the downtown becomes a drag, and hoof it late night to Lake View Lounge (5110 N. Broadway Street) to see the cover band Nightwatch. But for all the secrets, buy Chicago’s Best Dive Bars.
Music: The jazz at Green Mill (4802 N. Broadway Street) swings, while the Velvet Lounge (2128-1/2 S. Indiana Ave.) leans towards jazz improv. Indy rockers pose and play at the Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western Ave.). Folk fans flock to Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia Ave.) and Old Town School of Folk Music (4544 N. Lincoln Ave.). Hip hop has Ten56 (1056 N. Damen Ave.), or shake that ass at Funky Buddha Lounge (728 W. Grand Ave.). Blues: Buffs head south to Atris’s (1549 E. 87th Street) and Lee’s Unleaded Lounge (7401 S. South Chicago Ave.) or west to Bossman Blues Center (3500 W. Lake Street). Or hang with the tourists at Buddy Guy’s Legends (754 S. Wabash Ave.). Karaoke: Easy to do, hard to spell. The downest of the down do Sidekicks (4424 W. Montrose Ave.). Art Gallery: Cheese, wine and art. Try Pilsen’s 2nd Fridays, held on the second Friday of each month, from 7 p.m.-11 p.m, along S. Halsted Street starting at W. 18th Street. And here’s a special shout out to Moskow, Biscuit and Chicken. Gay Scene: Boystown (on Halsted Street between Belmont and Addison) is the typical choice, but the best gay bar, Big Chix, is further north at 5020 N. Sheridan. For a raunchy, 4 a.m., man adventure, try Jackhammer’s (6406 N. Clark Street) and neighboring Touche (6412 N. Clark Street). Lesbians might do Atmosphere (5355 N. Clark Street) in Andersonville. Showtimes: To answer when, where and what, pickup the weekly Chicago Reader, available for free at countless cafés, bars and restaurants. Prostitutes: I’m not the best source, but I have been asked for companionship, by the half hour, at two spots on Damen Ave.: just north of Lake Street and just south of Roosevelt Road. While driving around Laramie Ave. and Madison Street, a woman offered to suck my dick for money or crack. Caucasians can expect to pay extra. Other rumored hotspots include the intersections of North Ave. and Elston Ave. on Friday and Saturday nights, Armitage Ave. and Kedzie Ave. most nights.  Getting Medicated: Try the West Side. Ride the Green Line and exit at the gorgeous Garfield Park Conservatory. Start walking through the neighborhoods. You’ll be approached.
You’ll find drug activity around most housing projects. Best Place to get high: Shedd Aquarium (1200 S. Lake Shore Drive). The fish understand you. Heal. Sweat It Out: Steam in the bowels of Division Street Baths (1914 W. Division Street) then eat the Bath House Salad while wearing a towel. It’s better than it sounds. At Paradise (2912 W. Montrose Ave.), a woman will walk down your back and exfoliate you into submission. Follow with sushi. Both are old school. Shower sandals highly recommended. Little Known Gem: International Museum of Surgical Science ($6, free Tuesdays). See how they operated in the old days. Be glad it’s not the old days. Dress Properly: What am I your mother? If you’re caught without a jacket, open a telephone book and find Unique Thrift Stores. They will sort you out in a pinch for less than $10. Or go to The Gap and look like everybody else. Secret That Everybody Knows: Skip Sears Tower. Go to John Hancock Center (875 N. Michigan Ave.). Ride the elevator to the Signature Lounge. Instead of paying for the observation deck, you pay for a drink. Smokers welcome! City of Big Chip on Shoulder: Chicagoans are sensitive about their image as a not-quite-New-York kind of town. Prey upon this weakness. Getting There and Away: Fly to Midway. Midway is closer to downtown and less congested. O’Hare, the busiest airport in the world, is a mess: about 40% of its flights are delayed. El trains run to both. Union Station serves Amtrak and Metra trains. Unless you plan to visit the suburbs, ignore Metra, though it is the preferred way to visit Ravinia. Around Town: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus and El fare is currently $1.75 with a 25 cent transfer that lasts two hours. If you need directions call 312-836-7000. Dial 312-TAXI-CAB and an asshole will pick you up. Or it might be Ray St. Ray, The Singing Cab Driver, who takes requests, then sings whatever the hell he wants. Chicago bikes all year round, and many streets sport bike lanes. If in town for an extended time, buy a bike from the Working Bikes Cooperative at 1125 S. Western Ave. The operating hours are few (noon-5 p.m., Wednesday and Saturday), but Working Bikes sells used bikes for less than $100. Cycle nerds can find friends at Critical Mass, a bicycle parade that begins at 5 p.m. from Daley Plaza (100 N. Dearborn Street) on the last Friday of every month. Water taxis are impractical but fun. Prices run $2-$6. Watch out for Dave Mathews. And I mean that in all areas of your life. Lodgings: Pay a bundle or stay at Ohio House Motel (600 N. La Salle Drive) or Tokyo Hotel (19 E. Ohio Street). Savvy travelers choose Hostelling International Chicago for (Congress and Wabash) $34.50 (member), $37.50 (non-member). http://www.hichicago.org/whatsnew.htm For longer stays, consider a transient hotel. Viceroy Hotel (1519 W. Warren Street) and Rosemoor Hotel (1622 W. Jackson Blvd.) are centrally located and Jim Jarmusch approved. Bring roach killer. Things to Avoid: Navy Pier, blues clubs in white neighborhoods, Clark Street, pizza, me. Guide Comments
|
|||
|
|||