Chicago People Tourist Advice

[pure_nell_alpha]

So, apparently a friend of mine is going out there next week on business and wanted some advice on cool things to do/see while he's out there. Since we don't really do the tourist thing too often, I was light on ideas. I did mention Chinatown, Fry's, the Millenium Bean and Mitsuwa but can you guys come up with any other stuff worth mentioning?

Comments

[janusmzeal]

The first thing I think about when visiting new places is the food. Tell him to check out, if he has time, Pizzeria Due for some authentic Chicago-style pizza; either of the two hot-dog vendors on Maxwell Street (which technically aren't on Maxwell St anymore) for kickass Polish sausages; according to Wikipedia, Mr. Beef for true Italian beef; just about any place for a Chicago-style hot dog. I usually hit up Portillo's for hot dogs and Italian beef; they're not 'the original', but it's authentic enough.

Other places include just about any gyro joint, Harold's Chicken Shack, a very nice Greektown, and a decent Koreatown and very small but good Little Saigon (aka Viet-town).

Navy Pier is kinda cool, but becoming a tourist trap. There's the Rock'n Roll McDonald's, which is more of a McD's museum now. Speaking of museums, if that's his thing, there's a whole bunch of them, from the Shedd Aquarium to the Field Museum to the Art Institute. Other touristy things are the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Center, which provide pretty cool views of the city.

If he has time to check out the 'burbs, there's Pita Inn, Herm's Palace, Poochie's, all more great places to eat on Dempster Rd in Skokie. Drive up north a bit more for the very splendid Botanic Gardens, though it's probably not as fantastic this time of year. To the northwest, Woodfield Mall remains the biggest mall in the Chicago area.

There's also the whole club and bar scene, but I'm not the guy to ask about that.