Chicago- Travel Suggestions and Tips Appreciated!

Katie Kinako

Katie Kinako

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Hi everyone!

I’ll be visiting Chicago in 2 weeks and since this is my first time in the Midwest, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions and tips.

I’d also appreciate any “Avoid this” tips as well… As much as I’m used to traveling and have an easy time navigating around, I definitely don’t want to waste my $ and time…

Also having a hard time accepting the fact that admission to the Art Institute is $32… ¥4800!?

(Admin- I figured this would be the right place to post this thread, please advise if it isn’t)
 
Katie Kinako said:
(Admin- I figured this would be the right place to post this thread, please advise if it isn’t)
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It's fine. No worries.

I haven't set foot in the real Chicago in a number of years, just passing through O'Hare a lot these days.
Don't have any direct advice that would be recent.

Katie Kinako said:
Also having a hard time accepting the fact that admission to the Art Institute is $32… ¥4800!?
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If you haven't been to the states recently, you're in for a sticker shock on top of the already worthless yen situation.
Just make sure you increase your budget for common things accordingly, especially where prices are higher in large city area.

For transit - you can either use Uber/Lyft or get prepaid transit cards (https://www.transitchicago.com/passes/)

If you want to exchange any JPY to USD, do it before you leave Japan and more specifically, use the exchange counters in Shinjuku, those usually have the best rates.
 
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TAG Manager said:
If you haven't been to the states recently, you're in for a sticker shock on top of the already worthless yen situation.
Just make sure you increase your budget for common things accordingly, especially where prices are higher in large city area.
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Thank you!

I was in the US for the first time in 4 years last fall… My biggest shock was that avocados (from Mexico) were cheaper here than in California…

The ¥ is truly going down the toilet…
 
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Katie Kinako said:
I was in the US for the first time in 4 years last fall… My biggest shock was that avocados (from Mexico) were cheaper here than in California…
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Probably Trump’s famous avocado tax that would pay for the wall…
 
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I actually wonder how many Chicago locals we have on here.

I would say the Art Institute is probably worth the price. It’s actually a really big space with multiple buildings and floors. You might be able to rush through it all in a day, but I would recommend bringing some comfortable shoes and taking your time.

That said, Chicago also has a lot of nice areas that are free to access for everyone. Some of my favorites include:
  • River Walk, a pedestrian walkway that follows the Chicago River through the city center to Lake Michigan.
  • Millennium Park, home to The Bean and Crown Fountain.
  • Museum Campus, one of the best views of the Chicago skyline. Home of the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium.
  • Lincoln Park Zoo, full fledged zoo with free entry.

I’ll warn that if you’re looking to see ‘The Bean’, unfortunately it’s currently fenced off for construction so you can't really get a good view of it.

If you do plan to do some shopping, Chicago has a 10% sales tax on pretty much everything, so be ready for that on top of just the overall higher costs.

Folks are generally friendly here but mostly keep to themselves. Would probably depend where you’re staying, but most areas downtown are also pretty safe throughout the day. At night, it can get a little sketchy in some places since there are less people out and about.

If you have any specific questions, I’d be happy to answer!
 
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GoodLuck said:
I actually wonder how many Chicago locals we have on here.

I would say the Art Institute is probably worth the price. It’s actually a really big space with multiple buildings and floors. You might be able to rush through it all in a day, but I would recommend bringing some comfortable shoes and taking your time.

That said, Chicago also has a lot of nice areas that are free to access for everyone. Some of my favorites include:
  • River Walk, a pedestrian walkway that follows the Chicago River through the city center to Lake Michigan.
  • Millennium Park, home to The Bean and Crown Fountain.
  • Museum Campus, one of the best views of the Chicago skyline. Home of the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium.
  • Lincoln Park Zoo, full fledged zoo with free entry.

I’ll warn that if you’re looking to see ‘The Bean’, unfortunately it’s currently fenced off for construction so you can't really get a good view of it.

If you do plan to do some shopping, Chicago has a 10% sales tax on pretty much everything, so be ready for that on top of just the overall higher costs.

Folks are generally friendly here but mostly keep to themselves. Would probably depend where you’re staying, but most areas downtown are also pretty safe throughout the day. At night, it can get a little sketchy in some places since there are less people out and about.

If you have any specific questions, I’d be happy to answer!
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Thank you for all the great tips!
The zoo wasn’t on my radar but I think I’m going to try and check it out 😆

The Art Institute is a must-go for me anyways, I’ll probably end up spending an entire day there!
 
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Katie Kinako said:
Hi everyone!

I’ll be visiting Chicago in 2 weeks and since this is my first time in the Midwest, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions and tips.

I’d also appreciate any “Avoid this” tips as well… As much as I’m used to traveling and have an easy time navigating around, I definitely don’t want to waste my $ and time…

Also having a hard time accepting the fact that admission to the Art Institute is $32… ¥4800!?

(Admin- I figured this would be the right place to post this thread, please advise if it isn’t)
Click to expand...

I haven't been to Chicago in a number of years, well before the pandemic, but I've got friends and relatives there so I hear enough about current affairs. I hate to be the downer here but just be aware that Chicago, being a "sanctuary city," has become one of the primary unloading zones for the current flood of illegal immigrants at the Mexico border, with red states (Texas, in particular) shipping tens of thousands of illegals there and to other blue cities every month. As such, and I haven't seen it myself and I'm relying on angry rants from my friends in Chicago, there are portions of downtown where sidewalks are just packed and un-walkable with makeshift homeless camps filled with illegals--begging, panhandling, but also getting pretty aggressive about it and there has reportedly been a spike in property crime and theft in those areas. Just something to think about and plan accordingly (like getting pepper spray).

Now, that aside, Chicago is a fucking fantastic place to EAT. Yeah, go to that Millennium Park and see the bean like every other tourist, and whatever other touristy shit there is to do, but save each evening for a feast. The obvious obligatory meal is going to be a genuine deep-dish, and there's no shortage of places to get a good one (Lou Malnati's is the tourist go-to). I'm not a huge fan of deep-dish but what I discovered later in life was the Chicago beef sandwich. Fucking revelation. Seek out a good Italian joint with a good beef sandwich, maybe some calamari and good beer on tap and toss back those 2,000 calories in style. Last time I was in town I stayed in the Loop, and there were some amazing joints to eat in just walking down the main street a couple blocks. The two things that surprised me the most were how safe the city felt (I drank my nightcap at Millennium Park alone, in the dark, smoking a cigar) and how many Asians there were. But again, given the situation with the flood of illegals, that may not be the case now.

Also, O'Hare has come a very long way since I was a kid. Last time I had a flight out, I spent a good two hours at a couple of great airport bars getting absolutely shitfaced off Goose Island pints (and Uncle Sam was giving me a per diem, which made it even better). Everything was nice and clean, definitely not what I was expecting. The main thing I'd be worried about is a late-season cold front, as "cold" in Chicago is very, very different from "cold" anywhere else in the U.S.
 
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TAG Manager said:
You're a bit out of date. 🤔
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I most definitely am. Been many years since I was there, but Chicago is kinda like D.C. to me. It'd be great to visit if I were in my 30s and single again but that ship has sailed. But, I stand firm on the Chicago Beef Sandwich. I can seriously imagine situations where I'd choose that sandwich over sex...maybe. Depends on what's on tap and how crispy the calamari and onion rings are.
 
Keihan said:
As such, and I haven't seen it myself and I'm relying on angry rants from my friends in Chicago, there are portions of downtown where sidewalks are just packed and un-walkable with makeshift homeless camps filled with illegals--begging, panhandling, but also getting pretty aggressive about it and there has reportedly been a spike in property crime and theft in those areas.
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While I'm not a Chicago native, I haven't seen any migrant camps during my week there last February. The subway is far from being as nasty as the one in NYC.

TAG Manager said:
f you haven't been to the states recently, you're in for a sticker shock on top of the already worthless yen situation.
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It's not getting better if you're calculating with Euros or Swiss Franken 😬. 42 Dollar for a tour of an old submarine at the museum of science and industry is far from reasonable.

Personally, I enjoyed the museum at the Oriental Institute with it's Iamassu as well as a boat tour on the Chicago river.
 
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Katie Kinako said:
Thank you for all the great tips!
The zoo wasn’t on my radar but I think I’m going to try and check it out 😆
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For sure! If you happen to be in that area, I'd also check out North Avenue beach. It has one of my favorite views in the city. There's also a bike/pedestrian path there that runs along lake Michigan down through Museum Campus. There are city owned bike rentals called Divvy bikes all around. It's been a while since I checked one out so not sure about pricing these days, but were certainly affordable from what I remember.
Keihan said:
Chicago is a fucking fantastic place to EAT
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Hell yeah! There are also so many neighborhoods that surround the city center with amazing food. Just west there's Greektown and Little Italy, directly south is Chinatown and southwest is Pilsen and Little Village (Mexican/Hispanic). Best part is most of theses neighborhoods are easily accessible via CTA.
Keihan said:
The obvious obligatory meal is going to be a genuine deep-dish
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While I do enjoy a good deep-dish, a lot of the same spots do an amazing tavern-style thin crust. Would highly recommend!
Goshogawara said:
The subway is far from being as nasty as the one in NYC.
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This is something I always hear from visiting New Yorker's; that Chicago is a lot cleaner overall compared to NYC. I've never been there myself, but was always curious.
 
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The bean was barricaded, but at least I got to say hi…


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This was devoured after downing some calamari…

So far, so good. Off to explore more of the city tomorrow!
 
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I always loved going to the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium, since they're all right next to each other, and I'm a huge science geek. It's been a while since I've been, but they were always top notch museums, IMO pretty equivalent to the Smithsonian.
 
bdole said:
I always loved going to the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium, since they're all right next to each other, and I'm a huge science geek. It's been a while since I've been, but they were always top notch museums, IMO pretty equivalent to the Smithsonian.
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I’m definitely trying to squeeze the Field Museum one of the days, natural history museums are some of my favorite places to be!
 
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