Our Chicago!

Welcome to our home. Sweet home. Chicago.

Getting here

If you are flying to Chicago, the Blue Line from O'Hare airport or Orange Line from Midway airport will get you close, but not to your hotel front door.  If you take the Orange Line, exit at the Randolph/Wabash station. You'll have a 4 block walk. If you take the Blue Line, exit at Washington. You will have about a 6 block walk or take a cab. Public transit information can be found here: http://www.transitchicago.com/

For $2 plus a short walk or cab ride from where you leave the train, it beats most other airport to city transportation options.  The trains run regularly and you don't have any traffic issues.

What to Do in Chicago

We love showing off our hometown. We think we're pretty discerning folks here at Duo, so here's some of our suggestions.

Chicago is for Foodies

We are a food-obsessed city. If you don't get some darned good meals while you're here, you're not trying very hard. Since you have overchoice in Chicago, we've provided a list which is pretty much walking distance from our office. If you want another resource which can expand your options, try Metromix.

Here's some local suggestions:

• Stefani's - nearby steakhouse with Italian specialties. Just west of Michigan Ave and about a 10 minute walk.
• Blue Frog Bar/Grill - Burgers & Karaoke
• Shaw's Crab House - Our choice for fish & seafood. Others may differ. (Dinner combo - eat at Shaw's and cross the street to Blue Frog). March in season: Dungeness & Florida Stone Crab, Nantucket Cap Scallops.  Mmmmm.
• Dos Diablos - OK, it's a Doug Vann favorite. Ask him.
• India House - Pretty good. The Duo crowd does lunch buffet here, which is great. Dinner is good, too, but a little pricier.
• Frontera Grill/Topolobampo - Regional Mexican cuisine. The link is to Yelp. We couldn't figure out their website.
• Sayat Nova - Long standing Middle Eastern restaurant. Great environment. Reasonable. Good, predictable (as in "that's a good thing") food.
• Mike Ditka's - Steaks. Sometimes Da Coach actually shows up. But don't count on it.
• Volare - Genuine Sicilian. So genuine that, well, just check out the crowd that goes here.
• West Egg Cafe - Just up (north) the street from DrupalCon for breakfast.
• The Signature Room at the 95th - Only go to this top-of-the-John-Hancock restaurant on a clear night and if you can get a table at the window. And remind yourself that your food cost includes the view.
• Bandera - Convenient option on Michigan Ave. Walk up to 2nd floor restaurant. They claim to have music at night. We've never heard it.

 

And that includes sandwich places too.

"Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger! is not just an ancient Saturday Night Live skit. The Billy Goat Tavern is a regular among the lunch options for Duo staffers and a short walk from DrupalCon. Just be aware your food options are single, double or triple burger or "Cheezborger" and chips. No fries. Coke. No Pepsi. But they do have a full bar and Schlitz on tap. Schlitz? Look it up.

Al's #1 Italian Beef for those who want a real Chicago experience with good junk food. Also get a Chicago hot dog, Polish sausage. Whatever your arteries can tolerate. A bit of a walk

Haray Caray's - Former Chicago Cub (and St. Louis Cards) announcer Harry Caray is dead. But his eponymous restaurant lives on as an Italian steak house across the street from the Duo Consulting office and about a 3 block walk from DrupalCon.

Pizza (Because It Deserves Its Own Category)

Chicago is known far and wide for it's own particular style of pizza, the deep-dish almost casserole-like pie you can find at places like Gino's East, Lou Malnati's or Pizzeria Uno/Due (yes, it's a chain now, but the original two restaurants are nothing like the cookie cutter franchises, trust us).

But Chicago has great pizza places in the New Haven and Neapolitan style as well.  Piece is a great place to grab some New Haven style pizza and some award winning hand-crafted beer. Sapore Di Napoli, Crust, Coal Fire, and Sono are some great places to get traditional D.O.C style pizza. One type of pizza that is under-represented here is New York style.

If you are desperately craving some of that thin foldable goodness, the best in Chicago is probably at Santullo's, but we'd recommend getting a group together and ordering a whole pie, rather than going by the slice.

Beer (One of the basic food groups) - Some with Music

You're in the Midwest. And you know what we do here? We grow all the ingredients for beer. So it's no surprise we've got a lot of local brew.  Here's some places to go and beer to look for:

• Rock Bottom Brewery about a 6 block walk from Drupalcon.
• Mother Hubbards - Your basic sports bar. Tap ber includes Chicago-based Goose Island beers and others.
• Rockit Bar & Grill - A bar with a chef. What a concept. Upscale bar food (we just made that up.)
• Public House - New spot. Lousy website with annoying music. But lively bar and restaurant. Beer taps at the table (some tables & usually reserved- by you).
• Dick's Last Resort - (A chain) They've refined the art of insulting you. Arrive with a sense of humor. Overlooking the river. Live music & Fat Tuesday party.

• Local beers to sample include:
• Two Brothers (a great local brewer but not really relevant links for DrupalCon folks. But look for their beers)
• Half Acre Brewery
• Goose Island   Look for the 312 beer (312 is the local telephone area code)
• Metropolitan Brewing

Here's a listing of beer events in Chicago.

Fat Tuesday

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 is Fat Tuesday. Expect bars to be busier than usual.  If we hear of any cool things going on, we'll post it.

Architecture, Baby! (and some more food options)

Millennium Park is a must see whatever the weather. Millennium Park is located a short walk (.5 mile) south of DrupalCon. You will want to see Cloud Gate and the Lurie Fountain.  The park is open into the evening. No fees. And if you're looking for a nice dinner location, the Park Grill is a very decent restaurant located in the park.

Chicago Cultural Center is directly across the street from Millennium Park. The Chicago Cultural Center is the former Chicago Public Library. You can poke about this building until about 6PM most days. No fees.

We won't claim to be like 5th Ave in NY. But Michigan Avenue north of the Chicago River, a/k/a the Magnificent Mile,  will satisfy your consumer cravings. You might want to combine a walk up Michigan Avenue with dinner at FoodLife in the Water Tower Place. FoodLife is an upscale food court that can satisfy the dietary and food cravings of a diverse crowd. It is NOT a collection of chain fast food restaurants. Perhaps the best resource of information about FoodLife is Yelp.

For complete coolness and if the weather is clear, walk or cab over to the tall building formerly known as the Sears Tower and go up to the 103rd floor SkyDeck (10AM - 8 PM). You can stand on a glass ledge with no visible means of support or just look out to see just how flat this land is! Not for the acrophobics. Fees.

OK, Navy Pier is a tourist trap. But that's cool. Even the locals go here once in a while. If the weather sucks, you can be completely indoors. There are a number of restaurants and bars here. You can buy all kinds of Chicago stuff to prove you came here. During DrupalCon the Flower Show is taking place here.  And it's located right on Lake Michigan, which is, in fact, an inland fresh water ocean and you really ought to see it. It is not a bad way to spend an evening.

There just isn't a better place to admire or learn about architecture (ie, art you live and work in). The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers absolutely fantastic tours.

Concerts, Blues, Jazz

We hear that Chicago is the "home of the Blues." We're not sure about that, but here's a few places to indulge your Blues jones.

• Andy's Jazz Club - Nearby to DrupalCon. 7-day schedule of live music.
• Buddy Guy's - Don't expect to see Buddy. But they have a nightly lineup you might enjoy
• Kingston Mines - Great venue. Great music. Lousy website
• Blue Chicago - Touristy. But the music is genuine. And, hey, you're a tourist. So enjoy.
• B.L.U.E.S - They really know how to spell the Blues
• Rosa’s Blues Lounge - Great joint but only open Fat Tuesday during DrupalCon (They're probably attending. :) )
• Green Mill - Quintessential Jazz bar. You can wind yourself back to the1930's here. Cab or take the Red Line north to Lawrence Avenue.

Museums

You already know that Chicago has lots of world-class museums: the Art Institute, the Field Museum (Drupal party!), the Shedd Aquarium....but there's more too. Check these out:

• Adler Planetarium
• Chicago Cultural Center
• Chicago History Museum
• International Museum of Surgical Science
• Museum of Science and Industry

Theater Geekery!

Chicago is THE place for theater. Seriously. Here are just a few to check out:

• iO
• Second City
• Steppenwolf
• TMLMTBGB (from the Neo-Futurists)
• Chicago Shakespeare