We will be in Chicago that weekend for DePaul’s graduation. Our D is insisting that we go to Ribfest.
If you want to see Frank Lloyd Wright without the trip to Osk Park, visit the Robie House.
@missypie - I’m guessing you’re already aware of this, but ribs found in the midwest are waaaaaaay different than ones found in Texas. When we moved up here, I was horrified with all the sauce they put on their ribs. I really, really do not like them that way (prefer a good rub and smoking them). We have found a place here and there that doesn’t serve them that way, but it took getting H a Big Green Egg for Christmas 4.5 years ago and him doing our ribs for us when we want them, for me to eat them again.
How funny that several of us locals haven’t visited the bean! H and I had our first date at My Pie. We sat near the fireplace under the dim lights. Only we lived in the same building and were friends and didn’t know it was a date at the time. But it felt romantic and awkward, so yep. Great times in Lincoln Park.
Lincoln Park = Piquods for me!!! (deep dish pizza). Is “My Pie” a pizza place or otherwise???
Thanks teriwtt, I grew up in IL so it has taken a long time to get used to Texas bbq. But I may not be familiar with what they do in Chicago. My first bbq was southern IL and southern Indiana
It was a pizza place, abasket. The sign said My (symbol for pi). It looks like there is still one location but it’s geared for carry out, not dining in.
Look out where you park though…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=389Rk1jzPMk
I did something today I hadn’t (well, really never to this extent) done in a long time. At noon, I decided to drive down to the city to catch a matinee of the musical Once. I’d been wanting to see it for several years, but every time it came through town, the timing was bad; so today I just went by myself since it’s only here through the weekend, and no other time would have worked. I have to say it’s probably in my top three musicals now so I’m glad I went, but when I came home, instead of coming up the Kennedy, then Edens, I decided to take Lake Shore Drive since it was a beautiful day. It was rush hour traffic time, but I didn’t mind as I was in no rush to get home. Anyway, as I pulled out of the parking garage and headed over to Michigan Avenue, I got stopped heading east on Washington at Michigan Ave. for a traffic light. I remembered our discussion about the Bean, and as best I could, got a tiny glimpse of it from my car, so now I can kind of say I’ve seen it!
I loved the movie, Once! Even got the piano music so I could play a few songs from it. I’m not sure I can imagine anyone else in the main roles, but I’m glad you did that for yourself. And a glimpse of the bean is a start!
Last summer, I had a group of 8, including 2 grandmothers to entertain for a
couple of days. Here is what we did (in no particular order)
Bus/walking tour by the Chicago Architecture Foundation:
https://www.architecture.org/experience-caf/tours/detail/architectural-highlights-by-bus/
This included the Robie House. Almost all of us had already done the boat tour, so didn’t want to do it again.
Willis Tower
This was more interesting than I expected.
Shanghai Circus at the Navy Pier
Some of the younger folks went to the Blues Festival
Art Institute and the Bean
Field Museum
Other recommendations:
If you are walking around Evanson, check out Dave’s Rock Shop. They sell museum quality fossil and mineral specimens, jewelry and jewelry making supplies, and have a little museum in the basement.
We enjoyed seeing a concert at Ravinia. Go to a grocery store and pick up a picnic dinner to take with you.
Chicago barbecue was brought here by people who came from places like Memphis and the Mississippi Delta. So that’s the kind of barbecue you typically see.
Go to the Blackhawks store!!! (Wacker and Michigan Ave) 
OK, just got back from Chicago. We went to the Chicago Architectural Institute Boat Tour and the Frank Lloyd Wright home, studio and neighborhood tour in Oak Park. We also went to the outlet mall near Ohare. In prior trips, we went to (in no particular order):
Museum of Science & Industry
Art Institute
Bean
Aquarium
Field Musuem
Library
Greek Island Restaurant
South Water Restaurant (in Hotel Monaco)
We had a great time!
Glad you had a good time and glad you got to Oak Park. I’m curious, did you rent a car to get there or fiind other covenient transport? The Architectural Boat Tours are a great experience, except for the time that I took visitors and a front came through with the temperature dropping 20 degrees and fog rolling in. That’s Chicago!
We did catch public transit to Oak Park–a short way on the blue line & then a bus the rest of the way to Oak Park. It took over an hour, each direction. We did enjoy it, so it was worth it for us. Folks did tell us to rent a car and drive, but the bus wasn’t bad, just a rather long ride and some time waiting for the correct bus.
We also tried a steak house, Gibsons (a short walk from our hotel, next to the Doubletree at Ohare); they have 2 other locations as well. It had amazingly huge and delicious beef steaks that they butcher themselves. The dessert was 1/4 of a HUGE carrot cake but cost $17! We could only manage to finish a very small portion of it and had the waiter take it in the back for the staff to share, promising not to waste it. H and I shared a 22 oz. steak. H said the Gibson he ordered was the equivalent of two or more, but it was very good. (It was $12.) The house salad that we had with the steak (also shared), was only $3 and was perfect as a 1/2 apiece. If we were staying anywhere around the area or knew people to share the carrot cake with, we could have had it boxed, but we were flying out the next day and didn’t want to deal wtih it.
If you don’t mind my asking, how were the campus visits? I hope they went well!
I was thinking about the OP this weekend, and hoping they weren’t intern yesterday for the nasty weather! Today has been much more cooperative.