Okay Chicagoans and others. Is Chicago worth having on the itinerary of a US trip… my concern would be based on my experiences living in London… there’s no way you’d recommend a friend from overseas visit somewhere like Birmingham…

Basically what I’m trying to say is, is there enough in Chicago to enjoy after New York.

Please, no death threats, this isn’t instagram…

Gramsci wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 2:58 pm Okay Chicagoans and others. Is Chicago worth having on the itinerary of a US trip… my concern would be based on my experiences living in London… there’s no way you’d recommend a friend from overseas visit somewhere like Birmingham…

Basically what I’m trying to say is, is there enough in Chicago to enjoy after New York.

Please, no death threats, this isn’t instagram…

Yes.

Done

Of course! It's a cool enough place to visit for typical touristy stuff alone, plus there's always shows happening in the well-known indie rock spots worth checking out (Hideout, Empty Bottle) and of course you can get a tour of EA.

Where else are you planning to visit?

Wood Goblin wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 3:26 pm Where else are you planning to visit?

New York, maybe somewhere else we can get to by train… Philly? It’s crazy the US doesn’t have high speed rail. So I guess a flight from Philly to Chicago after.

If anyone has done an East Coast to Midwest trip let me know.

We also want to do the West Coast. But probably not this time.

Gramsci wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 3:07 pmDone

excellent keep us posted. Would be good to meet you

Gramsci wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 3:42 pm

Wood Goblin wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 3:26 pm Where else are you planning to visit?

New York, maybe somewhere else we can get to by train… Philly? It’s crazy the US doesn’t have high speed rail. So I guess a flight from Philly to Chicago after.

If anyone has done an East Coast to Midwest trip let me know.

We also want to do the West Coast. But probably not this time.

The drive from Pennsylvania to Chicago is kinda dull, so I’d go with a flight.

If you were hoping to squeeze in the west coast,
I would’ve recommended cutting one of NYC, Philly*, or Chicago from the itinerary. They’re all different, but they’re more like each other than any of them is like Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, or (puke) Vegas.

But going west also means wasting a lot of your trip in transit, so I think your plan is good.

*Technically, Ive been there, but only technically. Barely saw the city itself.

I far prefer Chicago to New York City but as a tourist destination, if you're looking for touristy things I'm not sure I would recommend it, especially depending on time of year. But I still love it, and the aforementioned venues are great. If you want to bar-hop and then it's the best city in America. Or if you like baseball, also great in Chicago because fuck the Yankees. If you come out west, come down to San Diego and see a home town team get your hopes up and dash them every time. But still, fuck the Dodgers.
If you do go to LA, do the touristy stuff there (there's great museums/galleries/food) and if you want beaches, or the zoo/park to take the kids to, come to San Diego for a day. Also better mexican food.

Wood Goblin wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 3:59 pm ...

If you were hoping to squeeze in the west coast,
I would’ve recommended cutting one of NYC, Philly*, or Chicago from the itinerary. They’re all different, but they’re more like each other than any of them is like Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, or (puke) Vegas.

But going west also means wasting a lot of your trip in transit, so I think your plan is good.

This is all correct. The west coast even from Chicago is far. 4-5 hour flights, 3 day train ride, or 3-4 day drive. Also once you are in the west the distances between places is greater too. Driving from LA to Portland would be at least 15 hours, for example. Then another 3-5 to Seattle. Whereas you can get from NYC to Philly in 2-3 hours.