zorg wrote: Fri May 31, 2024 9:43 amI actually choked a bit on my pizza puff when I heard that Berwyn was getting hipstery....fucking Berwyn. Christ, is nothing sacred?

Slowly but surely! Nitzer Ebb is playing Distro Music Hall on July 20. I don't understand it at all but I'll be there.

Berwyn runs on Son of Svengoolie puns.

Svengoolie lives around the corner from my uncle in Oak Park. I've seen him mowing his lawn before lol.

Berwyn seems to have been the next hipster hotspot for the last 10-15 years, but I don't think it's taken hold yet. Even Logan Square feels less hipstery than Wicker Park was back in the day. I was worried my dad's neighborhood (Wrightwood Pkwy / Kelvyn Park) might get encroached upon, but it's still solidly lower middle-class immigrants mostly.

You could argue that NYC is a better vacation city than Chicago because Manhattan is compact and walkable and easily navigable by train for the most part.

It's also an order of magnitude more hectic than Chicago, though, and it's not a better city overall.

Chicago rocks. It's got a lot of different facets, but it's definitely not overall-grim like Birmingham, fwiw.
And if you're here between now and mid-November, that's the time.

Public transportation is OK-ish if you're in what most people would consider the heart of town (east of Western from South Loop to Uptown).
The rest of the city has a ton to offer, but you can burn up a week staying within a mile of the lake, no problem.

I often say you can never wear Chicago out, but it very well may wear you out.
I don't begrudge anyone who finds that cities have gotten old. If it's just not something you can deal with, I get it.

The best big cities, in the US in particular, are what they are and always have been--big messy difficult wonderful beautiful fucked-up diverse places.
Living in a homogenous little town would drive me nuts at this point in my life.

Gramsci, you simply have to visit Calumet Fisheries. It's a must.

This is a fact though you have to drive there and it's not "by" anything other than the bridge that Jake and Elwood jumped in the Blues Brothers.
Best fried shrimp in the universe. This is one of the very best food towns in the world, maybe overall the best in the US.

I'm not living in the city anymore, but does anybody know how people get around these days? Uber? I rode the red-line recently and it was pretty sketch, with each train car reeking of either piss or smoke, and chock full of crazy people. Literally a crazy lady lit up and verbally assaulted two girls who were politely chatting FOR NO REASON. I'm sure I'm just getting old and soft, but I remember the CTA being just a little bit more civilized. On the other hand, I don't know what they do, but there is zero graffitti anywhere.

The red line has been like that as far as I remember (well that, plus stupidity around Cubs games). The blue line can be a mix of that and people just going to work or O'hare. The brown line is chill AF. Slow around river north, but a great scenic tour of the loop and north side.

The trains are mostly fine during main business hours but can be frustrating in non-peak hours. The busses are pretty much always frustrating.

zorg wrote: Fri May 31, 2024 2:25 pm I'm not living in the city anymore, but does anybody know how people get around these days? Uber? I rode the red-line recently and it was pretty sketch, with each train car reeking of either piss or smoke, and chock full of crazy people. Literally a crazy lady lit up and verbally assaulted two girls who were politely chatting FOR NO REASON. I'm sure I'm just getting old and soft, but I remember the CTA being just a little bit more civilized. On the other hand, I don't know what they do, but there is zero graffitti anywhere.

The same thing is happening with the Twin Cities' LRT.

Counterpoint: I found it extremely difficult to get a feel for this city as a visitor. For the first many visits I rarely even made it west of Ashland. If you've got a crew of locals to show you around and really, just hang out, you'll have a great visit. I like food, bike paths, public transit, generally don't give a fuck about museums. Food is alright here. Before COVID I would have said it was great. After 4 visits to Montreal in the last 18 months? It's...NOT GREAT if you're not interested in fussy/fine dining. Our public transit is absolutely abysmal considering how many people depend on it (and again...having visited MONTREAL 4 times in the last 18 months). Great bars...and somehow, terrible late night food options. Great tacos if you know where to go...but also a confusing number of mediocre/shitty taquerias. Try to get to a show at a small venue. And a street fair.

Edit: If you're a bike person, riding a Divvy from Edgewater to Calumet Fisheries on the lakefront path (weekday only) is a great way to spend a day. 40 miles round trip.

Jeff fox wrote: Our public transit is absolutely abysmal considering how many people depend on it

Agreed. I hate it. Read a thing the other day that had CTA pres Dorval Carter lashing out at his critics...

“As an African American man, this city has a history of attacking and trying to bring down their African American leaders. I know that because I’ve been here and I’ve seen it

The fuck, you ineffective leech? He needs to go, like, yesterday. What an embarrassment. Some nerve. If Mayor Johnson immediately got rid of him that would be the first radical action of his term. Screw that guy too. I'm turning into John Lydon. Riding the CTA is an endurance test on how much bullshit you can take with its runtimes, ghosting, and criminal element. During the day it's tolerable, but just barely. I'm almost positive you can jump the turnstiles and they wouldn't do anything.

This is a fact though you have to drive there and it's not "by" anything other than the bridge that Jake and Elwood jumped in the Blues Brothers.

True, but I know at least a couple of FMs who are itching to make a drive down there once it reopens. Gramsci should have no problem with friendly car-driving FMs and their willingness to help visiting FMs out. I've actually been thinking of hopping a train and a bus down south to Ricobene's and/or Lem's.

Zorg, I mistakenly thought you lived in Northern Europe. ha!

rsmurphy wrote: Fri May 31, 2024 3:42 pm Zorg, I mistakenly thought you lived in Northern Europe. ha!

Nice of you to notice. I did until recently.. ..once more into the fray, baby!

I grew up riding the purple line from Linden in Wilmette to Howard in Evanston and then switching to the red line to get into the city, before they even called them the purple and red lines. It has always been like that.

Waiting at Howard street station in the mid to late '80's for the red line to show up could be an adventure. It was like the gateway to Chicago for me. You knew you weren't in Wilmette anymore. Next stop Addison, or Belmont, or Fullerton, or Clark/Division, or Chicago, or the Loop. To be able to do that at that age was such freedom. Only as an adult do I realize how lucky I was to have a city like Chicago at my disposal as a teen. Not everyone had something like that. Those expeditions to the city were life shaping experiences. The shows I went to before I was even 18 because Chicago had and attracted such great underground bands. I fucking love that city from those years. I still love it but it was special in the 1980's. Much more gritty.