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El Protoolio wrote:

Marsupialized wrote:If you are a fucking momo and go to the taste when it's at it's most crowded, I don't know what to tell you. Yeah that would suck. Worse than most things I can imagine.
There are plenty of hours to visit the taste where it's not that crowded or hot, go in the weekday evenings and it's a really fantastic time. I look forward to it every year.

Someone said the locals don't go to the taste. Yes, those 3 1/2 MILLION people who go every year are all from Indiana, right?

Yeah either that or the suburbs. Or Ireland.

Indiana is a suburb

The Taste is too expensive, and none of the vendors are on point because they have to prep the food portable-style and serve it to hordes of sweaty fools. If the portions were actually tasting-size, then I could see how it would be worthwhile, because then you could try a variety of different items. Instead, you are mostly stuck with full-size portions, and if you want to try many items, you're going to throw a lot of food in the trash.

I would say that our two most notable street foods are the Chicago-style hot dog, and the Italian beef sandwich with gardinera. There are loads of good restaurants here, but as far as things that you would want to eat while standing up at the Taste, those are the main two items. Anything else you could eat there, you would be better off eating in a restaurant.

If it's convenient, or you are in the mood for some festival atmosphere, then by all means, do it. But don't do it for the food.

Edit for non-Taste-related Chicago items. In my mind, these some iconic Chicago activities:
Architecture in the Loop
Art Institute
Grant Park
Mexican culture in Logan Square and/or Pilsen
Chinese food at one of the good restaurants in Chinatown (do research)
Given the weak dollar, maybe try record shopping at Dusty Groove (soul, jazz), Jazz Record Mart, or elsewhere (for rock, the Reckless Records in the Loop is not the best, but surprisingly good given its central location).
There is obviously a lot that I'm leaving out... Some really incredible stuff is a bit further afield and if you have really specific interests, you may want to rent a car. Chicago is a rangy beast, and the CTA, while OK for what it is, doesn't offer complete coverage.

thanks Duders!
plenty to chew on there...
also if one was wanting to bring home a guitar of the jazzmaster variety where would be the best place to get one?
Grassyarse!

My recommendations for your visit:

Swim in the lake, or at least see it.
Museum of Surgical Instruments
Rent a gold stretch hummer and drive it through the ghetto
McDonald's Dollar-Menunnaire
Go to Damen/Milwaukee, one of those places will have a rock show you will want to see (the note, subt, double door..)
Dave's records on broadway? I think? near diversey...
Indian food like crazy on Devon by Western

I was kidding with the Irish jokes, you are welcome to stay by my pad a night or two man. Save some cash. I live right there by subterranean and the note and reckless and a whole bunch of other little shops and food and whatnot. You are more than welcome, I feed my guests pretty well also.

bassman wrote: also if one was wanting to bring home a guitar of the jazzmaster variety where would be the best place to get one?

two places in chicago probably worth checking out are:

Midwest Buy & Sell- This place has lots of reasonably priced gear

Chicago Music Exchange- This place is more like a vintage guitar museum, everything is at rock star prices, but a nice place to browse and drool. more likely to have a jazzmaster here

cheers

Double-check Hot Doug's web site (http://www.hotdougs.com) before planning a trip there around any major holiday. He will almost certainly be closed that weekend, if not the entire following week.

Another place to hit up for some sweet vintage gear is RocknRoll Vintage. Rich from Bear Claw works there.

tbone wrote:Double-check Hot Doug's web site (http://www.hotdougs.com) before planning a trip there around any major holiday. He will almost certainly be closed that weekend, if not the entire following week.

Great tip tbone, I hadn't even thought about that. He was closed the whole time during the Touch and Go festival so a lot of EA tourists missed out. I got so used to being able to go pretty much every week that I forgot he closes for two weeks at a time sometimes.

A friend of my wanted to visit that museum with the captured German submarine. He had to go all the way through Gangland to get there. He ended up in the hotelbar shaking like a little baby.

yeah the museum is pretty far from any sort of shit