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Landing at MDW at rush hour, picking up rental car: how/where would you kill time?

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Old Jul 30, 2015, 4:36 pm
  #1  
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Landing at MDW at rush hour, picking up rental car: how/where would you kill time?

A week from tomorrow, I'll be landing at MDW at 4:30. Picking up a rental car, probably around 5PM...driving to Glenview, IL. I know...lousy scenario...but that's the only flight we could get and we need the car for this trip.

Checking Google Maps right now, it would be well over an hour and ten minutes to drive 22 miles at this hour of the day. We don't have any real urgency to get to Glenview by any particular time, so what would you recommend doing? Getting an early dinner nearby, killing time somewhere, remaining at Midway for a while, or just jumping into traffic and slowly slogging our way up Cicero towards Glenview? (Yes, Google says to stay on Cicero most of the way there.)

I realize it's the southside and all... Any charm or interest whatsoever down there? Decent local diner or dive? (The White Sox are out of town, not that I find that team remotely charming...)
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Old Jul 30, 2015, 6:37 pm
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Go to:
Calumet Fisheries;
Birrieria Zaragoza, and have some goat tacos;
Top-Notch Beefburgers, for a burger.
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Old Jul 31, 2015, 12:27 am
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I agree. Take a dinner stop and the traffic should clear up by then. In addition to the suggestions above, you can also consider Chinatown, Nuevo Leon (Mexican), UIC area, etc. Or just consult Yelp.
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Old Jul 31, 2015, 7:21 am
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Thanks! The Birrieria Zaragoza idea sounds interesting.
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Old Jul 31, 2015, 8:17 am
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Are you closer to 94 or 294 in Glenview (ie east or west)?

If west, go south on the Stevenson (55) to north on the Tri-State (294). The traffic on the Tri-State in afternoon rush is mostly south, so you'll be against it. It'll get clogged by ORD, but otherwise north is generally clear.

The problem with going anywhere in the city is that the traffic on the Kennedy (90/94) and Edens (94) usually stays bad later. Add to it, the Cubs have a 3:05 game (if I'm reading correctly you're talking about the 7th), so if you stop for dinner, you'll be done just in time for that traffic to add to your woes.

Is there a show or a movie you want to see? Dinner plus that might be a good option to kill a lot of time and not be heading to Glenview until after 9 when the traffic may finally settle down.
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Old Jul 31, 2015, 10:48 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by pinniped
Thanks! The Birrieria Zaragoza idea sounds interesting.
It is pretty much just goat and worth a trip.
http://www.birrieriazaragoza.com/
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Old Jul 31, 2015, 10:52 am
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I mean, if it's the Top Taco in Illinois I gotta try it, right?

My end destination is roughly halfway between 294 and 94...kind of near the Amtrak station in Glenview. I'll keep glg's advice in mind if we get on a highway. I figured the Cubs were probably there since we're going to the Cubs on Sunday.
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Old Aug 1, 2015, 5:39 pm
  #8  
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Giordano's pizza at 63rd and Cicero.

5 Rabbit brewery not far away has a taproom open on the weekend. Some interesting beers. http://www.5rabbitbrewery.com

Second the recommendation for Calumet Fisheries. Check the hours.

Going N on Cicero is doable, but you are going to be hitting the brakes A LOT. Back in the mid-90s just after we moved here I dropped wife at ORD and was heading home to the south side (Hyde Park), somehow without a map and not really knowing my way. Saw the sign for Cicero and thought, "Hey, I know Cicero. I'll just take that." I think I wore out the brakes on the car that day.

Last edited by toomanybooks; Aug 1, 2015 at 6:25 pm
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