I never understood the crowds waiting out the door at Garretts, but I'm not much for popcorn.

Living in SF does make me miss Lou Malnati's though (and shipping a pizza is just insane!).

-Shannon

And for those who end up in the Midwest only for the Notre Dame Home Games,
if one donates $1,000 to the Indiana University School of Medicine South Bend ([email protected]) then one has the ability to purchase a full season of Notre Dame Home Football Game Parking for $245 (yes, total $1245) for the home season. Parking @ Raclin-Carmichael Hall corner of Angela and Notre Dame Avenues.

Fall in the midwest is pretty.

I don't get it. I thought it was generally assumed that the 10 things were "good" or "fun!" How is $1245 to park your car for 5? Saturdays something "to do?" Now, if you had said buy a season of ND football tickets, I might have understood (or might have understood why some people would think it's a cool thing to do).

OTOH, it's pretty clever of IU to rip off ND fans!

P.S. Thanks for digging up this thread - it ought to be bumped occasionally. It contains some good information for visitors! ^

My aunt was just in town for a visit, and we took the Architectural Foundation's river tour, which I'd never done before (though I'd certainly suggested it to a lot of people and seen the WTTW documentary version). I'd highly recommend it to people. The guide spoke nonstop for 90 minutes. The boat started at Michigan & Wacker, traveled to Chicago Ave. (on the north), south of Congress (on the south), then came back to Navy Pier before docking. I'd boated up and down the river in the past, so I was amazed at how much distance we covered and how much I learned. It was very impressive.

Thank you so much for the above post chgoeditor-I was just about to ask "best river tour?"and a search brought this old thread up.
I hope this is still in operation(going to Chicago for the first time at the end of September)Anybody have a website?

Chicago Architecture Foundation: www.architecture.org

Thank you

I know, I know, he was mostly in Oak Park, but they could've put something of Frank Lloyd Wright's on the list.

As far as pizza goes, my in-laws from Chicagoland always insist on going to the original Home Run Inn on west 31st across from Piotrowski Park.

Attend an open-air concert at the Pritzker Pavillion in Millenium Park to listen to the 85-piece symphony orchestra play under the stars and moon while a refreshing lake breeze blows away your cares!!!!!! (note: do NOT try this in February!) LOL

When I saw the thread title, I thought it would be something like this:

1. Spend the night at 26th and California
2. Cross the Dan Ryan on foot.
3. Walk the length of Indiana Blvd. at night.
4. Take a tour of Bridgeport bars wearing a Cubs t-shirt and pink shoes.
5. Shoplift from the tables at Maxwell St. (ok, the new fake Maxwell St. will do)
6. Go streaking through Terminal 1 security.
7. TP da mayor's house.
8. Speed through the speed trap on LSD near McCormick Place, then try to go the width of the city on Lake St. without getting stopped.
9. Cross from one platform to another at the State St. subway platform by running across the tracks, during rush hour.
10. Eat steak tartare with mayo at Macy's downtown restaurant.

This is top ten things to do before you die, not the LAST thing to do before you die or ten things to to WHILE dying.

ILUVPARIS--I have done #2 on your list. Of course, I crossed the "Dangerous Dan" on foot before it opened to traffic.

Even I wouldn't try it now.

By the way, I don't know of any real Chicagoians who admit that Macy's exists. Perhaps you are thinking of Marshall Fields?

Well, it's not my list, it's Gargoyle's, but (I think) he was making reference to the city health dept. closing down MACY'S food court recently.

LOL Gargoyle! I've crossed the Dan Ryan on foot, but it's pretty safe to do at the UIC bridge.

I have to second the architecture foundation tours and Garrett's popcorn. I worked in the Dirksen building for three years and had to actively exercise my willpower twice a day, every day, when I came out of the subway in front of the Jackson location. The aroma of that caramel in the winter...

I'd also put the Museum of Science and Industry on the list. Generations of Chicago visitors remember seeing the coal mine, the U-505 submarine, walking through the human heart, etc.

Saw the new exhibit a few months back. *Very* cool.