chicago

[floridaorange]

Anything extraordinary lmk - headed there for our 12th wedding anniversary with some best friends.

cheers

[shoei]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

Anything extraordinary lmk - headed there for our 12th wedding anniversary with some best friends.

cheers

Paging wtwo3

[fiveohwblow]

Originally Posted by shoei

Paging wtwo3

For the record, wtwo3 is NOT the extraordinary item in Chicago.



FFS shoei get it together.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by fiveohwblow

For the record, wtwo3 is NOT the extraordinary item in Chicago.



FFS shoei get it together.

How do you know what they're into for their anniversary? Maybe they wanna spice it up a bit?!

Maybe you should take notes for your 12 year anniversary. If you even remember the date.

[fiveohwblow]

Originally Posted by shoei

How do you know what they're into for their anniversary? Maybe they wanna spice it up a bit?!

Maybe you should take notes for your 12 year anniversary. If you even remember the date.

Player it’s 20 year this year… don’t try and remove 8 years of misery from me and stop trying to project. I will not invite you to join the celebration despite your best efforts!

[shoei]

Originally Posted by fiveohwblow

Player it’s 20 year this year… don’t try and remove 8 years of misery from me and stop trying to project. I will not invite you to join the celebration despite your best efforts!

Jesus. Do we tell orange now or later that shits all downhill from here then?

[fiveohwblow]

Originally Posted by shoei

Jesus. Do we tell orange now or later that shits all downhill from here then?

Sometimes I just like to watch the world burn. I’ll let him figure it out

[Mosaud1998]

Boom: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti..._Illinois.html

[Tommy-G]

Wiener circle
Ed debevicks (sp?)

I haven’t been since 2010 so again I’m useless

[wooblewobble]

Lots of breweries in the "west Fulton market" area (not sure what it's called) and bars/restaurants in the West Loop. Garfield Park Conservatory. The architecture boat tour that is on that TripAdvisor list is worth it too. Beijing duck dinner at Sun Wah BBQ. A show at Second City. What kinds of things do you like to do?

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by wooblewobble

The architecture boat tour that is on that TripAdvisor list is worth it too.

Is that the one Vince Vaughn is the tour guide?

[wooblewobble]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

Is that the one Vince Vaughn is the tour guide?

Haha yes pretty much. Runs along the river like in that movie. There are a couple different companies that run the tours but I've only been on the ones run by the architecture foundation.

[Tuxedo]

Do your friends live in Chicago or the burbs?
You staying in a Chicago hotel or with the friends?

[M_Six]

If you're into cool architecture, the Holy Name Cathedral is worth a visit.

http://www.holynamecathedral.org/

Stunning interior.


Holy Name Cathedral by Mark Johnson, on Flickr


Holy Name Cathedral by Mark Johnson, on Flickr

[shoei]

Originally Posted by Tuxedo

Do your friends live in Chicago or the burbs?
You staying in a Chicago hotel or with the friends?

This the true question cuz lemme tell you, 'burb life ain't for me lol. A lot of good cuisine out in the burbs tho

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by fiveohwblow

For the record, wtwo3 is NOT the extraordinary item in Chicago.

Don't knock it till you try it.

[wtwo3]

Don't worry floridaorange , I'll fill you in on extraordinary stuff (besides me of course).

- If you're coming up here within the next several months it'll be pretty cold. If you happen to come up here and it's warm, the architectural boat tour is a great activity if it's not something you've done before. They also have night tours that travel through the Chicago river and end with a fireworks display. Make sure you catch the right day for that.

- There's touristy stuff like millenium park, the bean, grant park, buckingham fountain, etc. If you're into that sort of thing. They're cool to see if you've never seen them but I wouldn't call them "exraordinary"

- The Riverwalk has lots of great restaurants with great views.

- Michigan Ave for all your bougie shopping needs

- Navy Pier is a fun place. Great views of the skyline, nice boat tours - they also have dinner cruises that depart from there (book tickets in advance)

- For valentines day I took my then fiance on a helicopter tour of downtown Chicago which was pretty epic. You're basically flying right next to high rise buildings. Highly recommended.

- If you're into museums/art, the museum of contemporary art is pretty cool.

- For the absolute best view of the Chicago skyline, head to the adler planetarium. You can park your car on the street in front of the planetarium and just hop out onto the field for a great view.

Restaurants to consider:

- If you want a truly extraordinary dinner experience fit for an anniversary, Alinea is one of only 14 restaurants in the country that have 3 michelin stars. It's pricey ($250/person BEFORE any alcohol), and you'll have to book well in advance. But it's a super unique 3 hour dinner experience.
- 7 gates in Countryside. Excellent Syrian food - shoei recently had some so he can vouch for this place
- Pequods Pizza - IMO the best pizza in Chicago
- Yuzu Sushi - Sushi with incredible presentation and tastes great too
- Au Cheval - One of the best burgers in Chicago
- Ming Hin Cuisine - My favorite spot for dim sum
- Golden Bull - Awesome Chinese food
- Joy Yee - Huge bubble tea menu

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Don't worry floridaorange

- For the absolute best view of the Chicago skyline, head to the adler planetarium. You can park your car on the street in front of the planetarium and just hop out onto the field for a great view.

To wit:

[translux]

Note: I haven’t been out in any real way for more than a year to not sure how COVID has impacted things.

Dinning:
Girl & the Goat-exceptional dinning experience. Reservations will be tough.
https://girlandthegoat.com/chicago

Topolobampo- the tasting menu is fantastic.
https://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/topolobampo/

Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse-old school Chicago, lots of fun for out of towers.
https://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com/

Breakfast or Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula-one of my favorite hotels in the world.
https://www.peninsula.com/en/chicago...-afternoon-tea

Nightlife:

Smart Bar-always have had a great time here. Can be a bit out there but everyone is very cool. Doesn’t start rolling until around 1 a.m.
https://www.smartbarchicago.com/

Spybar-great deep, underground techno. A little earlier than Smartbar maybe midnight.
https://www.spybarchicago.com/

Delilah's-great laidback atmosphere and excellent selection of whisky.
http://www.delilahschicago.com/

Redhead Piano Bar-sure it’s tourist row but it’s a blast. You never know who will show up. Many years ago we closed the place with Billy Joel.
https://redheadpianobar.com/

Green Mill-great jazz bar, used in several movies most notably the Thief with James Cann
https://greenmilljazz.com/

Pops for Champagne-excellent Champagne bar
https://www.popsforchampagne.com/

[Tuxedo]

great suggestions so far, add another of the finest but hard to get into Bavettes

touristic but a must 96th Signature lounge at The Hancock, especially at sunset

Tour not yet suggested is the Gangster Tour

[translux]

Originally Posted by Tuxedo

great suggestions so far, add another of the finest but hard to get into Bavettes

touristic but a must 96th Signature lounge at The Hancock, especially at sunset

Tour not yet suggested is the Gangster Tour

DIY gangster tour-hit Garfield Park, Englewood, Washington Park and Riverdale. Only downside is you probably won’t get past Garfield.
All joking aside stay north of I-55 and east of Damon Ave. and you’ll be fine.

[floridaorange]

We are all 4 staying in an air bnb 2319 N California Ave, Chicago, IL, my friends wife picked the place.

wtwo3

For san diego I'll give you some more ideas, I lived there for 10 yrs:

Bali Hai https://www.balihairestaurant.com/ Go at night. Beautiful views, legendary mai tai's

Best fish tacos you'll ever eat - https://southbeachob.com/ - very very laid back place.

Glider Port - 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037 - Just go there to chill and take in the view.

Point Loma - You can put Point Loma Nazarene University into your GPS and cruise through Point Loma and stop along the way, I suggest early morning or sunset.

San Clemente - This is about an hour north of downtown San Diego, it's a different city, it's got it's own thing going on, a nice break from big city san diego, more quaint and chill, worth checking out, having lunch and just walking to the beach.

Grand View - Grandview Beach, Encinitas, CA - Great place to chill - great place to surf, won't be crowded unless it's the weekend.

Wind & Sea Beach - walk south and jump off small cliffs/rocks into the ocean.

Born & Raised - the restaurant your lady will love you for taking her to.

Don Bravo - go for the best california burrito, then walk down to beach, get your stools outside - have your friend hold them for you while you order.

Thank you all for the ideas!