>>2861553
Hang out with Thomas777. Unless you weren't built for that and you aren't even in the game.

>>2861553
Where will you be staying? When you exclude all the "diverse" neighborhoods it's not that big of a city but no pizza is going to be worth a 45 train ride. Also don't fall for the deep dish meme people rarely eat that shit and you have to get it in the restaurant or it will become a sweaty mess.

Any good rock bars or any other cool bar/restaurant, museum or arcade recommendations? I'd like to try out the broadway scene as well at some point.

The biggest local chains for Traditional Deep Dish are Lou Malnati's, Gino's East, and Pizzeria Uno. Giordano's is also a popular chain, but it's technically a "stuffed" deep dish pizza.

But depending on what part of Chicago you're in, there's better Mom and Pop pizza shops that locals can direct you to. If anyone on the north side suggests Oven Grinders, that's actually a "Pizza Pot Pie" and isn't really pizza.

Tavern Style Pizza is also a Chicago thing, but it's the same thin crust pizza they sell everywhere else in America. The only difference is that it's cut into small squares for little kids that can't finish an entire pizza slice.

But fair warning, Downtown Chicago is for bankers and tourists. The museums and parks are fun, but the rest is mostly tourist traps and chain restaurants. Everything downtown Chicago closes EARLY, especially on the weekend.

>>2862114
>it's the same thin crust pizza they sell everywhere else in America.
I can't tell if you've never been outside of Chicago or if you've never been to Chicago.

Chicago pizza sucks and takes 45 minutes. Just go to Portillo’s.

>>2861553
I really liked the Museum of Science and Industry as a kid, haven't been back since tho
Shedd's cool too

>>2862232
I travel all the time for work. I can find good thin crust pizza practically anywhere, even in southern states. But finding Chicago deep dish is impossible outside of the Greater Chicago Region. The rest of the world thinks deep dish is just a normal pizza with extra dough.

If someone's traveling all the way to Chicago for pizza, they're usually looking for deep dish.

>>2861553
Get a burger at Au Cheval. Put your name in...might be a wait. Get drunk at a bar next door...go back and eat when you get a text your table is ready. For pizza stick to Lou's, Burt's, or Pequod’s...theres better but not worth the hassle to get to

>>2861553
Deep Dish
>Burt's
>Pequod's
>Lou Malnati's

Tavern style (thin crust)
>Vito & Nick's
>Phil's
>Italian Fiesta

>>2861998
portillo is a fun place to stop by. there are also specialty hot dog places that are even better but not as fun

>>2862404
>they're usually looking for deep dish.
you can just get that at pizza hut, can't you?

>>2864636
In what fever dream can you get Deep Dish at ANY Pizza Hut?

Pizza Hut is just commercialized New York Thin Crust Pizza. Even when Pizza Hut did sell a "deep dish" in Chicago in the 1990s, it was just a thin crust with extra dough. Little Caesars did the same thing with their "Bigfoot Pizza".

Don't get me wrong, there is "Detroit Style" deep dish that you can get across the Midwest, but that's not the same thing.

Chicago Tavern Style is fun for birthday parties, but it's not the pizza that people visit Chicago for. You can order thin crust pizza anywhere in America and ask them to cut it into squares. You cannot get Chicago Deep Dish anywhere outside of the Greater Chicago Region. I've eaten at Pizza restaurants outside of the Midwest that advertised "Chicago Style" pizza, and even had the Chicago Flag in their parking lot. But their "Chicago Deep Dish" was just normal pizza with extra dough. I wouldn't have even called it Detroit Style, just normal pizza with more bread.

If you live in Chicago and enjoy thin crust pizza, that's fine. But Chicago Tavern Style is just the same thin crust pizza you can buy in any major city, but cut into squares.

If I had a friend from Thailand that was visiting Chicago, I might get Tavern Style for them. But for anyone else, it's Deep Dish 100%.

>>2864658
Why not both? Isnt frozen deep dish available somehow?

>>2864658
If you think Chicago thin crust pizza has no unique features besides being cut "into squares" then you have never actually eaten one and should shut the fuck up already

Should I see a white socks or a cubs match over there?

Feel like the real no bandwagon experience would be at a socks game, but a cubs match might give me a chance to see a win.

>>2867968
Wrigley is a better and more historic park and easier to get to and from but if Comisky is like it was when I was a kid you get the surreal experience of safely walking through the south side Chicago housing projects. It's a very uniquely Chicago experience.

>>2861553
>>2862246
Portillos is worth checking out, but don't skip pizza. The stuffed pizzas are good, but kind of a meme. We have even better thin crusts here. Just google "pizza near me" in any suburb, pick something with 4 or more stars, and you can't go wrong. From what I've found traveling almost every state and a bunch of countries is our basic hole in the wall thin crust pizza is like 500x better than anything you'd get anywhere else in the world.

I'm going to Chicago for the first time ever next month. In fact, it's going to be my first time ever being in a city of more than 100k people and my first time flying in 20 years. What's the consensus on day drinking there? I think this might be my final hurrah before the Lord finally takes me so I want to have fun and get fucked up.

so im looking for restaurant recommendations in Chicago

Im looking for the high tier stuff, the kind where they don't put the price on the menu. What's the biggest suggestion?

>>2861553
The museums are all top tier. Pick your interest and delve into science or art or architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright and Tiffany lamps are there. Early "skyscrapers" out of brick and so forth.

Berghoff german food is pretty delicious, and one of the oldest. I always hit them up. If you haven't been to Europe, you'll find russian food, polish food and other euro foods.
If you get Chicago pizza, there are 3-4 brands, but be sure to order _sausage_ variety deep pizza. I like Lou Malnati's.
The chicago beef with sweet peppers and maxwell street sausage has a few faves. I'm fine with all of them, but usually go to Al's or Portillos.
If you are a food tv fan all these years, you have homeboy Mexican style chef Rick Bayliss. I love him so much I made my flight crew jealous picking up some more guac and chips for my trip home last time.
A ton of good steakhouses!

>>2871033
If you want the touristy deep dish just go with Portillo's. If you want actually good pizza then book a trip to NYC instead kek.

Downtown is lowkey not the best for food, but there are good spots for Italian, steakhouses, etc (though as a vegan I prefer you didn't go to a steakhouse but whatever). Now if you want to eat GOOD and budget isn't a concern, go to a Michelin star. I'm big fan of Indienne and Bayan Ko; you can probably find more through googling. Just make sure to book in advance. And honestly there are a lot of great restaurants in this city, I just recommend expanding your search to outside of downtown, don't be afraid to venture out.

>>2867968
yeah go for either, it's a good vibe. Wrigley is definitely worth visiting for the historical stadium and you get a beautiful view of the lake if you sit facing east. But it'll be more expensive and the vibes aren't as laid back as a Sox game. And supposedly the Sox stadium has better food - not to mention that Chinatown is nearby and is worth visiting.

>>2870673
Day drinking is totally fine, very normal during weekends/holidays.

Gonna continue in the next post regarding things to do for tourists

Museums I'd recommend are the Art Institute and the Museum of Science (albeit skippable since it's a bit of a drive); I also like the History museum and the museum of contemporary art.

If the weather is good, I highly recommend an architecture boat tour, literally everyone (including me) is a fan of those (there are also walking tours which are also good). If the weather is good, rent a divvy and bike on the lake trail - it's literally peak human existence on a nice spring/summer day.

Chinatown is also really cool with top tier food. Honestly I just recommend exploring the city - pick somewhere that looks cool to you and walk/bike/take the L over there and just explore. That's how I first fell in love with the city.

There's also the Chicago Botanical Gardens which are gorgeous but you have to drive out there. Also honorable mention to the Garfield Park Conservatory but that's really more of a place to go to escape winter lol.

Last but not least, I recommend the cloudbar at 360, it's touristy but the views are breathtaking.

>>2861553
Almost any of the major pizza places are going to be good. I'd suggest the original Uno's or Due's (AFAIK the original family still owns both of those and they are, or were, much better than the nationwide chain locations they rented the name out to). If you're on the north side, hit the original Lou Malnati's in Lincolnwood (just barely over the border from Chicongo on Lincoln Avenue). A lot of people are stuck on Pequod's but I haven't eaten there in 30 years. Giordano's is ok, not as good as before the bankruptcy (2009, the family who owned it were heavily invested in Florida real estate). Edwardo's if you want a stuffed spinach pizza, Nancy's if you want something off the beaten path.

If you want a seriously niche choice, try Burt's Place in Morton Grove. You'll need a rental car to get there as there are no good public transportation options. Burt Levin practically invented the deep-dish Chicago pizza. He died maybe ten or so years ago. I have absolutely no idea if the new ownership has kept up his standards.

Other good restaurants: Pita Inn (four locations, I think).

>>2862232
He's not wrong. "Tavern style" is just your basic-bitch thin crust pizza. While every restaurant has slight differences (or not, if they're just buying Sysco) in crust, cheese, sauce, toppings, oven time, whatever, there's nothing that significantly differentiates it from any other basic-bitch thin crust.

>>2864519
Fox's Tavern has decent thin crust.

>>2864586
Yuck. There is absolutely nothing special about Portillo's. It's just a private equity company that bought a generic hot dog stand and marketed the hell out of it. It could have just as easily been Paradise Pup or any of a thousand other hot dog vendors.

>>2866869
Put up or shut up: name the "unique features". Does it have snails in the sauce for extra umami? No? Is the dough kneaded by Tibetan monks? No? Ok, stop playing "I know more than you do" and tell us what's special about it that you made up.

>>2861553
>Also, any other things you would recommend for fun?
As far as this part, try the Sears Tower observation deck, or maybe the Hancock obs deck.

IDK if they're open at this time of year but there are "architecture cruises" that take you out on the lake in a midsized boat and point out the various skyscrapers that Skidmore Owings and Merrill designed. You can drive out to Oak Park (I think) and take a walking tour of the various Frank Lloyd Wright houses -- they look good and have some nice design features for their era. A good tour guide will also point out the mistakes and why the homes are shitty to live in.

The museums already got a mention.

You can also go to the "Magnificent Mile" and poke around doing high-end shopping. Beware of feral niggers robbing tourists, but they mostly do that in summertime. Just don't go at night, this is a daylight-ONLY activity.

If you're not from Illinois, do be aware that your CCW permit isn't recognized. If you get into a shooting altercation, run away and don't let Kim Foxx fuck you over.

>>2872490
Pita Inn is fire. There also great middle eastern restaurants in Albany Park: Libinais, Kabobi, Noon O' Kebab... fuck I'm craving some falafel now

>>2862232
>>2866869
My dude, the "Chicago thin-crust tavern pizza" is literally no different from Red Baron frozen pizza that you can buy at Wal-Mart and cut into squares in the comfort of your own kitchen. In fact I would be surprised if that isn't exactly what these "muh super secret ressipee!" thin-crust places use, just buy Red Baron and bake it and chop it up, don't even have to deal with Sysco that way.

How likely am I to be robbed in the Ohare area?

>>2873539
Not very. You might run into gypsy pickpockets at the airport itself, but the surrounding suburbs are white and upper-middle-class.

I'm going to Chicago in three weeks. This is the first time in my life, as a 31-year-old, that's I've ever been to a city where more than 100,000 people lived. It's only the second time I've flown in my life. What am I in for? Do you think I'm going to break down or be enlightened? I only have experienced suburban and rural social dynamics. Any tips?

>>2862114
For the North side, gotta do Pequod's for pizza if youve never had it.

>>2873539
>the Ohare area?
no reason to be there except to use the airport

>>2870673
go day drink at rossi's (dive) and mother hubbards (sports bar) in river north and then eat some burgers at billy goat

>>2872493
>try the Sears Tower observation deck
i did this a long time ago fresh out of college and it was all chinese people. i was the only person from the US. it was a fun experience seeing foreign tourists for the first time

>>2873842
>Any tips?
do not respond to people on the street asking you things, no matter how polite they are. at the best just say "sorry, no" but really just keep it moving

Anyone ever been to G-Fest?
Was thinking of going this year and seeing Chicago in the meantime, but I'd really only have 2 days, one for the convention, and one to do anything else. Idk if it's worth it (I'd have to fly about 2 hours, ~$400 for ticket)