Who knows Chicago?

[fredtoast]

Taking my daughter to the Pitchfork Music Festival. It is in Union Park which appears to be near the middle of the city.

Wondering where would be the closest are that I could find a reasonable hotel/motel.

The only time I was ever in Chicago I was visiting a guy who lived there. He drove everywhere and I never had any idea where we were.

[masonbengals fan]

Hyatt House is close. Hit up Lou Malnati's on the way.

[samhain]

I went to Pitchfork in 09. Not sure about what was in the neighborhood as I didn't stay near the fest. Your best bet might be to stay wherever you like in the city and get an Uber to Union Park. IIRC it was close to the United Center or whatever they call it now. Also went to Riot Fest in Humboldt Park a few years ago and did the same thing. Parking near both wasn't great and getting out in those particular neighborhoods after dark might not make you feel overly comfortable, although I don't think Union park is as sketchy as Humboldt.

Uber is a real advantage in any unfamiliar city when parking sucks and you're not close enough to walk.

[fredtoast]

There is no parking at the venue (Union Park), but the bus line runs there.

Decided to just get a cheap reasonable room and not worry about being close to the festival.

[BengalHawk62]

There's a huge LGBTQ neighborhood up by Wrigley.  

[jfkbengals]

I don't know them personally, but I know they wrote their best stuff as Chicago Transit Authority!

[*bfine32*]

(09-03-2021, 04:27 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: There's a huge LGBTQ neighborhood up by Wrigley.  

Is that the neighborhood just off the biway? 

[grampahol]

(09-03-2021, 12:47 PM)fredtoast Wrote: There is no parking at the venue (Union Park), but the bus line runs there.

Decided to just get a cheap reasonable room and not worry about being close to the festival.

Beware of hitch hikers in the form of blood sucking crawling bugs at a cheap hotel/motel. Wash every article of your clothing take a shower immediately upon arriving back home and maybe even fumagate any luggage for good measure...that is of course unless you actually want those blood suckers in your furniture and everything else you have in your house..

[SladeX]

If your hotel is near the el/subway, you could take a red line train to Wrigley (Addison is the stop) and watch a game. Great place to see a game, and the El is the best way to get there.
Also hard to beat the food, great Chinese, Greek, Italian, Steaks (Kedzie chophouse), pizza of course... . It's pretty difficult to go wrong.

[BengalHawk62]

(09-03-2021, 11:11 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Is that the neighborhood just off the biway? 

I see what you did there.


Nicely played.

[fredtoast]

Actually got a room at the Hampton right in the middle of downtown.

Had a great time. Watched most of the game at a good Cuban restaurant (Havana) that just happened to have a TV over the bar. It was just a block from the hotel.

My daughter was too tired from the festival to do a lot of sightseeing, so we just did a driving tour of a few sights. The Navy Pier was just a efw blocks away. Drove up north to Wrigley. Went to Millenium Park to see the giant Bean.

Interesting side note. On the way through Indiana on I-65 we drove through one of the largest wind farms in the world. There were windmills from horizon to horizon. Hundreds of them.

[Sled21]

(09-03-2021, 08:12 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: I don't know them personally, but I know they wrote their best stuff as Chicago Transit Authority!

There will never be another Terry Kath.

[BengalHawk62]

(09-19-2021, 11:08 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Interesting side note.  On the way through Indiana on I-65 we drove through one of the largest wind farms in the world.  There were windmills from horizon to horizon.  Hundreds of them.

You should come thru Iowa sometime.  We have 100's of them here too.  All over the place.  

[WeezyBengal]

(09-19-2021, 11:08 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Actually got a room at the Hampton right in the middle of downtown.

Had a great time.  Watched most of the game at a good Cuban restaurant (Havana) that just happened to have a TV over the bar.  It was just a block from the hotel.

My daughter was too tired from the festival to do a lot of sightseeing, so we just did a driving tour of a few sights.  The Navy Pier was just a efw blocks away.  Drove up north to Wrigley.  Went to Millenium Park to see the giant Bean.

Interesting side note.  On the way through Indiana on I-65 we drove through one of the largest wind farms in the world.  There were windmills from horizon to horizon.  Hundreds of them.

That's the (only) interesting thing on that drive. It sucks. 

[Benton]

We've gone a few times in the last few years. We always stay in the burbs and just take the commuter trains in. The burbs are nice, easy to drive around and there's plenty of transit stops. The trains run to the same place downtown, whete there's always plenty of taxis/Ubers.

[Bengalzona]

Chicago?

I know "Saturday in the Park", "25 or 6 to 4", "Old Days", and a few others.

[MileHighGrowler]

(09-19-2021, 11:40 AM)Sled21 Wrote: There will never be another Terry Kath.

Terry was (and honestly still is) so underrated, what a musical hero.  There was a documentary his daughter did about him that's totally worth watching (I love that it was all about Terry and not just the band, although there's a good documentary about the full band I saw a few years ago).  Link below if you're interested! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7egJTtz10E&ab_channel=YouTubeMovies

[HarleyDog]

(09-19-2021, 11:08 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Interesting side note.  On the way through Indiana on I-65 we drove through one of the largest wind farms in the world.  There were windmills from horizon to horizon.  Hundreds of them.

There are several windfarms around my area. We hate them. Really destroys the natural beauty of the Indiana scenery and turns it into an industrial look. Very invasive and depressing. Unfortunately they still keep coming.

[MileHighGrowler]

(09-22-2021, 07:57 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: There are several windfarms around my area. We hate them. Really destroys the natural beauty of the Indiana scenery and turns it into an industrial look. Very invasive and depressing. Unfortunately they still keep coming.

Don't want this to venture down the P&R path, but I hate wind farms.  Even the Department of Energy has cited them as potential "aesthetic pollution", which I find to be the case in many places with them.  Also knowing some people working in the energy field, despite their relatively low cost, they are under nearly constant repair so a lot of efficiency is lost.  I don't know the accuracy of that statement, but considering how much space they take up, the way they're visible for mile after mile and their impact on the local ecosystem as well, I just don't like them, and think we can come up with better ways to keep the lights on.

[Tiger Teeth]

(08-31-2021, 12:13 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Taking my daughter to the Pitchfork Music Festival.  It is in Union Park which appears to be near the middle of the city.  

Wondering where would be the closest are that I could find a reasonable hotel/motel.

The only time I was ever in Chicago I was visiting a guy who lived there.  He drove everywhere and I never had any idea where we were.

Check out these dudes while in town fred.