Support NeoGAF

[Sai-kun]

You're crazy! It'll be 95º+ with the humidity. My feet would burn on the sand.

Can't wait for it to cool down tomorrow.

I ended up going around 3:30 and it was perfect 🤤 Just the right amount of cloud coverage to get breaks from the heat and stuff. The water was fucking freezing though lmao so my ass touched it once and ran back to my blanket.

Fingers crossed for more beach days next year!!!

 

[toadsworth]

Uber sucks I only take it when I'm wasted and other people call it.

Also Huntington Pavillion was a massive disappointment, the sound sucks and the beer was like $15 and everyone around me was talking never going to a concert there again

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I haven't been able to drive lately, and was using Uber but I've switched to Curb.

 

[RumblingRosco]

-

 

[Viewt]

Dat fall weather 😍

So long, summer. No one will miss you.

Don't get too used to it. The weather forecast has us back in the 80s by Monday.

 

[Laevateinn]

I'm in Texas for work missing the cool weather

 

[ToD_]

I generally only take an Uber/Lyft when I'm out late somewhere for drinks and public transport is not an option (or super inconvenient). So probably about twice a month. Can't say I've had any real issues yet. Once I had to literally guide the guy to the destination, but there are many more instances where the driver is really pleasant and gets me home fast.

Last weekend, however, I hopped in an Uber a friend grabbed and it was all kinds of weird. This driver started talking about how his girlfriend's mother just moved in with him and his girlfriend, and that he was having sex with both of them without them knowing about it. He seemed to take pride in it and said some other weird things. We were squished in this car with a group of 4, and our somewhat intoxicated selves couldn't help but be amazed, disgusted and amused. It was like a live broadcast of Jerry Springer/Maury taking place in the car.

 

[Sai-kun]

Don't get too used to it. The weather forecast has us back in the 80s by Monday.

p r a i s e t h e s u n

i'm protesting this weather by still wearing shorts *sneezes*

 

[Jugendstil]

I don't own a car, so Lyft and Uber have been a huge help for me in certain circumstances, but some of the drivers are definitely not qualified to be navigating the city. I had one driver ask where Lake Shore Drive was (we were in the loop) and another driver get on I-90 going south from downtown when I was trying to get to Uptown. When I told him where to go, his response was "Oh... that's like... north of Lincoln Park?" Why would you start driving for one of these services when you have never driven in the city before? So stupid. Go look at a map!

 

[The Technomancer]

speaking of lincoln square why is it seemingly impossible to get a good deli sandwich around here? I can't throw a brick without hitting a Thai place or a good taqueria but I can't get a turkey and swiss on rye?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

speaking of lincoln square why is it seemingly impossible to get a good deli sandwich around here? I can't throw a brick without hitting a Thai place or a good taqueria but I can't get a turkey and swiss on rye?

I'm not a big sandwich guy, is Costello's a) still there and b) any good?

 

[Viewt]

speaking of lincoln square why is it seemingly impossible to get a good deli sandwich around here? I can't throw a brick without hitting a Thai place or a good taqueria but I can't get a turkey and swiss on rye?

The delis here are just not on par with what you get on the East Coast. Coming from Miami, it was an adjustment. But I will say, if you find yourself around Humboldt Park, Humboldt Haus is a pretty good approximation. I felt like was at the Publix Deli.

 

[SOME-MIST]

if you have a car then kaufman's over in skokie isn't too far of a trek

 

[HiResDes]

Gonna be in Chicago next month for a weekend and I made this list and need to eliminate some spots due to it being way too long, was wondering if anyone had any input


Chicago nightlife
Three Dots and a Dash
Simone's
Rose Lounge
Old Town Ale
The Exit
Galway Bay
The Exit
Delilah's
The Empty Bottle
Scofflaw
The Violet Hour
Aliveone
The Flat Iron
Maria Packaged Goods
The Broken Shaker
Hopleaf Bar
Town Hall Pub
Matilda



Places to eat
Pequods
Vito and Nick's
Pizanos
Ellys Pancake House
Bongo Room
Tonys Italian Beef
DMK Burger Bar
Crisp
Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Carbon
Yes Thai
Leghorn
Valois
The Duck Inn
Irazu
Bartoli

 

[Viewt]

Gonna be in Chicago next month for a weekend and I made this list and need to eliminate some spots due to it being way too long, was wondering if anyone had any input


Chicago nightlife
Three Dots and a Dash
Simone's
Rose Lounge
Old Town Ale
The Exit
Galway Bay
The Exit
Delilah's
The Empty Bottle
Scofflaw
The Violet Hour
Aliveone
The Flat Iron
Maria Packaged Goods
The Broken Shaker
Hopleaf Bar
Town Hall Pub
Matilda



Places to eat
Pequods
Vito and Nick's
Pizanos
Ellys Pancake House
Bongo Room
Tonys Italian Beef
DMK Burger Bar
Crisp
Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Carbon
Yes Thai
Leghorn
Valois
The Duck Inn
Irazu
Bartoli

What you ought to cut depends on what you're looking for. I can give you my thoughts on the places you've listed that I've been to, though.

- Empty Bottle: Good bar, generally good music, definitely gets lively. Though during the day you can just go in and chill out a little more quietly.

- Scofflaw: They're mainly known for their gin cocktails and mood lighting. This place always gets brought up on "Chicago date ideas" articles and I feel like I see 2-3 first dates in progress every time I go. Which is fine, but kinda funny. Anyway, the drinks are good and they've got GREAT fries along with good finger food. Their entrees are pretty middling, but most people don't eat legit meals there.

- Violet Hour: Complete snooze fest, if you ask me. The whole "secret bar that everyone knows about" thing kinda ruins it, and the staff is kind of precious about seating. One time my fiancée and I showed up to meet with friends who were already seated, and they made the biggest deal out of just sitting next to them, despite the fact that there were PLENTY of open seats. I know they're going for a more low-key atmosphere, but yeesh. The cocktails are good, but nothing amazing, and it's pretty pricey, so it's a hard pass for me.

- Hopleaf: Fantastic beer bar with very good food. Crowded every night, and ridiculous during prime hours on weekends. But if you want a gigantic selection of beer, you can't really beat it.

- Pequod's: Really the only place I'll get deep dish. I'm not a huge fan otherwise, but Pequod's is damn good the 1-2 times a year I eat it.

- Bongo Room: Super overrated. I'm assuming you were thinking of going there for brunch. If you were going to the Wicker Park location, go to Lokal instead and get the chorizo biscuits and gravy. If you were going to the Andersonville location, you have a bunch of other locations to check out that are likely way better with half the wait time. I like Big Jones, but a ton of people here live in Andersonville and will likely have better recommendations.

- Crisp: Dope KBBQ wings. Sometimes the seating is crowded, but you're not usually sitting down for more than 20-25 minutes anyway. Seoul Sassy is your friend, and don't skimp on that sauce they have at the table.

- Honey Butter Fried Chicken: Very solid chicken sandwiches and wings, though their 2-piece leaves something to be desired. I'd eat Parson's hot chicken over it any day.

- Leghorn: Another very solid chicken place - their nashville hot sauce is a little mild, but the quality of the chicken is consistently good. If you go, get the thigh meat. You won't regret it.

- Bartoli: My go-to spot for tavern style pizza. Get a large with bacon, pepperoni, and provolone.

 

[HiResDes]

Holy shit that's super helpful im normally more of a divey bar type of guy anyway so I'll definitely cross off Violet Hour. Could not thank you more, gonna try parsons instead my father used to work for this tiny chicken place called Harold's when he was like 16 but last time I went it wasn't that good. I've been to Chicago so many times but never been out on my own, never been out to the bars either.

 

[Jugendstil]

Gonna be in Chicago next month for a weekend and I made this list and need to eliminate some spots due to it being way too long, was wondering if anyone had any input


Chicago nightlife
Three Dots and a Dash
Simone's
Rose Lounge
Old Town Ale
The Exit
Galway Bay
The Exit
Delilah's
The Empty Bottle
Scofflaw
The Violet Hour
Aliveone
The Flat Iron
Maria Packaged Goods
The Broken Shaker
Hopleaf Bar
Town Hall Pub
Matilda



Places to eat
Pequods
Vito and Nick's
Pizanos
Ellys Pancake House
Bongo Room
Tonys Italian Beef
DMK Burger Bar
Crisp
Honey Butter Fried Chicken
Carbon
Yes Thai
Leghorn
Valois
The Duck Inn
Irazu
Bartoli

This is a good list! Here are my comments:

I love Delilah's and the Empty Bottle. Exit sucks, definitely skip. If you want more of an old school goth/industrial experience, check out Late Bar. Maria's Packaged Goods is great, but you could also try Skylark if you're looking for a hipster dive in the Pilsen/Bridgeport area. Skip Oldtown Ale House and Town Hall Pub, there isn't anything special about them and the bartenders at Town Hall are rude as hell IMO. Three Dots is fun if you like tiki bars, but it's kind of touristy. Hopleaf is amazing but I don't think their food is as good as it used to be. Go for beers and then go to one of the 8 million restaurants in Andersonville.

For food I agree that Bongo Room is totally overrated. There are a ton of better brunch spots in Andersonville and the surrounding neighborhoods Edgewater and Uptown. My favorite Italian beef sandwich is from Portillo's (even if they're a chain, they're the most consistent IMO). DMK is overrated too, I would skip. Crisp is ok, but for Korean fried chicken I think Sol's on Sheridan, which just opened, is way better. Honey Butter is pretty good and Irazu is amazing, especially for vegetarians or vegans.

 

[HiResDes]

This is a good list! Here are my comments:

I love Delilah's and the Empty Bottle. Exit sucks, definitely skip. If you want more of an old school goth/industrial experience, check out Late Bar. Maria's Packaged Goods is great, but you could also try Skylark if you're looking for a hipster dive in the Pilsen/Bridgeport area. Skip Oldtown Ale House and Town Hall Pub, there isn't anything special about them and the bartenders at Town Hall are rude as hell IMO. Three Dots is fun if you like tiki bars, but it's kind of touristy. Hopleaf is amazing but I don't think their food is as good as it used to be. Go for beers and then go to one of the 8 million restaurants in Andersonville.

For food I agree that Bongo Room is totally overrated. There are a ton of better brunch spots in Andersonville and the surrounding neighborhoods Edgewater and Uptown. My favorite Italian beef sandwich is from Portillo's (even if they're a chain, they're the most consistent IMO). DMK is overrated too, I would skip. Crisp is ok, but for Korean fried chicken I think Sol's on Sheridan, which just opened, is way better. Honey Butter is pretty good and Irazu is amazing, especially for vegetarians or vegans.

Whew Sol's looks amazing, and both Late Bar and Skylark look really up my ally. Changes made. Now I just can't wait to go.

 

[SOME-MIST]

Like a year back I think leghorn changed their recipe for their Nashville hot chicken and it's not nearly as good. I used to constantly go since I lived a couple blocks away and I was so disappointed the last time I had it. For Nashville hot style chicken both The Roost and Parsons are standard.

Crisp owns especially with the sassy seoul. some of the best chicken I've had outside of pok pok.

Honey butter fried chicken was just alright from my one experience there. I ordered their honey butter fried chicken sandwich and the honey butter was so loaded on that each bite it was squeezing out the sides all over my plate. Not only was it overloaded, but it was so sweet that my stomach was upset mid-way through. They used dark meat chunks instead of breast meat for the sandwich, so even the chunks were falling out of the bun. I was getting small bites of chicken with a mouthful of butter. I will say their business model and how they treat their employees is refreshing.

Harolds is top notch depending on which you choose to go to. I wouldn't exactly recommend unless you were living here and wanted solid chicken after having been everywhere else. Gus's and BonChon too but those are chains that you can find elsewhere.

Oddly I'm going to end up at birds nest this weekend which is just okay but perfect for the people I'm hosting. just your typical sports bar. But I'm much more looking forward to throwing 2 whole chickens on the smoker for relatives since my chicken game is on lock

I also didnt know anyone outside of my dad that was a huge vito and nicks fan so it's interesting to see that one listed.

- Violet Hour: Complete snooze fest, if you ask me. The whole "secret bar that everyone knows about" thing kinda ruins it, and the staff is kind of precious about seating. One time my fiancée and I showed up to meet with friends who were already seated, and they made the biggest deal out of just sitting next to them, despite the fact that there were PLENTY of open seats. I know they're going for a more low-key atmosphere, but yeesh. The cocktails are good, but nothing amazing, and it's pretty pricey, so it's a hard pass for me.

I dated a girl that knew someone working the door and brought me there once. I never wanted to go back and most definitely not if I had to wait in line lol

 

[BoatAck]

I also didnt know anyone outside of my dad that was a huge vito and nicks fan so it's interesting to see that one listed. l

Vito and Nick's is the best, it's usually listed at the top of Chicago thin crust pizza places. It's just not in a hip neighborhood and most people staying downtown on vacation aren't going to venture out that way so it doesn't get the hype.

The Duck Inn is really good.

 

[VanMardigan]

Going to Chicago tomorrow for a week so the list is super helpful. I've tried some of those spots. I'm taking my fam to Chicago so my kids can go to school there since the schools where I live were wrecked by Hurricane Maria. Kinda nervous about my kids going to public school in Chicago but we found a good one I think.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Which school? Some CPS are really good.

 

[VanMardigan]

Norman Bridge elementary

 

[Sai-kun]

Hi Chicago GAF. Kisaya and I are doing a thing for NYE. We know it’s early but we wanted to get in people’s calendars ASAP. If you wanna come, PM us so we can add you on FB and invite you to the event ✨🤠✨

 

[Laevateinn]

Building was evacuated today.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

Building was evacuated today.

Why? Residential or work?

 

[Laevateinn]

Work. Chemical spill on the roof.

 

[Box of Kittens]

I'm not a big sandwich guy, is Costello's a) still there and b) any good?

A bit late but I walk along that stretch of Lincoln pretty frequently and it's been closed for a a while now (maybe about a year).

 

[Jugendstil]

A bit late but I walk along that stretch of Lincoln pretty frequently and it's been closed for a a while now (maybe about a year).

Yeah, it's a bummer it closed. I would always stop in for a sandwich when I was in that neck of the woods. Their mashed potatoes were also bomb.

 

[Viewt]

To the surprise of no one, Chicago is again the rattiest city in America.

I see 4-5 rats a day in Logan Square. One time I saw three rats eat a duckling. It was gross.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I have rats in my house.

Spoiler

They are in a cage.

 

[Viewt]

I have rats in my house.

Spoiler

They are in a cage.

Despite all their rage?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Despite all their rage?

Sung to them occasionally.

 

[SOME-MIST]

I live in logan and I see the occasional rat every once in awhile but nothing outrageous.

our old neighbors used to leave their garbage on their back porch, and one time I was smoking a cig sitting on the stairs when a rat came booking it up the stairs towards me. I jumped up and yelled and it instantly turned around, ran down the stairs, and ran through a hole in the fence.

there were a few times where we would find food mashed all over the back of our porch from our upstairs neighbor's garbage being torn apart. It was two girls who lived there and I guess they were just too lazy to take the garbage to the dumpster which was annoying.


luckily we had two new girls move in and the worst we've had to deal with is a bunch of hair on our floor. they hang out on their porch kind of often and I guess they just shed all over it.

 

[Viewt]

It's so sad to lose GAF, but I can't in good conscience stick around after what's happened. For those of you who'd be interested, I'm on Twitter as @crosstawk, and I'll likely be joining ResetEra when that becomes a thing you can do (at the very least, I'll check it out).

Anywho, thanks for all the fun. You guys are and were great. Cheers.

 

[ToD_]

Cheers. I will be checking out Reset Era as well. Hope to see you guys over there.

 

[IAmtheFMan]

See you on the other side. If no one's interested in the Chi-thread over there, I'll do the honors.

 

[kitchenmotors]

Reset E R A is open with free registration guys, no need to use Discord now

 

[IAmtheFMan]

Reset E R A is open with free registration guys, no need to use Discord now

I also made the thread too. See ya there.

 

[VanMardigan]

How do you register? Looks like an invite friend of a friend thing for now.

 

[Your Entertainer]

How do you register? Looks like an invite friend of a friend thing for now.

this. lame

how can i get in?

 

[IAmtheFMan]

How do you register? Looks like an invite friend of a friend thing for now.

AFAIK, it was only invite only through discord. I think open enrollment (without needing discord or verification) happened briefly today but then was closed. Apparently will re-open again at some point. Not sure when but I’ll try to update the thread if I hear anything.