Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Chicago

by Santow, Dan; Savage, Todd

• ISBN13: 9780764562303
• ISBN10: 0764562304
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-01
• Publisher: Frommer

Summary

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times. "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world. Chi-town has never seemed as vibrantly alive as it does in the pages of Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Chicago, a book that tells the story of the real Chicago, from an insider's standpoint. With its muscular past and its bustling present, Chicago is a workable city of serendipitous surprises: the glorious vastness of Lake Michigan, the smooth jazz vibe, and the self-effacing Midwestern sensibility--it may be more Big Easy than the Big Easy. In Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Chicago you get the straight scoop on all the places the locals love."

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(5)
Neighborhood Map	6	(1)
You Probably Didn't Know	7	(5)
Accommodations	12	(30)
Winning the Reservations Game	14	(1)
Is There a Right Address?	15	(2)
The Lowdown	17	(10)
Big bucks de luxe	17	(1)
Chicago classics	17	(1)
Dowdy but lovable	18	(1)
Best views	19	(1)
Gold Coasters	20	(1)
If everyone else stays on Michigan Avenue, I don't want to	20	(1)
New Kids on the Block	21	(1)
Lobbies to die for	22	(1)
Family values	22	(1)
For lovers and those who want to be	22	(1)
Suite deals	23	(1)
Mega-hotels for conventioneers	23	(1)
Taking care of business	24	(1)
Gym dandies	25	(1)
Cheap sleeps	26	(1)
Oh so near O'Hare	26	(1)
The Index	27	(13)
An A to Z list of places to stay, with vital statistics
Map	40	(2)
Dining	42	(36)
Getting the Right Table	44	(1)
The Lowdown	44	(17)
Institutions	44	(1)
See-and-be-scenes	45	(1)
Deals on meals (under $25)	46	(1)
Steak your life on it	47	(1)
Decor to die for	48	(1)
Ethnic eating	49	(1)
If al fresco's your style	50	(1)
We never close---well, almost never	51	(1)
Pizza classics	52	(1)
The Italian battalion	52	(1)
French toast	53	(1)
Isn't it romantic?	54	(1)
Eating solo	54	(1)
Noshing between galleries	54	(1)
Near Mag Mile shopping	55	(1)
Morning glories	56	(1)
Absolutely fabulous	57	(1)
Off the eaten track	57	(1)
The children's hour	58	(1)
Healthful eating	59	(1)
Retromania	59	(1)
Near the theaters	59	(2)
The Index	61	(14)
An A to Z list of restaurants, with vital statistics
Maps	75	(3)
Diversions	78	(40)
Getting Your Bearings	80	(2)
The Lowdown	82	(27)
Must-sees	82	(1)
Special moments	82	(1)
Only in Chicago	83	(1)
Prowling the Gold Coast	84	(1)
Museumscapes	85	(1)
Ethnic museums	86	(1)
The wonders of science	87	(1)
Talk is cheap	88	(1)
Kid-pleasers	89	(1)
Art al fresco	89	(1)
Cruising the zoos	90	(1)
Strolling around Old Town	91	(1)
Gallery hopping	92	(1)
T.G.I.F. in River North	93	(1)
Mayhem on the trading floors	93	(1)
One good read deserves another	93	(1)
Cool views	94	(1)
Tried-and-true views	95	(1)
Architectural masterpieces	95	(1)
Six buildings that scream ``Chicago''	96	(1)
Architecturally significant and they scream ``Chicago''	97	(1)
The Wright stuff	98	(1)
Home sweet historic home	98	(1)
Blasts from the past	99	(1)
Lincoln Parking	99	(1)
It's a small world	100	(1)
Up-and-comers	101	(1)
An offbeat place to get your hair cut	102	(1)
You bowl me over!	102	(1)
School daze	103	(1)
Lake views in Lake View	104	(1)
Gone to the dogs	105	(1)
Overhyped experiences	105	(2)
Tour time	107	(2)
The Index	109	(6)
An A to Z list of diversions, with vital statistics
Maps	115	(3)
Getting Outside	118	(12)
The Lowdown	120	(10)
Parks	120	(2)
Mittless softball	122	(1)
Playing pick-up	122	(1)
Hitting the beaches	123	(1)
Ahoy there	123	(1)
Can you canoe?	124	(1)
Sightseeing afloat	124	(1)
Pedal pushers	125	(1)
Out on a swim	126	(1)
Par for the course	126	(1)
The tennis racket	127	(1)
Rollerblade runner	127	(1)
What's nice on ice	128	(1)
Run for your life	128	(1)
The wind's beneath my wings	129	(1)
You sleigh me!	129	(1)
Shopping	130	(24)
Target Zones	132	(1)
Vertical Malls	132	(2)
Money Matters	134	(1)
Hours of Business	135	(1)
Sales Tax	135	(1)
The Lowdown	135	(10)
Landmarks	135	(1)
For pampered service	136	(1)
Accessorize!	136	(1)
Shopping scenes	137	(1)
For foot fetishists	137	(1)
For men with Cary Grant complexes	138	(1)
For men who would rather resemble Lou Reed	138	(1)
Shopping bags to show off	139	(1)
Fashion forward	139	(1)
Key notes	140	(1)
Kid stuff, part one	140	(1)
Kid stuff, part two	140	(1)
Book nooks	140	(1)
Used but not abused books	141	(1)
Everything you always wanted to know about sex	141	(1)
For aspiring Martha Stewarts	141	(1)
Furnishing touches	142	(1)
The sporting life	142	(1)
The vintage vantage point	143	(1)
Damen Avenue---the other Michigan Avenue	143	(1)
Why go to New York?	143	(1)
Labels for less	144	(1)
When you need a sugar fix	144	(1)
The Index	145	(9)
An A to Z list of shops, with vital statistics
Nightlife	154	(18)
Sources	156	(1)
Liquor Laws and Drinking Hours	156	(1)
The Lowdown	157	(8)
Where grown-ups can be grown-ups	157	(1)
Calling all slackers	157	(1)
Dance fever	158	(1)
Places to hear live rock	159	(1)
Places to hear live blues	160	(1)
Places to hear live jazz	160	(1)
Sports and suds	161	(1)
Lesbian chic	161	(1)
Where the boys are	162	(1)
Neighborhood spots downtown and near North Side	162	(1)
Neighborhood spots in Lincoln Park/Old Town	163	(1)
Neighborhood spots in Lake View/ Wrigleyville	164	(1)
Neighborhood spots on the South Side	164	(1)
For people who wouldn't be caught dead drinking a Bud	164	(1)
The Index	165	(7)
An A to Z list of nightspots, with vital statistics
Entertainment	172	(22)
Sources	174	(1)
Getting Tickets	174	(2)
The Lowdown	176	(10)
The theater establishment	176	(1)
On the fringes	177	(2)
Classical sounds	179	(1)
What's opera, doc?	180	(1)
Men in tights	180	(1)
In concert	181	(2)
Comedy tonight	183	(1)
The spoken word	183	(1)
Da sports	184	(2)
The Index	186	(8)
An A to Z list of venues, with vital statistics
Hotlines & other Basics	194	(10)
Airports	195	(1)
Airport transport to downtown	195	(1)
American Express	196	(1)
Baby-sitters	196	(1)
Buses	196	(1)
Car rental	197	(1)
Chicago Office of Tourism	197	(1)
Chicago Park District	197	(1)
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)	197	(1)
Children's Emergency Services	197	(1)
Convention centers	197	(1)
Doctors	197	(1)
El	197	(1)
Emergencies	197	(1)
Events hotlines	198	(1)
Festivals and special events	198	(1)
Gay guys and lesbians	199	(1)
Hearing-impaired services	200	(1)
Newspapers and magazines	200	(1)
Parking	201	(1)
Pharmacies	201	(1)
Pro sports	201	(1)
Radio stations	202	(1)
Restrooms	202	(1)
Subways	202	(1)
Taxes	202	(1)
Taxis	202	(1)
Ticketmaster	203	(1)
Time	203	(1)
Trains	203	(1)
Travelers with disabilities	203	(1)
TV stations	203	(1)
Visitor information	203	(1)
Weather	203	(1)
Western Union	203	(1)
Index	204