lol - I can manage that. Thanks for that tip - I can't wait to see this city and its art and architecture!!!
I'm getting excited! I got my addresses and subway lines all typed out next to my destinations. lol
I like that my food and records are lining up, too:
Soul Vegetarian and Fletcher's La Pasadita and Dusty Groove M Henry and Dave's
Fletchers is not going to be worth your time. You need to make an appointment with the old man to look at them usually as well, and youre gonna be taken down to a dirty dark bassment that has been ransacked by 100s of Europeans and Japanese and locals (like me). Seriously not worth going to... and this isn't one of those "no, no records in Chicago" things. Follow my words above regarding Boomer and Hyde Park Records, and you'll be rewarded!
Nice photo. Was that taken from Randolph and Knuckles?
That's Frankie Knuckles Way to you, sir! respect the rael!
I can now die happy knowing that I was responsible for a Soulstrut running gag.
I stand corrected.
I still think "meeting at the corner of Randolph and Knuckles" sounds like a euphemism for something involving a) violence, b) masturbation, or c) both.
Nice photo. Was that taken from Randolph and Knuckles?
That's Frankie Knuckles Way to you, sir! respect the rael!
I can now die happy knowing that I was responsible for a Soulstrut running gag.
I stand corrected.
I still think "meeting at the corner of Randolph and Knuckles" sounds like a euphemism for something involving a) violence, b) masturbation, or c) both.
It does, and I'll thank you to not sully the wholesome humor of my one Soulstrut running gag! Good Day, sir!
oh lordy - I have been studying irazu's menu trying to see how much food I can fit into one meal...and yes! Man skates and has his own shop. Thank You so much for the tip, I'm sure he'll want to check it out.
Damn. It would be nice to buy you all drinks, at the very least, to say thank you for all the help and tips.
The trip was wonderful!!! Had no internets access to try to link up with Strutters. Chicago is an amazing city and surprised us in some ways.
HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who gave food and destination and record store tips - we ate and touristed and browsed and shopped delightfully and were treated so well by everyone everywhere we went - well except for Dave's but whatever! - so yes, THANK YOU.
And what did Dave do? (besides overprice his records and stand there with his pupils on you acting like you are trying to rip him off, when he's the one with the overpriced reissue steez everywhere)
Now when are the Chi-strut brethren going to post up that pic of the group hug under the Knuckles road sign?
It hath been long promised....
I don't remember promising this, but I'm down to deliver, especially when it gets warmer out.
Although according to this, Frankie Knuckles Way only extends for like three or four blocks and, sadly, doesn't cross Randolph. You'll have to settle for Monroe and Knuckles (no pasue).
Now when are the Chi-strut brethren going to post up that pic of the group hug under the Knuckles road sign?
It hath been long promised....
I don't remember promising this, but I'm down to deliver, especially when it gets warmer out.
Although according to this, Frankie Knuckles Way only extends for like three or four blocks and, sadly, doesn't cross Randolph. You'll have to settle for Monroe and Knuckles (no pasue).
I seem to vaguely remember that I was supposed to meet you downtown for SOMETHING (the Obama rally?), and we considered meeting at Randolph and Knuckles just to be funny, but it was a little too far away from the action to make it on time...
You know what? He didn???t really do anything that bad, it???s just that everyone we met was so nice and he was the one stale piece of bread at the picnic. I???ve been buying records for a long time; record store attitude is not new or intimidating, but I am amazed that in 2009 people still would act like they???re doing YOU a favour by being there and acting so crusty???it is so old. His selection was super lame and as you said, over-priced, so you???d think he???d try to at least give people a reason to shop there with great customer service.
Who knew St Patrick???s Day is so big in Chicago? lol We didn???t!!! We got into town on Saturday night and the streets were overrun with drunk people who were appropriately dressed in green but inappropriately dressed for the weather ??? I know it was warm, but tank tops and shorts and flip flops? We went for some drinks at a tourist trap called Dirty Martini, shot the shit with the parking attendants next door and then walked around and people-watched ??? it was fun.
We ate really really well! M Henry, Calypso Caf??, Via Carducci, Coalfire, La Pasadita and Irazu (twice!!).
Hyde Park Records, Dusty Groove, Reckless and some other spots for records.
Hyde Park was a lifesaver. It was great to get to a neighbourhood with different types of regular people. We spent most of the day there. We were expecting Chicago to be like New York or even Toronto as far as a mixed population goes, so we were a little taken back by the lack of diversity everywhere we went...until we got to Hyde Park and the next day when we headed south to the Midway.
Everyone is so polite and calm ??? no one talked loudly or acted rowdy lol ??? public transit in downtown Toronto is not so quiet and well-behaved. There were aspects that reminded me of the South; men letting women through first, people making eye contact and saying hello???obviously it???s a large city, but there were things about it that I would not associate with city life.
Seminary Coop
Oh you mean Seminary Co-op!!! lmho Yup, I asked someone for it and said coop, like chicken coop. She was kind though and only hesitated for a second before she directed me the right way.
Oh yes, one of the staff at the book coop directed us to the Woodlawn Tap - great bar!!
Seminary walkway and water fountain
Hyde Park ride (someone is getting their Low Rider Oldies revoked)
I didn???t take that many photos ??? I only managed to take photos at one meal even though I wanted to capture all our Chicago food. I was basically wiping the plate clean by the time I remembered with the rest. Here???s a typical yuppie brunch at M Henry ??? it was delicious still.
I don???t really do record finds ever, but will say I got a grip of great 45s and GUnit???s Beg for Mercy for $2.99 (let me guess - about what it's worth? lol), also a cool owl ring and a rocking chair for $30 ??? the latter two in Marshall MI.
I love Toronto very much but it is an embarrassment when it comes to architecture. These are some very touristy shots, but if you look up in Toronto, you can understand why I am so impressed and envious of these.
Hyde Park was a lifesaver. It was great to get to a neighbourhood with different types of regular people. We spent most of the day there. We were expecting Chicago to be like New York or even Toronto as far as a mixed population goes, so we were a little taken back by the lack of diversity everywhere we went...until we got to Hyde Park and the next day when we headed south to the Midway.
Chicago is a lot more diverse than the way it may have looked to you...we're not exactly South Africa. But still, you have a point. When you head home on the Red Line subway, especially after one of the summer festivals downtown, and notice that the southbound line is 75% black (as opposed to most of the whites going north), that is a subtle reminder of who lives where.
Hyde Park was a lifesaver. It was great to get to a neighbourhood with different types of regular people. We spent most of the day there. We were expecting Chicago to be like New York or even Toronto as far as a mixed population goes, so we were a little taken back by the lack of diversity everywhere we went...until we got to Hyde Park and the next day when we headed south to the Midway.
Chicago is a lot more diverse than the way it may have looked to you...we're not exactly South Africa. But still, you have a point. When you head home on the Red Line subway, especially after one of the summer festivals downtown, and notice that the southbound line is 75% black (as opposed to most of the whites going north), that is a subtle reminder of who lives where.
The redline really lays bare the segregated nature of Chicago. I also get some laughs out of the relative whiteness of the brown line.
Sorry I forgot the hyphen in co-op! Didn't mean to lead you astray.
M. Henry opened up in our neighborhood back in 2004 and was a harbinger of yuppiedom's northward creep along Clark Street. The yuppies have even claimed Cafe Bong. Great yuppie brunch at M. Henry, though -- and the proprietor lived on The Farm (hippie commune where my friend Dan was born) in Tennessee back in the 70s. I'm not mad at that place, even if they do play too hard to the yuppie crowd.
Thanks for the run down. Glad you had a great time.
Hyde Park was a lifesaver. It was great to get to a neighbourhood with different types of regular people. We spent most of the day there. We were expecting Chicago to be like New York or even Toronto as far as a mixed population goes, so we were a little taken back by the lack of diversity everywhere we went...until we got to Hyde Park and the next day when we headed south to the Midway.
Chicago is a lot more diverse than the way it may have looked to you...we're not exactly South Africa. But still, you have a point. When you head home on the Red Line subway, especially after one of the summer festivals downtown, and notice that the southbound line is 75% black (as opposed to most of the whites going north), that is a subtle reminder of who lives where.
The redline really lays bare the segregated nature of Chicago. I also get some laughs out of the relative whiteness of the brown line.
Sorry I forgot the hyphen in co-op! Didn't mean to lead you astray.
M. Henry opened up in our neighborhood back in 2004 and was a harbinger of yuppiedom's northward creep along Clark Street. The yuppies have even claimed Cafe Bong. Great yuppie brunch at M. Henry, though -- and the proprietor lived on The Farm (hippie commune where my friend Dan was born) in Tennessee back in the 70s. I'm not mad at that place, even if they do play too hard to the yuppie crowd.
Thanks for the run down. Glad you had a great time.
oh no, not at all, we got a good laugh out of it. The woman's face at Powell's was priceless in hindsight. I didn't even think twice that it might be some esoteric name.
How is that Persian/Middle Eastern place on Clark, Reza's, by the way? I noticed they've really mixed it up and thrown in some Arab dishes in with the Iranian stuff on the menu, but it was packed....is it good?
Reza's is kinda eh. Decent food at reasonable to cheap prices tends to generate a big crowd, which makes the whole thing not really worth it to me. There are two or three Reza's around Chicago, I think.
If you go farther north on Clark, there's a Turkish place that's just as good but never as crowded. There's also another place whose name I forget that's closer to Reza's...has good cous cous dishes and veggie options...I think it's called Andee's. That place is good.
It's refreshing to see your city through the eyes of someone visiting for the first time. St. Patrick's day is definitely a bizarre time to visit Chicago. The parade downtown on Saturday is one thing, but the one Sunday on the South Side is a whole nutha story.
I was in Mr. Peabody's last Thursday and one of the owners (M*rk) was telling me that he was planning to keep his shop open during the parade, as the drunk Irish folks tend to trickle to peep the finest in rare disco. Must have been a sight to see.
Cosign on Reza's "eh" food and large crowd. I still can't help but love the restaurant itself, so open and spacious, with (from what I remember) a lot of little details to appreciate. And you really can't beat those prices for the neighborhood.
St. Patrick's day is definitely a bizarre time to visit Chicago.
im half tempted to say that St. Patty's Day/Chicago as Mardi Gras/New Orleans
But for nothing in the U.S. being like Mardi Gras/New Orleans, I think Chicago shows up as much or more for St. Patty's Day than it does for any other holiday. Chicago goes a little bonkers for Halloween, too, but that's more in the overboard lawn decorations than in any single event that I can think of.
St. Patrick's day is definitely a bizarre time to visit Chicago.
im half tempted to say that St. Patty's Day/Chicago as Mardi Gras/New Orleans
But for nothing in the U.S. being like Mardi Gras/New Orleans, I think Chicago shows up as much or more for St. Patty's Day than it does for any other holiday. Chicago goes a little bonkers for Halloween, too, but that's more in the overboard lawn decorations than in any single event that I can think of.
Maybe Taste of Chicago/Chicago...hahaha NOT!.
yeah, imagine if bassie came to town when THAT was going on!
the only time ive ever seen Stevie Wonder live was at Taste...it was a warm day, there wasnt an empty space for miles around...stevie sounded great, but it felt even better gettin outta there!
This I can believe because there was some serious St Patrick's Day-Halloween crossovers going on in the get-up department. There was one woman who could only be described as a St Patrick's goth witch...I was too es-cared to take her picture.
Comments
Fletchers is not going to be worth your time. You need to make an appointment with the old man to look at them usually as well, and youre gonna be taken down to a dirty dark bassment that has been ransacked by 100s of Europeans and Japanese and locals (like me). Seriously not worth going to... and this isn't one of those "no, no records in Chicago" things. Follow my words above regarding Boomer and Hyde Park Records, and you'll be rewarded!
I stand corrected.
I still think "meeting at the corner of Randolph and Knuckles" sounds like a euphemism for something involving a) violence, b) masturbation, or c) both.
It does, and I'll thank you to not sully the wholesome humor of my one Soulstrut running gag! Good Day, sir!
If so there is a skateshop (uprise) on milwaukee ave, in west bucktown, a block away from irazu, which I see didn't make your food list. It should.
Damn. It would be nice to buy you all drinks, at the very least, to say thank you for all the help and tips.
Will try to check the Board while there.
Whatever. Still can't get the hang of your American hipster slang.
But hey at least I give it a go.
Now when are the Chi-strut brethren going to post up that pic of the group hug under the Knuckles road sign?
It hath been long promised....
Lono is at Danny's tonight- not Simone's.
HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who gave food and destination and record store tips - we ate and touristed and browsed and shopped delightfully and were treated so well by everyone everywhere we went - well except for Dave's but whatever! - so yes, THANK YOU.
Where did you eat?
What did you see?
And what did Dave do? (besides overprice his records and stand there with his pupils on you acting like you are trying to rip him off, when he's the one with the overpriced reissue steez everywhere)
I don't remember promising this, but I'm down to deliver, especially when it gets warmer out.
Although according to this, Frankie Knuckles Way only extends for like three or four blocks and, sadly, doesn't cross Randolph. You'll have to settle for Monroe and Knuckles (no pasue).
I seem to vaguely remember that I was supposed to meet you downtown for SOMETHING (the Obama rally?), and we considered meeting at Randolph and Knuckles just to be funny, but it was a little too far away from the action to make it on time...
Who knew St Patrick???s Day is so big in Chicago? lol We didn???t!!! We got into town on Saturday night and the streets were overrun with drunk people who were appropriately dressed in green but inappropriately dressed for the weather ??? I know it was warm, but tank tops and shorts and flip flops? We went for some drinks at a tourist trap called Dirty Martini, shot the shit with the parking attendants next door and then walked around and people-watched ??? it was fun.
We ate really really well! M Henry, Calypso Caf??, Via Carducci, Coalfire, La Pasadita and Irazu (twice!!).
Hyde Park Records, Dusty Groove, Reckless and some other spots for records.
Hyde Park was a lifesaver. It was great to get to a neighbourhood with different types of regular people. We spent most of the day there. We were expecting Chicago to be like New York or even Toronto as far as a mixed population goes, so we were a little taken back by the lack of diversity everywhere we went...until we got to Hyde Park and the next day when we headed south to the Midway.
Everyone is so polite and calm ??? no one talked loudly or acted rowdy lol ??? public transit in downtown Toronto is not so quiet and well-behaved. There were aspects that reminded me of the South; men letting women through first, people making eye contact and saying hello???obviously it???s a large city, but there were things about it that I would not associate with city life.
Oh you mean Seminary Co-op!!! lmho Yup, I asked someone for it and said coop, like chicken coop. She was kind though and only hesitated for a second before she directed me the right way.
Oh yes, one of the staff at the book coop directed us to the Woodlawn Tap - great bar!!
Seminary walkway and water fountain
Hyde Park ride (someone is getting their Low Rider Oldies revoked)
I didn???t take that many photos ??? I only managed to take photos at one meal even though I wanted to capture all our Chicago food. I was basically wiping the plate clean by the time I remembered with the rest. Here???s a typical yuppie brunch at M Henry ??? it was delicious still.
I don???t really do record finds ever, but will say I got a grip of great 45s and GUnit???s Beg for Mercy for $2.99 (let me guess - about what it's worth? lol), also a cool owl ring and a rocking chair for $30 ??? the latter two in Marshall MI.
I love Toronto very much but it is an embarrassment when it comes to architecture. These are some very touristy shots, but if you look up in Toronto, you can understand why I am so impressed and envious of these.
Chicago is a lot more diverse than the way it may have looked to you...we're not exactly South Africa. But still, you have a point. When you head home on the Red Line subway, especially after one of the summer festivals downtown, and notice that the southbound line is 75% black (as opposed to most of the whites going north), that is a subtle reminder of who lives where.
The redline really lays bare the segregated nature of Chicago. I also get some laughs out of the relative whiteness of the brown line.
Sorry I forgot the hyphen in co-op! Didn't mean to lead you astray.
M. Henry opened up in our neighborhood back in 2004 and was a harbinger of yuppiedom's northward creep along Clark Street. The yuppies have even claimed Cafe Bong. Great yuppie brunch at M. Henry, though -- and the proprietor lived on The Farm (hippie commune where my friend Dan was born) in Tennessee back in the 70s. I'm not mad at that place, even if they do play too hard to the yuppie crowd.
Thanks for the run down. Glad you had a great time.
oh no, not at all, we got a good laugh out of it. The woman's face at Powell's was priceless in hindsight. I didn't even think twice that it might be some esoteric name.
How is that Persian/Middle Eastern place on Clark, Reza's, by the way? I noticed they've really mixed it up and thrown in some Arab dishes in with the Iranian stuff on the menu, but it was packed....is it good?
And thanks for all your help!
If you go farther north on Clark, there's a Turkish place that's just as good but never as crowded. There's also another place whose name I forget that's closer to Reza's...has good cous cous dishes and veggie options...I think it's called Andee's. That place is good.
It's refreshing to see your city through the eyes of someone visiting for the first time. St. Patrick's day is definitely a bizarre time to visit Chicago. The parade downtown on Saturday is one thing, but the one Sunday on the South Side is a whole nutha story.
I was in Mr. Peabody's last Thursday and one of the owners (M*rk) was telling me that he was planning to keep his shop open during the parade, as the drunk Irish folks tend to trickle to peep the finest in rare disco. Must have been a sight to see.
Cosign on Reza's "eh" food and large crowd. I still can't help but love the restaurant itself, so open and spacious, with (from what I remember) a lot of little details to appreciate. And you really can't beat those prices for the neighborhood.
im half tempted to say that St. Patty's Day/Chicago as Mardi Gras/New Orleans
But for nothing in the U.S. being like Mardi Gras/New Orleans, I think Chicago shows up as much or more for St. Patty's Day than it does for any other holiday. Chicago goes a little bonkers for Halloween, too, but that's more in the overboard lawn decorations than in any single event that I can think of.
Maybe Taste of Chicago/Chicago...hahaha NOT!.
yeah, imagine if bassie came to town when THAT was going on!
the only time ive ever seen Stevie Wonder live was at Taste...it was a warm day, there wasnt an empty space for miles around...stevie sounded great, but it felt even better gettin outta there!
This I can believe because there was some serious St Patrick's Day-Halloween crossovers going on in the get-up department. There was one woman who could only be described as a St Patrick's goth witch...I was too es-cared to take her picture.