Chicago: Your favorite thing(s) to do

Headed to Chicago in a couple weeks and found a lot of good info on styleforum on restaurants, etc.

One burning question--would love to go to Wrigley and the cubbies are in town while I'm there. However, for the weekend day game I'm looking at, most midpriced sections are already down to single seats. What's the deal with the bleachers? Is it like 700 level at the vet? Will my wife and I get doused with Bud Light or puked on? It's ******* 90 dollars for two bleacher tix online--will I have a shot with scalpers outside the park at getting face value tickets with reserved seats?

Bleacher seats depend on who they're playing and how good the Cubs are this season.
Obviously, if it's a Cardinals game, you would expect for **** to be packed--- but I doubt there are any tix left for those games. If it's just a game with another team in their division, who knows. Also, I've found that the middle games in 3-game series are generally less crowded than either of the bookending games.
Anyway, you're more than likely safe in the bleachers. If somebody throws bud light or pukes on you, everybody around is going to be pissed at that guy. It's not like it's a frat party in the bleachers, even though it's less "nice" seating than the general seating, it's not a jungle of man and beer.
Just don't try to go to a Wrigleyville bar afterward. THAT is where you'll get puked on. Hell, I lived 4 blocks north of Wrigley and everytime there was a big game, I'd see people outside in my little courtyard drinking it up.

I quite enjoy getting a splitting headache trying to figure out O'Hare Airport.

I agree with Kyle - nowadays it's a far cry from when Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz starred in "Bleacher Bums" at the Organic Theatre.

Go to Prairie Avenue Bookstore, possibly the best architecture/art/design bookstore in the world. Oh wait. Nevermind. Chicago's sales tax put them out of business.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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Go to Prairie Avenue Bookstore, possibly the best architecture/art/design bookstore in the world. Oh wait. Nevermind. Chicago's sales tax put them out of business.

Have you been to William Stout Books?

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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1. archetecrural boat tour
2. art museum
3. science and technology museum
4. drinks at the top of the handcock building
5. shedd aquarium

to eat

1. gyros
2. pizza
3. hot dog
4. vietnamese

I agree with the above + Don't forget to try an Italian Beef.

+1 on the Italian Beef. Go to Bostons on Chicago near Grand. It's a no frills place but the beef/combo is best in the city. http://local.yahoo.com/info-17410451...n-beef-chicago

Re: Chicago: Your favorite thing(s) to do?

Leave.

Originally Posted by Magician

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Re: Chicago: Your favorite thing(s) to do?

Leave.

Yeah. Chicago sure doesn't compare to Baltimore.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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Have you been to William Stout Books?

Have not. I've been meaning to go to SF (never been), I'll check it out when I'm there. Thanks for the heads up.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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Go to Prairie Avenue Bookstore, possibly the best architecture/art/design bookstore in the world. Oh wait. Nevermind. Chicago's sales tax put them out of business.

I'm sure the sales tax didn't help, but it was mostly internet book sellers that did them in. It's a shame. It was a great store. Won't see its like again.

Originally Posted by Brogued

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I'm sure the sales tax didn't help, but it was mostly internet book sellers that did them in. It's a shame. It was a great store. Won't see its like again.

I think his point is that Chicago's high sales tax made internet book sellers all the more appealing, causing them to lose their business.

They just couldn't compete with Amazon, sales tax or no. They were losing money for years. "Downturn" finally did them in. Sales tax may have had some effect.

When you specialize your store by carrying a very extensive range of hard to find book at the $100-$500 price point, the 10-11% sales tax is a bigger sales deterrent than if they were relying on selling $30 Intro to Palladio books. Additionally, the hits they took from people browsing through those expensive books and leaving them in less than new condition before buying them on Amazon really had to kill their margins on that type of stuff. Their best chance of survival was to turn the reading room into a members only library while trying to sell coffee table books to larger businesses and architecture firms in a "do it for the little guy" manner. They needed some other source of income and they couldn't find it. They also should have tried to sell original reproductions of architects' sketches, drawings, and models. They might have been able to cut a deal that allowed them to sell those at higher margins because most firms don't go out of their way to even market that stuff.