<p>We are going to visit the campus in 4 weeks. Is there any tips for us like where to park and where to eat? We will also go to the engineering session in the afternoon.
Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I just wrote you a giant answer to your questions, hit the wrong thing on the computer, and erased it. Uggh. For the short version…</p>
<p>*if you have the time and don’t know Chicago, take the L into town and explore Grant Park and the Magnificent Mile.
*There are a ton of restaurants in Evanston. Students often like [Clarke’s</a> Diner](<a href=“http://www.clarkesdiner.com/]Clarke’s”>http://www.clarkesdiner.com/), but there are great ethnic restaurants (Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern), and there are pubs/steak houses, too.
*Call admissions and see if you can get a visitor’s parking permit. For engineering, you want to be up at Tech. There are lots up there that allow visitor parking with permits, and since it is the summer, you might find on-street parking. Here’s a link for the parking map: <a href=“Evanston Parking: Transportation & Parking - Northwestern University”>Evanston Parking: Transportation & Parking - Northwestern University;
<p>You can PM me with specific questions or post more questions here. My daughter fell in love with the school after being accepted but never having visited. I think the day in Chicago clinched it.</p>
<p>Well, I haven’t actually been yet, but one thing I can suggest is going to eat at Edzo’s. It’s pretty much a staple of NU students. They’ve got amazing burgers/fries according to pretty much everyone.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>@ EnoughAlready, I think I saw somewhere to get a one day permit for $10. For parking on street, does it still need the permit? I guess I may need to park at different places throughout the day. We need to go to 1801 Hinman Ave in the morning, and 2145 Sheridan Rd in the afternoon. So there is some street parking on Tech Drive? I do see a small parking lot on satellite photo.
We have been in Chicago a couple times, so this time we probably won’t get into the city but we have plan to explore the vicinity a little bit more.</p>
<p>Update: Thanks for the pdf. Now I see where I can park.</p>
<p>^^ I was thinking of the normal public parking on the side streets that run west off of Sherman, but I don’t know how crowded they are during the summer. Just to be sure, I would spring for the $10 permit.</p>
<p>If Mum and Da are buying, go to Found! Outstanding small plates! Plus edzo’s closes early, so maybe lunch, but not dinner. [Found</a> Kitchen and Social House - Evanston Fine Dining - Local Food Local Love](<a href=“Redirect | BentoBox”>http://www.foundkitchen.com/)</p>
<p>BTW - There is a parking garage in Evanston right by the Hinman address.</p>
<p>If you want an amazing meal, go to the Stained Glass. By far the best food in Evanston. Pete Miller’s is good too if you just want a really good (expensive) steak. For a student budget, hit Clarke’s. Good, cheap diner food. Le Peep is the awesome breakfast place. Amazing coffee, too. Addis Abeba is a great Ethiopian place, but it’s a bit of a walk south of campus–Chicago and Dempster. If you like sushi, there’s sashimi sashimi or Todoroki for that. Uhhhhhhhhh. Lou’s or Giordano’s are both good pizza. Lou’s has a crispier crust, and Giordano’s is more bready and buttery. Edzo’s has great burgers, and there’s a shake there that I keep meaning to get. And truffle fries are god’s gift to students. Cosi is a tasty, slightly overpriced sandwich place. Cozy noodle is cheap and awesome. Thai Sookdee is amazing thai food. There’s another good Thai place down Emerson a couple blocks, which is a bit cheaper. There’s always BWW too, and Wings Over is supposed to be good too. Tapas Barcelona is supposed to be pretty good, if a bit expensive, too.</p>
<p>If you’re gonna go downtown, see if the Metra timetable fits your schedule. The Metra will get you a few blocks west of downtown in about 20 minutes. (For reference, the L will be a bit over an hour, or about 45 mins during rush hour if you take the purple express down to the loop). Try Rosebud Prime for an awesome steakhouse downtown–but I’m sure there are piles of options–try stopping into a hotel and asking for a recommendation at the desk.</p>
<p>I may have a bit of a thing for food. It’s probably why I’m constantly broke.</p>
<p>^^ Where are those sushi places? Thanks.
We will not go to downtown Chicago this time. We are actually going to stay at Gurnee which is the opposite direction.</p>
<p>This thread is horrible. Not for any reason that I’d normally dislike it, but because I just had my wisdom teeth out and you’re talking about food. You are terrible, evil, torturous people :-D</p>
<p>Don’t worry. The pain would be gone within a day or two. Come back and visit again. ;-)</p>
<p>Billcsho</p>
<p>Gurnee is a bit far from Evanston- if you have time, there are some great Italian restaurants in a little town called Highwood, on the North Shore by Fort Sheridan. </p>
<p>I loved Lou Malnati’s pizza- there is one near the campus.</p>
<p>Sashimi should be on church and orrington, and todoroki should be davis and chicago.</p>
<p>^ So they are on campus in walking distance?
We are staying at Gurnee in the water park, and we will go to Wisconsin from there. Compare to the 4.5 hours driving to get there from home, Gurnee is pretty close to Evanston. ;)</p>
<p>Off campus, in downtown evanston. Definitely walking distance–probably 15-20 minutes walking from Tech. About 5 minutes walking from Harris, where I believe the campus tours begin and end.</p>
<p>^ Will check it out. Thanks.</p>
<p>We visited last month and found parking much easier than we expected. First we visited the music school and parked on the street. We then did the general information session and tour. For that, we got a parking pass from admissions and parked in a small lot quite close to the admissions office.</p>
<p>We really liked the school and the campus.</p>
<p>Only negative was the thought of the wind whipping in off of that beautiful lake in the winter.
Could be quite chilly!!! :)</p>
<p>Do you need to pay for the parking pass? I have contacted the parking office. They told me to get the one day permit at their office which is very close to the general admission information session.</p>
<p>We also picked up a parking pass from the place near Admissions. I believe it cost $10. There is free street parking on the streets west of campus and on Sheridan along the lake if you can find a spot. There is also street parking right near Admissions (and on streets near there), but finding a spot is tough. It is also a bit of a walk to north campus from there, but certainly not bad. As others have mentioned, there is a public parking structure just south of Admissions (3 minute walk). We parked in the lot near the music buildings. I’m not sure how much parking is there right now due to the construction, but it’s hard to miss. Look for the crane. Parking in downtown Evanston is metered (coins) and is usually limited to two hours. </p>
<p>If you have time, take a walk along the lake between north and south campus. It’s beautiful. If you don’t have time to wander Evanston, make sure you drive around a bit. There are so many restaurants, pretty homes, beaches, shops, etc. We really like the small but beautiful Shakespeare Garden on campus. It’s very relaxing. If you’re there for breakfast, LePeep is great. We enjoy Koi restaurant on Davis Street. Cosi is convenient for a quick meal. There’s always Frontera Fresco on the ground floor of Norris. Depending on how your day is going, Starbucks is on first floor of Norris, and there’s one in Evanston.</p>
<p>The drive between Evanston and Gurnee is very easy, and you’ll miss most of the Chicago traffic heading that direction. A few weeks ago there was a lot of construction on 94 just across the Wisconsin border and just south of Milwaukee. It was down to one lane each direction in spots and was quite slow. I don’t know if that has been completed, but it might be worth researching if you’re tight on travel time.</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the construction info. I hope that would be done within the next 3 weeks. I will check for the latest construction info on AAA. we need to drive up to Madison from Gurnee after the Northwestern visit and we will most likely take that section of I-94.</p>
<p>This is probably a very old joke for midwesterners, but my friend in Chicago said that Chicago has two seasons: winter and construction.</p>