<p>I'm an entering first-year, and I'm starting to throw together my plans for move-in day on September 20. I'll be driving to Chicago. My mom has said clearly that she doesn't really want to spend much time in the city. I'm not really sure why, but whatever. She usually means what she says. </p>
<p>I've convinced her that she and my dad should at least eat somewhere while they're in Chicago, since all the restaurants in my neck of the woods in rural Ohio are...well, we'll just say that they're not of the quality that can be found in Chicago.</p>
<p>So where should I plan to take them? I'm looking for somewhere that's easily accessible, relatively affordable (under $15 per meal or so), and (obviously) with good food.</p>
<p>Go to a Hyde Park restaurant so you can begin to absorb the ambience. The Med on 57th is good, as is Cedars on 53rd and University. Both will be packed so be prepared to wait.</p>
<p>The other interesting option, sadly not done too often, is to go to Chinatown. The tourist trap chinatown restaurants are on Wentworth. The decent ones, where chinese far outnumber anglos, is in a shopping center between Cermac, Archer and Wentworth. Well worth a short drive from Hyde Park, unless you’re from NYC, San Francisco or Seattle, where the chinese food might be a tad better (or worse, Vancouver…).</p>
<p>The north side of Chicago, from the loop north, is loaded with overpriced trendy places. It also has some gems, but they tend to be harder to find. Whatever you do, I’d avoid any place south of North Avenue and east of I90, because those located there tend to cater to the convention crowd. </p>
<p>Have fun on move in day. Five years ago, we found it well organized and pretty smooth, much faster and less traumatic than we expected. And a lot of fun for everyone, parents included. </p>
<p>The ceremony at the end of the day, including the parting of the students, is not to be missed, by parents and new students both. Make sure you get to Rockefeller chapel early enough to get a seat.</p>
<p>I also agree that you should try something in Hyde Park. Based on your price request, I recommend the Snail, an excellent Thai Restaurant on 55th Street, which is quite walkable from the University.</p>
<p>Don’t plan on having dinner with your parents on move-in day. “Separation” occurs around 4:00 pm, and you will be busy for hours afterwards. Parents have been known to sneak back into contact with their kids later in the evening, or Sunday morning, but it’s a bad idea. Plan on saying goodbye at the convocation.</p>
<p>I have yet to eat anywhere in Hyde Park that is up to the standard one would expect of Chicago, no matter what the price range. If they don’t want to go elsewhere and don’t feel comfortable and confident in the city, The Medici is perfectly fine.</p>
<p>Well, this year, move-in day is separate from the orientation day. My parents won’t be staying around for the ceremony on Monday. They don’t like staying in hotels, and they both have to work on Monday anyway.</p>
<p>The Medici looks like a good bet. While I wouldn’t be opposed to going downtown, I doubt my parents will want to trek all over the city like that. My parents are pretty much the antitheses of typical CC parents, and the best restaurants we go to are places like the Olive Garden. I don’t want to give them sticker shock.</p>
<p>JB – Convocation is Saturday. Immediately afterwards, the first years go through the gate to get get their class picture taken and the parents go 5to the reception ina different direction. That’s when the parents say good-bye. We did not see S after that point. I believe there were house meetings Saturday evening, too.</p>
<p>BTW – O-Week begins Sunday. Sunday AM you are free to sleep in or do a final shopping run/drop off with your parents, but the math placement tests begin Sunday afternoon (FYI – you do not need to study!). </p>
<p>We like the Med for reasonably priced dinner, and went to Salonica the next morning for diner breakfast before heading out of town. S1 and I were in Hyde Park the day before move-in, and we went to the Med for dinner that night. Wasn’t too crowded. Also got to walk around the neighborhood.</p>
<p>This year is different because of Rosh Hashanah among other things. Convocation is Monday. There is an optional move-in day on Sunday, and I’m moving then.</p>
<p>Ugh, I am <em>so</em> over the Med. I was really into them for years, but it started slowly dawning on me the last few months I was in Chicago that they’re an overpriced roach-dotted burger joint with Italian flair, and I’m sick of paying that much for just ok food and silly t-shirts. You’ll probably go there plenty of times while you’re at UChicago, but just a little farther down that same street are both the Florian, which is similar fare but cleaner and more interesting, and Salonica, which is much more reasonably priced with better variety and less touristy, imho, and I wish people would give them more attention. Your mileage may vary, of course - tastes differ, but that’s my current feelings on the matter.</p>
<p>For explorations of city dining on your own time, I highly recommend opentable.com - they are the online booking site for hundreds of Chicago-area restaurants, and have reviews and ratings and all sorts of ways of organizing a search within their database (and then you can make reservations right through the site and earn points toward gift certificates!). It’s how I found many of the places I then took my parents to when they visited later on!</p>
<p>Edit to add: Med bakery is still great, though. I adore their multigrain bread, and could kill for their fresh-out-of-the-oven almond croissants - and they’re almost always freshly warm when available, because they sell out like <em>that</em>.</p>
<p>Yeah the Medici restaurant is kind of overpriced, though the goat-cheese spinach pizza is pretty delish. If you like Mediterranean food, The Nile on 55th is pretty good, and reasonably priced. I would recommend a Caribbean place on 53rd called Calypso but I think it might be closed. Finally, if you’re not looking for a big meal, Cafe Corea on 55th is terrific for really filling soups.</p>
<p>Agreed about the Med. One year did it for me. $15 for a reasonably good meal, when I can barely pay tuition? Not happening. Haven’t been there for about six months, and only go when my parents are in town (and hence paying) - they still haven’t realized how much of a ripoff it is.</p>
<p>Okay. I’ll look into the others as well. I probably shouldn’t try this hard. My parents won’t be too hard to impress. Just for some perspective, I have seen many high school homecoming dates at Pizza Hut, as that is one of the nicer restaurants around where I live. This is why I was so insistent that they eat somewhere in Chicago.</p>
<p>Hmm I actually used to like the Med a lot when I was at the U of C. I liked their “garbage pizza” and they had this GREAT apple pie a la mode. Maybe they’ve changed of late? I still sorta think of them as a U of C standby though.</p>
<p>If your parents haven’t been to Chicago often or eaten there, maybe take them to Giordano’s in Hyde Park for some classic deep dish pizza? I think Giordano’s deep dish is the BEST, and it makes for a pretty inexpensive meal too - you can get a large cheese with a couple toppings for like $25, and it EASILY serves 3-4 people. I’ve gone to Giordano’s with a few friends and it’s literally come to like $8 per person. That pizza is great!</p>
<p>Also, going to Giordanos (on 53rd and Blackstone) will give you the chance to walk through Hyde Park a bit. It’s a great neighborhood that tends to have more of a scholarly feel than say, the Georgetown area or West Philly. Parents tend to really like the neighborhood after they see it. Mine just fell in love with it.</p>
<p>Agree with parents loving the Hyde Park neighborhood.</p>
<p>Caution that real Chicago deep dish pizza is an acquired taste, and I think you only acquire it by living in Chicago for long enough that you lose your sense of perspective. Every time I get convinced to try it, I am reminded that it’s an interesting idea, but not an actually good idea.</p>
<p>Haha harold’s is great for a late night fried chicken craving, but I dunno if I’d ever want my parents first meal in the Hyde Park area to be from there… The OP doesn’t seem to need somewhere fancy, but Harold’s is definitely a step below in terms of service and atmosphere from an Olive Garden or Pizza Hut…</p>
<p>JB – Sorry – forgot about Rosh Hashanah since S is a second year and will still be home (actually, he’s reading that day). We’re doing the sprint to Chicago for move-in and back so we can get home in time for Kol Nidre.</p>
<p>Cue, S loved the apple pie ala mode at the Med. He is so picky about food I wanted to take him some place where I knew he could go and eat something. :)</p>
<p>Well, if you care to leave Hyde Park, a restaurant that mom may like is Hot Chocolate on North Damen in Chicago. It features good food (the macaroni & cheese is quite delightful), and really good desserts. It is not a place typically found in rural Ohio. </p>