Also, be sure to keep your exercise routine up during audition season. With all the travel and eating out and completely foregoing any form of exercise aside from a walk or two in Chicago snow, the scale was not kind to me at all and I’ve been back in the gym for months trying to make things up to the aforementioned scale and my body!
I must put in a plug for Do-Rite Donuts, which is next door to the Goodman Theater on Randolph Street. My son worked there all summer and says the bacon-maple donuts are incredible. (You have to get there before 1 p.m. or they’ll be out.) Also, re: exercise, it is completely feasible to run on the Lake Front Trail from most loop hotels…unless it’s extremely cold. You can go north towards the gold coast or south towards Soldier’s Field, both equally pleasant (and safe if you worry about that).
Would love to chat in February with any parents going to Chicago! My daughter and I are making the trip this year, though she does not audition until next year. She is in a daytime conservatory program specializing in training high school students for musical theatre. A couple of seniors are auditioning and some other junior students from her training program are going along as well. We all think it will be a great experience for them to just see what they are in for next year and help get us organized. (not staying at the actual hotel, but will hopefully get to wander around and talk/meet people with the same goals). We are surrounded in our area by teachers/parents with a great deal of knowledge, but I very much enjoy hearing from all kinds of people about this journey. I hope to meet some of you there and wish all of your kids a success at the auditions!
@jkellynh17 I just looked up that donut place your S worked at: Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken, and they have vegan and gluten free. It’s the most interesting donut menu I’ve seen. lol We must be be lacking some serious ‘donut-culture’ here in Pittsburgh; We don’t have anything close to it.
@crc500 No doubt you’ll get a lot out of the adventure. Seeing all this craziness without having to be a part of it? …Priceless.
We need like a booth, or buttons or nametags or somethin to identify us in Chicago so we know when we run into people. Any ideas?
Donuts are very serious stuff in Chicago. 
evilqueen is so sad she won’t be there with you all. The D will be attending Pacific Lutheran Univeristy where she will double major in theater and education. It sounds odd but I was really looking forward to Unifieds and am thrilled for D and her perfect fit school but sad for me to miss all of you.
BAL to all!!!
Are there any FOO FOO drinks that are good with Donuts? Maybe Irish Coffee? And I only meant to exclude you PGHMusician, not everyone else, “lol”. (I actually intended to limit my financial liablility, ). Everyone else will get a pass if they don’t have 75 posts. But I do see you have been working hard to meet your quota while I’ve been away. So who knows… ;))
two words… …“Double Manhattan”
Anybody canceling a two bathroom room at Chicago Palmer House?
Hi Notmath1! I’ve been a lurker on here for more than a year. This is my first post. My S got an early offer that he plans on taking and has decided not to go to Chicago Unifieds. I actually got on here to see if anyone wanted my 2 bath! Message me and maybe we can try to set up a time to discuss something like picking a time that I can release and you can request the room at the same time. I’m not sure exactly what will work, but if any of you have experience and can guide this, please speak up. The reservation starts on the 31st and is for 6 nights, as S had added an audition on the Sunday before and the Thursday after. BAL everyone! We had been planning for this since May, so I’m happy that S wants this offer close to home but I am sort of disappointed to not get to experience Unifieds.
Okay – I have a parka and snow boots, scarf, hat , gloves. Do I also need long underwear when we go outside to grab a bite or walk around? Forgive me – native Californian, here.
Look at the weather channel before you go. Cold is one thing… but wind chill is another animal. And Chicago is called “the Windy City” for a reason. Brrrr… It has been sub-zero here in the midwest lately. Layers are always helpful.
Hot Chilly’s. Check Zappos.
I didn’t follow that at all… I was like “Red Hot Chili Peppers??? Zippo hand warmers? What the heck is she trying to say??” …i know vocal… ‘google is my friend’. lol
How feasible is it to walk from the Palmer House to the Joffrey? Looks like only 4 blocks. I guess it will depend on the weather?
I don’t think it’s a full four blocks. I seem to recall it was maybe 2, perhaps 3. Either way it’s very close and a straight walk.
It’s pretty close. I think @GSOMTMom is about right. No problem walking. The MT kids do it all the time.
Fellow Californian here – I have been obsessively checking the weather every day for the past two weeks! I hope the weather is “calm” in Chicago!!!
From a fellow Californian that participated in Chicago Unifieds last year, it was very cold (7 degrees I think) and snowed most of the time we were there. We survived with a warm coat, gloves and boots when we went outside.
I do have to say that I am surprised when people comment on all the stores that are near PHH. I had no idea. Every time I went outside I had my head down and walked fast! Or grabbed a cab! LOL!!!
We walked from PHH to Joffrey - it was cold - so bundle up - but it’s definitely doable.