<p>hey, i'm going to be in the chicago area 2/20-2/24. i'm a new yorker and have never been to the midwest before. what should i see (on and off UC's campus)? What are good restuarants? Good Chicago sites?</p>
<p>You really should go to the Seminary Coop Bookstore. It is located on University Avenue right on the campus.</p>
<p>If you'll be in Chicago for a few days, I'd definitely suggest spending a whole day on campus at Chicago - this is one of a limited number of campuses where a full day isn't hard to fill. You can go to the Oriental Institute, the bookstores, the retail areas of Hyde Park, etc. Catch the morning tour, have lunch, do an interview, and then go to the afternoon information session. Afterwards, just walk around a bit (but stay within eyeshot of the gothic buildings).</p>
<p>Beyond that, it's pretty much necessary to go to the Art Institute of Chicago. You can see Hopper's "Nighthawks", Seurat's "Dimanche apres-midi a l'ile de la Grande Jatte", Magritte's "Time Transfixed"...truly one of the premier art museums in the world, especially for 19th and 20th century American art.</p>
<p>Closer to the university, the Museum of Science and Industry is a lot of fun. </p>
<p>If you have an evening free, take a boat tour - these are SO much fun! I took the one that starts in the Chicago river and then goes out into Lake Michigan, about 90 minutes long. A stunning view and lots of interesting information, including the downtown "campus" [read: building] of the U of C GSB.</p>
<p>I'd stay somewhere near Michigan Avenue. A personal favorite is the Sutton Place, because it's close to the action (about a block) but also in its own cute little neighborhood that's very much removed from the materialism of the magnificent mile.</p>
<p>IF you stay on Michigan Avenue, you MUST eat at Bistro 110. My favorite restaurant in Chicago.</p>
<p>Hmmm...there's so much to do in Chicago, but I'm forgetting lots of options.</p>
<p>millenium park is really cool. they did great with that project, check that out right by the art institute.</p>
<p>Attend a core class! Everyone was very friendly and you don't need to check with admissions before sitting in on a class.</p>
<p>There is an extensive thread on the Parent Forum about visiting Chicago:</p>
<p>advice to a fellow new yorker: DON'T plan on just being able to walk around downtown and have stuff to do spring out at you like you would be able to in NYC. Everything in Chicago is much more spread out and overall there's a lot less "stuff" than there is in NY, both in terms of density and overall.<br>
Neighborhoods that are a little outside the downtown area like Wicker Park and Belmont are better if you're looking just to walk around. Also, bring a good map! It's a lot harder to get around when the streets/aves aren't numbered and there's no way of immediately telling north from south.</p>
<p>hey hey hey, I thought chicago was supposed to be similar to NYC. You're telling me that Chicago is not urban enough that you can just walk around and be entertained? Is that something that only exists in NYC and maybe a few other foreign cities?</p>
<p>Rule number one: DO NOT STAY ON MICHIGAN AVE. You will not get the true feel of the city. Please- STOP telling people to stay near Michigan. </p>
<p>Boat tours are amazing. Be prepared to be REALLY cold if they are still going out (not sure when they go out). </p>
<p>North- Gino's East, Bowling, Clubbing, Blues Bros, Movies, Shopping(including the watertower place/Macy's(cough Mashall Feilds cough)), Navy Pier, Boat tours,
South- Giordanos(I prefer over Gino's East Pizza), Soldier Field, Sox CELLULAR (still hate saying that) field, Art Museum, Millennium Park, Grank Park, Museum of Science and Industry(always a must), all those other museums...</p>
<p>It is "similar" to NYC in that it is a city and there are a lot of tall buildings. But it's also definitively midwestern, and has a very different vibe to it. And "different" is all I'll say, I'm not arguing that one is better than the other - they both have a ton of positive things about them.</p>
<p>For one thing, Chicago is enormous when compared to, say, Manhattan, and so things are naturally more spread out. I'd say the architecture downtown makes for one or two trips where you can just walk around with no plans; after that, you'd better start getting down some addresses or recommendations because it's easy to walk around for extended periods of time with nothing jumping out at you. Even the hipster areas like Wicker Park and Belmont don't offer nearly as much interesting stuff as the east Village does.</p>
<p>Again, that's hardly a diss on Chicago, it's just the truth about the city. It's urban, but a very different experience overall from New York (or Philly, or Boston, or LA). Oh, and people stroll when walking around downtown. This is the one thing that still drives me nuts, people in cities should walk fast dammit.</p>
<p>eat at medicis!</p>
<p>like paratha101 said, when i visited UChicago the women in the admissions office told me that the best restaurant to visit to get a feel of where students generally eat is Medici.</p>
<p>i'll just say that i think it is so much easier getting around in chicago. every street sign has their block number (ie 800 N) and every address and everything in the city works off that. new york it was not the case. 437 8th avenue was not 437 7th avenue one block over, it was way different. at least in grenwiche village. chicago is def much easier to navigate.</p>
<p>Well- if you know your presidents...</p>
<p>on campus, make sure to walk through some of the beautiful cathedrals. also, look for the bench that you can whisper into and have it echo around you....</p>
<p>im also from nyc. wud i feel bored in chicago?</p>
<p>Uhm, as somebody who's lived in and visited chicago many times in his life I'm going to have to say Shedd Aquarium as my #1 place to be.</p>
<p>Chicago has tons of stuff to do, but as has been mentioned, it's not like NYC where you can just walk around and do crap.</p>
<p>I feel suddenly attracted to you collegebond-</p>
<p>There is an abstract statue in front of one of the buildings (not sure which..ask around) that projects the shadow of a hammer and sickle on to the ground on May 1st (the labor holiday). Definately worth it if you are visiting around that time.</p>
<p>Dannonwater-u feel attracted to me? what r u? a cyber stalker? and r u a male or a female?</p>