So, I (stupidly) moved to Chicago a few months ago. So far I haven't been shot, so I've for that going for me. Anyone else live around here?
I'm from the area, currently living in the Middle East though. Eat at Kuma's Corner! They have the best burgers and mac n cheese in the country. Get yourself some good gyros, Italian beef with giardiniera, and some Chicago style hot dogs. Which region are you in?
Also if you notice my signature is from a Chicago band, Local H. See concerts at these places: Metro, Riviera, and there's another that skips my mind at the time.
From Tampa to Chicago? A month ago I spent a week on the beach at Anna Maria Island (near Tampa) and loved it. Oh, the eats, the azure water, the dolphins, the sun, the sunsets, and the scantily bikinied buttocks!! Did I mention the buttocks? Oh, I sure did.
Glad to hear that you're still above ground in the free world Shabaz. Personally, Chicago and Detroit are two of the last cities that I care to go.
What the fuck, man. Anna Maria Island is 4 miles from me. You should've said something, we could've gone for Cuban dinner/drinks. Shabaz - I was born in and lived part of my childhood in Chicago, moved back for a little while after graduating. I'm sure after you live there a while you will grow into a love/hate relationship with the place, as many people do. The city itself is great - the neighborhoods, different cultures, the food, all sorts of activities, North Avenue beach in the summer, by far the best skyline the country has to offer. (not a biased opinion, of course!) On the other hand, assuming you live in Chicago proper, the fucking city will nickel and dime you to death. The taxes, the fees, outrageous parking tickets, city stickers, the CTA and its delays and problems, the list goes on and on. If you get towed, getting your car out of impound is literally an entire-day event. Going to 400 Superior, waiting in the huge line to get the release paperwork, then going to the lot it's at, argh. What neighborhood are you in? (or suburb, if you meant 'around Chicago' by 'Chicago'). It ain't a bad place, I have lots of cherished memories from the city. You may already know this, but the recent hype about the crime/murders in the city is mostly just that. Yes, there's a lot of murders and problems, but Chicago is one of the most heavily segregated cities in the country. Those problems are generally confined to the hood - places like Englewood/West Englewood, Roseland, Back of the Yards, Woodlawn, etc. Don't let any of that crap deter you from exploring the city. There's good and bad pockets all over, and there's nice stuff on the south side too... such as absolutely beautiful houses on King Dr. from about 35th to 55th, Museum of Science & Industry, and so forth. When I was a kid we lived like a block and a half from Six Corners - Irving Park, Milwaukee, & Cicero, in Portage Park. There were lots of Polacks when I was a kid, but now the neighborhood is heavily Hispanic - there's still a lot of Polish eateries and such in the area, if you like that type of food. Definitely eat at places like Mr. J's (Chicago & State), Giordano's (Giordano's thin crust, pepperoni and sausage is my favorite I think - for deep dish, Malnati's might be better). Any place that has a Vienna Beef sign will have your typical Chicago hot dog/Polish sausage type of stuff there. I'll stop going down memory lane before this gets too long. Hope you enjoy the city.
Ahh shit. I loved it and will probably be back. If I do I'll definitely let you know. I thought about coming again in May when the Royals are @ Rays. You're in Bradenton or Sarasota?
Bradenton, west-north-westish. I lived in Sarasota when I first got here, fuck that place. The Rays stadium is not far from me either, a few minutes over the skyway. It starts getting hot by mid May, but I guess if you were just here it'd be the same temperature as this time of year. November-April are the best though. Otherwise it's like an incinerator.
I don't know about that. There's a batch of lady bicyclist that were wearing see through spandex last summer. Sure....I'll share the road ladies! This is a trend I want to see take hold.
Irregardless, it's a pleasant distraction. Almost as dangerous as texting and driving though (or worse).
There used to be a spandex-clad beauty who cycled up and down our road. I had the pleasure of being in traffic behind her once. OMG what a butt. Eventually the oncoming traffic cleared and I had to go around to avoid looking like the perv I was being. Fun while it lasted.
No shit, like the whole tight-fitting-yoga-spandex-whatever-pants-thing we've enjoyed the last few years.
Already eaten at Kumas and loved it. I work in the loop and live in Wicker Park. Already been to a couple of shows at the Riviera. Saw Opeth there a couple of weeks ago and that was an amazing show. Also saw a show at Concord and really liked that venue. Going to Bottom Lounge for a show in a couple of weeks.
Thanks man. I had no idea you moved to Florida. Before I moved to Chicago I was working in Bradenton for Bealls (bunch of fuckers...). If you haven't been there already, Motorworks Brewery is pretty good. I'm in Wicker Park, and the furthest south I've explored is the Museum of Science and Industry. Mostly I've been exploring the northwest side of town. Everything off the blue line, basically. I was dating a flight attendant, so that's the area I started with. I've already noticed the ridiculous amount of fees and shit. I already have the love/hate relationship to be honest. Fuck crowded trains at rush hour.
I didn't really plan on moving here. I came down here to visit a friend and since I was laid off, and had been diligently applying for jobs for about 9 months with 1 callback the whole time, I was fed up. I wasn't applying for stuff I wasn't qualified for, it was just that there were so many god damn people out of work, that if they could hire someone with a Master's and 15 years experience that will work for next to nothing, why would they hire someone like me? Anyways, that was in Milwaukee. I never liked it there and the job situation just topped it off. I needed a break (yeah, a break from not working) so I came down to visit a friend. When I got down here, I used his address and applied for jobs just to see what the situation was like here, and the next day my phone started blowing up. I had 3 offers in a week, so I stayed. Regarding the brewery, I haven't been, but I will check it out this weekend. Thanks for the tip - really I don't do much of anything in Bradenton, I moved to Florida in March 2015 and lived in Sarasota until November, been in Bradenton since then - so almost a year. I haven't even seen Anna Maria... I tried to go on Memorial Day Weekend, but traffic was one-lane backed up down Cortez starting at 75th W, and 45 minutes later I was at 86th. Considering I had until like 120-something until I got to the bridge, I said fuck it. Not to mention if it was that bad, I doubt I would've even found anywhere to park. Have been meaning to go, though. I hear you regarding the crowded trains. The CTA is a joke about 50% of the time with their nonsense in general. If you work in the Loop though you're a lot better off just biting the bullet and getting the Ventra as opposed to dealing with traffic, parking costs, etc. Wicker Park is... idk. The past 10 years or so it has gotten very trendy and hipsterish, which drove the prices up like crazy. Same thing is happening to Humboldt Park now, even making its way west of the park - at least the last time I was down that way it was. All of the close-to-downtown neighborhoods that were mediocre to ghetto 25, 30 years ago are getting wiped out and gentrified due to downtown proximity. I remember walking down Larrabee between Chicago and Division, summer 2010. Coming north from Chicago Ave, brand new high-rise condos, starting "in the high $400s." Keep walking, cross Oak Street - the remaining Cabrini Green high rises, with the low rises next door still filled with section 8/CHA tenants sitting outside drinking 40s. I had to laugh at that.
FWIW, we were there the week of Labor Day. It was kind of crowded on Labor Day itself, but not so much after. The locals said it was one of the most quiet weeks of the year, the cusp between the summer and fall people. Apparently a lot of Canookians winter down there. E.g., there weren't enough people to do the dolphin and snorkeling cruises, that require a minimum. The dolphin picture was from a gratis one hour "charity" cruise because there were too many no-shows for them to do the planned four hour snorkeling cruise to Egmont Key.
