Welcome to Chicago

How to get in from the airport

When you land, follow the signs to Ground Transportation, and then CTA Trains To City. There is only one train line, the Blue Line. There are usually a few trains there, but there is an arrow on the sign above telling you which one leaves next. The train is $2. Buy a card at the entrance using one of the machines. Take the train 20 stops to the LaSalle stop. It is underground. Take the escalator up and then the stairs. You are at the intersection of Congress and LaSalle, hopefully on the south side of the street. Walk one block east (towards the lake) to Clark St, which is the same direction you come out of the stairs. Walk another block east to Dearborn St. Turn right and walk one block south on Dearborn. Now you are at the corner of Dearborn and Harrison. The 23-story building on the SW corner is mine. The entrance is another half block down Dearborn and has an awning that says 600 S Dearborn. Just ask for me.

Parking

This parking site is fantastic and shows all the parking near my house (and in the rest of Chicago).

Matt's house and details

600 S. Dearborn St. #1001
Chicago, IL 60605
773-450-3622
knepley@gmail.com

How to get from downtown to U of C (maps)

From the loop, take the 6 or 2 buses, which pick up at Michigan and Balbo, and go down Lake Shore Drive. You can also catch the 6 farther up State St. downtown. Get off at E 57th and Stony Island Ave, the next stop after the Museum of Science and Industry. It is a 10 minute walk along 57th St. to the University Quad and Ryerson. Go in the large gate on the south side of 57th, right after University Ave., and walk down to the quad. Ryerson is the building on your left.

You can also get off the bus at 55th, take the 55 or X55 bus along 55th to Ellis, and walk 2 blocks south on Ellis to the Quad, then back down 57th to the gate, etc.

Where to go

Definitely walk in Millenium Park. I love the Field Museum and the Art Museum. The Museum of Science and Industry is good for kids.

Where to eat

Lou Malnatti's Pizza just moved into the South Loop and they are great. When walking in Millenium Park, you could check out The Gage across the street. It is fine dining. If you head over to the near west side, there is a great Tuscan Italian place called Coco Pazzo. If you stop at Wells and head north, you go right past Cyrano's. Heading back towards the lake is one of the more famous places in Chicago, Topolobambo. It has a less expensive back kitchen called the Frontera Grill. It is Rick Bayliss's restaurant, which has great Mexican. If you go further north to Lincoln Park, two places I have really liked are Bistrot Zinc (French) and Merlo (Italian). The classic pizza place is Gino's East. There is also a cluster of good restaurants just south of me, including the Firehouse and Gioco. I also mention that Randolph Street has a ton of great restaurants over there like Marche, etc.

50 things to eat in Chicago before you die and Food Trucks

Cruz Blanca Cerveceria & Taqueria
901 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-1975

Publican Anker
1576 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(773) 904-1121

Coco Pazzo
300 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 836-0900

Cyrano's Bistrot
546 N Wells St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 467-0546

Frontera Grill/Topolobampo
445 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 661-1434

Bistrot Zinc
1131 N State St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 337-1131

Merlo Ristorante
2638 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 529-0747

Gino's East of Chicago
633 N Wells St
Chicago, IL
(312) 943-1124

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant
1401 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL
(312) 786-1401

Gioco
1312 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL
(312) 939-3870

Adobo

Salpicon

Possible hotels

Travelodge at Harrison and Wabash
Congress Hotel at Congress and Michigan
Blake Hotel at Harrison and Dearborn
Hilton on Michigan
Palmer House in the Loop
Fairfield Inn at Ontario and Wells