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My wife and I will be taking the EB from Chicago at the end of the month. Courtesy of some points from business travel days, we're staying at a Holiday Inn near the station.
Appreciate any advice on a good dinner spot downtown the night we fly in. Atmoshphere and interesting (ie different than the normal steak fare) are important.
Also, can you recommend a morning walking tour the next day geared towards her rather than the railfan. I see that a portion (I think the old bar area) of Beghoff's has reopened as '17West/The Berghoff' run by the grandaughter. Anyone tried it? Or, doesn't Marshall Field (I refuse to call it Macy's) have a good restaurant. As an old anthropology major, she is into quilting, art, history.
We'll also have a day in Seattle but probably spend that in bookstores as have done most of the tourist stuff there.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I can never remember if it's the Walnut Room or the Oak Room at M/F but we had a really nice, fairly reasonably priced lunch there. If you go to the Customer Relations desk before and show an out of state ID they will give you a discount coupon book that will give you, among other things, a free dessert. The Frango mint pie is wonderful! (This was before Macy's took over, so may have changed.) You will both enjoy the building itself.
Have you been to the new Libray in Seattle? I hear it's a spectacular building and a good place to check e-mail.
Frank in, yep, Sunny SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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There is a lot of public art in Chicago - you may be able to pick up a brochure at your hotel. Check the visitors bureau on line - maybe they have some sort of guide. Of course the Art Institute is fantastic - they also have a nice restaurant & a cafeteria at the Museum. You can check their website. Of course, if you get in there you may not get out again. :-) If you are in a sleeper on the EB, go first to the station & leave your luggage in the Metropolitan Lounge left luggage area (free). Then you can walk or cab to your sightseeing - easy to catch a cab on the street in Chicago - there are 100's.
Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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I spent Labor Day weekend in Chicago (via Amtrak, of course) and ate at "17/west" twice - a lunch and a dinner. Both meals were delicious! I learned that the head chef of the old Berghoff has stayed on and is in charge of the kitchen. The menu features some old favorites as well as new offerings in the Berghoff style. Nice atmosphere, too. I recommend it highly.
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I cannot recommend enough the Chicago Architecture Foundation tour I took by boat. The boat left on the water by Michigan and Wacker. I booked the tour on the phone--it was $25--but I got a Triple A discount, so I think it was $22. However, you might check through the hotel; I think I missed a larger discount that way. But note that other companies also offer these water tours, and I don't think it would be as interesting. The guide for this one was excellent--and of course it is the guide who makes the tour. I came away with the concept of Chicago as a kind of Venice with skyscrapers.
The Architecture Foundation also offers other types of tours; their walking tours I believe are cheaper. They are located in the Santa Fe Building at 224 South Michigan Av, near Jackson, opposite the Art Institute; phone number is 312-922-3432.
The Art Institute is quite excellent, btw, with many fine paintings, inc Renoirs you will recognize, Sunday in the Park with Georges (Seurat), Hopper's Night Hawks. There is also an excellent armory. In the basement there is a famous collection of miniatures that didn't interest me but might interest your wife; but beware, school kids seem to like them a lot too. The Institute is free on Tuesdays.
An outfit in Chicago called Untouchable Tours offered tours of Prohibition-era Chicago, if that sort of history would interest your wife. They are at 600 N Clark St, 773-881-1195. I haven't yet taken this but it is on my list. I think the tours are at 10AM daily plus others; price was $24 when I read about it.
My sister really liked going to the Prairie District restoration. I think it might be in an iffy neighbhorhood, or hard to get to or something, but she took a taxi. When she left, another visitor she was chatting with gave her a lift back to the Loop.
The Walnut Room at Marshall Fields is quite nice, with good service. I don't think the Macys takeover has affected it; at least, that hadn't happened when last I was there. Lunch when I was there had good prices. My main dish was a southwestern special, only so so--I think I should have had something less exotic. However, the Frango ice cream and cobbler, were both yummy; I have since been back only for dessert.
I ate in a wonderful haute Mexican place that has since closed but there is another very popular one called Topalobampo, pricey but might be affordable for lunch. The Frontera Grill, which adjoins, also has somewhat lower prices. Address for both is 445 N Clark btw Hubbard & Illinois, 312-661-1434, www.frontera kitchens.com. I believe closed Sunday and Monday.
Also on my list of places to try downtown is Avec, which has a small plates menu. Beware: you can run up a bill quick in these small plates places. But it comes highly recommended--foodies compare it to Zaytinya in Washington, DC, which I like quite well. Address is 615 W Randolph nr Union Sta, 312-377-2002. It has the same owner as Blackbird, which is supposedly fancier and pricier.
I'm also told that Greektown, near Union Station, has good-priced simple ethnic places worth trying. This is near Union Station in the other direction on Adams--once an iffy neighborhood perhaps but not now, far as I could tell--I walked over there time before last in Chicago but did not eat because I was on my way to the Lakeshore Ltd, where dinner would be served; I was just checking out places for lunch now that I don't go to the Berghoff. So I would have had lunch in Greektown on my westbound trip but the Capitol Ltd was so late, I had no time. Anyway, the place I was planning to go to was Greek Islands, 299 S Halsted at Adams, 312-276-2500; my notes say "avoid dishes from the back room steam table" and instead have whole snapper or sea bass, skordalia (garlic potato dip), and Greek salad.
I don't think I'll go to the Berghoff; I hear bad rumors about how the old staff was dumped for lowpriced labor or something like that.
Some other places on my list to try:
Russian Tea Time, 77 E Adams btw Michigan & Wabash, 312-360-0000, www.russianteatime.com. This is on Adams even closer to the Art Institute than the Berghoff. I think it has music sometimes too.
Italian Village, 71 W Monroe, 312-332-7005, not too far fr Union Sta. This has more than one part; the Village part is open daily for lunch and dinner; the other parts (Cantina etc) are closed for lunch on wkends.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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It's the walnut room at Fields. Hopefully the food is as good as it used to be. If you go on the net and look under Chicago (either google or ask.com) you will find a wealth of ideas of things to do and see.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Great suggestions! The Architecture tour sounds like something we have to do. I think the Russian Tea room sounds like her cup of tea (sorry) for dinner. As a lover of German food I think we'll have to try Berghoff's 'lite' for lunch if the old chef is still there. Then maybe M/F for desert before the train.'When talking with my wife about these she mentioned one of her relatives graduated from the Art Insitiute, but think we may have run out of time...and the Empire Builder will leave on time.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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This discussion reminded me of what I had fo lunch at the Walnut room. Chicken pot pie. Not the usual you would expect but with a light puff pastry crust. And we lucked out and got the longest serving waitress. I've forgotten her name but she is a legend there.
Millennium Park has some great sights. The "Cloud" sculpture was covered the last time I was there so I need to return to see it.
The Architecture boat tour is very good and the boat trip I took on another company was also fun. We went out onto the lake so you got that great skyline view. I can't remember the name but they leave from the foot of the Wrigley Building.
Frank in now foggy SBA. I may need to dig out my long pants!
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Re Chicago: The Art Institute may have an evening when they are open, so if it coincides with the one you are there, you might be able to fit it in. I wanted to add a couple of things about Seattle:
I wasn't too impressed with Seattle on my visit this spring (OTOH, I love Chicago!) but I did really like that library interior that someone else here mentioned, if you haven't seen it. Ask at the info desk where you walk in about how to see the spiral--the person there will direct you to the elevator to take up--then you walk down the spiral. It's really neat, a kind of Guggenheim Museum of the Dewey Decimal System.
I also liked the Pike Place Market, and there was a restaurant there that was excellent, and a bargain, if you've never been: Matts in the Market, 94 Pike St at 1st Av, 206-467-7909. It's a bit hard to find, way upstairs, like the third floor, up the steps by the building that has Left Bank Books, a used bookstore, in it--just ask at that bookstore if you're uncertain how to get up. It looks like you are going up to an office, not a restaurant, and on the steps to go up there was a "street person sitting" (there sure are a lot in Seattle) but I didn't let that dissuade me and it was all perfectly fine. The restaurant itself is tiny, so I had to wait for a table, but I came latish, like around 2, for lunch (the day I was taking the Empire Builder home), so it wasn't completely swamped. I imagine coming early is good too. Anyway, the food there was just terrific, kind of fresh but nouvelle, emphasis on fish (I had halibut in a plate with salad, I think but the catfish sandwich was also recommended) and nice desserts (I shared one with a woman I had begun chatting with while waiting for our seat!) and good prices too, at least for lunch. (I am not sure if they are also open for dinner; and I think they might be closed one day a week, can't remember which, you might give them a call to find out.) Very nice service.
I also enjoyed going to a well-known small salumeria, or fancy Italian deli, owned by the father of a famous NY chef. It's not too far from the train station and the Pioneer Square area, (and not involving hills if you are coming from either of those places): Salumi, 309 3d Av S btw Jackson & Main, fr Pioneer Sq go S on 1st Av S, left on Jackson, 206-621-8772. It's open for lunch only, 11AM-4PM, and only Tuesdays through Fridays. Again it gets swamped because it's so small and they do a huge takeout business--you need to get there by 11 or 11:30 the absolute latest if you don't want to wait forever, or come around 2 or later. Efficient counter service, but though many take out, there are some communal tables at which you can have you food "in house" after ordering--quite fun to eat at, as you meet other foodies, tourists, etc. It specializes in salumi, or traditional Italian cured meats (i.e. deli) of many sorts (even lamb) but also has some Italian home cooking items--meatballs and such. Not for people with cholesterol problems!
Near here too (I think on 2nd and Jackson?) there is an interesting tiny (free) Alaska Gold Rush Museum (and gift shop). Since I was on my way to Alaska via Victoria and Vancouver (I stopped overnight in Seattle both coming and going), I made sure to go here, although when I was there they were in the process of moving in to their new digs and the exhibit was not completely moved.
BTW, I also liked having pho at an inexpensive Vietnamese restaurant, of which Seattle has many.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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thanks Sojourner. We tried and liked Matt's on our last trip through and saw the Gold Rush museum as we too were on our way to Alaksa. But the Italian deli sounds good and should be close to Elliott Bay bookstore. And the library is on our list too after getting the good reviews here.
We'll only be in Seattle for the day of arrival then off to Vancouver on the Cascade service early next am. We'll return briefly to catch a Southwest flight to Phoenix where we'll stay for a few days visiting relatives.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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How nice, Palmland. If you are looking for great food in Vancouver--well, there's plenty of it, but two places I recommend are Vij's, a kind of nouvelle Indian (Asian Indian, but to show how nouvelle it is, they have venison on the menu! although even better was the lambsicle) in West Granville--1480 W 11th Av just off Granville, 604-736-6664, www.vijs.ca. You can take a little electric bus over the bridge and This excellent nouvelle Chinese (I guess) not far from Chinatown & Gas Town (or do I mean Gas Lamp Quarter?) called Wild Rice, 117 W Pender St, 604-642-2882, www.wildricevancouvr.com. Actually I think it's also reasonably close to the train station but I'm not sure, I took a cab there because of luggage. I went for lunch; they have a small plates menu and we shared delicious taro & crabcake, squash potstickers, and this fantabulous banana plantain chocolate etc pudding dessert, plus a pretty jade alcoholic drink as cocktail.
(Can you tell how I am mourning my current food ailments, which have consigned me to toast and jam and baked potatoes? Boohoo. . . .)
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sojourner - my wife has occasional stomach ailments too. Usually sausage does it - and we're going to a german restaurant? In Vancouver we're staying with my nephew and wife. He teaches at the University and his wife is a native there so they may some good idea but I'll pass along your suggestions. thanks!
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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