Restaurant Tours – Friday April 23

Chicago is home to an amazing array of restaurants, sure to satisfy any palate and appetite! On Friday, April 23, members of the Local Arrangements Committee will be your guides to a variety of eateries, all within walking distance of the hotel. Sign-up sheets will be posted near the registration area and groups will meet in the hotel lobby at 5:45 p.m. that evening. Please join us!

Kamehachi
240 East Ontario Street
This Streeterville outpost of the local mini-chain offers something for everyone with a menu of sushi and maki, plus ample cooked selections like noodles and teriyaki. The airy space features blonde woods, shoji screens, bubbling fountains, bamboo tables, a sushi bar and a cut-glass wall to separate the bar from the dining room.
Host: Andrea Bainbridge (Andrea.bainbridge@ama-assn.org)

Sayat Nova
157 East Ohio Street
For more than twenty-five years, Sayat Nova has been serving up Middle Eastern food in its somewhat kitschy quarters just off Michigan Avenue. Combination platters let diners try a few mouthfuls of several dishes, and there’s always a big basket of pita on every table. Partially enclosed round booths add an air of mystery and/or romance.
Host: Peggy Glowacki (peggyg@uic.edu)

Gino’s East Pizza
162 East Superior Street
Legend has it two cab drivers were frustrated with rush hour traffic, so they decided to ditch the taxis, partner up with a pal, and go into the pizza business. The original Gino’s opened in 1966; the chain now has multiple locations in the city and suburbs. The draw here is the gut-busting deep-dish pizza; each pie is loaded with heady amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce and baked to order (plan ahead, the pies take 30-45 minutes). Bestsellers include the sausage (patty or crumbled) or the “supreme” with sausage or pepperoni, onions, mushrooms and green peppers. For those who can’t deal with the inevitable deep-dish food coma, thin crust pies, stromboli, pasta and sandwiches also make the menu.
Host: Benn Joseph (bennjoseph@gmail.com)

Dao Thai
230 East Ohio Street
Dao’s spacious dining room has Thai platform-style seating, requiring many diners to hop into a recessed hollow around each table. Once there you’ll peruse a huge menu offering large portions of traditional Thai cuisine at comfortable prices. Beef and chicken curries, shrimp and chicken dishes, soups, noodle bowls and salads are all offered. Want something a little more adventurous? Ask your server to recommend a favorite dish.
Host: Frank Villella (villellaf@cso.org)

Billy Goat Tavern
430 North Michigan Avenue
Wheaton comedian John Belushi brought the Billy Goat national fame when he portrayed a frenzied Greek cook on “Saturday Night Live” in the mid-’70s. But the Billy Goat, located out of the light of day on murky Lower Michigan Avenue, had long been a local legend, since original owner William Sianis was forbidden by Chicago Cubs management to bring his house goat into Wrigley Field during a 1945 World Series game. Insulted, Sianis’ curse that the Cubs would never again win a championship has held true. The Billy Goat also is known for its collection of newspapermen who wandered in after the dailies were put to bed. Eminent Chicago writers such as David Condon, Mike Royko, Irv Kupcinet, Bill Granger and Roger Ebert are honored both with blown-up bylines plastered behind one length of the L-shaped bar and on the “Wall of Fame” of pictures and articles on the other side of the room. The Billy Goat reeks with local color; pictures, news clippings and trivia including numerous tributes to William Sianis after his passing, a “Wise Guys Corner” of Chicago crooks and a decree from the Chicago Police Department.
Host: Glenn Longacre (glenn.longacre@nara.gov)

Restaurant descriptions courtesy of Metromix Chicago.

 

for those who enjoy coffee (or tea)

Piggybacking on an earlier post about wi-fi (see below), I’d just like to mention that Argo Tea, which is right across the street from the hotel, is a Chicago-based institution with several locations throughout the area.  All their teas are natural, and their coffees are organic, fair-trade, and shade grown.  Read all about it here.

But that’s not the only local option if you’re tired of Starbuck’s.  Two other top options are Intelligentsia and Metropolis.  Intelligentsia has 3 locations (Loop, Millenium Park, and Lakeview–none of them all that close by, but all in interesting neighborhoods).  Metropolis only has 1 location, in Edgewater.  You can’t beat Argo Tea if you just need to grab a coffee in between sessions, but the other two are definitely worth the trip if you have the time!

–Benn

 

Cheezborger! Cheezborger! Anyone?

The Billy Goat Tavern, a famous Chicago eatery, is on the list of restaurant tours scheduled for Friday evening. MAC participants can sign up near the registration desk. The group will meet in the hotel lobby at 5:45 PM to make the short walk over to the original Billy Goat Tavern located on the lower level at 430 N. Michigan Avenue near the Tribune Tower and Wrigley Building. The Billy Goat Tavern was made famous by the 1970s Saturday Night Live skit with John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd.

To some, however, the Tavern is infamous in Chicago sport’s lore. Original owner, Greek immigrant, William “Billy Goat” Sianis, placed a curse on the Chicago Cubs when they refused him and his pet goat entrance to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series at Wrigley Field. As any Cubs fan can lament, the curse lives on. Much to the delight of south side White Sox fans!

The Billy Goat Tavern web site offers interesting photos, history, and a menu at: http://www.billygoattavern.com/home.html.

But, please remember: No fries, cheeps! No Pepsi, Coke!

 

Restaurants near the MAC hotel

Restaurants abound in Chicago. Here’s a place to start when looking for a place to eat near the MAC hotel.

View Larger Map

 

What’s Going on Here?

Chicago has so much going on – music, theater, museum exhibits, comedy, restaurants – that it can be hard to answer the question What shall we do? Locals have several resources at their disposal for finding a new place for dinner or where to hear some jazz for the evening.

The Chicago Reader is a great place to start looking for all sorts of events and performances by date, genre and venue.  Pick up a copy of the Reader at sites all over town, or visit the website, www.chireader.com.  Handy features include tabs for browsing “Music,” “Art & Events,” and “Best of Chicago.”

Metromix also sponsors a Chicago site that offers a search engine for restaurants by location, price range, cuisine, and more.  The site offers great listings and searches for music and events as well.

Centerstage Chicago offers similar event listings and services, but has an additional feature called “Virtual L.”  Choose an L (or “el”) stop and see what’s in the neighborhood that surrounds it.  A great supplement for your self-guided tours!

 

It’s a Deal! – Chicago on the Cheap

Chicago can be expensive, but luckily there are ways to explore it without breaking the bank.

Try Two Buck Duck for deals on dining and services around the city – for which you pay only, that’s right, two bucks.  Typical deals include $2 for a coupon that gets you an appetizer with drink purchase; $2 for a session at a yoga studio; or $2 for a buy-one get-one entrée deal.  Deals must be purchased on the day they’re offered, but the coupons are usually good for several months.  Check the site often, and be sure to read the offer details.

Half-Price Chicago also offers great dining and entertainment discounts around the city.  $15 could buy you a $30 gift certificate at a Loop pub, or you might pay $25 for $50 worth of tickets for a local sketch comedy show.  These specials are usually around for more than a day, but most will have a use-by date – read the fine print!

 

Groupon.com

Groupon.com is a great way to find things to do in Chicago at dramatically reduced prices!  We (the Local Arrangements Committee) know the last thing you want to do after getting all the way to Chicago is pay full price at a restaurant.

If you sign up for Groupon, you’ll get an email every couple of days with a “Deal of the Day”, which is usually something like 50% off (or better) at a local restaurant, museum, or theatre.  It’s also not uncommon for things like tours, salons, and parking to appear on the list.  Groupons, when purchased, are usually good for at least a year (unless they’re for a certain theatre performance)–so if you sign up now, you’re sure to get a fantastic selection of deals offered to you before your arrival in Chicago.  Buy as many as you want and you’ll find your evenings packed with entertainment during your stay here. It’s never too early to start planning your trip to Chicago for MAC 2010!

 

How Much Can a City Change in Five Years?

Here is a random assortment of significant events that have taken place in Chicago since MAC’s last meeting here in 2005. In case you’d like to visit the sites mentioned while you’re here for the Annual Meeting in April, the distance (walking) from the DoubleTree Hotel follows each entry.

Feel free to add to the list!

• Fall, 2005: The Chicago White Sox won the World Series. Still waiting for the Cubs—maybe next year. (U.S. Cellular Field–formerly Comiskey Park–4 miles from the conference hotel.)
• January, 2006: The Pilgrim Baptist Church burned to the ground. Designed by Adler & Sullivan in 1891 as a synagogue, it became a Baptist church in 1922, with gospel composer Thomas Dorsey as its musical director. Historic records, including original sheet music, were destroyed in the fire. (3301 South Indiana. Distance from conference hotel: about 5 miles)
• February, 2006: The Berghoff Restaurant closed its doors after 107 years of purveying German food to locals and visitors (MAC’s 1997 Spring meeting reception was held there). Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group opened soon thereafter on the same site. (17 West Adams. Distance from conference hotel: 12 blocks)
• February, 2006: After a massive renovation, the Chicago Historical Society changed its name to the Chicago History Museum. Location is the same, and the collections are still great. (1601 North Clark–just under 2 miles from the conference hotel)
• Fall, 2006: All Marshall Field & Company stores, bought by Macy’s in 2005, changed to the Macy’s name, to the dismay of historically-minded Chicagoans. People still shop there, though. (The flagship store is in the Loop, 6 blocks from the hotel; the Water Tower branch is about 3 blocks away)
• 2007: the Chicago Planning Commission approved architect Santiago Calatrava’s design for the Chicago Spire, a 2000-foot-tall residential structure on the Lakefront. At the end of 2009, construction had halted due to financial problems. (Construction site: 400 North Lake Shore Drive, 3 blocks from the conference hotel.)
• 2007: On the other hand, the tallest building designed by a female-owned architectural firm also got its start this year. The 81-story residential skyscraper, named Aqua, was almost completed by the end of 2009. (See it at 225 North Columbus Drive, 4 blocks from the conference hotel.)
• 2008: Another Pulitzer Prize for a Chicagoan: Tracy Letts won the prize for drama for “August: Osage County,” produced at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater. (1650 North Halsted, 2.4 miles from the conference hotel)
• October 31, 2008: The death of Studs Terkel left a void in the city’s heart and soul.
• November 5, 2008: Chicago became the hometown of a U.S. President. The site of Obama’s acceptance speech was Grant Park. (Distance from conference hotel: 8 blocks.)
• May, 2009: Modern Wing opened at Art Institute. Designed by Renzo Piano, the addition increases the museum’s space by a third and adds a new entrance and a bridge from Millennium Park. (Distance from conference hotel: 7 blocks)
• 2009:  Sears Tower is no more—it’s now named the Willis Tower. The world’s tallest building until 1998, and still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, is now named for Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker. (Distance from conference hotel: 1.3 miles)
• 2009: Parts of the 92-story Trump International Hotel & Tower, construction on which began back in 2005, opened in spring, 2009. (401 N Wabash. Distance from the conference hotel: 5 blocks.)
• October, 2009: Chicago lost the bid for the 2016 Olympics. But legacies of the world’s fairs in 1893 and 1933 still remain, including the Art Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Devil in the White City.
• 2009:  The MAC and Chicago communities lost two good friends: John Zwicky (American Academy of Pediatrics) and John Daly (Director, Illinois State Archives)
• 2009: Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose–in Chicago politics, at least. Although we had a little problem with the Illinois Governorship, at the beginning of the year (Rod Blagojevich out), Mayor Daley remains at the helm of the city (elections will be held in 2011). (City Hall, 7 blocks from the conference hotel.)