Chicago-Second City
 

I'll be in Chicago by the end of July and would like to see a performance of Second City, which is playing at Arlington Heights. Is it easy reachable without a car? I'll be staying at Palmer House.

Downtown Chicago and Arlington Heights are not close. I don't know much about the trains going in that direction but I doubt you could get to the theater from the train station easily regardless. Some neighborhoods in Chicago and some very close suburbs are accessible on public tranport systems (train, el, bus etc.) But many are not. If you are used to European or Eastern cities the scale is totally unlike what you are used to. For instance, my home growing up was 15 miles from downtown and still in the city proper. <BR> <BR>There used to be a good Second City production downtown. I think there still is a good comedy ensemble at the Stephenwolf (spelling?) Try metromix.com and the other Chicago web pages.

We had what I call a Second City Moment last December. We had rented a car for a weekend there and were staying in a hotel downtown, but not with in walking distance to Second City. Drove over to see the show but could not find any parking. There is an Italian resturant across the street that has valet parking so we asked the attendant if he would take our car and we would pay him alittle extra. No problem but the resturant closes at 10pm sundays so we had to get our car by then no matter what (he said). WE told him that some times after the show they let the audience hang out while they work on new material but we'll leave by 10. At 10 we come out and theres our car right out front but there is no attendant. The doors are locked and no keys. We wait and wait and its cold. Finally we go into the resturant, there door was already locked, but they let us in when we evplained what happened. They contract the parking services so they don't realy know the guy who parked our car. They call the garage and the guys a sub and no one there really knows him either. Now its about 11:30 and everyones leaving second city. We are looking at the exiting crowd and whadda ya know, there he is with everyone else. He said we made it sound so much fun he thought he'd go have a look after his shift was over and decided to stay. He thought we would too. Moral of the story- do not take a car!

Just to set the record straight, there are 2 Second City Acts in the Chicago area! One is in arlington Heights which is about 45 min- 1hour from downtown (could be more with traffic) There are Metra (suburban commuter trains) whih run to Arlington Heights but let you off miles from the theater where Second City plays. If you are going to Arlington Heights take your car there is no problem with parking there it is a very suburban area. However, if you are staying downtown at the palmer House why go to the suburbs? go to the Second City in town! You will not be within walking distance and as Mary pointed out, parking is horrid downtown. Your options are a cab or the el/subway. If you are not familar with the city, I definitely suggest a cab, the ride will be less than $10.

Beth has a good suggestion. Stay downtown and see the Second City there. I wasn't sure that the original downtown was still in operation, as I haven't seen it in years. I was there many times when the Saturday Night Live original cast were members, in pre-SNL days. Also saw a session about 5 years ago or so, and they are always much fun. <BR> <BR>Just a suggestion, if you are staying at the Palmer House- then the new Cadillac Palace Theatre is not too far from you. Mamma Mia may be gone by then but find out what's running after that. I have tickets for June and can't wait. The Producers is there now, and people are really enjoying it. <BR> <BR>Have a good time in Chicago and IMHO it will be a much more fun and relaxed stay if you can cut down on the driving. You might get into the neighborhoods and Near North pretty easily by public transit, but to most Suburban outings you need to drive, and the expressways are not like what a lot of tourists are used to. (Unless they are veterans of LA or Naples, Italy.) I have seen my house guests from Minnesota end up in Indiana.

The main Second City troupe performs on Wells Street, in the Old Town area of Chicago, I think at about 1800 North. They are in a new multiuse bulding that has its own parking ramp, so parking is not a problem. If you are staying at the Palmer House, however, it would be much easier taking a cab. I would not recommend taking the el to this location, as the station area is quite a bit west and in a still-gentrifying area. You could get there by bus, though, I think the 151 and 153 run near the Palmer House and pass nearby.

I saw Second City perform in their theater on Wells Street in January. It was hilarious. We drove, though. If I remember correctly, we parked at an adjacent parking deck, and parking was validated. The area of town was nice, and I highly recommend the show.

Thanks everybody for the infos. I asked about Arlington Heights because metromix points Second City there. Now I know I can watch it downtown.