Just back from 4 wonderful days in Chicago - any questions?

Tell us everything! I haven't had my Chicago fix yet this summer...

Great City!! We ate at Cafe Spiaggia, same food as Spiaggia but a smaller spot and much cheaper - it was lovely, small, romantic, great food. Dinner at Blackbird which blew me away - super food, hot wine list (a bit expensive - $150 for two but well worth it) and lunch at MK, a very cool place with a good menu. We walked the Gold Coast and the Old Town Triangle (really interesting) and did the boat tour thing which was really interesting. We walked for four days, were thoroughly exhausted and had a blast. Saw a woman at Blue Chicago called Shirly Johnson ("you can have my husband, but honey, don't mess with my man") whose voice was so gutsy and incredible. We had a blast. Stayed at the Talbott and it was a very nice hotel with a great breakfast included in the room rate. I want to move to Chicago!! Also, hats off to Mayor Daley, the flowers are lovely and the city is clean.

Question for Lisa - are you the same Lisa who went to Anse Chastanet last year?

Sounds like a great trip! I'm still hoping to get to Chicago for a weekend sometime this year -- it's one of my favorite cities. I've been seeing articles about ping pong tables outdoors all over Chicago

Re: St. Lucia -- you're close -- I went to Ladera in autumn '98 (we did snorkel at Anse Chastanet a couple of times!). Paradise.

lin and lisa,
Nice to know my wife and I aren't the only ones who have a "Chicago jones"!

I stayed at The Talbott during my June trip. My wife was jealous when I showed her the pics and told her about the excellent serevice I had. We'll stay there when we go back. Great location, too.

Dittos on Blue Chicago.
What I'd give for a Porterhouse and a bottle of Cab at Sullivan's.

In June, the lake was as blue as any water I had seen in Kauai and the river was glowing emerald like it was St Patty's day!

Low 80s-low humidity...walked all along lakeshore and hit about everything.

My friends find it odd when my wife and I use the words "vacation" and "Chicago" in the same sentence! Their loss!
Kal

ps..lisa...142 more days until Kauai!

Is it too early to think about seeing OCTOBER baseball in CHICAGO? Will probably need a jacket plus sweater combo- but it sure would be nice. September and October are great months here for a visit. Hope we can host a world series on the South side, so you can see for yourselves. Hit a place right across from Oprah's Harpo studios last week called FLATTOP GRIP. It's like a Mongolian BBQ and it was GREAT. We have tons of great neighborhood spots outside of the Loop or Near North, but you need a car to access them.