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Various Locations
Chicago, IL
Website
Served at places like Al’s Italian Beef in the Near North, (not to be confused with Al's #1 Italian Beef in Little Italy, which has its own distinct charms), the Italian Beef sandwich captures everything that we love about Chicago. Thinly sliced beef is crammed into an Italian roll and served up with green peppers and hot giardiniera peppers, making for a mouth-watering delight that is pure Chicago. Places like Al's may be short on glitz and ceremony, but they are big on content. Very Big.
Billy Goat Tavern
430 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-222-1525
View Map | Website
Ever hear of the "Curse of the Billy Goat," also known as the Cubs Curse? Do you recall the Saturday Night Live sketch in which a short order cook would yell out to incoming patrons: "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! No fries, cheeps! No Pepsi, Coke!"? All of the above have one thing in common: the World Famous Billy Goat Tavern, a Chicago legend. Since it opened in 1934, the Billy Goat Tavern has expanded to include locations on Washington Street (Loop), Wells Street (South Loop), the "Billy Goat Inn" on Madison Avenue (United Center), Navy Pier, and O'Hare Airport.
Blues Clubs
Various Locations
Chicago, IL
Chicago may not have given birth to the Blues, but it certainly helped raise it. And downtown Chicago teems with life after dark, Whether it’s a hot bar like Blue Chicago, the House of Blues, or Buddy Guy's Legends, or any of the many clubs and restaurants near the Magnificent Mile, there are plenty of nightlife options waiting for you in Chicago.
Chicago Restaurant Guide
Various Locations
Chicago, IL
Website
Beyond Chicago's "Big Three" of pizza, Italian beef, and hot dogs, there are far more options for restaurant goers in the Windy City. This online guide is a pretty good overview of all the choices available from the Loop hot spots to old favorites all over town. Also, chicagonights.com is a serviceable guide to the city's most popular nightclubs, like the iconic Green Mill.
Various Locations
Chicago, IL
Website
Giordano's is just one of several pizza joints in Chicago that have turned the city into a pizza lover's paradise. The Chicago style pizza has a long and honored tradition in the city dating back over half a century, starting at Pizzeria Uno, and continuing on at local legends like Lou Malnati's. Giordano's itself was started back in the 1970s, and is the easiest of the big three pizza joints to find, although all three are worth a try.
The Second City Comedy
1616 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: 312-664-4032
View Map | Website
If comedy is your thing, then there’s no place like Chicago, and in Chicago, there’s no place like the Second City. Actually located a bit north of the Loop, the Second City has long been the proving ground for Chicago’s best comedic actors. A good decade and a half before Saturday Night Live, this troupe began serving up topical humor and satirical sketches in a style that has been copied many times, but never duplicated. The list of famous alumni is as long as your arm, but it includes names like Arkin, Belushi, Ackroyd, Farley, and Carrell. And today, the current cast is still bringing it, night after night.