CHICAGO!

Kerry, I was hoping to see BOTH sides of the baseball experience - that is, the "friendly confines" and "the sty that Reinsdorf built". (I thought Comiskey was the cesspool...)

With my luck, though, I'll have the Pirates & Tigers in town. Blech. Don't get me wrong; I love baseball & all, but BLECH.

Preliminary scouting shows that the optimal time to visit would be mid-June (during the CUBS / CHISOX Interleague hoohah, assuming tickets are available).

So I'm reviving this thread instead of contributing to the ever-Rolling Chicago cause I don't wanna intrude on the homies too much, but basically I kinda wanna do the "Chicago! How is it? Are there jobs there? Should I move?" thing. I'm planning on teaching. Anybody know what the situation for teachers is like up there? How's the cost of living? Gas?

Any help would be valuable. Iff'n I do this it'd probably be around the turn of the year.

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1995_Dangerous_Minds/1995_Dangerous_Minds_036.jpg

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/09/20/the_wire/story.jpg

Yeah I just watched that season too, dude! Illusions = dissed.

But I'm still doing it. It's what I wanna do.

Fuck it, you know?

No, really -- Chicago is still horribly segregated racially and economically. If you get a sweet gig at Lincoln Park High School, no worries. Anything south of Roosevelt Road, though, and you're looking at what Norman Wilson called "inner city schools with inner city problems." Chicago has some of the worst and roughest public schools in the country, no joke.

But if you're serious, brah, we need you.

Big Hoos aka Prez

I know a few teachers here who have run the gamut from what Kenan describes (pretty much keeping order in the classroom is the job) to an all-girls public arts school (Oprah loves it) to one of the late, great big Catholic schools here. So there are some folks I could get you in touch with, as long as we say "we met at a party" instead of "we met over the Internet."

Gas is as high as anywhere in the country except California.

Other than that, we've got the basics same as anywhere else: Borders, Jamba Juice, you know.

Thinking about moving too, Hoos.

Thanks for the help, guys.

Nothing's set in stone yet, but this is looking more and more like a yes.

xp to chicago, roxy?

Considering it, yeah!

It's too bad there is such a dearth of information about Chicago on ILX, it might really help you guys.

Yeah, I was wondering, where would you start?

I mean it seems like there might be a poster or two from there, but they tend towards wallflower/lurking-type behavior.

I've always relied on the kindness of strangers...

So you're also considering moving to The Big Easy, HOOS?

Should I take it as a bad omen that this thread is still loading even as I type

:D

You've had this thread coming for a long time, HOOS.

It's about as hard to find info about Chicago as it is to find out about Can reissues.

In fact

as hard to find info about chicago as it is to find out about the 2008 Primaries?

Who are CAN and why is everyone talking about them?

-- Laurel (Laurel), Monday, March 13, 2006 1:47 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

Hey large HOOS the CPS system is pretty screwy, a lot of those schools are sure nuff crazy; as a social worker there I walked into and substituted in some strange places. However, there are more "good" (a.k.a. not-burnt-out post-apocalyptic-style) schools than Kenan is letting on. Actually it's a common misperception, most people don't even know.

But like in any big city system if you are a good teacher or at least have a good heart your students will love you and then they and the other teachers will look out for you. Not too many young male teachers in the system, you can totally take unfair advantage. And it's a great city, loved my time there and miss it a lot.

http://www.hotdougs.com/specials.htm

somebody eat the celebrity special and report back

that page changes frequently, so for future reference:
The TOC Winner Kevin Haas (Today's Celebrity Sausage)
The New Chicago: Smoked Mexican Chorizo with Chili Mustard, Asian Pear Chutney and Indian Fried Paneer Cheese served on a Pretzel Roll
$7.00

That sounds disturbing.

you're gonna be here soon, right? you should go! (can't vouch for that special there, but everything I've tried there has been outstanding)

I plan to eat plenty of sausage. I had Weiner Circle last time I was there and it was great.

i still somehow have never been to hot dougs

so what is the "TOC Winner"?

I ask because I know a guy with that name who is a big fan of Hot Dougs from when he lived in Chicago and was jealous that I got to eat there last month.

google has solved my questions, not the same guy.

I haven't had a celebrity special at Hot Doug's since I had the Ashley Dupre a few months ago.

my friend n0rah was the celebrity special one month. she wasn't a strict vegan then.

There used to be some slightly amusing fattey graffiti on the sidewalk outside.

I'm here for work right now. Monday night, new to the city, no clue what to do. Think I'll hang around the hotel. Please help me turn this around. I have one more night left!

What you want to do is take a cab or the Red Line to Lawrence and Broadway, and go see Patricia Barber at the Green Mill. Best jazz you'll ever see, and a good look into non-Downtown Chicago.

ha i was gonna say the same thing

So I'm coming here next week for 6 days, but I know nothing of this fine city. Nevertheless, house music and modern architecture are some of my favourite things in the world, and given that I'll be applying to MA programs here, I might as well make the most of this visit.

I figure I'll do my mandatory raiding of classic house records (mostly at Gramophone I presume?), and I'll visit the ICA and the MCA, and the University of Chicago campus. But if anyone wants to throw in suggestions I'm all ears.

Is it worth taking an architecture tour if you have some modern architecture classes under your belt already? Good for a relaxing thing to do after spending 5 days walking non stop?

What about Bookstores? (I know of Myopic, but that's it)

Thanks.

Other stuff?

Permanent and Reckless Records are great.

Myopic is awesome. I love that place. There are also lots of bookstores in Hyde Park. I can't think of any names at the moment.

TeaGschwendner on State St. is the best tea shop I've ever been to (and that's counting online stores also).

other Chicagoans who've been here longer will probably have mroe to recommend

The boat tours are great. You could do a self-guided tour, but the presenters on the boats have interesting commentary. I'm not sure how much you know about architecture or how that might affect the tour, but I think that unless you're somewhat advanced, the tours will at least put what you know in an interesting perspective. Plus you get some great scenery while sitting down. There is at least one boat that serves cocktails, if that is tempting.

There are also lots of bookstores in Hyde Park.

on 57th all within like 4 blocks of one another: Powells', O'Gara & Wilson, 57th Street Books -- there have to be more maybe on 53rd but I've always found everything I've needed/wanted at those three

go to the gay strip on halsted street and marvel at the gigantic rainbow phallus streetlights. are those still there? i hope so!

The phalli (Firefox tells me it's not phalluses, but phalli) still stand.

mies and koolhaas at iit