Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with recommendations and chicago

No Pizzaria Uno, Please

Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:27:50 -0800

Asking for a friend: "I am in Chicago attending meetings and a conference. Any tips on good, inexpensive places to eat? I am staying at The Drake, which is right off Michigan Ave. " Any recommendations?

8,500-10,000 BTU A/Cs with a >=23" Installation Width?

WCityMike — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 16:45:50 -0800

Please help me iron out two weird quirks relating to the purchase of an air conditioner, says the Chicago MeFite looking at a 104-degree heat index coming down the pike. (And even if you don't have an answer, check out two simple corollary queries you might be able to help me with at the end.) I have a 500 square foot studio apartment, which means about 10,000 BTUs. I was all set to buy a particular model until I learned of two problems: the three windows in my main living area are just narrow enough to screw me, and the window in the kitchen/dining area is not only nowhere near an electrical outlet, it's far enough away that even an industrial extension cord (you shouldn't use normal extension cords with A/Cs) couldn't reach, and even if it did, would be prime tripping material. And the landlord's electrician advises me that there's no wiring anywhere near the window in question, meaning a new outlet can't be installed without gutting a good part of my apartment's drywall.

I'd ideally like to see if I can find a good, reliable air conditioner that nevertheless fits the physical requirements I need to fit it into one of my living-area windows. The window I need to put it in looks like this:

The first "frame" of the window is 23 inches wide. The next step in measures 22 inches. across. The width of the screen window, when opened, is 19-20 inches. Essentially, this means that I need an air conditioner that installs in a 23-inch window, and is physically no more than 19 inches wide. The physical width of an air conditioner is usually discoverable online, but its installation width is often only in the manual. Amazon has quite a few A/C manuals, but not a comprehensive selection.

A couple of quick notes:

The installation width is not the same as the physical width of the unit; it's usually larger.
many air conditioners have a minimum installation width of 24". This will not fit -- unfortunately, that extra inch does screw things up. I know this from experience with a recently purchased twin window fan.)
If decreased BTUs will decrease the size, I'm open to suggestions. I don't think anything below 8,000 BTUs would adequately cool the space, and I'm not wild about decreasing the BTUs, but, if that's absolutely the only solution ... I suppose I'm open.
I'm aware of casement air conditioners and portable air conditioners, but they increase the cost significantly from all research. They are a fallback option.
I'm not willing to put a "normal" air conditioner on its side. I've heard of people doing it and shoring it up with plywood, but my understanding is that not only is it physically unsafe, but it can screw up the way the unit both works and drains.

Now for those corollary queries. Even if you can't help with the specific question above, I'd appreciate (a) casement air conditioner recommendations (with prices and/or links, if you have them handy), and also, (b) the answer to this question: for MeFi apartment dwellers, how do you guys handle storing window air conditioners in cooler weather? Do you leave them in the window with covers around them, or do you store them somewhere in your place (and if so, how do you keep them from getting in the way?

Thanks, guys. (Crammed a lot into this post, didn't I?!?)

Computer repair in Chicago

corpse — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 07:04:07 -0800

It's almost impossible to google this, but do any Chicago folks know some good computer repair shops? I've have a pc that as kept killing harddrives, and stupidly, I thought I was just having bad luck with HD's. It's beyond my hardware troubleshooting skills and I don't really have time to deal with this.

I need a place that would also help me with some data recovery, I have backups, but I really don't want to start over again with my last backups.

Far northside prefered, if possible. Thank you.

Things to do in Chicago

sluggo — Mon, 23 May 2005 07:48:34 -0800

My wife and I are heading to Chicago sometime between June 2nd - June 5th to celebrate our anniversary. Chi-town pals, help us find some cool things to do/places to eat! We're definitely checking out the Body Worlds exhibit at the Musuem of Science and Industry, but I'm looking for recommendations for good restaurants, places to shop, concerts/shows, and other things to do while we're there. We like art, music, and all kinds of food - we're not really into touristy-type stuff, though. Give me some insider "can't miss" things to do in the City of Big Shoulders!

What's the best Bengals bar in Chicago?

AgentRocket — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:43:17 -0800

WhoDeyFilter: I'm in Chicago, on the northside. My buddy is visiting from Cincinnati this weekend, and I want to take him to a bar on Sunday to watch the Bengals' game (our CBS affiliate is showing "Showstopper American Dance" instead). There are lots of bars that have NFL Sunday Ticket, but I want to make it an experience and find a place that is Bengals-specific. There must be one. What is it called and where is it? And I thank you. P.S. Wouldn't it be a great idea to have a website that collects things like this? You could put in your city, and find team/city-specific sports bars. I could find and cheer with my fellow Cardinals fans in the middle of Wrigleyville.