Saturday and Sunday morning in Chicago.
July 15, 2010 12:53 PM Subscribe
Saturday and Sunday mornings in Chicago. What's fun?
The boyfriend and I are attending Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this weekend. Last year, we tried to do some tourist things in the mornings, but were disappointed that most museums and galleries were either closed in the mornings or opened at 11am. What is fun to do on Saturday and Sunday before noon that will still allow us to get to Union Park by 1pm?
The boyfriend and I are attending Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this weekend. Last year, we tried to do some tourist things in the mornings, but were disappointed that most museums and galleries were either closed in the mornings or opened at 11am. What is fun to do on Saturday and Sunday before noon that will still allow us to get to Union Park by 1pm?
Get up early on Saturday and go to Green City Market for some delicious produce and baked goods, and then walk around the (free!) Lincoln Park Zoo right nearby.
posted by sallybrown at 1:02 PM on July 15, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 1:02 PM on July 15, 2010 [2 favorites]
Um...Hot Doug's is nowhere near Wrigley.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:19 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:19 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: borkencode, I saw that question, but all of the answers were for things to do that are not open/available in the mornings.
posted by hworth at 1:22 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by hworth at 1:22 PM on July 15, 2010
Maxwell Street Market
Hot Dougs is 'close enough' to Wrigley. You can get there in ten minutes by the Addison bus.
posted by sandmanwv at 1:27 PM on July 15, 2010
Hot Dougs is 'close enough' to Wrigley. You can get there in ten minutes by the Addison bus.
posted by sandmanwv at 1:27 PM on July 15, 2010
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a veritable indoor tropical paradise. It's enormous and can take a few hours to fully explore. It's right off the Green Line, a few miles west of Union Park, so its' really direct back and forth to Pitchfork. It opens at 7 a.m. in the morning and best of all, it's free. Also, directly from Union Park you can take the Ashland bus south to 18th street (it's only a mile and a half away) and get an amazing, totally affordable Mexican breakfast at Nuevo Leon in Pilsen, Chicago's historic Mexican-American neighborhood.
posted by caveatz at 1:31 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by caveatz at 1:31 PM on July 15, 2010
I'm guessing you like music. Take the jefferson blue line bus to wicker park and go to reckless records. It opens at ten I think. If you read, myopic is a gigantic (4 floors I think?) used book store with a cat and shelves crammed into every available space. You can probably pop into quimby's at 11 on saturdays too, or 12 on sunday and pick up a copy of Maximum Rock'n'Roll or the latest issue of Cometbus. I think the jefferson blue line also goes by where Pitchfork is but I could be wrong.
If you want to do something touristy-er, go to millenium park and see the bean.
posted by wayland at 1:39 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you want to do something touristy-er, go to millenium park and see the bean.
posted by wayland at 1:39 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Chicago Botanic Garden is in Glecoe, IL. I think you're thinking of the Garfield Park Conservatory?
posted by mike_bling at 1:43 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by mike_bling at 1:43 PM on July 15, 2010
The sculptures at Millennium Park are fun, but I don't know enough to put together some other stuff that you could do in that same general area.
posted by mrs. taters at 1:55 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by mrs. taters at 1:55 PM on July 15, 2010
Where is your hotel?
Near Union Park is the United Center. You can check out the statue of Jordan there.
Also, near the UC is the UIC medical campus. I've never been there personally, but I hear that the view of downtown from the top of the parking deck is the best view in town. Maybe get there early and see the sun rise?
The Skydeck opens at 9:00 am. While you're in that neck of the woods, you could poke your head into Union Station.
(Really, you should make this trip a "Union/United" themed tour....you've got Union Park, United Center, Union Station, all you need to do is fly in on United Airlines and you'll be all set....)
posted by achmorrison at 2:00 PM on July 15, 2010
Near Union Park is the United Center. You can check out the statue of Jordan there.
Also, near the UC is the UIC medical campus. I've never been there personally, but I hear that the view of downtown from the top of the parking deck is the best view in town. Maybe get there early and see the sun rise?
The Skydeck opens at 9:00 am. While you're in that neck of the woods, you could poke your head into Union Station.
(Really, you should make this trip a "Union/United" themed tour....you've got Union Park, United Center, Union Station, all you need to do is fly in on United Airlines and you'll be all set....)
posted by achmorrison at 2:00 PM on July 15, 2010
Re: what wayland said- I work at Myopic. We open at 11. If you want to come AFTER Pitchfork Saturday, we're open until 1. 3 floors, 80k+ books. No cat right now, we adopted out the old one and have net to replace him. (thanks for the props!)
I was popping in to second Green City Market. Also Logan Square has a good one on Sunday morning. There is ALSO one in Wicker Park, but it's small.
The only problem with Chicago is there isn't a whole lot to do early in the mornings.
posted by bibliogrrl at 2:30 PM on July 15, 2010
I was popping in to second Green City Market. Also Logan Square has a good one on Sunday morning. There is ALSO one in Wicker Park, but it's small.
The only problem with Chicago is there isn't a whole lot to do early in the mornings.
posted by bibliogrrl at 2:30 PM on July 15, 2010
Intelligentsia coffee. (Ms. Vegetable's favorite.)
posted by a robot made out of meat at 2:51 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by a robot made out of meat at 2:51 PM on July 15, 2010
I'm seconding achmorrison the Skydeck on the Sear's ...err Willis Tower looks insane. If I wasn't so lazy I'd go myself.
Also dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday A.M.s.
posted by Max Power at 4:20 PM on July 15, 2010
Also dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday A.M.s.
posted by Max Power at 4:20 PM on July 15, 2010
rent a bike and cruise the lake front trail for amazing views of the lake and the skyline.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 4:47 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 4:47 PM on July 15, 2010
Brunch!
My favorites in the city are The Bristol and Lula's. Bongo Room isn't bad either.
posted by prunes at 5:37 PM on July 15, 2010
My favorites in the city are The Bristol and Lula's. Bongo Room isn't bad either.
posted by prunes at 5:37 PM on July 15, 2010
If tickets are still available, you could take the Chicago Architecture Foundation's boat tour; tours start as early as 9 am--and this weekend, the filming of Transformers 3 will be taking place near that route (though that may or may not be a selling point to you); if you go on Saturday, you could also swing by Xoco for hot chocolate and churros.
posted by carrienation at 6:19 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by carrienation at 6:19 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
Max Power: "I'm seconding achmorrison the Skydeck on the Sear's ...err Willis Tower looks insane. If I wasn't so lazy I'd go myself."
Insane? Hardly. Oh, you're talking about the glass enclosure. That's not the whole Skydeck, you know. I wouldn't pay $10 to go up there again but if that's your thing...
posted by IndigoRain at 9:02 PM on July 15, 2010
Insane? Hardly. Oh, you're talking about the glass enclosure. That's not the whole Skydeck, you know. I wouldn't pay $10 to go up there again but if that's your thing...
posted by IndigoRain at 9:02 PM on July 15, 2010
caveatz nails it, although did mess up a bit on the name - the Garfield Park Conservatory is very near Union Park. Web site says it opens at 9am. If you like plants and lush tropical settings, you'll love it. The fern room is particularly spectacular. Neuvo Leon is indeed a fun place for brunch, and the previously mentioned Architectural Foundation Boat Tour is really great. Chicago is a bit of a late night city. Apparently, Google Maps thinks we lead the U.S. in bars per capita. But it's true that most of the fun weekend stuff is timed to start after most people's hangovers subside.
posted by centerweight at 9:35 PM on July 15, 2010
posted by centerweight at 9:35 PM on July 15, 2010
There's free workouts in Millennium Park from 7-am. That's pretty darn early! I also like the idea of renting a bike and riding along the lake for a few hours, providing bike rental places are open early.
posted by Bunglegirl at 9:11 AM on July 16, 2010
posted by Bunglegirl at 9:11 AM on July 16, 2010
Hey, I saw you and your boy on the green line today on Lake St around 12:20 or so. I don't know you or anything, but I just got home to Iowa from Chicago (we went to Pitchfork Friday and Saturday) and was looking on Metafilter for people posting about Pitchfork and found this question and looked at your user picture and yeah, wow. I will be very surprised if that wasn't you. We were in the same car, sitting toward the middle. We got off at Clinton just as that insane rain storm started.
We were on our way from breakfast at the South Loop Bongo Room - just half a block from the (green-red-orange) Roosevelt train stop, nice food, pancakes and French toast that are completely outrageous, 30 minute wait for a seat but there's a Starbucks across the street where you can sip things while you wait for the hipsters to clear out. All in all fun morning activity.
Yolk is around the corner from there on Michigan Ave and looks great but the wait was insane.
posted by thirteenkiller at 6:40 PM on July 18, 2010
We were on our way from breakfast at the South Loop Bongo Room - just half a block from the (green-red-orange) Roosevelt train stop, nice food, pancakes and French toast that are completely outrageous, 30 minute wait for a seat but there's a Starbucks across the street where you can sip things while you wait for the hipsters to clear out. All in all fun morning activity.
Yolk is around the corner from there on Michigan Ave and looks great but the wait was insane.
posted by thirteenkiller at 6:40 PM on July 18, 2010
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posted by evadery at 1:01 PM on July 15, 2010