Random Chicago Whoring

Okay, you guys who want to talk all things Windy City - here it is... The Official Random Chicago Whoring Thread! WGN, Deep Dish Pizza, The Neighborhoods, Bozo, Svengoolie, Da Bears, Dirty Dragon, Suzy Snowflake, Hot Dogs, The Loop, Marshall Field's Christmas Windows, etc...

just saw the windows they were good! Anyone else see them?
Great idea for this thread

I flew into and out of O'Hare twice.

I dated an O'Hara back in high school.

Her father affectionately referred to me as "Get that Dago bastard the fuck out of my house."

He was a nice man.

PB I thought Scarlett was from Georgia.

I remember, as a kid, visiting Chicago a few times with my family. When I was a junior in high school, we had a field trip to the Museum of Science & Industry which was pretty cool.

Otherwise, the last time I was there was (other than layovers when flying back to MI) was actually at the BB meet in 06 (?) for a Gangster Convention (remember that guys?) which actually was another city (can't think of the name, but near Chicago)?? Great city. I'd love to spend more time there.


TIS

Now her father could have called me anything he wanted. Scarlett was hot, in a Civil War kind of way .

Yeah, but she'll never be hungry again, but getting back on point NO ONE would ever be hungry again if they ate a Chicago style deep dish pizza.

BTW Mark, are you from Chicago? Oh, and did you see "a man dance with his wife" in Chicago?

My kind of town.



TIS

did anyone ever eat at rachels place before it was trashed by the dragons

Love that show.

best city in the world

Coyotes are first in line for Wrigley Field Opening Day 2013...

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/cutfour/#contentId=40423838

Hmmm I don't know. Maybe 3rd or 4th? For me, it's a toss-up between NYC & Vegas but I do like Chicago AND San Francisco ranks up there too IMHO.




TIS

yeah, i saw an article about chicago and its ever increasing coyote problem, around 60 of them.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2010/1...venience-stores

definatly a very adaptable animal, they exploded as soon as wolves were mostly killed off. we have them here in central jersey, i've seen them a few times, although they are very small,skiddish,and travel by themselves or with one or two others, so they aren't a real safety concern at least as far as people are concerned.

vegas is cool but i would not want to live there.
1. chicago
2. new york city
3. boston
4. philadelphia

Are you sure, TIS?!?

Holy Crap! Ok, if you insist, I'll take a slice of Chicago pizza ( I can only imagine the calories in one slice?

Btw, NY is also known for their great pizzas, which is the best, NYC or Chicago, generally speaking?


TIS

i gotta say, that looks damn tasty mark!

Personally, I like both NY & Chicago pizza.

What's a pie like that go for? $20 or more? You're making me hungry.






TIS

My husband visited Chicago on business a few years ago and raved about it. He said it had some of the best restaurants he's ever had the pleasure of trying out.

As for the coyotes, I'd be a bit nervous. My neighbor's dog was attacked and killed by a coyote. My neighbor had to go through rabies shots. Nearby, some small kids were attacked. I've only seen them in my backyard a few times, and I steer clear of them.

That pie will run you about $25, TIS.

no ketchup!!!

Ketchup is a four letter word at the hot dog stands in Chi-Town!

South side > north side

Correction!
North side > south side

Friday morning WGN News had a breaking news story about a plane crash in Chicago! The news chopper was dispatched and the crash scene was located with fire trucks, EMT's, etc. Seems that NBC and the producers of "Chicago Fire" never let local news & traffic reporters know that they were filming a plane crash scene for the television show! D'oh!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-staged-plane-crash-makes-the-morning-news-20121130,0,5602241.story

Hope this doesn't spoil the episode. So, far I really like the show. They should have put the chicago code on nbc instead of fox.

Bam - I really like this show as well. Very cool and I hope it gets renewed for a season 2! Chicago Code was pretty good - I watched every episode... then they canceled it!

So far it is looking good to have a season 2. But, yea it depends on if they are getting the right demographic that they want.

Chicago Code was looking to be really good, just had some problems that every show has in the first season. Fox didn't give it the time which is a shame.

I also enjoyed Chicago Code

Just caught last week's "Mob Doctor" OnDemand and Jennifer Beals from Chicago Code was in the episode as the wife of Chicago's Northside boss... she runs a high end call girl ring with a black book full of heavy hitters. Gotta say she looked terrific.

Aaah, Jennifer Beals. I first rubbed one out to Jennifer back in '83, after seeing Flashdance .

lol.pizza.hahahaha.

Did they already cancel mob doctor or is it just on thin ice as of right now? Also, actress sarah shahi will be in chicago fire. She was in fairly legal on the usa channel and was a nfl cheerleader.

"The Mob Doctor" is officially canceled but Fox is going to run out all 13 episodes it has produced. The last few episodes will be bounced around due to holiday programming with the final episodes airing on 12/29, 12/31, 1/5 & 1/7. Then that's it - finito.

I thought it was canceled after 4 episodes at least I remember SC saying that so I never watched it again.

Sounds about right. I read that the world series saved it from being cancelled a lot sooner. Honestly though can anybody see any show that involves the mafia on network tv?

Chi-khaaa-go. That's how they say it there .

No Boardwalk Empire tonight OR Walking Dead. Man, and with Desperate Housewives not on anymore, Sunday nights are a drag. Nothing to look forward to watching.



TIS

Chi-call-go.

I miss the guy who plays Capone... he's very good!

Here is a story about a documentary made on Sam Giancana by his grand nephew...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121218/entlife/712189956

two suspected bank robbers escape from downtown chicago jail...

Heard about that a few days ago... Pretty impressive

Bears vs Cardinals...

Na na na na hey hey hey goodbye...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-mob-hitman-frank-calabrese-sr-dies-in-prison-20121226,0,4793843.story

Watch Kennedy Center Honors: Dustin Hoffman, Led Zepplin, Buddy Guy, David Letterman and Natalia Makarova (dancer). Should be a great show; usually are. CBS, 9pm Eastern.

Watching right now. The Led Zeppelin tribute, while the performances of Foo Fighters and Lenny Kravitz, even Heart, are all great, it shows you how unparalleled the band truly is, simply untouchable.

It's not on here yet but I hear Kid Rock is singing a Led Zeppelin song. Which song?




TIS

I want to say "Whole Lotta Love", but I'm not sure. He was good, though.

Well I saw the Kennedy Honors ceremony mainly for Led Zeppelin and Dustin Hoffman.

I was surprisingly impressed by Kid Rock's performance (he wasn't bad) an Lenny Kravitz very good as well. Nothing beats the group itself but I found it entertaining. (not certain how we got off topic here though. ) LOL



TIS

just wondering, are you rooting for the bears to make it to the playoffs or for a new head coach?

Bam - Of course I am rooting for the Bears to go to the playoffs and eventually win the Super Bowl! (The Giants did it as a wild card team - why not our Bears?)
IMO - I think that no matter what happens, win or lose, Lovie's future or lack thereof is already been decided. One thing is certain about Lovie Smith... his players absolutely respect him, love him and play hard for him. Whether you like his even keel-laid back style or not, he is very much a player's coach. Personally, I think the offensive leadership is a complete disaster. Mike Tice (OC & Offensive Line Coach) is in waay over his head and unfortunately it shows big time. I always want to see Da Bears win - no matter what!

Same, but if you notice. Only the defensive players seem to stand up for him. Offensive I really don't see anybody stand up for him nor tice. If they do replace lovie and his staff, I hope they make a big impact at head coaching.

Yeah - Lovie is definitely a defensive guy true & true. IMO - if he is let go by the Bears he will have no problem getting another head coaching job in the NFL.

18 Human heads found at O'Hare Airport...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-paperwork-holds-up-shipment-of-18-human-heads-at-ohare-20130115,0,4009068.story

Anybody watching "Chicago Fire" on NBC? Good show - my new fave of the season!
(I just had to revive this thread!)

Chicago voted best pizza city...

http://www.huliq.com/10178/nations-top-20-pizza-cities

Not a surprise at all, Mark!

Ever since i saw Mad Dog & Glory i liked chicago. I wouldnt mind living there.... If i had a good job in a good nhood etc.....

Somebody has sent Cubs owner Tom Ricketts a "message"...

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-le...18231--mlb.html

Not quite as subtle as the Red Sox jersey in NY, but it sends a message!


Yankees donate jersey

First, a skinned goat hanging on Harry Carey's statue three years ago and now this. No clue on if this is some dumbass cub fan who believes in curses or a prank pulled by a white sox/card or pissed off red sox fan.

By the way, Rickets has Jorge Soler's bat to protect him if it is a threat.

Okay, WTF?.. Yesterday morning was 36 frosty degrees and right now it is 87 degrees!

Hey you Chumbalones! Ivan from the BB is moving to The Windy City in a couple of months. Give him some insight and advice from your experiences in Chicago living. Let's try and help him out Chicago Style...

Ivan - maybe you can list what you are kind of looking for? Do you have a family? Are you solo? You don't have to give your blood type and finger print but some neighborhoods "cater" to specific demographics: young families, professionals, singles, artists, yuppies, etc...

Big changes coming to WGN Radio...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-wgn-shakeup-20130820,0,1119987.story

How Irish is Canaryville today? Never been around there.

Hey, here we go. This is what I'm after.

- I am single and don't care if my place is tiny
- Urban area, not all spread out like a suburb (Elmwood Park looks really promising in that respect - nice like a suburb, but still pretty urban)
- Low crime
- Rent under 1000 bucks a month (Lakeview and Rogers Park seems like good bets when it comes to this)
- Walkable (no car necessary, easy access to trains etc. - again Elmwood Park looks good in this way)
- I don't want to live in some place that is a trendy arts district or whatever, I hate that hipster shit
- I don't want to be surrounded by swarms of fucking college students
- A place where there are lots of people 30-45 would be nice... being the oldest person around even though I'm only 33 was one of the reasons I just now fled central Columbus

See? I ain't asking for much!

I've actually found a couple places that look promising and I'll ask about their locations here after I talk to their landlords a bit.

Don't know much about Rogers Park but I know that you could do a lot worse than Lakeview. LV has everything you described above, Ivan - if you want to live in the city. I don't know much about Elmwood Park...

Anyone ever been to the heart of Italy (24th and Oakley)? Another Italian spot but lesser known. I've never been there but how is it today?

The richest suburbs have the most customers in Chicago. People think most drugs are in the slums LOL.

If your not going to palermos 95th street Oaklawn Chicago the original restaurant your nobody. Best pizza and knowing the late deceased owners son who is now owner is great.

Here is the link to the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame located on Taylor Street in the heart of Little Italy Chicago.

http://www.niashf.org/

Very interesting stuff.

Mark, as a fan of the Val Kilmer/Michael Douglas film "The Ghost and The Darkness", it's my understanding that the stuffed remains of the lions are on display in Chicago. Do you know anything about that?? Have you ever seen them?

Sicilian babe..yes and yes...:)

That's very cool. I'll have to make it there one day

SB - 12th Street is right on the money. Every kid that grew up within 50 miles of Chicago went to the Field Museum on a field trip for school. Of course, when you are older and see those lions today, the first thing you say is; "Wow, they looked a lot bigger when I was in third grade!" Here is some great pics I found of the two lions...

http://www.lionlamb.us/tsavo/tsavopix.html

Wow! Thanks, Mark. One day, maybe I'll get there. My husband went to Chicago once on business and loved it - said it was a great city with some of the best restaurants! If he ever gets sent there again, I'll try to join him.

He used to travel quite a bit years ago. Then, I felt the kids were too small for both of us to leave. Now that's no longer an issue, and his company has cut back on travel!

It's hard to believe but it was nine years ago that the GBB had it's outing to Chicago.

My first wife was from Chicago so I spent a fair amount of time there. It's a good town in which to eat and drink.

But you'll always have your night in the ER...

Believe it or not, that was September 11th.

Field Museum lotsa fun as a kid and I loved taking my daughter there when she was little..:)

"WMAQ is gonna make me rich!"

You Windy City guys will know exactly what that means...

Mark recalls...

Quote:

"WMAQ is gonna make me rich!" You Windy City guys will know exactly what that means...

Bob Pittman was the 'boy wonder' program director at WMAQ who conceived that promotion. Pittman would later be the driving force behind the creation of MTV.

Ivan -- where will you be working in Chicago? Is this a 'permanant' move or a temporary assignment? If temporary, how long do you think you'll be here?

tony b.

Thanks, TonyB! Cool info. Ivan - listen to Tony. He is one of the guys I told you that could answer any question for you way better than me.

WMAQ 670 AM radio. I guess an explanation is in order... Okay, to the best of my recollection, WMAQ was a country radio station back in the 70's in Chicago. They would randomly dial phone numbers (long before caller ID) and if you picked up the phone and answered; "WMAQ is gonna make me rich!" You won big time cash prizes. If you answered; "Hello?" you were disqualified automatically - even if you followed the hello with the phrase that pays.

Then they gave away thousands of bumper stickers and if you were spotted by the WMAQ promotions team on the road, they announced your license plate number over the air and you had a certain amount of time to call in and claim your prize! By the way, if you ever changed that station in my dad's car there would be hell to pay. The old WMAQ bumper sticker matched the colors on the brown panel board station wagon!

My wife tells me that during the run of this contest, her grandfather practically run over people to answer the phone. He was convinced he would win and didn't want anyone else screwing it up for him. Bless his dear departed heart - he never did win the contest.

Looks like Mario Batali's "Eataly" opening soon in Chicago...

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2013/07/12/eataly-construction-is-underway.php

[quote=12thStreet]Field Museum lotsa fun as a kid and I loved taking my daughter there when she was little..:)

We just took our daughter to the Sheed, man I forgot how much it costs to have a day there but there's nothing like it and I suggest it for anybody around here.

Hey Tony,

I work at home running my business from my computer so I can live pretty much anywhere I want as long as I have internet access. I'll probably stick around for good if I like it. I'm moving because I'd rather live in a real city than the annoying college town I've spent most of my adult life in (you feel seriously out of place here if you're over 30 and not some kind of yuppie/hipster), and my mother's family is from Chicago, so I have roots/ties/relatives there. Also, my girlfriend moved there.

I see you live in Elmwood Park - I am strongly tempted to move there actually, it looks perfect based on what I'm after. Plus there's a ton of Polacks there according to Wikipedia, so I'll fit right in.

Elmwood is Italian more than anything else. But also some Polish and Irish.

All right I got a place lined up, it's near the Gold Coast. It's a little pricey but nice. It's also on a month-by-month basis so I can actively look for a place that's not so expensive if I want. But this location seems so convenient that if I like it enough I might go ahead and get the year lease (the rent is cheaper if you get a year lease). What do you guys think of the Gold Coast area? My place is actually about 2000 feet in from the shore, north of what's labeled the Near North Side on the Google map, and southwest of what's labeled Old Town.

From what I know about the near north side and the Gold Coast area, you could do A LOT worse, Ivan. Sounds like you did pretty well. Nice job. Stay away from the south & west sides - they are the places where most of the shootings/gang stuff has been going on.

It's right on the border between Old Town and Gold Coast. Moving in on November 16, looking forward to it!

All right people I made it. Been here for three weeks today. I love it so far!

Have you been baptized properly with a Chicago Style Hot Dog yet? Hint: Don't ask for ketchup! Hope the move went well, Ivan... Welcome!

Not yet but that is a capital idea Mark! I've been working pretty much constantly since I got here, the plan being to make as much money as I can and then take a couple warm weather months off to really explore the city. So I haven't done a lot of fun stuff yet.

(Don't worry, I know about the ketchup thing... you want tomato flavor, you get diced tomatoes on it. I was warned about this ages ago.)

Where should I go for a good Chicago hot dog? I'm in the Gold Coast.

Not diced tomatoes - you get a tomato wedge

Personally, this is my choice:
http://jimsoriginal.com/jimsoriginal/Welcome/

In Berwyn:
bigguyssausage.com
is great as well


There is a Jim's by the UIC campus off Roosevelt.

You can't go wrong at

goldcoastdogs.com

Stay away from Hot Doug's - VERY hipster and not worth the hype. They have all kinds of weird stuff like ostrich sausage, etc...

That looks great, thanks. I got a month CTA pass so I can go wherever I want whenever I want up through about Christmas real easy.



I went to that site. It's some artist who arranges flowers.

Was that a joke, or did you give me the wrong URL by mistake?

Sorry, Ivan my bad...

goldcoastdogs.net

Looks great, thanks for the info!

Just saw a WTTW special about Marshall Field's Christmas Window displays back in the day. What a great bunch of memories that brought back. Uncle Mistletoe, Aunt Holly, Freddy Field Mouse... Darn you Macy's! You will never be Field's!

Rest in Peace...

Dominick's Grocery Stores. Another Chicago institution ripped from us.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/12/27/final-curtain-falls-on-most-dominicks-stores/

Anybody catch the new 6-part series on CNN called "Chicagoland"?

I saw the first episode and highly recommend it.

It mainly covers the the mayor, schools closing, shootings, violence, teacher's strike, etc.

They also mix in a bit of sports, culture and the city in general. Good stuff.

How do you folks put up with that horrible weather? The Hawk!

2nd snowiest winter on record!

Yeah this winter has been cruel and unforgivin. I have a little town of snow men in my grandparents backyard, my daughter couldnt get enough of it and I think thats the only thing I enjoyed about it. No kidding a little town!!!!

WGN AM 720 to end Cubs radio broadcasts after 90 years. WBBM AM 780 will start 2015 season as new Cubs radio home.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-cubs-radio-wgn-wbbm-20140603,0,2270841.story

For all you Chicagoland guys... you can listen to Jonathon Brandmeier from 6 to 10 am on WGN.FM... and don't forget my guy Garry Meier from 3 to 7 pm! Sorry, no Kevin Matthews or Steve Dahl! Lol! WGN.FM is the new streaming online station from WGN.

Mark you hear Marco's beef closed down? I remember you mentioning that place.

Yeah, I heard they sold it? Or is it closed down for good? You talking about the one in Beverly owned by the Greeks, right?

Yep, that's the one. Closed for good, some bullshit Mexican place is opening up there.

What a shame. "Now dat was good beef saingwich!"

Dan Mac Neil is done at WSCR - The Score. A sad day for Chicago Sports Talk fans...

http://wgntv.com/2014/08/21/photo-implies-isis-threat-to-chicago/

Here is a great site for all you Chicago guys who want to check out old stores,restaurants,businesses, etc. Guaranteed to bring back some memories...

craigslostchicago.com

The new FM sports talk station in Chicago is shutting down at the end of the year. The hosts find out about it via Twitter while they are on the air! Nobody from management even bothers to tell them! Epic failure in communication from a radio station no less!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkpQuq2uzE

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/dee-sniders-rock-and-roll-christmas-tale/6754/?src=lt
Dee Snider's Christmas musical is doing pretty good in the Windy City. He has been doing a lot of press and personal appearances. He shot the puck at a Blackhawks game for charity and lit the Christmas tree downtown today. Not bad for a guy from Queens, NY.

Anybody remember Bill Jackson from channel 32? He is alive and well and has a great website spotlighting some great Chicago television for kids in the 70's. Part of my childhood memories...

http://dirtydragon.com

Me and my youngest boy do like us a bit of Chicago Fire. It does look like the coldest place on earth I have to say...