Going to Chicago....what to do, see, stay, etc.

[LouieB]

why hasn't this been pinned yet?

Not sure...I PMed Wendy immediately.....and it is all so facinating...

 

LouieB

[Clay Eals]

Good to see your implied reference to "Lincoln Park Pirates" by Steve Goodman. He often doesn't get his due. You might be interested in my 800-page biography, "Steve Goodman: Facing the Music." The book delves deeply into the genesis of XXX.

 

You can find out more at my Internet site (below). Amazingly, the book's first printing sold out in just eight months, all 5,000 copies, and a second printing of 5,000 is available now. The second printing includes hundreds of little updates and additions, including 30 more photos for a total of 575. It just won a 2008 IPPY (Independent Publishers Association) silver medal for biography: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1231. To order a second-printing copy, see the "online store" page of my site. Just trying to spread word about the book. Feel free to do the same!

 

Clay Eals

1728 California Ave. S.W. #301

Seattle, WA 98116-1958

 

(206) 935-7515

(206) 484-8008

ceals@comcast.net

http://www.clayeals.com

[Tweedy's Gurl]

i may be a vegetarian....but i still love spam!!!

[LouieB]

Yea, I can't believe it. The guy is from Seattle of all places too. I had no idea Google bored down into message boards like this. What an intrepid promoter of his book.

 

By the way the street out in front of the Old Town School in Lincoln Square is named after Steve, although Steve really had little to do with the OTS. He was a folk singer in Chicago (and good buddy of John Prine), but was not a teacher at OTS as far as I know (not going to read thisn 800 page book to find out either...). So it has always been a mystery to me why they chose to have the street named after him. Seems like a figure who was close to the school should have gotten that honor.

 

Hey is this thing being pinned or what??

 

LouieB

[Clay Eals]

I can try to answer the question about Goodman and the Old Town School. He took several classes there in summer 1962 when he was 14, and he often came came back through the late 1960s and into the 1970s to be an informal teacher. He played many benefits for the school as well. He was as much at the hub of the Chicago folk scene as the OTS, a huge spiritual influence if not an in-person, day-by-day presence. Probably the most important and tangible factor is that "City of New Orleans" long ago became the anthem of the Old Town School. No one learning guitar at OTS gets out of there without learning the song.

 

Nice to be called intrepid. I didn't think my previous message would be considered spam, which I understand to be random messages without any direct connection to the recipient. Yes, I do use Google Alerts (a great tool) to learn of the half-dozen or so new Internet references to Goodman that pop up every day, and in the lion's share of cases, people who indicate their awareness of Goodman seem genuinely grateful to know about the book on him. If I've learned one thing from this nine-year project, it's that Goodman people are everywhere!

 

Clay Eals

1728 California Ave. S.W. #301

Seattle, WA 98116-1958

 

(206) 935-7515 (home)

(206) 484-8008 (cell)

ceals@comcast.net

http://www.clayeals.com

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

I'm going to give Clay a call in an hour or two to discuss whether this is spam or not.

[LouieB]

Wow, okay. I am a Goodman fan to be sure. There are Goodman fans every I am also sure. He did move to California before his untimely death. Considering he pitched the song City of New Orleans to Arlo Guthrie at the Quiet Knight, I always figured he should be immortalized with that stretch on Belmont instead. Or maybe in Old Town where he found his initial success at the former Earl of Old Town, or maybe on Lincoln and Belmont near Somebody Else's Troubles was.

 

Hey Clay you a Wilco fan or what?? Jeff has also sung and taught at the OTS and performed at Folk and Roots Fest. Let's name a street after him there too. Hell the OTS even has a Wilco ensemble to boot.

 

LouieB

[Guest Jules]

Nice to be called intrepid. I didn't think my previous message would be considered spam, which I understand to be random messages without any direct connection to the recipient.

still spam

[imdwalrus]

Lou,

 

#1, I appreciate you not mentioning the south side team in this thread.

 

#2, Von Freeman this Tuesday?

[LouieB]

Lou,

 

#1, I appreciate you not mentioning the south side team in this thread.

 

#2, Von Freeman this Tuesday?

Thanks...go Sox....add your insight, cause i know you have some.

 

Von Tuesday....maybe....

 

Thanks for the pin....

 

LouieB

[PopTodd]

One of my parent's best friends is Steve Goodman's first cousin, and looks exactly like him.

That said, I never met the man, but yeah, I am a fan.

"A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request" is among my favorite baseball songs:

By the shore's of old Lake Michigan

Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold

An old Cub fan lay dying

In his midnight hour that tolled

Round his bed, his friends had all gathered

They knew his time was short

And on his head they put this bright blue cap

From his all-time favorite sport

He told them, "Its late and its getting dark in here"

And I know its time to go

But before I leave the line-up

Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know

 

Do they still play the blues in Chicago

When baseball season rolls around

When the snow melts away,

Do the Cubbies still play

In their ivy-covered burial ground

When I was a boy they were my pride and joy

But now they only bring fatigue

To the home of the brave

The land of the free

And the doormat of the National League

 

Told his friends "You know the law of averages says:

Anything will happen that can"

That's what it says

"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant

Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"

The Cubs made me a criminal

Sent me down a wayward path

They stole my youth from me

(that's the truth)

I'd forsake my teachers

To go sit in the bleachers

In flagrant truancy

 

and then one thing led to another

and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope

football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis

But what do you expect,

When you raise up a young boy's hopes

And then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups.

 

Year after year after year

after year, after year, after year, after year, after year

'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn

for the pigeons beneath the 'L' tracks to eat

He said, "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore before my eternal rest

So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,

and I'll read you my last request

He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field

On some sunny weekend day (no lights)

Have the organ play the "National Anthem"

and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'

Make six bullpen pitchers, carry my coffin

and six ground keepers clear my path

Have the umpires bark me out at every base

In all their holy wrath

Its a beautiful day for a funeral, Hey Ernie lets play two!

Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,

and conduct just one more interview

Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,

Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly

Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt

And I'll be ready to die

 

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Sluggers baseball bats,

And toss my coffin in

Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow

From the prevailing 30 mile an hour southwest wind

When my last remains go flying over the left-field wall

Will bid the bleacher bums ad?eu

And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue

 

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out

They said stop it that's an awful shame

He whispered, "Don't Cry, we'll meet by and by near the Heavenly Hall of Fame

He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,

So its just what I'm going to do

He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,

So its me that feels sorry for you!"

 

And he said, "Ahh Play, play that lonesome losers tune,

That's the one I like the best"

And he closed his eyes, and slipped away

What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request

And here it is

 

Do they still play the blues in Chicago

When baseball season rolls around

When the snow melts away,

Do the Cubbies still play

In their ivy-covered burial ground

When I was a boy they were my pride and joy

But now they only bring fatigue

To the home of the brave

The land of the free

And the doormat of the National League

[OOO]

My dad and his cousin were lifelong Cubs fans, and so when my Dad's cousin passed on my dad (as requested) took his ashes and scattered them on the infield of Wrigley, during a guided tour in the offseason. (This practice is not allowed and I think my dad said he had to keep most of the ashes in his pants pocket or jacket or something and do it discretely). Apparently though they redid the infield or something right after this, so I doubt there's much of him left on there.

 

Sports fans are weird.

[LouieB]

I must say, the Reader's best of 2008 offers a ton of cool stuff to do, eat, listen to, etc, for the next year. This is one time I would suggest getting the actual paper, which of course out of towners can't do. I plan to throw this in my car, since there are places I have passed and wondered about many times and not gone in and others I will look for on my travels around town.

 

There are places I forgot to mention in the original article (Dusty Grooves record store...expensive but very fun) and there are tons of restaurants and clubs and such I never would have thought of or even known about in the first place. Online things are by topic so you have to click a bit to get the info, but it is worth it. VC fave Jeff Parker gets a mention as well as LouieB fave Nicole Mitchell in terms of local music talent. Of course VC fave the Hideout gets a nice nod as well.

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

As much as I keep hating to talk about this...(yea right), I had a food epiphany yesterday in Albany Park, where I ate twice. You could spend two weeks just in Albany Park and never eat at the same place twice. The epicenter of Albany Park is Kedzie and Lawrence so you can get to this neighborhood fairly easily off one of the stops on the Brown Line. The stretch along Kedzie, north and south of Lawrence has great middle eastern places, both fancy and fast food oriented. There are bakeries and butchers and all sorts of cool middle eastern stores. West of Kedzie on Lawrence is the Korean area, but Korean restaurants also extend up to the strip along Bryn Mawr west of Kedzie as well. The strip along Lawrence from Western to California has an incredible mix of bakeries, coffee shops and restaurants of all ethnic varieties including what is one of my new favorite places, the Nhu Lan Bakery with cheap and very good Vietnamese sandwhiches (ban mi), but also in that same four block area is a place that has great pupusas from Central America, Mexican groceries, a Cuban sandwhich place, Greek bakeries and coffe shops, a live poultry store where you can get fresh killed poultry (if you are so inclined), and probably a dozen other places I have never explored. This type of multi-ethnic mixing is not unheard of, but the wide variety of ethnic eateries in such close proximity to one another (in fact right next door to one another), makes time spent in this neighborhood sort of unique I think. Not to mention all the places are fairly inexpensive.

 

Also on that stretch is the Cambodian Association of IL which is developing a national monument to the Cambodian Killing Fields. I mention this, because Brother Ray (my son) got a summer job helping to set up the tours for this site. I worked with the organization years ago when it was in Uptown. Through relentless fundraising and support from other organizations, this site is being set through hard work and persistance. It is right next to the north branch of the Chicago River and will some day feature an outdoor garden. I spoke to the director yesterday, someone I worked with 20 years ago. and he urged me to encourge people to stop by; so I am. Because of the rich ethnic heritage of the many neighborhoods, particularly some of the smaller ethnic groups on the northside, many small museums have sprung up in recent years. Actually there is a museum for nearly every ethnic group as I mentioned in the larger article, but now these smaller groups are also stepping up to promote their ethnic heritage as well. But a memorial to the nightmarish events in Cambodia during the late 1970s will be an exciting, if sobering monument to a genocide that really must not be forgotten.

 

So you can both eat well and reflect on the larger issues of the world in Albany Park, only one small area, but one rich with ethnic abundance.

 

LouieB

[MrRain422]

I've never been to Albany Park and had no idea what it had to offer. One of the great things about this city -- I've only been here a few years but I think I will discover new neighborhoods with great restaurants and shops pretty much forever.

 

By the way, Lou, are you going to P4K? Haven't seen you in a long time.

[LouieB]

I've never been to Albany Park and had no idea what it had to offer. One of the great things about this city -- I've only been here a few years but I think I will discover new neighborhoods with great restaurants and shops pretty much forever.

 

By the way, Lou, are you going to P4K? Haven't seen you in a long time.

At the moment I am. I am so luke warm you never know.

 

Albany Park is a fun neighborhood, but not so much for those looking for a tourist type experience. But if you want to check out a myriad of ethnic type stuff, it is the place to be. It is alot like Uptown, but without the tension between the rehabbers and group homes and street people. In fact at this point the ethnic mix in Albany Park is far greater than Uptown and the dining opportunties and grocery stores more diverse as well.

 

LouieB

[ction]

I'm going to see shows at the Doubledoor, Bottom Lounge, and Congress in October. I'm really looking forward to the trip.

[ccsooner]

Wow! This is the mother lode for the Chicago tourist. Thanks Louie! I think it's pretty cool that the best information i've found for my upcoming trip is on the messageboard for my favorite band. Good stuff.

 

So yeah, my wife and I are dropping the kiddos at the grandparents and spending next Monday through Thursday in Chicago. Neither of us have been before, so we're REALLY excited. (and finally, a honeymoon of sorts after 14 years together)

 

We're going to catch the cubs Monday night for sure and probably Wednesday afternoon which won't leave us a tremendous amount of time to explore, but we're going to do our best. We're already booked at a downtown hotel but obviously we can get wherever we need to via mass transit. (an alien notion out here in Oklahoma).

 

If anyone knows of good shows happening next week, local or otherwise, please post here or PM or whatever. Our plans are still pretty fluid.

 

I think i've been talked out of the art institute, but we will do a boat tour, the magnificent mile, millennium park and i'll spend some time comparing the recommended clubs here with the reader and sample some myspaces.

 

Thanks to "all y'all" for the good tips!

 

cc

[myboyblue]

I'd recommend Martin Zellar at Schubas on Tuesday. Great club, great sound, very good food.

 

Tuesday 8/5/2008 9:00 PM 21+ $15.00

Martin Zellar

Hugo

 

Critically acclaimed for his riveting portrayals of real-life drama, singer-songwriter Martin Zellar gracefully continues on a musical path he began while leading the legendary Gear Daddies. Martin has since moved on, leaving the drunken nights behind, but holding on to the stories, memories and faces that flow through his most memorable work. Martin�s performances, either as an acoustic duo or with his band, The Hardways, transcend the labels of rock or country and settle warmly into the category of fine, well crafted songwriting.

[LouieB]

Wow! This is the mother lode for the Chicago tourist. Thanks Louie! I think it's pretty cool that the best information i've found for my upcoming trip is on the messageboard for my favorite band. Good stuff.

 

So yeah, my wife and I are dropping the kiddos at the grandparents and spending next Monday through Thursday in Chicago. Neither of us have been before, so we're REALLY excited. (and finally, a honeymoon of sorts after 14 years together)

 

We're going to catch the cubs Monday night for sure and probably Wednesday afternoon which won't leave us a tremendous amount of time to explore, but we're going to do our best. We're already booked at a downtown hotel but obviously we can get wherever we need to via mass transit. (an alien notion out here in Oklahoma).

 

If anyone knows of good shows happening next week, local or otherwise, please post here or PM or whatever. Our plans are still pretty fluid.

 

I think i've been talked out of the art institute, but we will do a boat tour, the magnificent mile, millennium park and i'll spend some time comparing the recommended clubs here with the reader and sample some myspaces.

 

Thanks to "all y'all" for the good tips!

 

cc

There is so much stuff going on even on weeknights that it is unbelievable. Going to Schubas on Tuesday as myboyblue suggests is a perfectly good idea since no matter who plays there, Schubas is a great place to go; relatively cheap drinks, good food in the restaurant and a nice room. Tuesday's at the Hideout with Devil in a Woodpile is always fun as well. Again check this Reader and reference people's ideas on which clubs are fun. You can and should PM me or anyone else from here to ask for additional suggestions.

 

The Cubs sit in the middle of a fairly interesting (if somewhat homogenious) neighborhood, with lots of bars and restaurants. The Gingerman used to be one of my faves up the street from Wrigley and Uncommon Ground is a nice coffee house and restaurant a block north of that. There are even some book stores (although it appears few of the residents of the hood read) and some great Japanese food at Mastuyas (did I get the name right). You can dine on cheap or expensive food in Wrigleyville. Just walking up and down Clark, Sheffield, etc may give you time to explore something, and definitely take the el to the game and mingle with the rest of the fans, its a trip and a half.

 

Have fun and spend lots of money....

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

Remember all you Lolla goers, it is gonna be hot and humid out there this weekend.....drink plenty of water and put on lots of sunscreen.

 

LouieB

[myboyblue]

steppenwolf theatre. Whatever they are showing. Went again tonight and was amazed at the talent.

[LouieB]

steppenwolf theatre. Whatever they are showing. Went again tonight and was amazed at the talent.

Good to see someone talk about the theater scene here. It is one of the top attractions of Chicago and home to amazing talents.

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

Although it has been dissed on the other thread about it, the Hideout Block Party is still one of the coolest events for the hipster crowd in Chicago. Even at the exorbitant $25 a day (its a benefit) it is worth it...

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

I keep noticing that people are reading this thread, but not putting in any suggestions or questions. What's the deal. There is no way I can know all about Chicago. Someone else must have some info and opinions.....thanks.

 

LouieB