LouieB

Oops.....sorry about that. Shit happens... Well it depends if someone saves my space in line. Monday is president's day isn't it?? LouieB

Tweedy sings on a Handsome Family CD on a couple songs too, but I need to go to the basement to see which one and don't have time at the moment. LouieB

According to the Reader it is....I have not been there. My favoritet hole in the wall Thai is SNAR, but there are so many good Thai places out there. I just don't get out as much as I used to.... LouieB

One thing the media keeps neglecting to say when they talk about someone "winning" a primary is that you are only voting for delegates to a convention and that each state will send proportionally the number of delegates per votes for a candidate (am I wrong about this???) so that Iowa and New Hampshire and all these relatively small states mean squat in the big picture. This is still a significant race for both parties; no one has a lock on anything. This is not like the electoral college (in some cases it may be like that, but I am guessing not too many states.) LouieB

PM me...we must be neighbors...I live a block and a half from this stuff. Fresh Fields market in the same area carries all sorts of ethnic groceries, but I agree, Patel's is a trip. The only drawback on West Ridge (or commonly known as West Rogers Park) is it is NOT near any el stop. I suppose I should post the usual how to get around Chicago posting I always do. Let's see if I can find it... And anyone can hit me up to take them for pho or Chinese noodles if you wish. I used to eat this stuff nearly every weekday. The Vietnamese sandwich place Ba Le on Argyle and Broadway is good a

It should be a fine hotel, although you may not see much out the window if the room is that cheap. And it is not terribly far from the el, just not roll out of bed close or anything. Uh yea....I totally agree on this. That area of Wintrop and Kenmore used to be called "the corridor", but it has improved in recent years, though frankly I am not sure how much. That far north is near Loyola and therefore is in Edgewater, not Uptown, but there were many not so savory buildings around there years ago. As I said I think it has gotten better, but the parking is probably just as horrible and unav

That is where I would stay... Good call. The Brown line has some issues at the moment. It is still a pretty close cab ride. Totally groovy place to stay....not so close to the el, but nice. Actually I had one more thought....there is an Uptown youth hostel I think up on Winthrop or Kenmore. Some reviews are mixed, but compared to the SROs it would be okay I think. Again it will not be as nice as the one downtown, but I suspect at least the Uptown one is relatively clean, very close and reasonably safe. LouieB

Congrats to Hillary and Obama and McCain. No one should take this election for granted. Time for a real fight to the finish. LouieB

Rant number 2..... I just went and took a shower and thought about this some more. I don't want to spoil anyone's good time, because I don't know what is a good time to you. If you are a great admirer of Jack Kerouac or William Burroughs or perhaps more to the point Charles Bukowski, the Uptown SROs might just be your thing (cavorting with hookers, partying with the down and out, hanging with the junkies), otherwise stick to the tried and true; if there are reviews on the internet (and I know everyone knows how to find them) then read the reviews and if they seem reasonable go there. The r

Read the thread more carefully. Do NOT try ANY of the hotels that you have listed, unless you are a very intrepid traveler or just simply like squalor. I won't say these places are bad, I have not been in any of them, but I am going to guess they are not so great. I worked in Uptown for years and frankly it is NOT the place to stay unless you want some adventure dealing with the homeless, possible drug addicts and hookers. You do NOT have to be a 5 minute ride to the Riv. It is near the El and as long as you are near that you are no more than half an hour from downtown (even with the CTA ru

Beat me to it too....Painful was the first YLT record I picked up, used at Half Price Books in Cleveland many moons ago. I have wanted to see them in a club for a long time, but the timing just hasn't been right when they were in town. I really enjoy some of their records, but find others less enjoyable and even on any particular album there are great numbers and not as impressive ones. LouieB

It is the Hilton and Towers, formerly the Conrad Hilton, scene of 1968 riots. I assume it is good and a reasonable el ride to the Riv. And yes the Mill still had poetry slams on Sunday which would be a fun place to spend the off night. LouieB

Early is accoustic, late is electric...last Friday of the month. LouieB

The Allerton is an old line hotel that has been rehabed. Should be fun. Also my suggestion for parking...rather than go to the lneighborhoods and risk getitng broken into, park in one of the city lots downtown, particularly the Monroe St. underground. It is less than $45 a day and much safer. This garage is attached to the Millenium Park Garage which I don't recommend, because it is harder than hell to find a car in. Even the Grant Park underground will be less than $45 for 24 hours. Of course neither of these is that close to the Allerton, so you might also try some of the lots closer to

I like any number of their songs (some more than others) and all their albums have something to recommend them. I have never "seen" them, but did sort of see them at Pitchfork a couple years ago, where they didn't come across very well, which is not surprising since it was hotter than hell and during the day. The reason they are not the biggiest band in the world is that some of their work is difficult, making them highly uncommercial. LouieB

Rosie told me about this when I got home today. Very sad news indeed. Life is so terribly short and brittle. She will certainly be missed. Frankly before talking to Natalie I had not known all that much about Jim O'Rourke's solo work. Everyone needs to live each day like it was their last..... LouieB

Didn't they say every night would be different? I am sure there will be some usual and unusual songs every night. LouieB

That's what everyone said about Jackson Browne too.... The fuzz?? LouieB

Where is A-man to post up all the past threads. We have given so much great advice over the years. Chicago is like every other large city, lots of hotels downtown and some in the outlying areas and a bunch in the burbs and a ton by the airport. the Riv is right at the Lawrence stop of the Red Line (not to be confused with the Lawrence and Western stop on the Brown line which is not close.) Since I have never stayed at a downtown hotel (oh yea I have a time or two) I would think that the cheapest you can get would be fine. Don't consider the SROs in Uptown unless you are truly the adventur

Actually I think it kind of sucks. Newman does his own songs better. I find it kind of unlistenable actually. I like his other albums, including Pussycats. LouieB

Interestingly enough i found a copy of Night Train yesterday at Laurie's in the used bin for $7. One of the nice extended remastered reissues. I had not really known about this disk so thanks to those who turned me on to it here. LouieB

The Mormon hymn section was the best... LouieB

We all expect a full report.... LouieB

More than I even care to discuss... LouieB

I donno.....it isn't that Jay does badly in concert, I think he thinks everything is fine and certainly I don't have to see him again if I don't care to. It isn't that we are comparing Jeff and Jay anymore, really that isn't the issue. I saw two acts this week that really love performing and relating to the audience (Waco Brothers and Robbie Fulks). They were goddam fun to see and Robbie got called back last night for three encores (one planned and two not) and the Wacos got called back for two (one planned and one not). I guess I am tired of seeing acts like Jay that figure you should take