Well, I've asked for leave to come to the F2F.

Make sure when you book your hotel, wherever it is, that you're within a block's walk to the L, then you can get just about anywhere in the city. However, other than the Museum of Science and Industry and UofC, there really isn't much of tourist interest on the South or West Sides. If you get a place either in the Loop, just north or west of it, or even up in Lincoln Park area, you'll be within striking distance of most of the usual haunts.

If you have a nice day weatherwise while you're here, make sure you head over to the river for an Architectural Society tour on the water--it's a great way to spend a nice day and you get a nice view of the city. Also, there are free walking tours available from the city greeters program. You can make your pick from a huge list of themed tours and your guide will be a local volunteer who's a big geek on the subject. Those are very popular with travelers.

For meals, try and stick with the neighborhood restaurants as opposed to the tourist traps or places in the Loop. Here's a really comprehensive list of "neighborhood restaurants" from a local foodie website where I've gotten some great recs (including that Polish place I mentioned upthread, Podhalanka).

Thanks Kathy, your post is totally marked!

Hey, speaking of F2Fs, any news on the hotel front?

Sorry, I suck. I just called the one hotel (left a message) and emailed the other, and will attempt to hit them up ASAP this week.

Also, Ailleann, if you're into international cuisine, Chicago is best known for great Mexican food (if you're here on Sunday, head over to the Maxwell Street Market for a huge variety of Mexican street food), fabulous Thai food (TAC Quick on that linked list is supposed to be one of the best in the city), and quite a good range of Mediterranean.

I don't think I've had Mexican, Thai, OR Mediterranean when I've visited Chicago!

That's what I mean about avoiding the tourist traps. If you skip the deep-dish pizza and steakhouses that were big places to go in the 1970s, there are a lot of other options in the city.

The huge influx of Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigrants in the past 30 years has been a huge boon to the restaurant industry. Most non-Chicago-native foodies are highly impressed with the level of Mexican cuisine (considered by most as the best outside of southern California or the Southwest), and Thai food has been big here since the mid-80s. Mediterranean has more recently joined Thai as the "there's one on every corner" quick take-out joints. We even have a smal suburban Mediterranean chain called Pita Inn (there's one near me--a great place to get chicken schwarma and homemade hummus, pita bread and baklava!).

I had no idea Chicago had good Mexican food. Would not have guessed! I'll have to check it out next time. And Thai!

Does Chicago really no longer have fabulous deep dish and hot dogs? I'm unlikely to be there in the forseeable future, and Thai, Mexica and so on are great, but it seems a shame to visit Chicago and not get at least a really good Polish sausage.