Things To Do Near Union Station Chicago?

[June the Coach Rider]

Joanie - thanks for the correction. We frequent a place where "wet" means dipped and "dry" means not dipped.
Either way, it's DEEEE-LICIOUS and everyone should have one at least once.

I may have to try this, I love beef sandwiches and would love to try these. How do you get to this place from the station? Which door do you go out?

 

[junebug]

June, if you go out the back from the Canal Street side (not sure which door you will come out) go north a bit Adams and go west.

---One June to another

up to

 

[June the Coach Rider]

June, if you go out the back from the Canal Street side (not sure which door you will come out) go north a bit Adams and go west.---One June to another

up to

Thanks as long as I can figure out which door to go out, I will be OK. Looked at their menu, looks like they have alot of stuff. I would love to go there for supper when I am there on my return trip. Maybe even stop and pick up lunch to have on the train on my way out to LA

 

[tp49]

Probably a dumb question but I have limited experience with getting food by CUS (Giordano's and Lou Mitchell's are all I've done) but what are the hours for a lot of places? I ask because in the city I live in downtown eateries generally cater to the office worker lunch crowd and have hours that reflect this. Do the places in the area of CUS generally maintain similar hours or are they open later?

 

[Trogdor]

I think Al's Beef near CUS (see map photo in this thread) stays open until 6 pm or so. Beggar's pizza stays open a bit later (don't know exact hours). A lot of places around CUS do close mid-afternoon, catering mainly to the lunch crowd as you note.

What kind of a connection do you have (i.e. when do you have to be back to CUS)? If you have some time, you can venture a bit further out and get some pretty good stuff.

 

[SarahZ]

The Al's near CUS stays open until 8:00 on weekdays and 6:00 on Sat/Sun.

Greektown and Little Italy are close-ish if you have a long enough layover. It's a pretty easy bus ride or a cheap cab ride from the station. You could also venture into the Loop a little ways. There's a TON of stuff across the river.

 

[Acacia]

Also jumping on!

Heading to Chicago from Michigan soon and I am, of course, looking for some good food, too! Def. need some of that famous Chicago deep-dish pizza and also need a few breakfast places as well. And maybe another couple dinner/lunch places because, although I could eat pizza every day for every meal, my traveling companions may not agree!

What I'm most worried about is waiting forever for food! It's never been an issue for me in Chicago before, but it's been about 10 years since I've been and I don't even remember where the heck I ate then. Anyway, the issue is that we're there for about 3 days and trying to cram it ALL in and we don't have time in the itinerary for waiting an hour to be seated for a meal! Can anyone tell me if the pizza places mentioned are like that? Can anyone suggest good breakfast places and a few other lunch/dinner places that aren't going to be line-out-the-door, wait-an-hour-for-a-table? I'll be coming in on a Sat. around noon and leaving on the following Monday around 1.

Thanks in advance and sorry to hijack, but I think this thread was kind of old anyhow...

(Coming in, of course, on the train! <-- obligatory mention of the train)

 

[junebug]

If you want to sample different Chicago pizza that I like:

Pan:

Carmen's

Lou Malnati's

My Pi

Thin:

Home Run Inn

 

[zephyr17]

Breakfast is easy...Lou Mitchell's, hands down.

 

[CHamilton]

I've got to stop reading this thread before lunch. Thanks for the suggestions, folks, but man, you are making us hungry!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Breakfast is easy...Lou Mitchell's, hands down.

I agree, but there will be a Line Most Days, it's a Very Popular Joint! (and they Now take Credit Cards! )

 

[junebug]

+1 on Lou Mitchells. Great coffee there, too.

 

[Acacia]

Thanks all.

 

[DanaE]

If you want to sample different Chicago pizza that I like:
Pan:

Carmen's

Lou Malnati's

My Pi

Thin:

Home Run Inn

I went out of my way just to try Lou Malnati's pan pizza... pretty good.. but pricey.

Seeing there are plenty of people from Chicago on this thread, I was wondering if

anybody can tell me what the fastest way is to get from Union Station to O'Hare?

Thanks!

 

[Peggy]

Love all this great info....can't hardly wait to GO. And if anyone knows of a particularly cool bridge that can be walked across, shout out! I am a bridge freak and can't wait to see the bridge architecture and walk across as many as possible. That's why I want to grab food and go, so I can walk walk walk!!

I pretty much see myself running from CUS and then working my way back so as to be close by nightfall and time to board.

 

[John Bredin]

Unless you have a lot of luggage, definitely Blue Line subway. The Clinton station is two blocks south of Union Station, and the northwest terminal of the Blue Line is under the O'Hare Airport main garage.

There is Metra train service from Union Station to "O'Hare Transfer" but it's (1) weekday only, (2) fairly infrequent, and (3) the "transfer" in the name means that you're a shuttle bus and airport tram/monorail away from the airport terminals.

Taxis are expensive, and it's completely random outside rush-hours whether the Kennedy Expressway is flowing like a river or like molasses. :giggle: On the other hand, if you do have a lot of luggage, it might be worth the hassle to bite the bullet.

Seeing there are plenty of people from Chicago on this thread, I was wondering if anybody can tell me what the fastest way is to get from Union Station to O'Hare?
Thanks!

 

[June the Coach Rider]

Because I have limited walking time, I was looking around CUS and saw that Beggars Pizza and Potbelly Sandwich Shop is right across the street from the station. I know that Lou Mitchell's is not far, but if it is too busy, I was wondering about these other two for lunch on the way or dinner on the way home.

 

[Trogdor]

Because I have limited walking time, I was looking around CUS and saw that Beggars Pizza and Potbelly Sandwich Shop is right across the street from the station. I know that Lou Mitchell's is not far, but if it is too busy, I was wondering about these other two for lunch on the way or dinner on the way home.

Potbelly is a pretty decent sandwich shop, but they are a pretty big chain and you can find them throughout the US.

Beggars Pizza has deep dish pizza. Not quite as good as you'd find elsewhere (such as Girodano's, Lou Malnati's, etc.), but I guess that's a matter of opinion. One thing Beggars has going for them is you can buy slices already made, which eliminates the 45-minute wait that you get with the other shops.

If you are there on a weekday during lunch time, you can also get a slice of deep dish at Bacino's, which is on Clinton between Adams and Monroe (two blocks north of Beggars Pizza). My personal taste preference is for Bacino's. They have slices to go that are pretty cheap (but you can't eat in their restaurant if you buy a slice, their indoor seating is only for those ordering off the full menu).

 

[junebug]

About Beggar's Pizza. Do you think we can take it on the train without it being a mess to carry on? What if we just got slices in boxes and stacked them?

 

[Trogdor]

Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

If you go into Giordano's at Lunch they have Personal Size Deep Dishers ready to go! Just grab one and carefully and quickly get it back to the Metropolitan Lounge (unlike the Club Acela you are welcome to bring in outside food). But beware you may be subject to decoy and sneakiness as people on the street or even in the Lounge realize what you have and decide they would rather have it instead

 

[junebug]

Where is Giordano's? In the food court? Not bringing it for the lounge. Bringing it for dinner on the SW Chief.

(Coach passengers - can they use met. lounge?)

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Giordano's is about 2-3 blocks east on Jackson across the River and Kitty Corner to Sears Tower. Since you are taking it on the train, I recommend getting a larger model as you'll probably want to nip down a slice or 2 at the Station (Great Hall would be a nice place to relax) and still have enough for Supper and a couple later night snacks.

 

[Trogdor]

Others may disagree with me, but I vote against getting a large Girodano's pizza (especially if it's just for one person). First, one or two slices absolutely will fill you up, and you will not have any room left for more later in the evening. Second, Chicago-style deep dish doesn't taste good cold (unlike most thin crust pizzas, which are somewhat edible cold), and they don't reheat well (nonetheless, there will not be any opportunity to reheat on the train anyway). So, my guess is you won't be interested in the rest of it once it cools down, and it will go to waste.

 

[junebug]

We are two people, I am not really fond of Giordano's pizza. Plus I'd need a place to at least pull up and one person run in and get the pizza. By Sears Tower, the cops give you a ticket if you even think about pulling over.

(I used to be a chauffeur)

It's got to be close to the station.