Englishman visiting New Orleans & Chicago April '17

[Peach]

Short version:
Where should an English couple visit, and eat, in New Orleans April 3-9th and Chicago April 10-13th? Plus does anyone want to 'Tuba-hang' over those periods...?

Longer version:
I turn 40 next year and the *better half* has booked flights from London to New Orleans (connecting via Chicago) for the music festival in early April. After that we fly to Chicago and are going to the CSO Prokofiev 5, Dvorak Cello concert 11th April.

So we'll be in New Orleans April 3-9 and Chicago April 10-13.

I'm thinking about the possibility of a Tuba Hang in both places; maybe the 11th during the day of the concert in Chicago or whenever*, possibly over a few beers if an evening...?
What else should we see or do? Food recommendations VERY welcome as are interesting sights etc.

Thanks for any sensible suggestions!
Malcolm

*Any dates/times possible at this point.

[MonsterOil]

Music in Nola - preservation Hall, anything on Frenchman St., and find some brass bands anywhere - the WWOZ website lists all the live music.

Food in Nola - great hot dog joint on Frenchman, upscale Herbsaint and Bayona are great.

Chicago - try not to miss Buddy Guy's. Upscale Charlie Trotter's is one of the world's best restaurants. Try to catch a Cubs game if possible. Skip the Sears tower and get a bottle of wine at sunset at the top of the Hancock tower.

Have fun!

[bort]

Both places -- keep your wallet in your front pocket.

[tofu]

Chicago - try not to miss Buddy Guy's. Upscale Charlie Trotter's is one of the world's best restaurants. Try to catch a Cubs game if possible. Skip the Sears tower and get a bottle of wine at sunset at the top of the Hancock tower.

Have fun!

Charlie Trotters has been closed since 2012. Charlie died in 2013 of a brain aneurysm @ the age of 54. He had gone off the deep end after closing the restaurant. The Cubs are probably out as well unless you stop on your way in St. Louis as the Cubs will visit for Opening Day 2017 at Busch Stadium which is the week you plan on being here. Actually, many people DO go to Sears tower (no longer named Sears Tower - the big draw now being The Ledge, a glass balcony extending four feet outside the 103rd floor of Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower). The Sky-deck is open 365 days a year. For shopping you won't want to miss the Magnificent Mile.

There is a lot to do in Chicago. Three days is hardly enough time to even put a dent in it. What you do depends on your budget, interests and to some degree where you are staying. There is an excellent mass transit system. Downtown Chicago has the Art Institute which was rated the #1 museum in the world and literally just steps from the CSO/Orchestra Hall. World class museums are part of the museum campus in the south loop - near one of the top ranked world universities -the University of Chicago and Soldier Field (home to the Chicago Bears (the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry (an original building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition) and of course the superb Shedd Aquarium. These are all located along the open lakefront. On the north side of the loop you have a world class zoo - the Lincoln Park Zoo along with the The Chicago History Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and several other museums. People from around the world come to visit Millennium Park and the famous Bean sculpture which is next to the Art Institute. Then there is Grant Park a large urban park (319 acres) located in Chicago's central business district, the park's most notable features are Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum Campus. Chicago has several five star restaurants and is well known for steak houses. Long gone but not forgotten are The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, which was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The entrance gate has been preserved at the Art Institute as has the original magnificent trading floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. The Board of Trade (Commodity Trading and Chicago Option Exchange) are located downtown in the Loop as well. Then there is the well known architecture. Everything from Frank Lloyd Wright to Mies Van Der Rohe buildings. Frank Lloyd Wrights home and studio is a short hop on the el train from Chicago in Oak Park (also home of famous writer Ernest Hemmingway). A lot of fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright houses even a church he designed arethere and elsewhere in the area. The Wendella boats will be running when you visit and offer some nice boat trips on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan to get an excellent view of the architecture.

There are way way too many places to list not only in downtown Chicago, but in the surrounding suburbs which are a short train trip away. Just to the north of the city is Evanston - home of another world class school - Northwestern University. Located along Lake Michigan NU alone is a great place to visit, but Evanston has some nice music venues. Next to Evanston in Wilmette along the lake is home to the magnificent Bahai Temple. North of there is the Chicago Botanic Gardens ( 385-acre living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves). Just west of Downtown Chicago is the Garfield Park Conservatory which can be reached by commuter train or CTA. There are many terrific places to visit on the South Side and in the northern,western and southern suburbs. The Brookfield Zoo (a world class zoo) is west of the city and even has its own Zoo stop on the Metra Burlington Rail Line. Farther west on the Burlington Line is one of the great unique places of the area - The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. Located just west of here and near Naperville IL (which is in and of itself like a small dynamic version of Chicago) is Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located just outside Batavia, Illinois, a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. It (unlike Argonne National Labs in the SW suburbs) is open to the public. They even have a herd of Bison and a really nice intimate auditorium. Almost every weekend they have some great music acts come through as well as some great lectures by some of the best science / math / technology / engineer minds in the world. Literally could go on for pages what you could do in the greater Chicago area.

Both places -- keep your wallet in your front pocket.

.

Yeah there are places that you need to be extra careful - but that is true everywhere these days. If you are familiar with London you will find Chicago to be not that much different in terms of crime. And Bort - I've been to Minneapolis/St Paul many times and there are areas in your neck of the woods that will give the bad areas of Chicago & NOLA a run for their money.

[bort]

And Bort - I've been to Minneapolis/St Paul many times and there are areas in your neck of the woods that will give the bad areas of Chicago & NOLA a run for their money.

Can't argue with that. Unfortunately, one of the best repairmen in the Twin Cities lives in one of the worst neighborhoods (and requires driving through some really bad places to get there). He did great work on my horn, but I doubt that I would go back because of the location. And I'm from Baltimore! Guess the big difference (as with most things between Chicago and MSP!) is the scale of it, the bad areas are a lot larger down there. BTW, Chicago is a huge place. Yes, there's a lot of crime, but the worst stuff is largely NOT in the tourist areas.

Back on-topic, I think Chicago is a really fun place to visit, and when the weather is good, it can be very pretty. It's a fun city to walk around. Next time I go, I want to go to one of Rick Bayless' restaurants for some pretty legit Mexican food. Seems like hotel deal websites ALWAYS have pretty good deals for new and stylish hotel rooms downtown, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Worst part about Chicago will probably be the weather. Maybe it's just been my luck, but every time I've been there in the spring, it's been kind of cold, wet, and very foggy. Last year I drove to/through Chicago about 7 or 8 times, and rarely could see more than the first 20 stories of the buildings.

[Peach]

Worst part about Chicago will probably be the weather. Maybe it's just been my luck, but every time I've been there in the spring, it's been kind of cold, wet, and very foggy. Last year I drove to/through Chicago about 7 or 8 times, and rarely could see more than the first 20 stories of the buildings.

Since we're used to English weather I'm sure we'll be right at home if it's cold, wet, and foggy

Thanks for the replies chaps.
Much appreciated all.

There aren't any good tuba shops in these places I suppose??

[Peach]

Worst part about Chicago will probably be the weather. Maybe it's just been my luck, but every time I've been there in the spring, it's been kind of cold, wet, and very foggy. Last year I drove to/through Chicago about 7 or 8 times, and rarely could see more than the first 20 stories of the buildings.

Since we're used to English weather I'm sure we'll be right at home if it's cold, wet, and foggy

Thanks for the replies chaps.
Much appreciated all.

There aren't any good tuba shops in these places I suppose??

[swillafew]

Chicago has many things to see you need to plan how to get around to see much of the city. I like to walk and keep missing all manner of things that are beyond a practical walking time from the train station (coming from the suburbs). If you are near Symphony Center, Miller's Pub is a nice landmark.

[Dan Schultz]

... There aren't any good tuba shops in these places I suppose??

You could go around the corner to Michigan and visit with Andy Loree (mammoth2ba).

[MonsterOil]

Chicago - try not to miss Buddy Guy's. Upscale Charlie Trotter's is one of the world's best restaurants. Try to catch a Cubs game if possible. Skip the Sears tower and get a bottle of wine at sunset at the top of the Hancock tower.

Have fun!

Charlie Trotters has been closed since 2012. Charlie died in 2013 of a brain aneurysm @ the age of 54. He had gone off the deep end after closing the restaurant. The Cubs are probably out as well unless you stop on your way in St. Louis as the Cubs will visit for Opening Day 2017 at Busch Stadium which is the week you plan on being here. Actually, many people DO go to Sears tower (no longer named Sears Tower - the big draw now being The Ledge, a glass balcony extending four feet outside the 103rd floor of Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower). The Sky-deck is open 365 days a year. For shopping you won't want to miss the Magnificent Mile.

There is a lot to do in Chicago. Three days is hardly enough time to even put a dent in it. What you do depends on your budget, interests and to some degree where you are staying. There is an excellent mass transit system. Downtown Chicago has the Art Institute which was rated the #1 museum in the world and literally just steps from the CSO/Orchestra Hall. World class museums are part of the museum campus in the south loop - near one of the top ranked world universities -the University of Chicago and Soldier Field (home to the Chicago Bears (the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry (an original building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition) and of course the superb Shedd Aquarium. These are all located along the open lakefront. On the north side of the loop you have a world class zoo - the Lincoln Park Zoo along with the The Chicago History Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and several other museums. People from around the world come to visit Millennium Park and the famous Bean sculpture which is next to the Art Institute. Then there is Grant Park a large urban park (319 acres) located in Chicago's central business district, the park's most notable features are Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum Campus. Chicago has several five star restaurants and is well known for steak houses. Long gone but not forgotten are The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, which was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The entrance gate has been preserved at the Art Institute as has the original magnificent trading floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. The Board of Trade (Commodity Trading and Chicago Option Exchange) are located downtown in the Loop as well. Then there is the well known architecture. Everything from Frank Lloyd Wright to Mies Van Der Rohe buildings. Frank Lloyd Wrights home and studio is a short hop on the el train from Chicago in Oak Park (also home of famous writer Ernest Hemmingway). A lot of fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright houses even a church he designed arethere and elsewhere in the area. The Wendella boats will be running when you visit and offer some nice boat trips on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan to get an excellent view of the architecture.

There are way way too many places to list not only in downtown Chicago, but in the surrounding suburbs which are a short train trip away. Just to the north of the city is Evanston - home of another world class school - Northwestern University. Located along Lake Michigan NU alone is a great place to visit, but Evanston has some nice music venues. Next to Evanston in Wilmette along the lake is home to the magnificent Bahai Temple. North of there is the Chicago Botanic Gardens ( 385-acre living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves). Just west of Downtown Chicago is the Garfield Park Conservatory which can be reached by commuter train or CTA. There are many terrific places to visit on the South Side and in the northern,western and southern suburbs. The Brookfield Zoo (a world class zoo) is west of the city and even has its own Zoo stop on the Metra Burlington Rail Line. Farther west on the Burlington Line is one of the great unique places of the area - The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. Located just west of here and near Naperville IL (which is in and of itself like a small dynamic version of Chicago) is Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, located just outside Batavia, Illinois, a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. It (unlike Argonne National Labs in the SW suburbs) is open to the public. They even have a herd of Bison and a really nice intimate auditorium. Almost every weekend they have some great music acts come through as well as some great lectures by some of the best science / math / technology / engineer minds in the world. Literally could go on for pages what you could do in the greater Chicago area.

Both places -- keep your wallet in your front pocket.

.

Yeah there are places that you need to be extra careful - but that is true everywhere these days. If you are familiar with London you will find Chicago to be not that much different in terms of crime. And Bort - I've been to Minneapolis/St Paul many times and there are areas in your neck of the woods that will give the bad areas of Chicago & NOLA a run for their money.

Wow didn't hear any of that about Charlie!

+1 on the Art Institute - the Seurat is pretty insane in person.

[PaulTkachenko]

Try and see James Evans play with the Shotgun Jazz Band. He's a clarinet player (on my FB friends list).

No tuba, but the band are smoking.

You might see what Mark Rubin is up to as well - he's never too far away from great music.

[DonShirer]

Tofu has a great list of Chicago attractions, including all my favorites!

As to food, Chicago's claim to culinary fame includes the Deep Dish Pizza. My tastes have changed since moving to CT, but you probably should try this once, if only to see if it measures up to its hype. Many Chi eateries feature DDP but Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due popularized it so that's a good place to start.

[tofu]

I forgot to mention a couple of other Arts groups located within easy walking distance of the CSO/Orchestra Hall. Just a block away would be the Joffrey Ballet which performs in the Auditorium Theater. They are among the finest anywhere. The Lyric Opera in the Civic Opera House on the Chicago River is also an easy walk from Orchestra Hall and it seems redundant to say -but they are truly world class. They do sell out, but tickets do become available from people who donate them back for performances they can't make. They also schedule concerts. For instance less than a week after you visit Itzhak Perlman with pianist Rohan De Silva will be at the Lyric on April 23.

If you were visiting in the summer Ravinia would definitely be worth a visit. Ravinia, North America's oldest music festival presenting over 140 different events throughout the summer. These concerts run the gamut from Yo-Yo Ma to John Legend to the annual summer residency of the nation's finest orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The 36-acre park is nestled in a gently wooded area that makes it an enchanting place to experience music. Guests can bring their own picnics or eat at one of the park restaurants. Children up to age 15, high school and college students are admitted free to the lawn for classical performances. While Ravinia is located in a northern suburb it is easily assesible as it has its own train stop that lets you off at the entrance to the park and there is even a special Ravinia train from the city.

I also forgot to mention Navy Pier which has the most visitors of anyplace in the city. They just opened a new larger Ferris wheel there. Chicago was home to the very first Ferris Wheel at the !893 World's Fair. The list is almost endless of the stuff you can do here. Chicago is home to a very large theater community within the downtown area including the Goodman Theater and the famous Second City Theater group from which many TV and Film comedians/actors have gotten their start including many on Saturday Night Live. Here is a link to many of the downtown groups https://www.chicago-theater.com. You will want to come back here.

[tofu]

2 Chicago Attractions Among America's Most Popular Summer Destinations: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/worth-t ... FB_CHBrand