The Windy City (aka Center of the Universe, aka Chicago)
 

I figured y'all needed a thread. Additionally, I happen to be heading your way next week (November 16-20th) and wanted to know if anyone wanted to meet up for dinner (best day would be the 19th but let me know). I'll be in the downtown area (Central Loop area?).

Southern/ Central Illinois
 

So I am across the street from Beaver Dam State Park but dont worry no one can mapquest that and figure out my exact address or stalk me. So feel free to mapquest it. I been thinking for a few years now about having a BF campout. I know that by itself would exclude the more sensitive souls who associate camping with hell. BUT those who feel it is an ideal vacation would be very welcome. Not a gathering just an extra dose of BFers at a different time period than all the other gatherings.... maybe for those who need something totally free... well minus the gas to get here anyway.

I got 4 horses on 40 acres, wooded, hilly, with beautiful prairie like fields to picnic in. There's a stocked pond of bluegill and carp and catfish. (See my roomates pic.) So from outside our walkout door its about 20-30 feet to the pond. You'll pass the pool table that has a pin pong table top we put up on it when sick of pool. We have a decent game room in the downstairs and a LOT of extra indoor room if someone cant sleep outdoors or we run out of tents.

And when we are sick of outdoor stuff and need some nightlife, we drive an hour or so to St. Louis Mo or 40 mins or so to Springfield IL and visit with other glbt folks. That isnt appealing I know, but our local strait bars are very hip and accepting considering the rural area so I dont feel deprived unless I think of my fellow BF community. I am deprived of socializing with anyone from our community. I would love to go to Chicago again soon but its over a 4 hour drive and times are tight.

Anyway hit me up before summer hits and my open invite can become the vacaction you wouldnt be able to have anywhere else for free... lol. You can be the bringer of a vacation TO ME yay! lol.

LOL.. That was LAST November... not the one coming up. ;) But if I make it out there again, I'll ping ya..

While You Are There
 

You should try to check out some of the little shops. There used to be this great coffee shop up in Waukegan that had amatuer nights of spoken poetry, folk music etc...They had good stuff to eat and drink yumm There was a joining store same owner where they sold insense and New Age stuff and Books. I bet its prolly gone by now.... but I bet there's a ton of them around for every niche you might have. they aren't just about the Blues and art museums tho I love that too! Just wanted to say that you are in a cultural heart so you shouldn't be shy about sight seeing! Chicago is by far my second fav city in this country, second to only Dallas Tx my Childhood Home of course.

What's there to do in Chicago nowadays? I haven't been in like 10 years, so I'm sure it's changed a lot. Last time I was there I liked hanging around the Belmont/Broadway area. Is it still "cool" there? I do know that Reckless Records is still there, which is a good sign.

I know this post is two months old, but I thought I'd respond since I live in Chicago. "Cool" all depends on what you're into. The Belmont/Broadway area is okay. It's mostly overrun with either straight yuppies or white gay men. But yes, there is still a Reckless there, as well as the one in Wicker Park. The new(ish) queer hot spots are Logan Square and Edgewater/Rogers Park.

imo Belmont&Broadway will always be cool.

Hey
 

Bumpin this thread. Where's all the Chicago peeps? Let's hear it!

Haaaaay! NW side representin'.

Yeah!!!! Thanks for the bump :-)

Oh yea
 

That was my stompin grounds for years.

Y'all ready for winter Chicago style?
 

CHICAGO (CBS) — The City of Chicago says it's ready for the worst when it comes to winter weather.

As WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports, city officials gathered Wednesday at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to reassure the public that its departments are ready for what could be an extremely rough winter.

AccuWeather has predicted temperatures 2 to 3 degrees colder than normal, and nearly twice the normal amount of snowfall. The agency's long-range forecast predicts the Chicago area will be hit with 50 to 58 inches of snow in total — at least 20 inches above normal. The Farmers' Almanac also said to expect Chicago to get slammed this winter.

There is no prediction about whether a blizzard like the one seen this past first Feb. 1 and 2 could occur again this coming winter, but if it does, the city is ready. "We're extremely prepared for another blizzard," said OEMC Executive Director Gary Schenkel. "We've not only done the after action review, but we've come up with new procedures." The city has purchased 30 new snow plow trucks, it's improved its communication and finished a project to avert problems on Lake Shore Drive.

During the February blizzard, Lake Shore Drive was shut down for 33 hours and hundreds of cars were left stranded. City officials say the finished project should keep that from happening again. "There are removable barriers that we can go in there with front-end loaders and remove them quickly," said Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Tom Byrne. "If we are stuck like we were last year, the idea is that we can move those barriers during the course of the night, get those people out to get them some relief and get them south." Byrne says the department also has about 312,000 tons of salt ready.

Schenkel says the OEMC will be utilizing Twitter, Facebook and an online service called Notify Chicago to communicate weather alerts and other important weather news. There were 57.9 inches of snow last year, which was 20 inches above normal. The February blizzard dropped 21.2 inches.

Keeping an eye on this forum... The weather sound really interesting! :)

hey neighbors
 

want to spend day in Chicago any bfp folks interested in hanging?

Yes, but today, eh friend? lol How's the weather where you are? We're getting snow and wind here in NW Indiana.

knock knock anyone home?

I'll be back at my parents in se wi from march 28th til april 11th.

don't know who is in the chicago area but would love to meet up with people if they want!

Thought I'd bump this thread. See who is active on the site from my area.

......

Hello out there! Any active members still around?

Anyone in or near Chicago?
It would be nice to actually meet people from BFP
Fishing, bbq, restaurant, etc, etc...anyone up for it?

In the past 3 months I've visited Chicago twice, Valentine Day week & the week-end of St Patrick's Day. I had thought I would be back sometime in May but my Chicago companion will be visiting here instead.

Wolfy, I would love to meet up at a restaurant, attend a bbq, etc etc!

I will let you know ASAP when I'm heading up your way again.

absolutely it is my kind of town!

That would be great
I'm about 35 miles west of Chicago
Just let me know when you come back

Just wanted you to know, 2 years ago I was here
I've been back in my home state 5 years now

Hoosier by birth, forever a Chicagoan by choice!

........:hangloose:...........

Foodies, mark your calendar.......
 

Bon appetit presents Chicago Gourmet Sept 24 - 29 Millennium Park


The Bon Appétit presents Chicago Gourmet weekend in Millennium Park is an absolute show stopper. Leading up to and throughout the festival weekend, this year's Encore Events truly celebrate all things food + entertainment. From a VIP evening at the theatre to see "Hamilton," to an Italian Feast on the Odyssey Chicago River inspired by "The Godfather," to a star-studded gourmet chili cookoff on the Harris Theater Rooftop, our series of movie, TV and theater-inspired culinary events will have you cheering for more.

250 chefs, 50 sommeliers, mixologists & experts, `75 vintners, distillers & brewers, grand tastings, demos & seminars, book signings, plus more!

Chalk Howard Street....
 

Saturday July 20 2019 Howard Street and Paulina Street


The surface of Howard Street becomes a canvas for 3D chalk artists and local street artists at Chalk Howard Street, a festival devoted to art scrawled on pavement.

Artists Anat Ronen and Nate Baranowski will reate murals that function as optical illusions, allowing guests to take photos with superheroes and characters that appear to be crawling out of the ground. The free one-day event in Rogers Park will also feature live music, entertainment, food and drinks, as well as plenty of opportunities to snap a mind-blowing shot for your Instagram feed :artist:

Rogers Park used to be a very vibrant neighborhood. Was a city into it's self and self contained pretty much. As I remember, no clothing store lol. But, had a lot from The Leather Archives and Museum to a Vet's' Office's, a Catholic Cathedral, major grocery store, bodegas, an occult shop, many entrepreneurial businesses, so many others. The major N/S L train station with a Currency Exchange (an important Chicago thing), much else including only a few blocks to Lake Michigan and to a beach

This area is an important neighborboods that has fallen times, especially East Rogers. Gangs have moved in, crime has risen, the beautiful large apartment buildings are not being maintained with gang tags inside and out.
They need the city to come in and take control of the crime in the area and put some money in it like
was done in

Buena Vista

Heartland Cafe was the major stabliziing force, they poured a lot of resource in to the area has permanently closed. They had a promise that they would remain with the neighborhood if the
environments changed.




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The text problem was due to my Amazon Fire


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cathexis, I was never at Rogers Park Homeland Cafe but I have been to the other one on Glenwood Ave..:eating:

I don't know if this is relevant, but my grandfather and his second wife are buried in Oak Woods Cemetery, along with their daughter (who would have been my father's half-sister), who died at age 8.

This is ironic, because my genealogical snooping uncovered that they went through a nasty divorce (finalized three months before the daughter died). My grandmother, who was Wife #3, paid for the plot. She outlived my grandfather by 30 years, so must have decided to have him placed with his daughter.

My father grew up in Oak Park, and I have his senior yearbook :).

Cool info...and Oak Park is full of Frank Lloyd Wright houses. It's a wonderful little town filled with eye popping architect. Some were even used in various movies over the years.

My family lived in West Rogers Park for 30 years. I ran the streets in both East and West as a kid. It boarders Evanston up and down Howard Street. I was in the neighborhood about 4 years ago and was saddened by how bad it looked. Growing up there in the 60's and 70's was wonderful. It would be nice to see the beauty that it once was. So many neighborhoods in Chicago that were dilapidated have been restored, so perhaps there is still hope for Rogers Park in the future.

Gang violence is in every neighborhood in Chicago. It's why I left and came to the suburbs.

We will be moving back to the MW within the year, wish we could find a North area that's both affordable on Social Security and safe. Would be nice to buy a house/condo in Evanston or Skokie or where I was going to...John Hancock bldg. Those dreams ended when I lost my entire inheritance in the 2008 crash.

So, now we are probably looking in WI. At least we won't have to deal with those extra taxes for living in the city. We are still looking in my beloved city. Picky, though, needs to be within walking distance of the lake, on a N/S train, and the two aforementioned requirements. Don't want much, do I? Lol. Oak St.would be great...oh, yeah no money.
Will keep looking, maybe Buena Vista. They have really done wonders there. I lived there when the cockroaches outnumbered the people about 30:1 during college.

Chicago’s Loftiest Foreclosure—and Possibly the World’s!
List Price: $1,750,000
Sale Price: $950,000

The Property: When a 2,900-square-foot condo on the 83rd floor at the John Hancock Center sold June 22, it became Chicago’s loftiest foreclosure—and very likely, the world’s.

cathexis, let's not give up on that dream apt in the John Hancock just yet....

We may not luck into this sort of deal, but then again one can never tell......

Northhalsted Market Days is this weekend! Going with my blushing bride to shop, dance and have a great time! Wooooot!

Chicago’s Little Italy Festa-Taylor St and Ashland Ave Aug 15 2019-Aug 18 2019

Head to Taylor Street for an evening of delicious Italian food and entertainment at this four-day street festival. Guests will be able to sample dishes from local restaurants, shop a selection of Italian goods or enjoy acts performing on one of seven stages throughout the event.

Chicago’s Little Italy Festa-Taylor Street will also host the first Gelato Festival Chicago, a ticketed event that offers all-you-can-eat desserts that are being made on-site.