Oh, I will have left by then. :(

The architecture cruise down the river done by the Chicago Architecture Foundation is awesome. (There are others, but you want that one.)

"Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" is based there but tickets are kinda expensive.

MEETUP!!!!! If you happen to be here on the first Wednesday of any month, there will be a meetup. We can also organize an auxiliary meetup. And baseball.

Also, what is this about you being in Chicago, occhiblu? Huh?

Well, way north of Chicago. I'm staying at my dad's while my divorce finalizes, but moving back to California in a month or so.

Hmm... how north is way north?

Near Gurnee, by Six Flags. I do have a car, though.

I'll give you a nudge on the architecture cruise -- you should pick a Chicago Line cruise over CAF, for two reasons. First, my brother's girlfriend worked for CAF and just got done taking them to court (successfully) for wrongful termination. So there's that. And second, the Chicago Line cruise is where my husband and I got engaged :) Right by the Sun-Times building, as the narrator described it as "the ugliest building in Chicago" (my guy wanted somewhere we could remember...). Hanging out on the lower deck is actually pretty fun; you still have a decent view, especially since there's so much to look at right at the water line (although the city is much higher), and it's usually less crowded. You can still hear the narration well.

Lincoln Park is wonderful on many fronts; poke around the zoo area and the lily pond (easy to miss), and then walk down to see the wooden sculpture honeycomb thingy by South Pond.

The Art Institute is not to be missed. Nor is the Bean in Millennium Park; it's one of those things that everyone says to go see but gives you this unexpected, wonderful feeling when you experience it in person.

Ann Sather (multiple locations) and Tre Kronor have tasty Swedish food. Isn't that what all Chicago visitors want?

If you can manage a splurge and don't mind rich hipsters (the place isn't snotty, though), Mindy's Hot Chocolate is the rare overhyped place that still manages to beat expectations. It's uh may zing. SO SO SO good. And they have regular non-dessert food, too.

For a less-hyped but still tasty spot, Hoosier Mama has awesome pie :)

(occhiblu, I bet you're right by my uncle's house!)

You must allow me to buy you a beer.

And while I don't know about Chicago Architecture Foundation's labor practices, I did find their tour informative.