Chicago record stores / nice things to do

[scotttsss]

I'll be in Chicago staying with friends who's taste in music is probably not like mine.. I know of reckless records but are there any other indipendent record stores people in Chicago could reccomend?  Thanks in advance... Also, is second city worth checking out, really?  I'll be there this weekend for just three days and want to make the most of my time... Thanks F'sOT's !

[todd]

If you do go to Second City, see the show on the e.t.c. stage. It's much stronger than the mainstage right now.

[nec13]

jbissell could probably answer this better than me, but I can give you a few record store recommendations.

Reckless Records-Namely the ones on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park and the one on Broadway on the North Side of Chicago. They have a pretty good selection of used and new vinyl. And a ton of CD's. The prices are fairly reasonable. Service is okay.

I don't know if you're into jazz. But if you are you should check out Jazz Record Mart on East Illinois between State and Wabash. They have a huge selection of blues and jazz albums. You could spend hours just browsing. If they don't have what you're looking for, no one does.

Hope this helps.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and visited Dusty Groove.  Not so much rock - heavy on jazz, plus lots of French and Brazilian stuff, but the prices are great and we got some good finds.

[dania]

Permanent Records on Chicago Ave. is the Best record store in town.  Hands down.  It's near the corner of Chicago and Damen.  Also, there's a nice cafe just down the street from there called Atomix. 

There's a few other good spots though, Laurie's Planet of Sound in Lincoln Square, and there's a place on Western Ave. between Thomas and Haddon that I forget the name of that has lots of used vinyl to dig through and they'll let you listen to any of it. 

Reckless Recs I have an aversion to for many reasons: they don't let you listen to vinyl, they take your show posters and wait forever to put them up, and they rarely have anything I like because they don't keep up with the times. 

Other nice things to do: go to either the Lincoln Park or Garfield Park Conservatory.  They are free and amazing! 
Also, be sure to visit the MCA.  It's free on Tuesdays....
I'll think of more stuff later. 

[Steve of Bloomington]

Quimby's Bookstore is cool if you like the comix/independent bookstore thing. I heard Obama would stop in there sometimes.

[jbissell]

jbissell could probably answer this better than me, but I can give you a few record store recommendations.

Reckless Records-Namely the ones on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park and the one on Broadway on the North Side of Chicago. They have a pretty good selection of used and new vinyl. And a ton of CD's. The prices are fairly reasonable. Service is okay.

I don't know if you're into jazz. But if you are you should check out Jazz Record Mart on East Illinois between State and Wabash. They have a huge selection of blues and jazz albums. You could spend hours just browsing. If they don't have what you're looking for, no one does.

Hope this helps.

Since I don't live in the city I don't actually go to record stores downtown much.  Reckless is ok, I usually go to the one on Broadway if I'm going to a show at the Lakeshore.  I'd second Dania's recommendation of Permanent, I've only been there a few times but have always found plenty of good stuff.

[Gregory]

How about nice things to do in Chicago for someone who is about to move there?

[dania]

WhirlyBall : 1880 W. Fullerton

[dania]

Quimby's Bookstore is cool if you like the comix/independent bookstore thing. I heard Obama would stop in there sometimes.

Also check out Myopic Books around the corner from there on Milwaukee street.  They have three floors of used books!  Earwax is a good place to eat also; both places are down the street from Reckless.  There's also a really awesome thrift shop called The Ark near there closer to Ashland.  The only thing to watch out for when exploring this area is the massive sea of yuppies and gratuitous gentrification everywhere.  Wicker Park didn't used to be like that at all...

Division street also has some worthwhile spots, check out the Renegade craft store if you're into that, there's also Alliance Bakery; I'm a fan of Aki Sushi (inexpensive sushi place at Damen & Division); and North Coast Video has almost everything you can think of. 

I'll probably think of even more later. 

[Amplituden]

Last time I went to Chicago my friend had a good idea for travelling around the city which served us well.
He checked out a Lonley Planet guide to Chicago and a compass. 
We bought transit day passes and went all over the place. We just looked up a bunch of cool things to see.

We went to record stores, cool restaurants and the Lincoln Park Zoo.
The addition of having a compass really helped us never get lost.

I know that this is applicable to any city you are visiting and not familiar with, but it really allowed us to do a ton of things and never waste time getting lost.

[Steve of Bloomington]

Museum of Science and Industry is fun. They have a submarine there (theh).

[masterofsparks]

I'm going to Chicago this weekend and found this thread. Belated thanks to everyone who made a suggestion!

[P.W.]

Keywords: Hot Doug's Hot Dogs, Reckless Records, Intelligentsia Coffee, Empty Bottle, Rainbo, Pequod's Pizza

[Steve of Bloomington]

Go to the Violet Hour for some $11 cocktails...they have 100 kinds of ice there.