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The area around McCormick Place has been described as a 'wasteland' of entertainment. We're here to help.

You can also check out the regularly updated blog for MAX attendees from the Chicago Area Adobe User Group.

NEAR McCORMICK PLACE

BARS

Let's get straight to the good stuff, shall we?

Velvet Lounge (jazz club, 67 E. Cermak Rd., closed Mon. & Tues.)
Kroll's South Loop (sports bar, 1736 S. Michigan Ave.)
M Lounge (martini lounge, 1520 S. Wabash Ave.)
Grace O'Malley's (Irish pub, 1416 S. Michigan Ave.)

RESTAURANTS

Chicago Firehouse (American, 1401 S. Michigan Ave.)
Room 21 (American, 2110 S. Wabash Ave.)
Cuatro (Latin American, 2030 S. Wabash Ave.)
South Coast (sushi, 1700 S. Michigan Ave.)
Gioco (Italian, 1312 S. Wabash Ave.)
Zapatista (Mexican, 1307 S. Wabash Ave.)
Opera (Asian fusion, 1301 S. Wabash Ave.)
Ma & I (Thai, 1234 S. Michigan Ave.)

Yolk (breakfast, 1120 S. Michigan Ave.)
Bongo Room (breakfast/brunch, 1152 S. Wabash Ave.)

What about Chicago pizza?
It's not super close, but there are a ton of Giordano's pizzerias downtown that'll give you a solid Chicago pizza experience.

SIGHTS

Walk north on Calumet Ave. to 18th St. and on your right will be a crossover to the lakefront and the south end of the museum campus, which contains Soldier Field (Go Bears), the Field Museum of Natural History (10/1 and 10/2 are discount days), the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium.

CHINATOWN

Take the Cermak bus west to Archer (or just walk the 3/4 mile over). Look for Chinatown Square, a two-level mall of restaurants and shops on the north point of the six-way intersection. Eat at will:

Ken Kee Restaurant (2129 S. China Pl., #A)
Joy Yee's Noodle Shop (2159 S. China Pl.)
St. Anna Bakery (2158 S. Archer Ave.)
Shui Wah (2162 S. Archer Ave.)
The Happy Chef (2164 S. Archer Ave.)

Eat like a cop
Ricobene's (252 W. 26th St.)
Gigantic breaded steak sandwiches are the main attraction here. They'll even deliver to the Hyatt. WARNING: This food is not laptop safe. You might need to lay down a tarp first.

FURTHER AFIELD

What about a Chicago hot dog?
Hot Doug's is about seven miles north of the conference, but true sausage lovers should beg, borrow, or steal to get there. I have a friend who makes a spiritual pilgrimage here once every few months. In addition to the Chicago dog they also offer constantly changing, home-made specials like "Jalapeño-Cheddar Pork Sausage with Chipotle Dijonnaise and Salsa-Jack Cheese" and "Chardonnay-Infused Rattlesnake Sausage with Cassis Crème Fraîche and St. Pete's Blue Cheese".

MORE MUSEUMS

Art Institute of Chicago (111 S. Michigan Ave.)
Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago Ave., cool upcoming exhibits include "Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967")
Museum of Science and Industry (57th St. and Lake Shore Dr.)
Lincoln Park Zoo (2200 N. Cannon Dr., free to the public)

COMEDY

Second City (1616 N. Wells St.)
If you know comedy, you know the Second City. See 'em here before they get famous. Shows at 7:00pm on Sunday, 8:00pm on Monday through Thursday. Free improv sets follow the shows and start around 9:45 or 10:00pm on weeknights.

THEATRE

Wicked (24 W. Randolph St.)
Shows on Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday/Wednesday night.
Blue Man Group (3133 N. Halsted St.)
Shows Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, and again on Wednesday night.
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (5153 N. Ashland Ave.)
An ever-changing menu of 30 plays in 60 minutes. They have a Sunday night show at 7:00pm.

SPORTS

Sunday, 9/30: Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers (1:05pm)
Unless a Bulls pre-season game gets scheduled between now and then, this is the only Chicago sports event surrounding MAX. (tickets)

MUSIC

The Hives
Sunday, 9/30, 6:30pm at the Metro (3730 N. Clark St.) (tickets)

Questions? Drop us a line: max2007 at digitalprimates.net