Chicago hotels

[TopTierTop]

Hate to tell you, but Boystown is no longer full of that many boys. It's been a straighter shade of pink for awhile now.

 

Look around Andersonville, Wicker Park, Edgewater and Rogers Park. The GLBT community dissipated, not feeling the need to ghettoize as they have in the past. I believe that's ultimately a pretty good thing.

 

Hotels: Virgin Chicago is fun. The former Elysian-now-Waldorf is contemporary, small and comfortable. Conrad Chicago is right in the heart of Michigan Ave (and close to Garrett's Popcorn).

It's true that Rogers Park seems pretty gay. I just moved here, so now it is a little bit gayer.

[mike carey]

Well, this is very interesting to me. I just moved to Chicago. I have an apartment where I can host clients but still this is good stuff to know about my new city

Delighted to hear that you are settling in to Chicago. I'm sorry I didn't chat more in PS.

[TopTierTop]

Delighted to hear that you are settling in to Chicago. I'm sorry I didn't chat more in PS.

Thanks, Mike! So far I am liking it. But you can expect that by winter I won't be here anymore. Place your bets now where I will end up next. Haha!

[rvwnsd]

Chicago has lots of great hotel choices.....a nice value in a great location (E. Ohio Street just off the "Mag Mile" N. Michigan Ave) - Inn of Chicago......not where I stay but again a nice choice (price) for some....and also again not my preferred mode of transport but I assume busses run from N. Mich Ave to McCormick Place.....or short distance - cheap taxi ride.

 

https://www.theinnofchicago.com/

If you are traveling for business, take a cab or Uber and expense it. Getting to McCormick Place by bus can be a pain in the ass. The 3 - King Drive stops there, but it is a 30 - 40-minute ride. However, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is a good option when going other places. It is no longer the dirty nightmare it was in the 1980's and early 90's. For travel information, check out their website. You can also use Google Maps to plan your trip.

 

The thing to keep in mind is McCormick Place is 3 miles southeast of the Loop proper. Although there is a plethora of new development, it is essentially the same distance from the Loop as is Lincoln Park.

[Stormy]

Looks like I will be staying at Downtown Marriott magnificent mile. Thx for your help.

[+ bashful]

It is no longer the dirty nightmare it was in the 1980's and early 90's.

 

I won't go near the L at rush hour on a hot humid day in Chicago. Yuck. By far, the best mass transit I've ever used is the Metro in DC.

[rvwnsd]

...By far, the best mass transit I've ever used is the Metro in DC.

Until two trains crash or a train derails, which occurs with alarming frequency.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_on_the_Washington_Metro

[jonnychgo]

Hate to tell you, but Boystown is no longer full of that many boys. It's been a straighter shade of pink for awhile now.

 

Look around Andersonville, Wicker Park, Edgewater and Rogers Park. The GLBT community dissipated, not feeling the need to ghettoize as they have in the past. I believe that's ultimately a pretty good thing.

 

Hotels: Virgin Chicago is fun. The former Elysian-now-Waldorf is contemporary, small and comfortable. Conrad Chicago is right in the heart of Michigan Ave (and close to Garrett's Popcorn).

 

Benjamin is right. Boystown is mainly full of boys for the evenings or weekends at the bars or festivals in Boystown suck as Pride and (Meat)Market Days. And more of those are twinks, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they aren't usually into anyone over 35. Andersonville and Edgewater, where I live, have many bars and lots of gay MEN around. Rogers Park has some bars also. Not that familiar with Wicker Park.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Benjamin is right. Boystown is mainly full of boys for the evenings or weekends at the bars or festivals in Boystown suck as Pride and (Meat)Market Days. And more of those are twinks, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they aren't usually into anyone over 35. Andersonville and Edgewater, where I live, have many bars and lots of gay MEN around. Rogers Park has some bars also. Not that familiar with Wicker Park.

 

Let me clarify a little: I didn't mean to say that Boystown was no longer full of younger guys, but that like most gayborhoods of the past, it's gotten a lot less gay overall. The community seems to have moved into a wide variety of other Chicago hoods, not feeling the need to band together in one place as they had before.

[buckguy]

The Drake is very nice and has some of those rooms with 2 bathrooms--basically suites w/o the separated sitting areas. The Palmer House is much better since its renovation a few years ago. I recently stayed at the Hilton Mag Mile which had a nice pool (swimmable size) and views of the lake. The Chicago Hilton and the Intercontinenal probably have the best pools for serious swimmers.

 

Andersonville has had a significant gay presence w/o being a gay ghetto for decades. Boystown is still pretty gay but no places is like it was in the 80s or 90s.

[LookingAround]

Let me clarify a little: I didn't mean to say that Boystown was no longer full of younger guys, but that like most gayborhoods of the past, it's gotten a lot less gay overall. The community seems to have moved into a wide variety of other Chicago hoods, not feeling the need to band together in one place as they had before.

I think you're giving a very inaccurate impression. It's very very gay.

[+ bashful]

Let me clarify a little: I didn't mean to say that Boystown was no longer full of younger guys, but that like most gayborhoods of the past, it's gotten a lot less gay overall. The community seems to have moved into a wide variety of other Chicago hoods, not feeling the need to band together in one place as they had before.

 

Don't know much about the gayborhoods of Chicago, having only lived in the burbs, but two couples (gay) I know have left. One couple for the burbs, one couple for a leafy neighborhood on the outskirts of Chicago.

[rvwnsd]

I think you're giving a very inaccurate impression. It's very very gay.

The proportion of LGBT residents to straight residents isn't anywhere near where it was back in the 1980's and 1990's. As long ago as 2000 the HOA of a condo development was trying to get the city to de-license the gay bars and shut down Steamworks. The city government laughed. Nonetheless, Lakeview still has a high proportion of gays.

 

Regarding Andersonville and Rogers Park, both were burgeoning back in the mid-1990's as Lakeview residents wanted more space at less cost. Many of the bars have been around for years. These are no longer "new " gay communities. Not widely known, Andersonville had a sizable lesbian community before gay men "discovered" it. Women and Children First was a community bastion for many years. Additionally, Evanston and Oak Park have each had a large gay population for years and Berwyn became a gay enclave back in the 1990's as the elderly owners of bungalows began selling them at decent prices.

[+ bashful]

I've stayed at a lot of hotels in Chicago for work and leisure. One thing I'd like to have, should I be inclined to entertain someone, is a big, deep bathtub big enough for two. Do any of you know any? I heard somewhere the Park Hyatt may have. Would prefer the faucet not be at one end, but in the middle.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

The proportion of LGBT residents to straight residents isn't anywhere near where it was back in the 1980's and 1990's. As long ago as 2000 the HOA of a condo development was trying to get the city to de-license the gay bars and shut down Steamworks. The city government laughed. Nonetheless, Lakeview still has a high proportion of gays.

 

Regarding Andersonville and Rogers Park, both were burgeoning back in the mid-1990's as Lakeview residents wanted more space at less cost. Many of the bars have been around for years. These are no longer "new " gay communities. Not widely known, Andersonville had a sizable lesbian community before gay men "discovered" it. Women and Children First was a community bastion for many years. Additionally, Evanston and Oak Park have each had a large gay population for years and Berwyn became a gay enclave back in the 1990's as the elderly owners of bungalows began selling them at decent prices.

 

Great reply

[+ Keith30309]

I love the Palmer House... it's history and authentic elegance make it feel like a special place.

 

http://www.jettingaround.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_2581.jpg

[rvwnsd]

Great reply

Thanks.

 

Shortly after moving to San Diego I caught an NPR program (not even sure which one - maybe All Things Considered - it was late afternoon) where two elderly ladies were being interviewed. When I tuned in I heard a very distinctive Chicago accent saying "Those are nice boys. They carry the seniors' groceries and the bars shovel the walks. Let those damned yuppies go back to their suburbs. We don't need them." Another very distinctive Chicago accent said "They should just leave those boys alone. They are the best thing that ever happened to this neighborhood." The story was about the aforementioned condominium complex trying to get the bars shut down and the gay men to move out of the neighborhood. The long-time residents were having none of it.

[rvwnsd]

I love the Palmer House... it's history and authentic elegance make it feel like a special place.

 

http://www.jettingaround.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_2581.jpg

The Starbucks in the lobby has a very nice display of antique and vintage coffee-making equipment. Another nice feature is the set of Tiffany peacock doors on the Monroe Street side.