PinkAgenda

Community Calendar and Travel Information

Gay in Chicago, Illinois.

Carlos T. Mock, MD and William R. Rattan

Last Update August 2006

Airports | Climate | Currency | Dining | Getting Around | Internet | Language | Lodging | References | Scene | Shopping | Things to See | Time Zones | Tipping

We started this web site in June 2001, and it was originally intended for the Chicago residents. We never expected that the site would grow so fast and that it would have such a popular following from our friends outside of Chicago. We did not feel the need to review our own city.

I came to Chicago for my medical training in 1981. Through four years of OB-GYNE residency, 11 years of private practice in Chicago's western suburbs, and 10 years of retirement I have seen this wonderful city develop into the metropolis that it is today.

I can boast to having been present on opening night in May 1982, when a 16 feet wide little bar by the name of Sidetrack opened its doors. I have seen it grow to its present form, undergoing all of its serial, slow expansions. You could say that I have personally paid for a few of them (especially the "Admiral's Club," see below). Just as Sidetrack has undergone a metamorphosis, so did the gay life. From the original ghetto in the Downtown area (land claimed by the AMA) and the infamous Dugan's Bistro, Carol's Speakeasy, The Gold Coast, The Loading Zone, Heaven, The Ozone, The original Gentry…all of which will forever live in our memories, to the slow emigration to Halsted Street, starting with The Bushes and Sidetrack; and culminating with the present bunch; to the latest chapter in Andersonville. What follows is a very personal and narrow review of the city we like to call home. Please understand that it is very biased and may or may not reflect your own taste. There are venues to satisfy all tastes and desires in Chicago.

Chicago Greeter is the Office of Tourism's service. Chicago Greeter will offer a free personalized view of Chicago, celebrating its friendly people and its vibrant neighborhoods. Visitors are paired with a volunteer that leads them on a 2 to 4 hour walk of any of Chicago's neighborhoods and their favorite attractions. The visit offers an intimate look at Chicago, where its citizens live, work and raise their families and in the process make a big city feel small and friendly. Call Katie Law at 800-744-8000 or Email if you are interested.

Smoking:

Smoke Free Illinois Act

Basically, no smoking is allowed in Illinois within, or near the entrace of, any public space. Bars, restaurants, offices, stores, every enclosed space except a persons home (and for now their car) are off limits for smokers. The law is already in effect across the state.

Time Zone and Time Difference

Chicago is on Central Time zone. We adopt Daylight Savings time on the first Sunday in April and revert to Standard Time on the last Sunday in October.

Airports

Both major airports in Chicago (O'Hare the blue line and Midway the orange line) are served by the subway system (the "L"). Traffic to and from the airports is very heavy at all times. We have learned to park our cars anywhere near the blue line and then just ride the "L" to the airport. It started as a way to save money parking at O'Hare, but it quickly grew as a way to avoid the "parking lot" formally known as the Kennedy expressway . Unless you are flying at 3 in the morning, it would be wise to avoid the Kennedy. For $1.50 each way you will reach downtown (the loop) in 45 minutes, almost always faster than the $30 cab ride.

O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) remains the commercial aviation capital of the world. It is also the hub of national air transportation in the United States. For as large and busy as it is, it is extremely user friendly.

There are a number of ways to get to and from O'Hare International Airport. Located just 17 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, O'Hare International Airport is accessible via local mass transit lines, (blue line) regional trains and buses, downtown and suburban shuttles and interstate highways. Most ground transportation access areas are located at the main entrance for each terminal. If you are going downtown, just take the blue line to the downtown area. It will be $2 each way (Buy a transit card at the entrance if the subway station). Even if your station is not close to your hotel, and you have to take a hotel from the subway exit to your hotel, it will a lot less (average cab fare is $40) and the Kennedy Expressway is almost always a parking lot (well not from midnight to 4am) so the subway will be much faster (45 minutes average). I have been stuck in that expressway for over 90 minutes.

AirportParkingLots.com  Off-site parking at O'Hare and airports across the country with reservations and guaranteed low rates.

Chicago Midway Airport Midway Airport (MDW) is considered the busiest square mile in the country. It has been a port for air traffic since 1923.

There are a number of ways to get to and from Midway Airport. Located just 10 miles from downtown Chicago, Midway is easily reachable by the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) orange line in just 20-30 minutes, as well as by regional buses, downtown and suburban shuttles, and interstate highways. Most ground transportation access areas are located at the main entrance area of the terminal.

Word of caution about car rental companies

Currency

U. S. Dollar - USD = 100 cents

Climate and weather

Chicago is along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan and occupies a plain, which for the most part, is only some tens of feet above the lake. Lake Michigan averages 579 feet above sea level, and the city is in a region of frequently changeable weather.

The climate is predominantly continental, ranging from relatively warm in the summer to relatively cold in the winter. However, the continental weather is partially modified by Lake Michigan, and to a lesser extent by other Great Lakes. In late autumn and winter, air masses that are initially very cold often reach the City only after being tempered by passage over one or more of the lakes.

Similarly, in late spring and summer, air masses reaching the City from the north, northeast or east are cooler because of the movement over the Great Lakes. Very low winter temperatures most often occur in air that flows southward to the west of Lake Superior before reaching the Chicago area.

In the summer, the higher temperatures are with south or southwest flow and are therefore not influenced by the lakes, the only modifying effect being a local lake breeze. Strong south or southwest flow may overcome the lake breeze and cause high temperatures to extend over the entire city.

During the warm season, when the lake is cold relative to land, there is frequently a lake breeze that reduces daytime temperature near the shore, sometimes by 10 degrees or more below temperatures farther inland. When the breeze off the lake is light, this effect usually reaches inland only a mile or two, but with stronger onshore winds, the whole city is cooled. On the other hand, temperatures at night are warmer near the lake so that 24-hour averages on the whole are only slightly different in various parts of the city and suburbs.

Average Chicago Temperatures

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
F° LOW 18 20 29 40 50 60 66 65 58 47 34 23
HIGH 32 34 43 55 65 75 81 79 73 61 47 36
C° LOW 8 -7 -2 4 10 16 19 18 14 8 1 -5
HIGH 0 -1 -6 13 18 24 27 26 23 16 8 2

Language

The language spoken throughout America is, of course, predominantly English. However, a large number of people in Chicago speak Spanish or other languages. Chicago has the largest population of Polish speakers outside of Warsaw. It is also home to very thriving Chinese and Korean populations. It has Italian and Greek neighborhoods. Perhaps the most striking feature of Chicago is the diversity of its neighborhoods and how each one of them could be viewed as a mini cosmos of their own. Chicago has a city sanctioned Gay neighborhood: Boys Town on Halsted Street.

Tipping

Holidays

2007 Federal Legal Holidays

Internet

It is possible to connect to the Internet through the phone sockets of most hotel rooms in the United States. If you own a mobile phone contact your phone company as it may be possible to use this to connect to the Internet. Most Starbucks another coffee houses offer free WIFI service to their patrons.

Getting Around

If you are not going to the Chicago suburbs, there is no need to rent a car.The Chicago Transit Authority includes buses, subway trains, surface trains and the famous elevated trains (The "L"). Fares are $2.00 with 30 cents for up to two transfers within two hours. You will need to purchase a pass, no tokens or cash accepted. CTA train lines are color coded to aid in finding the right route. See a map of Chicago CTA train lines. Visit www.yourcta.com or call CTA at 1-800-YOUR-CTA for complete information.

The system is very safe and runs most of the night. (The red Line runs 24hrs.) I would advise a cab ride if you are running home late from the bars (or walk if you're close enough to your hotel).

For travel to the suburbs, there is no other alternative than to rent a car. Chicago city cabs are not allowed to cross the city limits into the suburbs. The suburbs are reached by a series of Limousine services. Once you are in the suburbs, you would be without any form of transportation. All major rental car companies operate out of both airports.

Chicago expressways are peculiar in that they are known by names, not their numbers. Thus, I-90 north of downtown is known as The Kennedy. I-94 north of the city is known as The Edens. I-90/94 south of downtown is The Dan/Ryan. I-290 is The Eisenhower, I-294 is The Tri-State, and so forth. If you are asking directions you will need to know the names of the highways, not the number. If you ask someone where I-94 is you'll get a blank look in return!

Things to see

Museums

There is a little known secret that few people know in Chicago. If you area Chicago resident and have a Chicago Public Library Card, you can walk into any Chicago Public Library and get free passes to all Chicago Museums. So call your friends in Chicago before you come over. Just tell them what museums you want to visit and have them pick you a free pass to visit the Museum of your choice. Otherwise:

Chicago City Pass The Chicago CityPass gets you into six famous Chicago attractions. You have nine days to visit each attraction (once) beginning the day you first use your CityPass. You can purchase CityPass at any of the Chicago attractions, or you can buy online. You pay only $39/pass for a combined value of $72.50. If you are going to do all of these institutions it is a great value.

CityPass Includes:

The Scene

For a complete and up to date list of bars and nightly specials, go to Chicago Free Press or Metromix. We have listed every bar in Chicago and its surroundings in our bar page. Chicago has become a great place to live and now boasts two distinctive gay neighborhoods: Halsted Street's Boys Town and newcomer Andersonville.

Chicago bars have two licenses: early (2am weekdays and 3am Saturdays) and late (4am weekdays and 5am Saturdays). Sidewalk shopping occurs very late on Saturdays outside closed bars and at all of the bathhouses (Man's Country - 5017 N Clark, Man's World Baths - 4862 N Clark and Steamworks Gym & Sauna - 3246 N Halsted) will keep you going if all else fails.

A Good place to start your evening and Lounge is the Bar at The Peninsula (108 W. Superior Street). Fireside divans draped with decorative Chicago socialites, sushi, and sashimi plates have made this straight establishment an after work required stop. Martinis are $13, and everything is expensive. Another alternative is W Chicago, City Center & Lake Shore(644 North Lake Shore Drive).

The Beach

Few people think of Chicago as the beach capital in the US, but the truth is that Lake Michigan provides mile after mile of coastline like no other place in the Midwest.

As the gentrification of the city of Chicago moved north, so did the gay beach. When I arrived in 1981, it was not uncommon to speak of Oak Street Beach as the gay place to meet on a nice Sunday afternoon. Then as the gays moved to Boys Town, Belmont Rocks (Belmont Harbor) became the place to parade and be seen. These days, Hollywood Beach (Andersonville) is where the boys lay their towels to get the wonderful Midwest sunshine.

Dining

For purposes of facilitating your planned dinner experience I will divide Chicago restaurants into three general areas: Downtown, Boys Town (Halsted), and Andersonville. We love the reviews provided by Metromix.com.

Reservations for restaurants in Chicago can be made through Open Table. They handle web reservations for hundreds (maybe thousands?) of restaurants.

Theater

Chicago is home to a vital, vast and varied community of theatrical companies, as well as several large independent theaters, where you'll find everything from traveling Broadway megahits to experimental theater, to Chicago's famous improvisational groups that display the wit and humor of the Second City.

Shopping

Every retailer in the world (it seems that way) has an outlet on Michigan Avenue. The strip from the intersection of Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue to Michigan and Oak (one mile) is called the Magnificent Mile. If that were not enough, there are shopping centers in the area to complement your shopping experience.

Shopping Centers

Organizations & Publications

Chicago has three good resources for news and happenings (all of them free of charge and available at all the gay venues): Chicago Free Press, Gay Chicago Magazine, and Windy City Media Group.

The Chicago City Navigaytour, a 42-page gay and lesbian travel guide, will be available April 1. The guide, in its fourth year, will be available at most tourism offices, as well as other locations such as hotels. This year's edition includes a newly-designed restaurant guide, as well as information about historical sites, nightlife, shopping, entertainment and other attractions. The guide is supported by organizations such as the Center on Halsted and the Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, among others.

We mention numerous organizations in our site, but we are personally involved with the following:

References

Site created and maintained by GLBTEvents - Bill Rattan webmaster.