70 thoughts on “Leaguefest 2013!”

  1. Mrs. Likko and I are planning on being there.

    The Cubs are playing the Pirates that weekend. It’s the Blues Festival. There’s amazing food to eat, above and beyond the Hot Dogs although those are not to be disparaged nor consumed with ketchup. (Legend has it that the Miami Indian word which French explorers transcribed as “Chigagou,” and meant onions or garlic.) It is cool to be on the observation deck of the Sears Willis Tower or the Hancock Center and see four states at once. The museums are world class. I’m interested in the Frank Lloyd Wright studio. The zoo, the Navy Pier, and the live music even when it isn’t the blues festival are outstanding.

    The problem will not be finding things to do. The problem will be selecting from amongst the myriad of choices.Report

    1. I’m interested in the Frank Lloyd Wright studio.

      I’d recommend one of those touristy Architecture Walkabout thingies. I took a few of em when I was in highschool and they’re supercool. Chicago architecture is amazing.

      I also grew up in a suburb where FLW lived for a time. In about a four bloc radius from my home were something like 10 or 12 of his house designs. (Hemingway also grew up there, about three blocks from where I lived. Guesses?)Report

      1. Oak Park. My sister used to live in that neighborhood and there was a FLW museum a couple blocks from her apartment. There’s also at least one FLW house in Hyde Park.Report

        1. Yup. Oak Park. That place was riddled with FLW architecture. I think some of the other big names designed homes there too. Van der Rohe, maybe?

          When did your sister live there?Report

      1. The Field Museum, Science and Industry Museum, and Adler Planetarium are all solid choices, so much as I can remember from my misspent youth. Or you could do like my family did, and accidentally wander into the Surgical History Museum after a day at Oak Street Beach. I was about 11, so it was an…eye-opening experience.Report

  5. I can’t make a firm commitment , but it seems doable. (Moving kids back from their respective colleges doesn’t happen until the weekend after.) I am of course up for a Cubs game (speaking of which, we really should consider April 11-14 instead.). And since it would be just me, I’d be interested in sharing a room to help cut the total expense.

    Also, having enjoyed a business trip to Chicago last year, I don’t know why you’re going on about hot dogs instead of pizza.Report

    1. Here’s hoping you can make the June dates work. But April is straight out- it will be a cold day in Hell before I willingly give you up to four additional chances to stuff the All Star ballot for a Panda.

      However, as a son of Jersey, it will be an even colder day in Hell before I acknowledge the existence of “pizza” with a crust greater than 1 cm thick.Report

      1. Heh – I’ve been known to concur with Scalia every once in awhile, probably neither any more nor any less than any other SCOTUS justice. But even if it were truly a rare occurrence, the common bond of being a Jersey guy transcends politics.

        I should add that there’s nothing inherently wrong with tomato pie – the folks down around Philly swear by it – but if you’re doing a thick crust and putting the tomato sauce on top as the last ingredient, it’s not a pizza.

        So, let’s review:
        -Thin crust, cheese on top of the sauce= Pizza
        -Thick crust, cheese on top of the sauce= Sicilian Pizza (this is not a sub-type of “pizza,” fwiw – one does not go to even a place known for its Sicilian, ask for a “pizza” and expect anything other than a thin crust. If one walks into a place legendary for its Sicilians, one must still ask for a “Sicilian” or, at most, a “Sicilian Pizza,” or else one will still find themselves eating a thin-crust pizza)
        – Thick or thin crust, sauce on top of the cheese = Tomato PieReport

        2. Pizza in Philly sucked. For some reason, they felt compelled to drench it in olive oil, or at least they did at the couple of places we tried before giving up the ghost. Nauseating.

          There is really good pizza to be found in Chicago if you stay away from the deep dish stuff. Plus a heck of a lot of other really great food. And really great bars.Report

  7. I can be in Chicago in two hours on the train.
    Really, the reason I stayed in this town was the excellent rail service.
    Not sure where I’ll be in July though.Report

      1. Dude. I just followed the link.

        The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady is a “must” for out-of-towners and Chicagoans alike. CAF certified volunteer tour guides—called docents—interpret more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River, revealing how the city grew from a small back-country outpost into one of the world’s most important crossroads in less than 100 years.

        * * *

        CAF is proud to partner with Chicago First Lady Cruises, proprietors of Chicago’s finest fleet of yachts. Their vessels hold from 120 to 200 passengers and are all equipped with full-service bars, climate-controlled lower cabins, and upscale marble and granite restrooms.

        History. Architecture. On a boat. In summer. With booze. I am so on board for this!

        Report

      2. Ok, there’s a complication to the schedule for sailing.
        The only weekend race that we do consistently is the same weekend.
        http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas

        So: If you already are a pretty good sailor, and want to participate in a set of races (especially on Friday, when we’re usually short-handed), consider this an invite.
        OTOH: I’m sure I can still schedule a cruise-type sail, but it would have to be in the evening / night, rather than during the day. Unless people want to show up on Thursday, or stay later on Sunday.

        Sorry for offering without checking the calendar.Report

    1. What would a league filled with all of our children be called? The league of ordinary babies and sitters? Can the children who are grown adults now be in charge of the little ones? Would they talk about how nerdy their parents are?Report

      1. Mine will probably still be on house arrest. Aren’t they forbidden from fresh air and sunshine for a few months? How *DO* babies work?

        Actually, I can say definitively that I’m a no-go. Between the baby and a couple other trips I’m trying to squeeze in that month around the baby, a third is impossible. Soon though!Report

  12. Crappers, I have to be in Chicago for a work conference from the 27th-3rd… almost certainly can’t go to the same place twice in one month. Although, hm, now that I think about it… if Jay and I did the fly-in-am, stay-overnight-fly-out thing again, and I didn’t have to miss work….

    put me down for a maybe.Report

  13. There’s a strong possibility the Mrs. and I will be in WI visiting family in June, she’s been interested in a diversion to Chi-town so I may work that to my advantage.

    Also, pizza.Report

  14. I love me some Chicago and miss living there (we had a condo in Evanston for several years). Best big city in the country. There’s a pretty decent chance the husband and I could go. Early June is one of the nicest times of year– the ice has melted but the heat and humidity isn’t oppressive.Report

  15. I am almost certainly a no, sadly. Between infant son and weddings on Memorial Day weekend AND June 15, that’s sort of a uniquely bad weekend. Unless I can convince the wife to go to Michigan and stay a whole week (the June 15 wedding is in Ann Arbor), but I’m not hopeful about THAT.Report

  16. I have broached the topic with the Better Half, and there is tentative interest. Lord knows I’d love to attend and see everyone again (plus all y’all who couldn’t make the last one), but right now it’s a big We’ll See.

    Also, I say 1+ on the museum idea.Report

  18. Thanks to all who’ve responded so quickly. It looks like, at minimum, there’s sufficient interest in these dates to start moving ahead with the plan. I’m going to be out of pocket for most of the next week, but once I return, or if I have time before I leave, I’ll see if I can get a room block reserved.Report

    1. Let me add from experience: please do let Mark know if you are planning on going. He has to get a head count to make things happen, and he will have Real Money on the line.Report

  19. OMG. My heart is breaking.

    Y’all are going to be in My Town (which I’m not in for the last year and a half because I moved to the Carribean to care for ageing folks–trust me, living in a tropical paradise where one doesn’t speak the language is a lot less wonderful than vacationing there) and I can’t be there when you are because I’m already going to be there-ish in May for my daughter’s ISU graduation.

    Makes me wanna cry.Report

      1. And you can always have another daughter. Just sayin’.

        Uh, no I can’t. I’ve officially (as in physiologically) moved into “no more kids but hey! there’s grandkids to look forward to” territory. Which, now that I think about it, might be TMI for The Gents.

        It’s an understatement of exponential proportions to say, “Boy oh boy, wish I could be there with you folks.” But lest y’all get too big-headed* about it, know that it has as much to do with the place as it does with the company. Which, I suppose, ranks you folks up there with My Town so, fine, go on and get big-headed about it. 🙂

        *One of my fav bands, btw.
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZkEtPt43YwReport

        1. I didn’t mean for this to happen, but it’s gonna be hard for me not to think of you as Big Head Tod now. (If only your name had that extra “d” at the end, there’d be no loose ends.)Report

    3. I’m just an intermittent commenter here, but Chicago was My Town once as well and I’m feeling a mighty draw to join everyone there. Just the thought of leading some first timers on an expedition to Kingston Mines gives me a mile wide smile. The timing’s bad for me, but…

      Once I’ve actually met you, will I have to comment more often?Report

  20. The spouse and I are definite maybes, Chicago being just a train ride away. Just to throw in my tips:

    1. The stained glass museum at Navy Pier is awesome and free. Vast numbers of stained glass windows rescued from demolished buildings. The architecture buffs will be orgasmic.

    2. Consider going to Second City Theater. I’ve never not had a blast there, and it’s only about $30 (but they do gouge you on the drinks).

    3. If you want to stay in the Loop, Near North Side, Miracle Mile area instead of out near the airport, wait until a week or less before you go and find on on Hotwire. I’ve always managed to get one for $100-$150 max. Chicago is wholly different from NY when it comes to hotel affordability.

    4. Take Angela up on the sailboat ride. I’ve never met her, but she’s got a sailboat!Report

  21. Attending Leaguefest 2012 was definitely one of the highlights of my last year, so I will definitely try to do this year’s as well. I see that many of my favorite Leaguers are also yessing or dithering, so that just provides added incentive.

    Never been out and about in Chicago when it wasn’t freezing.Report

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