I'm sure a ton of you guys have crashpads off the Cumberland stop. There is an awesome breakfast joint just down the road on Cumberland called Elly's pancake house. Just a heads up for those of you who are "ORD and Bored".

 

Awesome joint go there all the time with my GF.

 

For killer ribs, take the Blue Line to the Jefferson Park stop; exit the station and look for the Gale Street Inn across the street.

Or take it down to the Chicago stop, and look for the Silver Palm restaurant (face the city and look for the converted Pullman railroad car). Order the Three Little Piggy sandwich. It's incredible.

If (when) it warms up, stop at the Belmont stop, head towards the lake. When you hit California, turn left and go to Hot Doug's. Best damn gourmet hotdogs in town. Alligator, bison, ostrich, venison... He's got something unique every day, and it's all awesome. Duck fat fries on Fridays and Saturdays. Expect to wait, cash only and he's only open from like 10am to 4pm.

(You might be tempted to stop at Kuma's Korner for a burger (it's off of Belmont, close to Hot Doug's.) Skip it. Lousy service, the staff is rude and the ingredients don't justify the price. Instead, make your way to Lincoln Square and go to The Bad Apple. Try "Elvis's Last Meal". It's peanut butter. And bacon. On a burger. Out of this world.

You'll find a dozen phenominal joints within a 5 minute walk of the Logan Square stop; El Cid (Mexican) and The Rocking Horse (everything) are both great.

Chicago is a Mecca for incredible food. I can't wait to get back.

 

Awesome info Gringo! Thanks man! Another great place is Big Star. Its right off the blue line Damen exit.

Agreed, Chicago has the best food around. The are tons of BYOB restaurants too so thats makes it way more fun and keeps the bill down. My favorite is Tango Sur. Argentinian Steak House. Bring a woman, its romantic.

 

Trader Joe's or Whole Foods train accesible in the Cumberland area?

 

There's a Trader Joes about 2.5 miles north of the Cumberland stop. Head north on Cumberland to Touhy Ave, turn right, walk under the railroad bridge and it'll be on your left.

Google Maps shows a Whole Foods a few blocks further east on Touhy, although I don't remember there being one there myself. Perhaps they just built it recently.

Both are walking distance from the Cumberland stop, but there's most likely a CTA bus that'll be able to take you to Touhy, if not all the way.

 

Mariano's isn't too far either.

 

Bump...

Wish I had known all this when I was ORD based!

 

If you truly are "ORD and bored", you really have nobody to blame but yourself.

First point of order. The Cumberland stop suuuuuucks. As does Rosemont and Harlem.

Go in a little bit deeper; the Jefferson Park exit gives you easy access (via CTA bus) to Lincoln Square, which is a great neighborhood. Head a little bit further east and you'll hit Andersonville. You can find great apartments, great people, great food, great bars.... Set up a crashpad and enjoy the commuter lifestyle for once.

Take the Blue Line a few stops further and you'll hit Logan Square and Wicker Park. A few too many hipsters for my taste, but the eats can't be beats.

Bottom line, of you have to sit in Chicago, don't sell yourself short by limiting your choices to the first 5 minutes of the Blue Line. It's a whole 'nother world just 10 minutes deeper.

And it's even better in the summertime, I assure you!

 

A hundred percent agreed! There are a million cool things to do. If you want an adventure, head to Cozy Noodle Thai Restaurant for dinner one night (BYOB), and then explore that area and bar hop. You'll make a million friends without even trying. And say hi to the owners Tee and Julie while you are at Cozy Noodle.