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Supposing I won't have a problem getting into Chicago tomorrow, where is a good place to get a real, bona fide Chicago style hot dog?
Chicago Natives will tell you there are a Milliopn Places to grab a Chicago Style Dog but Right in Union Station, Upstairs in the Food Court, the Gold Coast Dog Stand is Excellent, I Eat there Everytime I'm in Union Station! :wub:
 
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Quote from your link:

"...but the canonical recipe does not include ketchup, and there is a widely shared, strong opinion among many Chicagoans and aficionados that ketchup is unacceptable. A number of Chicago hot dog vendors do not even offer ketchup as a condiment."

 

I saw a show, I think on the Travel Channel, a couple years ago on the best hot dog places around the country. In their 30 minutes they probably covered about 12 places. Every place put mustard on their hot dogs, and some out right banned ketchup from their establishment.

 

But I must say, that Chicago style hot dog is a dog on steroids! :giggle:

 

.
 
Catsup is GREAT on burgers but does NOT belong on a dog. When I was a kid I would put both mustard & catsup on dogs. What does a kid know?

I'm from NYC and want Mustard Kraut & maybe grilled Onions on my dog. IMHO a true Chicago dog just has to much stuff on it, but I second friend Jim's recomendation of Gold Coast Dogs. They sell a nice Italian Sausage & other goodies.
 
Gold Coast Dogs are good (I had a hot dog there on Monday). Two other choices, if you'd like to stretch your legs a little, are Lukes (about three blocks east on Jackson, just east of Giordanos) and Al's Beef (about three blocks west of Union Station on Adams). Al's Beef also has the best Italian beef sandwich I've had in years, and I think also sells a Maxwell Street-style Polish.

I guess I'm bound for Hell, but I like Mayo on my dog.
Get Thee behind me, Satan!
 
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Aloha

Except for a Nathans or a Chicago Dog I like Ketchup on Hot Dogs. My favorite mustard is either Nathan's or Philippe's.
 
No! NEVER put mayo on a hot dog. Ketsup is a cardinal sin, but mayo goes beyond that!

Maybe one of the best known is Portillo's. He started out with one small roadside stand and now has restaurants all over the Chicago area.

No longer there, but one of my favorite Chicago style hot dog places was Parkie's on Harlem Avenue. Actually, all around the Chicago area there are terrific hot dog places: the 7800 block of Irving Park Rd, on River Rd, on Harlem Avenue, and on and on. Just have to look for them.
 
Aloha

Except for a Nathans or a Chicago Dog I like Ketchup on Hot Dogs. My favorite mustard is either Nathan's or Philippe's.
Philippe's is the best! If you are a mustard freak you may want to try Raye's Mustard. They have multiple flavors of mustard and are the only mustard mill in the USA that still uses the stone wheels to grind the mustard seeds.
 
I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
 
I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
Google up the Hosteling International in CHI! Great place right downtown, includes free Breakfast and a Great Lobby Resturant with Delcious and reasonable food! Right off Michigan Avenue on Congress, you can walk or ride a Bus or cab there ! The staff is very helpful and people of all Ages and nationalities stay there! About $40 a Night, What a Deal! :wub:
 
Cats and dogs fight like - like cats and dogs!
laugh.gif
Next time try Ketchup!
mosking.gif
 
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:angry:

I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
Google up the Hosteling International in CHI! Great place right downtown, includes free Breakfast and a Great Lobby Resturant with Delcious and reasonable food! Right off Michigan Avenue on Congress, you can walk or ride a Bus or cab there ! The staff is very helpful and people of all Ages and nationalities stay there! About $40 a Night, What a Deal! :wub:

I don't like being boxed into one option. Anything OTHER than the Hostelling International? I had a bad expierience with them.
 
:angry:

I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
Google up the Hosteling International in CHI! Great place right downtown, includes free Breakfast and a Great Lobby Resturant with Delcious and reasonable food! Right off Michigan Avenue on Congress, you can walk or ride a Bus or cab there ! The staff is very helpful and people of all Ages and nationalities stay there! About $40 a Night, What a Deal! :wub:

I don't like being boxed into one option. Anything OTHER than the Hostelling International? I had a bad expierience with them.
Try using this list. All hotels are either within walking distance of a train, be it METRA or the CTA, or they offer a shuttle from a train station.
 
:angry:

I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
Google up the Hosteling International in CHI! Great place right downtown, includes free Breakfast and a Great Lobby Resturant with Delcious and reasonable food! Right off Michigan Avenue on Congress, you can walk or ride a Bus or cab there ! The staff is very helpful and people of all Ages and nationalities stay there! About $40 a Night, What a Deal! :wub:

I don't like being boxed into one option. Anything OTHER than the Hostelling International? I had a bad expierience with them.
Try using this list. All hotels are either within walking distance of a train, be it METRA or the CTA, or they offer a shuttle from a train station.

Very useful! Thanks Alan!

Do you have any recommendations?
 
:angry:

I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
Google up the Hosteling International in CHI! Great place right downtown, includes free Breakfast and a Great Lobby Resturant with Delcious and reasonable food! Right off Michigan Avenue on Congress, you can walk or ride a Bus or cab there ! The staff is very helpful and people of all Ages and nationalities stay there! About $40 a Night, What a Deal! :wub:

I don't like being boxed into one option. Anything OTHER than the Hostelling International? I had a bad expierience with them.
No personal experience with this yet, but we are trying to put together a low-budget Chicago trip once the HSR segment starts up in July. We have found several no-frills type hotels (Super 8, Knights, Travelodge, etc.) around the Homewood/Hazel Crest area. Depending on your travel dates, they go for $30-60. Metra serves both towns, and several of the hotels are within walking distance from the Metra stations. From what I understand, it's a decent suburban area (though correct me if I'm wrong; when I used to have family in Chicagoland, they were in the NW suburbs). Metra Electric line runs you $5 each way to get to Millenium Station, so it's not a bad deal even considering the extra cost.
 
:angry:

I keep finding very expensive hotels around Union Station. Anybody know a good, cheap(er) hotel in/around Chicago? It's okay as long as Metra goes there, I would want to railfan it anyway.
Google up the Hosteling International in CHI! Great place right downtown, includes free Breakfast and a Great Lobby Resturant with Delcious and reasonable food! Right off Michigan Avenue on Congress, you can walk or ride a Bus or cab there ! The staff is very helpful and people of all Ages and nationalities stay there! About $40 a Night, What a Deal! :wub:

I don't like being boxed into one option. Anything OTHER than the Hostelling International? I had a bad expierience with them.
No personal experience with this yet, but we are trying to put together a low-budget Chicago trip once the HSR segment starts up in July. We have found several no-frills type hotels (Super 8, Knights, Travelodge, etc.) around the Homewood/Hazel Crest area. Depending on your travel dates, they go for $30-60. Metra serves both towns, and several of the hotels are within walking distance from the Metra stations. From what I understand, it's a decent suburban area (though correct me if I'm wrong; when I used to have family in Chicagoland, they were in the NW suburbs). Metra Electric line runs you $5 each way to get to Millenium Station, so it's not a bad deal even considering the extra cost.
I checked them, and the reviews are really bad. So Ozark, let's both not book hotels with low reviews. I have done so before and regretted it.
 
Very useful! Thanks Alan!

Do you have any recommendations?
While one can sometimes get lucky with a downtown hotel, especially if there are no conventions in town, personally I'd look at hotels out near the airports. They tend to be much cheaper and you can still ride the subway/L to get to those locations, saving money over needing to use METRA. So far I've only stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn out by O'Hare. On other occasions I've lucked out and/or used points to stay downtown.

So I really can't help to much more than that.
 
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