So, whadaya wanna do at Pinkfest?

[External Poster]

This posting is from: annie
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Let's give Ginger some help in selecting the activities for this
year's Pinkfest.

Planning for Pinkfest is far different from the way we do it for
DLV. It's far more informal and YOU are on the Planning Committee.

If there's anything you want to do, any place you want to eat or
drink or shop or see, please mention it here.

Feedback on any of these will be welcome.

Comments, gang?
. . . . . . . . . .

General activities and such ...

* Dinner theater, a "Roaring 20s Mobster comedy" theme. Tommy
Gun's. I know that Ginger wanted to do this one. I think this
will be a lot of fun and I'm all for it!

* TransCinema at the GLBT Center, followed by Quality Social
Time. We've discussed doing makeover sessions at The Center
prior to this. Again, I think TransCinema is a must-do. This
will have to be Saturday simply due to the TransCinema schedule.

* Tour of the Hyde Park area. Any interest this year?

* Shopping - Mag Mile or elsewhere.

* Navy Pier - Lunch and/or just playing tourista. I know this
came up in discussion recently.
. . . . . . . . . .

Let's eat! :)

Various restaurants and such, some we've done, others we have not ...

* Ginos East: We've done this a few times. It's a little pizza-pasta
place at Ontario and Wells. Yes, very TG-friendly. On some nights
there is a line, but it always seems to move quickly.

* Maggiano's Little Italy: We've done this several years. It's
ubiquitous, but it's something everybody seems to like.

* Hard Rock Cafe: Good for lunch or dinner. I've always enjoyed
this in Chicago and elsewhere.

* Ed Debevic's: A must-do, IMAO. :) Again, we've done this
for lunch the past few years, and it is fun for dinner too.
This is the only venue we've used for each and every Pinkfest.

* Big Chicks: New addition for Pinkfest 2010. Nothing fancy,
typical bar menu, greaseburgers, chicken strips, etc. I did enjoy
the place. Din-din and QST in one shot. :)

* Carson's Ribs: I've been told that the one up north in
Andersonville, which we did for Pinkfest 2001, (not too far
from Boystown) has closed, but the one in River North (Ontario
and Wells) is open.

* Chicago Chop House: IMAO, a Must Do.

* Ann Sathers: Now moved down the street a few doors. They tell
me that they are still closed for dinner on Friday and Saturday.
Good for lunch/brunch.

* Winberies: A must-do, IMAO. This has to be one of the best
kept secrets of the area. Nice bar up front and great food
and service. Right across the street and down the block from
the Velvet Rope.

* Thyme And Honey: In Forest Park. It's out in the 'burbs, but
not that difficult to get to and from. We did lunch there for
Pinkfest 2009. I enjoyed it.

* Portillos/Barnellis: Ginger and I did this the night before
Pinkfest in 2009. I've always liked the place, but the method of
ordering (place orders at multiple counters) may scare some
of those not used to hardcore mainstream. The food is good
and reasonably-priced. Nothing fancy, but a combination of
the Portillos (hot dogs, burgers and such) and Barnellis
(pizza, pasta, ribs) offerings. Right in the heart of River
North. It can be busy and zooey at times!

* Cy's Crab Shack: This was a last-minute replacement for Ann
Sathers in 2007. As the name implies, it's mostly seafood, but
they have other things as well.

* Giordano's: One of my faves of the pizza/pasta places. I'm
very sure they would be TG-oblivious. They have one just west
of the main Boystown area, one in the Rush Street Meat Market,
and another just west of the Loop.

* Cafe Iberico: Well, it can't be Montezuma's Revenge, so maybe
it's Franco's Revenge? :) :( Maybe I shouldn't blame CI, but
something I had that day did not agree with me. In all fairness,
it could also be mixing beer with the sangria drinks or even lunch
that day.
. . . . . . . . . .

Now the bars ...

* Club Krave. I really enjoyed this. It was the home of the
recently-defunct Island Girls, but supposedly some of them still
go there regularly on Wednesdays. I would kinda like to do this
and it may give us some good local exposure. Only down side is
that it's way down south. If we do this, it will need to be on
Wednesday evening, since that's when the girls go there.

* Big Chicks. I enjoyed this. Late dinner and Quality Social Time.

* Velvet Rope: I liked it very much! It's less than a block away
from Winberies on Lake, so the two go together quite well. It
had a nice friendly crowd there.

* Grape Street Lounge. Ginger discovered this and took some of us
to it in 2009. Mainstream piano bar on the weekends and bar-bar
on the weekdays. If given my choice, I would probably prefer the
Grape Street over ...

* Redhead Piano Bar: I'd describe this as mainstream but TG-tolerant.
We've been there off and on over the past few years. I'll go there
if the gang wants, but don't have a strong need.

* Second Story Lounge: Crowded and zooey! Friendly crowd (one of the
regulars bought the gang a round) but cramped and difficult to get
seats. I don't have a real need for this one.

* Hideaway: It's on Roosevelt, just west of Oak Park, IIRC. Only
issue is it's a bit off the beaten path, and since Velvet Rope
opened, we've been going there instead for an after-Winberies
Quality Social Time session. (Hey you two! Get a room!) :)

* Baton Show Lounge: We haven't done this for a few years now.
Any interest?

* Hunters Dance Club: Uh, it's there. :) Some love it. I can take
it or leave it, personally. It's waaaayyy out in the boonies! For
those of us without a vehicle it can be a bit of a challenge.

* Nutbush: Gone but not forgotten! :(

* Gentry downtown: Gone but not forgotten! :(

* L&L Tavern: I think this has to be one of the only quiet
neighborhood type bars in the Lakeview area. I liked this place.
Yeah, the bartender was grouchy, but he was grouchy in a very equal-
opportunity manner. :) It turns out that this place is reputed to at
one time having both Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy as customers.
I don't have a particular need to go there, but it's a lower-key type
of place in an area where loud dance bars rule.

* Sidetrack: Let's see, which one is Sidetrack? :)

* Berlin: Loud! Very loud!

* Cocktail: Let's see, which one is Cocktail? :)

* Hydrate: Let's see, which one is Hydrate? :)

* Roscoe's: Which one is Roscoe's? All of those places kind of
blend together in one big blur after a while. :)

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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Laura Wright
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I went to Tommy Guns Dinner Theater at Be-All in June this year and it
was fun.

Ginger and I went to the Art Institute of Chicago 2 years ago and it was
awesome.

There may be another PFLAG LGBT movie festival at the Oak Park Public
library like last year on Sunday afternoon. I think they plan to show
Two Spirits and have a guest speaker. They packed the community room
last year. It is just down the street from Cafe Winberie. They have a
nice Sunday brunch there.

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(This posting was entered by Laura Wright, an external user of MyDLV.)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Menco8
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How about chinatown? The art meseum? a PLAY?

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(This posting was entered by Menco8, an external user of MyDLV.)

[annie]

> We went to a play at the the Annoyance Theatre two years ago and I
> thought it was really fun.

That was a cute show!

One of the songs from the show was particularly catchy, and I can't get it out of my head. You don't want to sing the lyrics in polite company.

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Laura Wright
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We went to a play at the the Annoyance Theatre two years ago and I
thought it was really fun. So is Tommy Guns dinner theatre.

One option that might be running The Great Fire in October is the
Looking Glass Theatre not too far from the Chop House. Afterwards, we
could have a drink at the 96th floor of the Hancock at the Signature
room lounge... Practically next door.

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[External Poster]

This posting is from: Laura Wright
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And enjoying all the neighborhoods Chicago has to offer is one of the
best aspects of the city. There is a lot more than just downtown, North
Michigan Ave, the loop, etc. China Town, Little Italy, Greek Town,
Lincoln Park, Andersonville, and dozens of others are all great
neighborhoods filled with fine dining, shops, and entertainment.

Tommy Guns is in the south loop area which has seen a lot of development
over the past few years.

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(This posting was entered by Laura Wright, an external user of MyDLV.)