Coming into the city have only been there one other time and went directly to Rotofugi for the Le Merde opening made my purchases and drove home. So other then Rotofugi what should I check out while I'm there? Oh and any good vegan eateries?

Quimby's Bookstore for sure. Myopic is also nice if you like used bookstores.

Downtown: The "Cloud Gate" (bean) in Millennium Park is touristy but I really like it anyway. Nearby the Cultural Center is free, has art & free concerts & events. Intelligentsia Coffee is right there too. The modern wing of the Art Institute, which opened last year, is really nice (admission is a little steep, $18, but if you have the time & inclination it's worth it).

For drinking, if you like cheap friendly bars, the Inner Town. I also like the Violet Hour for nutty coctails--the clientele can be a bit douchey and it's $12 a drink but the atmosphere is great and the drinks are amazing.

I've realized lately that my Chicago faves are pretty conventional! I'm sure part of it is that I'm not digging deep enough, but it does seem like people agree on the good stuff here more so than in other cities.

I'm curious what other people have to say about this!

I'll push Uncle Fun till I die http://www.yelp.com/biz/uncle-fun-chicago
Quake is awesome for vintage toys from many era's http://www.yelp.com/biz/quake-collectibles-chicago
Forever Young's cool too if you wanna deviate out from the city a bit (only wussies just stay downtown ) http://www.yelp.com/biz/forever-young-d ... mwood-park
All those places have loads of character and will have something worth buying on a whim. I define the city by places like them. Weird holes in the wall you notice while driving down the street and when you finally stop in you say "why didn't I go there before?!" Not big and touristy, but small and personal and, again, loads of fun. I'll try to think of some record stores I dig too.

I can't offer any veggie places but the Devon/Western area has a LOT of Indian, many veggie friendly. I don't drink so I can't help with that either.

I'll take the vegan dining question, but only for places I've tried. In no particular order:

Chicago Diner-Very good, in general. 100% vegetarian menu, many (mostly?) vegan. Their menu frequently changes, so check out their website. And try a shake! http://www.veggiediner.com/wp/

Pick Me Up Cafe-Diner style. I believe they still do vegan French toast, which is awesome. Some other vegan options (marked on the menu, but be safe and ask). They use the same deep fryer for everything (they have calamari on the appetizer menu), so keep that in mind if ordering anything fried. No website, unfortunately.

Handlebar Cafe-Lots of tasty vegan sandwiches and breakfast items. Lots of different different beer as well, if that's of any interest to you. http://handlebarchicago.com/

Loving Hut-Formerly Alice and Friends. 100% vegan Asian. Haven't eaten there since the change in names, but I've heard it's almost entirely the same. Very good. I've heard John Joseph from the Cro-Mags eats there every time he's in town. I don't know if that's true, but I want it to be, so I'm sticking with that story, http://lovinghut.us/chicago/

Bleeding Heart Bakery-Delicious baked goods. Many vegan options. Staff is knowledgeable, and sometimes even friendly. http://www.thebleedingheartbakery.com/

That's all I can think of at the moment. I will add more if anything comes to me, The only places I've heard that should be avoided (but have not tried) are Veggie Bite, a vegan fast food place that many say is bland and not very good, and Soul Vegetarian East, a vegan soul food place that occasionally runs into disgusting problems with the health department.

Thank you guys very much for the pointers. I don't drink either BloodDrinker and neither does the other kid I'm going with so no worries on not knowing any bars. Thanks for hooking up the vegan spots antknee! I live in cleveland and unfortunatly vegan eateries are few and far between. If you guys think of anywhere else let me know.

The reason I am going to Chicago is to see a show at the "Beat Kitchen" is that in a decent part of town? Not that it matters I am going no matter what but just want to know if my car will be up on blocks or something.

Thanks again guys.

It's a cool part of town. Lots of hippsters are filling it up, use to be a bit more middle class family and has changed a lot over the last 10 years. It's near Bleeding Heart Bakery and there's also lots of antique shops in the area and not tooo far from Uncle Fun.

Who ya gonna see?

Andrew Jackson Jihad. Me and a friend are following them starting from Chicago and ending in Louisville.

I've been there before. I guess that statement is accurate because I can't remember what I had.
The fries were pretty good though.