Elson-Rice’s take Chiraq Fall 2026

Wednesday 10/28

Cole is off all day and with you from landing through dinner.

1. 9:24
   Booked

   O'Hare Airport

   Land. United UA 777 from Tampa

   You walk out around 10:00 with bags.

2. ~10:00
   Locked

   Cole picks you up

   Arrivals

3. Drive, about 9 mi, 15 to 20 min
4. ~10:20
   Plan

   Charcoal Delights

   Sandwich in the car. 3139 W Foster Ave

   Drive-thru. Open Wed 6 AM to 10 PM. Uncle Mike's moves to Thursday so you make the tour.

5. Drive, about 8 mi, 25 to 30 min mid-morning
6. ~11:15
   Booked

   Northbridge Garage

   Park, then bags to the hotel. 10 E Grand Ave

   The Gwen is about 0.1 mi away. Your room is ready at 3:00, so the front desk holds your bags until then.

7. Walk, about 0.4 mi, 8 to 10 min to the dock
8. 12:00
   Booked

   Architecture tour

   Three tickets, booked by Asa. Be at the dock by 11:45.

   About 90 min on the river. Boarding details are in Asa's booking.

9. Walk, about 1 mi, 20 min
10. ~1:50
    Plan

    Mr. Beef

    Italian beef. 666 N Orleans St. (312) 337-8500

    Order it dipped, with hot giardiniera if you want heat. Open Wed 10 AM to 4 PM, cash only per one review. Al's and Johnnie's are the backups.

11. Walk, about 0.7 mi, 15 min
12. 3:00
    Locked

    The Gwen

    Check in and rest. 521 N Rush St

    You have been up since about 4 AM, so there is no happy hour.

13. Walk, about 0.4 mi, 8 min. Leave the hotel about 6:00.
14. 6:15
    Booked

    Lou Malnati's Michigan Ave

    Dinner, deep dish. 410 N Michigan, Wrigley Building lower level. (312) 858-5600

    Reservation for 3 is confirmed. Cole pre-ordered a medium sausage deep dish, so it should be ready when you sit down.

15. After
    Open

    The Gwen

    Walk back

Thursday 10/29

Cole drives. He drops you at the Bean, works a few accounts, and rejoins you for tacos. The Chicago dog has no time slot; it comes to you when it should.

1. 9:00
   Locked

   The Gwen

   Cole picks you up. 521 N Rush St

2. Drive, about 2.2 mi, 15 to 20 min
3. ~9:20
   Plan

   Uncle Mike's Place

   Breakfast. 1700 W Grand Ave

   Filipino-style diner breakfast. Open 6 AM to 2 PM per most listings. Be out by 10:10.

4. Drive, about 2.9 mi, 20 min
5. 10:30
   Locked

   The Bean, Millennium Park

   Michigan Ave

   Photos first. Cole drops you here.

6. 11:00
   You two

   Art Institute of Chicago

   111 S Michigan Ave

   Opens at 11 on Thursdays and stays open until 8. Tickets are not booked; a non-resident adult ticket is about $32. Cole is working accounts until about 1:45.

7. Drive, about 3.9 mi, 20 min after pickup
8. ~1:45
   Locked

   Art Institute curb

   Cole picks you up. Michigan Ave side

9. ~2:05
   Open Thu

   Rubi's

   Tacos 1. 1316 W 18th St, Pilsen. (773) 318-9526

   Order: al pastor and steak tacos, one or two each. Handmade tortillas, charcoal grill. Open Thu 11 AM to 6 PM per most listings, so it goes first. Expect a line.

10. Drive, about 1 mi, 6 to 8 min
11. ~2:45
    Open Thu

    Carniceria Maribel

    Tacos 2. 1801 W Cermak Rd. (773) 254-6446

    Order: steak (bistec) or lomo tacos on the handmade tortillas, and try the salsas. It is a counter in the back of a liquor store; the line can run 20 to 30 min. Open Thu about 9 AM to 10 PM.

12. Drive, about 4.5 mi, 20 to 25 min
13. ~3:30
    Rest

    The Gwen

    Break until dinner

14. Cole picks you up about 6:30. Drive, about 3.3 mi, 15 to 20 min
15. ~7:00
    Not booked

    Tryzub Ukrainian Kitchen

    Dinner. 2201 W Chicago Ave. (773) 698-8624

    Open Tue to Thu 10 AM to 10 PM. Not on OpenTable; Cole is calling to reserve for 3.

16. Drive, about 1.5 mi, 8 to 10 min
17. ~8:45
    Plan

    Margie's Candies

    Dessert. 1960 N Western Ave

    Open 9 AM to midnight per most listings.

18. Drive, about 1.2 mi, 6 to 8 min
19. ~9:30
    Plan

    The Whale

    Drinks. 2427 N Milwaukee Ave, Logan Square. (773) 825-2900

    Open Thu 5 to 11 PM, so it goes before Estereo. Happy hour runs 5 to 7.

20. Walk across Milwaukee, about a block
21. ~10:30
    Plan

    Estereo

    Last drink, Latin cocktails. 2450 N Milwaukee Ave, Logan Square

    Open Thu noon to 2 AM.

22. Drive, about 6 mi, 15 to 25 min at night
23. ~11:15
    Done

    The Gwen

    Cole drops you off

Friday 10/30

Cole is at work first thing, so the day is yours.

1. Morning
   On your own

   Breakfast, pack up

2. By noon
   Locked

   The Gwen

   Check out. 521 N Rush St

3. TBD
   Time not set

   Shuttle to West Lafayette

   Visiting Molly. Most Chicago to Lafayette shuttles leave from O'Hare.

Bookings

Good to know

• Tacos. Rubi's closes at 6 PM, so it goes first; Maribel stays open late. La Chaparrita is skipped because listings show it closed Thursdays.
• Hours. Hours come from current listings on Oct 27, 2026. A few places list slightly different times, so each card shows the most common one.
• Flights. UA 777 Tampa 7:19 AM to O'Hare 9:24 AM on Oct 28. The return is Indianapolis 5:50 AM to Tampa 8:10 AM on Nov 1.
• Times and distances. These are estimates from the Chicago street grid plus typical traffic, not a routing app.