The Chicago Traveler

Can you name the seven key ingredients for a Chicago-style hot dog? Here are ten great places to conduct your research (courtesy of Citysearch and Yelp).

10. The Wiener’s Circle. Love it or hate it, this greasy spoon has got a “charm” all its own.
9. Gold Coast Dogs. All ten locations follow the Chicago-style recipe to the ‘T’.
8. Superdawg Drive-In. The winking hot dogs on the roof will be a sight you won’t soon forget.
7. Huey’s Hot Dogs. While serving up great dogs and burgers, this eatery is also well-known for its vegetarian-friendly dishes.

6. Portillo’s Hot Dogs. Both the nostalgia and …read more

1 Comment

The Italian Beef is a simple sandwich that is unique to Chicago, and there are several places in the city to find this great dish. Of course, just as is the case with pizza and hot dogs, Chicagoans can debate for hours on who has the best. I’ve tried to be as fair as possible with this ranking order, but I’m sure there will still be contention. Be sure to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail, and let me know what you think!

8. Roma’s Italian Beef & Sausage. For decades, generations of loyal customers have been enjoying this …read more

2 Comments

Your little princess deserves to be treated like one, right? So for her next birthday, check out the great food, good fun, and luxurious accommodations at Kreative Kreations in Glen Ellyn. This is the perfect venue for kids to get hands-on and create their own fun.
Little ladies can start their celebration by designing their own lip gloss, lotions, and shower gels. They’ll gab and giggle as their hair is braided and nails are polished. And (depending on your package) everyone can go home with a perfect party basket.
But that’s just one tidbit of what Kreative Kreations has to offer. Large …read more

Comments Off

We’ve talked about pizza. We’ve talked about hot dogs. Now, it’s time to discuss… beef. The Italian Beef is another dish associated with Chicago, and as can be expected, there plenty of places in the city to find this great sandwich. Among the best of them is Johnnie’s Beef.
This take-out cash-only place only fits about ten standing customers at its counter, so it’s fairly common to see a long line stretching out the door, day or night, rain or shine. The line moves quickly though as the employees serve up Chicago-style hot dogs, extra-crispy fries, tamales, and (on Fridays) …read more

1 Comment

It’s time to say good-bye to 2007. The year has treated me very well. I moved to a new apartment, did some traveling, and, best of all, began writing The Chicago Traveler! Many thanks to Mary Jo and everyone at b5media who has been so welcoming and helpful.
Even though The Chicago Traveler is only a few months old, let’s take a look back at the ten most popular articles of this year.
10. Abegweit. Resting peacefully on Lake Michigan, this beautiful ship was once the most powerful icebreaker in the world.
9. Let’s Boogie Records & Tapes. This music store on the …read more

2 Comments

“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
–John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. While we may not agree with each other’s opinions, we must defend each other’s right to express those thoughts. Our democracy could not exist without the freedom to express different ideas.
Censorship suppresses those ideas …read more

1 Comment

Even though I’ve lived in Chicago all my life, I have to admit that I haven’t done very much driving on the city’s interstate highways. That’s why I always have to “translate” directions from Chicago natives. Chicagoans do not call each of the seven major highways by their Interstate numbers. Instead, the roadways are known by various given names, completely confusing anyone not from the area.
For example, Interstate 90/94/190 is better known as “the Kennedy.” It runs east-west between the Circle Interchange (in downtown Chicago) and O’Hare International Airport. The CTA Blue Line train runs right down the middle of …read more

2 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before, Chicago is just as famous for its hot dogs as it is for its pizza. In fact, there are more hot dog stands than Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s restaurants combined. Native Chicagoans are pretty strict about what should be on a Chicago-style dog as well: a steamed or boiled all-beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun topped with mustard, onion, sweet relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, sport peppers, and a little celery salt. Absolutely NO ketchup! Ever! Chicagoans are adamant about this, and no other establishment exemplifies this strict discipline like Gene’s …read more

8 Comments