Tips for easier parking

I have a better idea! Avoid these places and head for the suburbs!

Don't give Mayor Daley and his cronies any more money!

They are like a Ally baba and the 40 thieves!

Mayor Daley is the biggest thief around!

Only one question, Pelon: And do what?

hopefully this is the nail in da mayor's coffin ... ship him and his olympic wet dream out to bridgeport ... nobody wants him, especially small business and actual citizens of our once proud city ... dump the bum

I stop'd buying ANYTHING in Chicago a couple of years ago. I drive up to Lake County for anything I need that's not available on the Internet [no sales tax and usually no shipping charges]. The sales tax in Lake County is a few percent LESS than in Chicago. I dunno know about you, but, for the no-cost parking in Lake County and the few percent [3] less sales tax, over the course of the year between what I save on all of the purchases we make for our household and my busines, we save A LOT OF MONEY!
For really big-ticket items [those I can't get over the Internet], we head a few miles further north over the border from Lake County into Kenosha County, Wisconsin where the sales tax is slightly over 5%{half what it is in Chicago}.
Chicagoans, if you're not using the Internet, doing your shop'n in the collar counties and/or head'n up to Wisconsin or over to Indiana - you're just being stupid!
Don't support the corruption and foolishness in Chicago or Cook County - take your money and make your purchases elsewhere. That is, unless you think that the government in Chicago and/or Cook County have either taken all the steps indicated by this economy to downsize their burden on taxpayers and/or have ticghtened their belt the way you have had to.
It's your money - spend it where you please, but,'please' don't spend it in Chicago or Cook County - pretty 'please.'

bukowski5 wrote:

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Why, eat at Olive Garden, of course!

Or Applebee's !! Always plenty of parking there. Why can't we get any of these fabulous restaurants in the city?

A family of four going out for breakfast - once, will spend - at least,$28 dollars [food, tax and tip]- assuming you find free parking near the restaurant and/or walk there.
Alternatively, for $28 you can buy a couple of dozen eggs, 2 pounds of potatoes, a couple of pounds of bacon, two pints of strawberries, a couple loaves of bread, a pound of coffee, four sticks of butter, a pound of salt, a gallon of milk and a gallon of orange juice - and feed your family breakfast for a week!
Parking? I don't think so!

bukowski5 wrote:

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Why, eat at Olive Garden, of course!

I count 16 live theaters, at least three performance venues (Ravinia, Prairie Center, Hemmens), a world-class zoo, arboretum, and botanic garden, many four-star hotels (with free parking), three minor-league baseball teams, a minor-league hockey team, a professional soccer team, and even a professional lacrosse team. But, of course, if your only view of the suburbs is Olive Garden, you always have your city parking meters.

What are you - nuts?
Who is going to the theater these days? We're paying real-estate taxes, sales-taxes, federal and state income taxes, park district, library, forest preserve and other fees, not to mention car licensing fees, city-sticker fees, trash-removal fees, water fees, utility bills, buying shoes for the kids, buying food [generic brands] and trying to keep the wolf out of the house.
Maybe some of those yuppy puppies, DINKs and/or Gold Coast fat-cats are thinking about going to theater, most of us are trying to avoid all risks and keep from having any expenses that aren't survivial related. I've never seen the library so crowded before - that's reality.

Jack J wrote:

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Or Applebee's !! Always plenty of parking there. Why can't we get any of these fabulous restaurants in the city?

Don't hate because all your fly-ridden restaurants keep getting shut down.

I love you burb-bashers. Ignorance is bliss. No worries, we'll keep our theatre, shopping, sports and hundreds of other recreational activities out of your way. You know, where we don't have to shovel quarters into the meters every two hours.

>rolls eyes<

All of our problems are because of Daley... blah, blah, blah...

Time to recognize - the free ride is over people! We are still nowhere near the cost of living in New York or San Francisco, so keep smiling and top your bitching... even better-STOP DRIVING!!! That's the whole idea of the constant rise of these costs, our roads cannot handle anymore traffic and we don't need to expand them anymore.
I live in Chicago and LOVE IT!!! If you moved to the 'burbs to escape Chicago, why are you coming back?

The greed of this Mayor is ruining the already difficult situation of business and real-estate owners.
I avoid going at many places because this parking meter scam. It was not enough for Delay mob to blatantly steel buildings and cut multimillion dollars deals with corporations and developers selling city property and founds. Daley believes to be a king… an arrogant king of thieves.

Happy Chicagoan wrote:

All of our problems are because of Daley... blah, blah, blah...
Time to recognize - the free ride is over people! We are still nowhere near the cost of living in New York or San Francisco, so keep smiling and top your ****... even better-STOP DRIVING!!! That's the whole idea of the constant rise of these costs, our roads cannot handle anymore traffic and we don't need to expand them anymore.
I live in Chicago and LOVE IT!!! If you moved to the 'burbs to escape Chicago, why are you coming back?

Are you a developer that cut deals with the city? Are you a city worker that the only job you do is support elections? Are you getting kick back from city founds? Are you part of a mob? Or maybe you are simple an ignorant.

Jack J wrote:

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Or Applebee's !! Always plenty of parking there. Why can't we get any of these fabulous restaurants in the city?

Can't we all just get along? I love the city, especially when I visit my son in Roscoe Village. And the Goodman Theatre is great. But I'm curious ... have you ever been to Highwood? The restaurants there are fabulous. Sorry, there's no Applebees or Olive Garden (both of which I avoid) in Highwood. And if you find a better theater venue than the Marriott Lincolnshire, let me know. Still, I'm glad I live in "Chicagoland." But, for sure, parking rates in the city (and airports) are obscene.

Jack J wrote:

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Or Applebee's !! Always plenty of parking there. Why can't we get any of these fabulous restaurants in the city?

I can't decide who's more ignorant: the city-lovers who don't wander out of neighborhoods with zip-codes starting with 606, or suburbanites who are afraid of the city. All of you should talk less and listen more to what your open-minded comrades on these boards have to say.

Happy Chicagoan wrote:

All of our problems are because of Daley... blah, blah, blah...
Time to recognize - the free ride is over people! We are still nowhere near the cost of living in New York or San Francisco, so keep smiling and top your ****... even better-STOP DRIVING!!! That's the whole idea of the constant rise of these costs, our roads cannot handle anymore traffic and we don't need to expand them anymore.

How can something be over that never actually happened? Since moving into the city I have a higher cost of living all the way around- taxes, basic goods, transportation (in any form), and yet crime is higher, the roads are in worse shape, the schools are a joke, and I have an alder-creature who resembles a rubber stamp for King Richard II. Obviously I still believe the good outweighs the bad, otherwise I'd move. But that doesn't mean I like these issues or am not allowed to hope (and, at election time, demand) things improve. Just because other major locales have bigger problems doesn't make ours any more acceptable.

I laugh at everyone's constant whining... I am just a regular Chicago guy who loves living here and understands the cost to maintain a big city like this...

I try not to give too much of my cash and save money by:
biking to work
using public transportation
working hard to avoid tickets
walking to the lake and many free Chicago activities
take advantage of suburban trips by filling up the tank and buying stuff
understanding how much more it costs to live in New York, London, Paris, LA, SF, Tokyo, Istanbul, Etc.

Get over yourselves and try widening your point of view!

Rob Kozlowski wrote:

Only one question, Pelon: And do what?

No Kidding Rob. Live at a strip mall and eat at Mc donalds.

Sometimes you have to pay more to get things this city has to offer and its worth it!!!

max wrote:

hopefully this is the nail in da mayor's coffin ... ship him and his olympic wet dream out to bridgeport ... nobody wants him, especially small business and actual citizens of our once proud city ... dump the bum

Not going to Happen. Daley will be Mayor for as long as wants or lives. Thank Goodness too. He may have spent alot and worked around a few rules but they have improved this city and I would like for ANYONE to name 1 Pol that does not bend or break rules, Just ONE and i mean anywhere. The ONLY People who dont know that Daley has done very good things in this city are people who have lived here for just a couple years or hard headed Repubs (I am a Repub i just know when things are good).

Thanks Mayor from a republican and BELIEVE ME thats hard to say.

Happy Chicagoan wrote:

I laugh at everyone's constant whining... I am just a regular Chicago guy who loves living here and understands the cost to maintain a big city like this...
I try not to give too much of my cash and save money by:
biking to work
using public transportation
working hard to avoid tickets
walking to the lake and many free Chicago activities
take advantage of suburban trips by filling up the tank and buying stuff
understanding how much more it costs to live in New York, London, Paris, LA, SF, Tokyo, Istanbul, Etc.
Get over yourselves and try widening your point of view!

You got that RIGHT!!! I have lived in some of those cities and KNOW you are telling the truth. LA,NYC to name a couple. They are outrageous to live in and you get nothing more. Tokyo is even worse but i only stayed there for about 1 year.

Theater Parking wrote:

What are you - nuts?
Who is going to the theater these days? We're paying real-estate taxes, sales-taxes, federal and state income taxes, park district, library, forest preserve and other fees, not to mention car licensing fees, city-sticker fees, trash-removal fees, water fees, utility bills, buying shoes for the kids, buying food [generic brands] and trying to keep the wolf out of the house.
Maybe some of those yuppy puppies, DINKs and/or Gold Coast fat-cats are thinking about going to theater, most of us are trying to avoid all risks and keep from having any expenses that aren't survivial related. I've never seen the library so crowded before - that's reality.

I can't do anything but agree. In the current economic times, a lot more of us are hunkered down and doing what so-called "expert" economists have been advising for the past two decades -- saving as much as possible for a rainy day.

We NEED food, water, shelter and clothing. We don't NEED to go to theatre. It's up to the individual, I guess, but I don't NEED it. I mean really -- if you're going to do a night on the town in the city, you'll pay a minimum of $20-$30 to park, another $100 minimum for two theatre tickets, and in neighborhoods where most of the good theatres are, the cost of dinner out is just as atrocious.

I just simply am not up for paying twenty dollars for a plate of pasta at Trattoria Fartalotti when I can cook the same up at home for three bucks. I was trained as a master chef, I can do that.