myh

i just wrote a lengthy reply and lost it. here's the short version:

take the blue line towards ohare to damen or division in wicker park. walk a loop down damen, division, and milwaukee (glance at a map, they make a triangle). you'll see lots of shopping and eating suited for the superfuture type (check the superfuture chicago guide).

have not gone out in chicago in a long time, but i caught jimmy edgar (ghostly/spectral) at sonotheque a while back. . . if that's any indication of the music quality. the sound system there is tops. you might see some bars you'd want to revisit at night while you're walking around wicker park. smart bar is also another good place for music. . .

the gallery district closest to downtown is in river north. take the brown going towards kimball, get off at chicago, and walk down franklin, turn right or left on superior, walk around. you'll see loads of good and bad galleries. then, walk all the way east on chicago (toward the lake) to the MCA - museum of contemp. art.

portillos is shite. i favor maxwells on taylor and roosevelt near UIC (also on the blue line). open 24 hours. get a brat w/mustard and onions (NO ketchup). for chicago style pizza, i like lou malnatis. look up them up on the web. locations in river north i think. sorry i'm not crazy about fine dining.

even though its a bit touristy and there are horrific aesthetic offenses, visit millenium park. . . see the giant metal jelly bean sculpture, the gigantic, disgusting steel amphitheatre & field. . .but there's a video/water sculpture (also on monster scale) i quite liked - don't know if it still runs in winter.

best view of the city at night is from a strip of park outside the field museum, south of the loop. . . there's a tiny beach behind the museum, hidden by the massive parking lot where kids used to throw parties many years ago. . . still a nice spot to drink alone (or w/friends) w/o being bothered.

not that short. but i hope it helps.

yes, it's open. as for the shoes, maybe huf? check the superfuture sf guide.

my post palm springs report:

there are consignment shops and thrift stores EVERYWHERE. just drive along hwy 111, toward indian wells, and you'll see them left and right. size doesn't seem to mean much, as the bigger stores tend to have loads of low quality shit to screen through. the smaller stores, imo, seem to have the quirkier shit and better quality. the "angel" thrift stores dominate 111, and i think the more clout a charity has, the more likely the local wealthy retirees will donate to them.

i found some lovely ferragamo flats, a flourescent orange merino wool sweater (complete with country club crest), and a plaid wool coat w/giant collar & hood.

good luck!

from what you said above, i think you'd be best placed in wicker park / ukranian village - if you can afford it. it sounds like you can. . . if you want more "raw" space and room for your studio, etc, look in pilsen. there's not as many trendy bars or restaurants, but the best mexican food in the city. lofts are everywhere so you won't need to worry about that, though the newer and higer-priced ones that i've visited belonging to friends seem shite quality. . . while the spaces in pilsen seem solid and are old warehouses and factories. i have not really stayed in chicago for a while, but i grew up there and things are slow to change. . . in a good way though.

as for the comparision, if you've lived in montreal and new york, i don't think it will feel as "cosmopolitan". . . but the insular nature/location i think lends itself to a different type of creativity and energy, a truly underground arts culture less-influenced by trends. . . be patient in finding this scene, it's there and less in your face than new york. . .but wonderful to be apart of once discovered.

i'm biased of course.

i'm laughing as i'm writing this - i wouldn't think to ask this question on this forum. but i'm working in palm springs (charity art auction) over thanksgiving weekend. . . i heard there is very good second hand / vintage shopping - there being a huge and wealthy retiree community there. will let you know. . .

in mitte, i enjoyed

cookie's (continental - also a dance club, separate from the dining area)

monsieur vuong on alte schönhauser str. (vietnamese)

i'm not a fan of traditional german food, but was taken to gambrinus, also in mitte on linienstrasse, for the full experience. . . lovely beer and filling version what seemed to be "mac & cheese" to this ignorant american.

for shopping. . .

stay on oranienburgerstrasse and rosenthalerstrasse (both in mitte) for the smaller boutiques and "hard to find" goods. . . and kastanienalle (prenzl-berg) and bergmanstrasse (kreuzberg) for vintage

for art. . .

one of my favorite spaces in the city. .. kunsthaus tacheles (mitte, oraniengburgerstr.) - a very old building in east berlin that survived the war, interesting half-destroyed structure, and later overtaken by artists. . . there is art being made everywhere, graffitti, sculptures strewn in the overgrown lot outside. . . you'll find loads of art galleries in the surrounding neighborhood.

enjoy! (i adore berlin)

this question may have been asked before (sorry)

but where can you purchase swear shoes in the US? specifically in san francisco?

online retailers that ship / distribute in the US?