Not for Tourists Guide to Chicago

by Jane Pirone

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977803139
• ISBN13: 9780977803132
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Not for Tourists
• Length: 379 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

NFT chicago

great book, very complete. found information from where to get the subway to how to get to US cellular field, to white sox tickets. this book is chock full of information. very useful, very informative, very complete.

Tourists need to see the Not For Tourists Guide to Chicago

I'm a tourist, but I liked the Not For Tourists Guide to Chicago. The format makes it easy to use. The first part is a series of neighborhood maps. There's a map showing locations of mundane services (like banking) with a listing on the facing page. Flip the page and you find another map of the neighborhood you just viewed, but it shows entertainment, restaurants, etc. The second part of the book is a series of topical articles (parks, airports, etc.) The concisely expressed opinions and loads of reference material make it very handy.

Must have for any city resident!

This book was given to me as a present shortly before moving to Chicago. Not only was it helpful for me to learn about my new neighborhood/city before I moved in, but it continues to be extremely useful even now. Lists everything from every day needs like banks, post offices, gas stations, grocery stores to restaurants, coffee houses, shops, movie theaters/stores, etc. The book is _amazing_ and even gives touristy information about the museums, transportation, sports arenas, parks, and so on. A DEFINITE MUST HAVE for residents both new and old!!!! 5 stars doesn't do this book justice. I'd give it 10.

thorough but lacking

The NFT is full of useful maps and some useful info. But I am dissapointed by the icons used to show location on the maps. It is sometimes difficult to figure out where things are based on the icons because they are not numbered and there are often 15 coffee shops on one map. Also, some of the useful info that is included is not so useful. I called the five cab services reccommended for airport rides and all of them were outrageously priced, and one of them was a restaurant, so I ended up finding a cab with my own research. I am also dissappointed by the fact that it lists all the Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds but leaves off some of the cities best independent stores, which I would think would be what Not-For-Tourists guide would be focused on. It's good to have, but not extensive.

Useful, but brief

Helpful book. Great maps. Quick and dirty. Not quite up to date. The descriptions of every restaurant, club, store, etc. are as brief as the incomplete sentences I used to begin my review (so if those terse sentences were more helpful to you than frustrating, buy it). If you want thorough information about various hot spots in town, this probably isn't the book for you. It will work, however, if you just want a quick reference of addresses and phone numbers, and you don't want to read a two-paragraph description of a place (like one you might find in a standard tourist's guide book). Think of it as a portable white pages. Although some short descriptions are all you need (J & C Inn is listed as "Dingy outside -- best sandwiches in town inside." Another restaurant is described as "Great food, horrible service") and others are funny (a leather store's description only says "Come to daddy"), others leave you wanting more (one place says "Guilt free ice cream", and another simply says "Very stylish"). If you are new to the city (like I am) and need to see a map before understanding where something is (Old Town? Andersonville? Gold Coast?), then this is a good buy. The book divides the city into 44 maps, and then references the map numbers where various places of interest are located so that you can find them more easily. There is also a pull-out map in the back. I generally toss this book into my oversized purse every morning, and when a friend calls and asks to meet me at a restaurant, I whip out NFT and get there without much difficulty (and because of the sleek black and silver cover, and the words "Not for Tourists" on the front, I don't feel as embarrassed -- or vulnerable -- reading it on the L as I might with other guidebooks). The maps are by far the best reason to buy this guide. It should be noted that, although this is titled "2007", it is not entirely up to date. It was published in autumn 2006, and was obviously written before that. Therefore, some useful information about newer locations is not there. The pink line of the L is not in it, for example. Millenium station doesn't appear to be there either. Also, it is not an exhaustive guide. There's a great used bookstore near my apartment that's been there for a decade, but it's not listed in the book. And the bar I hit up for karaoke once a week? Also not in the book. My friend liked my book so much that she bought one for herself. I am glad that I have it, but I think I'm going to look into getting an additional guide with lengthier descriptions of restaurants and nightlife.