proposal ideas for CHICAGO?

[mjboone13]

Good choice on Lincoln Park... what are the new plans???

Now for food. Accross from the zoo is a place called Belden-Stratford, 2300 N Lincoln Park West, and has two really nice restaurants.

First is Ambria, 4star (menu at http://www.leye.com/restaurants/menus/ambria_1.htm ) but pricy.

they also have a cheaper option, but still not McDonalds. It is a French Steck house (http://www.monamigabi.com/ )

A nice casual option is Basil Leaf Cafe on Clark between Fullerton and Diversey. It is good Italian food, small restaurant, maybe 12 tables. My girlfriend use to work there, so i have lots of friends that still. If you want an inside connection i can help out. (http://www.basilleaf.com/index.html)

Let me know if you need anything else.

m

 

[flutterby]

I love the park and the ponds, if you couldnt tell from my previous posts. There really isnt a romantic lunch spot in the park, unless you picnic it, which could be perfect. Ambria is an amazing restaurant but they are not open for lunch, I do believe mon ami gabi is open for lunch and that would be a great choice. Also there is le Creperie on clark and diversey, it is pretty romantic in there and yummy lunch time crepes.

I''m sure it will be perfect and cant wait to hear what you have decided.

 

[cqdiep]

Okay, I like the Basil Leaf Cafe option, ONLY if they have AUTHENTIC Italian food. The GF is Italian herself, and is very critical when we eat at Italian resturants. It sounds to me that the Basil Leaf would pass the test. We ate a a small Italian restuarant in Boston called Giacomo''s, and the Basil Leaf seems to be similar to it...plus they''re open for lunch.

MJ, what kind of "inside connection" can you help me with? Sounds interesting, if we can work something out!

You guys have been very generous with your times and ideas. THANKS A LOT. I''ll have plenty of details when I get back.

 

[mjboone13]

glad you like the basil leaf. i love the food, but the owners a jerk it is not authentic though. i spent a year in italy during school and learned traditional cooking. the pesto is good, but not traditional. the tiramisu is good but not traditional. the best i can describe it is good "american-ized" italian food. there are places that are more authentic, but further away.

but i know three people that work there as servers, if i have a weeks notice or so i can see if they are working. whatever you have planned i can put you in contact with one of them.....

glad i can help.

 

[cqdiep]

Okay, so the person that we''re visiting in Chicago contacted the North Pond, and they ARE open for lunch on Friday. We have reservation there for 11:30, and the manager was asked to take good care of us. Problem solved.

The next issue is where to do the actual "proposal." I think I read earlier in this thread that the Lily Ponds is a romantic place to visit. How far away is this from the North Pond cafe? I guess I can propose there and then we can walk to the Cafe and have our lunch. Is there an official website for Lincoln park that will have a map and other information for me? Thanks people.

 

[mjboone13]

Good to hear about the Lunch thing...

website for the lilypond (http://www.geocities.com/cityinagarden/lilypond.html), it is actually officially named the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, so you might look that up. there are tons of websites with pictures.

http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/custom.natureOasis06


very romantic. phone number/address is 200 W. Fullerton Pkwy. 312-747-2474.

It is about a 10 minute walk(slowly) from the lilyponds to the restaruant. But you are walking along North Pond and it is very beautiful, (that is where i walk my dog everyday).

I couldnt find the map that they have posted at the park entry, but i created an aerial showing where things are. Also, the zoo and nature conservatory are free. so you might as well check those out as well....

hope this helps. i have the aerial in larger format if you want me to email it to you.

 

[cqdiep]

MJ, thanks for the info, I''ll definitely check it out. Please do send me the larger format of the aerial also, so that I can familiarize myself with it. Thanks a lot.

 

[Blue824]

Is it this weekend? Good luck and have an awesome weekend!!

 

[cqdiep]

Yes, it''s this weekend. We''re flying out tonight, and the walk in the park will happen Friday morning. Thanks for the luck. I''ll have a full report and some pics for everyone.

 

[flutterby]

Any news? Any pictures? Very excited for you! I rode my bike through cafe brauer and part of the park today (we have decided that is where we are getting engagement pics taken). I thought of you as I was looking for good spots. Hope it all went well!

 

[cqdiep]

Well, everything went great, but I had to change the plans a little bit, but not much. Give me a few days to sort out the pics and then I''ll post them with some more details of the event.

 

[Blue824]

Congratulations - Can''t wait to see your pictures

 

[cqdiep]

Here''s the thread for my proposal story. Thank you to everyone who helped me with info and wishes.

Cuong

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/she-said-yes-in-chicago.33958/