Chicago is an amazing city full of almost everything your little heart could desire. It is also full of tourists on any given day but especially on the weekends. Chicagoans do their best to avoid the Magnificent Mile on Saturdays and Sundays. These are the days the tourists come out in droves, staring up at the sky scrapers, into maps, and generally looking lost as they shop for what they think is the best Chicago has to offer. And the Magnificent Mile is worthy of its moniker. But just like Times Square ain’t New York City, Michigan Avenue is just a small slice of Chicago. In between Wicked and the Sears Tower, try to incorporate some of these locals’ favorites into your trip.

Take a cab to Bucktown/Wicker Park

Even those who actually like in Bucktown/Wicker Park are fuzzy on where one ends and the other begins, so don’t feel bad. This neighborhood is an eclectic mix of restaurants, shops, and watering holes. You can find everything from the upscale to the low brow in just a few steps. Stop one: Akira. As you walk to the west on North Avenue, you may think you see the sign for Akira everywhere. You’re right. There’s a women’s store, men’s store, shoe store, and accessories store. With the known and unknown of designers, you can find almost anything for a night on the town. Then keep heading west on North until you run into the Damen/Milwaukee/North intersection, hang a right a Damen and go north. Eventually, you will run into Hot Chocolate – a dessert spot that will say on your mind for years to come. You can get malts, mousse, sorbets, and almost every decadent, make-you-wish-you-never-heard-the-word-diet dessert you can imagine. With a cool vibe, this is the place to be on the weekend after you’ve filled up on dinner.

Two Words: Smoke Daddy

If you want ribs (and who doesn’t), go to Smoke Daddy. This rib joint on Division is known for its chill atmosphere and killer ribs. Not into the ribs? Try the pulled chicken or pulled pork sandwiches. Everything comes with a choice of sides – from sweet potato fries to greens to cornbread, you will get your fill. It’s worth picking up a bottle of the Smoke Daddy sauce to remember your trip to Chicago.

Old Town

Forget the Rush and Division area for nightlife where you will only find tourists and college kids and head up to Old Town. If you just went to see a show at Second City, you just need to head south and you’re there. Old Town has that mix of pubs, clubs, and restaurants that keep a mixed crowd going through. You can spend as much or as little as you’d like getting your drink on. Before you get too sauced, stop in The Spice Market, a lovely spice shop right in the middle of everything. You will find almost every aromatic, savory, chili spice you can dream of. Then bar hop. It’s absolutely okay to do and you won’t feel like a frat boy doing it. Think of it as nightlife anthropology and take it all in.

The staples of Chicago are worth seeing, but there is so much more. This is just a little taste of what’s out there. Chicago is a place for foodies. You can find almost every kind of food you’d like here, and never get bored. I love my city, and I hope you will too.