Obviously, the biggest Turkey Day festivities happen in New York City, but a good second option is Chicago's 76th annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade. The name doesn't carry the panache that Macy's does, but it's probably the country's second-most-famous parade to see gargantuan balloons, floats, marching bands and numerous performers.

Dress warmly and go to iconic State Street early to get a head up on the 400,000 spectators expected to attend. The action steps off at Congress Avenue from at 8 a.m. and heads north, ending at Randolph Street at 11 a.m. We recommend snagging a spot in front of Macy's on State Street. It'll be crowded, since it's the parade end point, but it's also the spot where all of the dancers and other acts stop to perform. You could also shell out $50 for the VIP treatment, which allows you to see the first-hour performances live with television zone seating, a continental breakfast and VIP-only restrooms.]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-18T11:28:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/11/22546/003

After winning Bravo's first Top Chef Masters, Rick Bayless didn't sit around resting on his 27-ingredient mole. Instead, he went to work and recently opened Xoco (pronounced "Shoh-koh"), Mexican slang for "little sister." It's a fitting name, since the Mexican street food restaurant sits next to its upscale big sisters, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, in Chicago's River North 'hood.

The line to get in the no-reservations restaurant is out the door for lunch and dinner, so we decided to avoid the crowds and get some breakfast chow. It was a good decision, since there weren't too many people there and we didn't have a problem snagging our own table in the 40-seat cafe, which has mostly bar-like seating.

We experience the flavor, after the jump. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-11T09:14:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/6/9158/91741

The London Guarantee Building is the tour’s starting point.

In this craptastic economy, you may not have the extra bucks to buy one of those expensive tours where a guide shows you the ins and outs of a city. So we decided to try out a recession-friendly, iPod self-walking "Loop to Loop" tour of Chicago. And it's totally FREE.

Just visit the Chicago Loop Alliance's website and decide whether you want to take a theater, an art or a landmarks tour; we opted for the latter, which takes you throughout the Loop. Download the appropriate tour and add it to your iPod. But for a seamless experience you will have to do some work. The site provides you with a map of all of the landmarks, but it just lists the names of the buildings. We recommend writing down all of addresses so that you know where the heck you’re going. Click on all 23 landmark points on the website to get the addresses. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-06T09:14:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/5/2193/41906

The Willis Tower installed "The Ledge," these new glass boxes that jut out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper to give you that standing-on-the-edge feeling in the pit of your stomach, on the west side of the building's Skydeck on the 103rd floor.

With a name like that, you'd think it was an amusement park ride. Adding to the amusement park novelty are shirts, mugs and other paraphernalia for sale that boast "Dare to Stand Out" and professional photographers on hand to take a souvenir snapshot of you in the floating box that will be printed and framed by the time you leave the building.]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-05T09:04:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/4/25132/1367

Almost every famous hilarious comic got his or her start at Chicago's Second City, a training center, theater and overall jokester factory. Its alumni includes John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, John Candy, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Rachel Dratch. The list goes on forever because this marks the company's 50th year in the funny business. Of course, Second City has to throw itself a big birthday party to celebrate.

The company's illustrious alums will come back for a weekend-long bday party, December 11 to 13. Although it's only three days, there are a ton of events. Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and other cast members from the cult hit television show SCTV will return for two special reunion performances December 11. There will be a panel on the Colbert Report on December 12, and a Saturday Night Live panel with former players Tim Kazurinsky, Horatio Sanz and Rachel Dratch as well as current staff writer John Lutz will be December 13.]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-04T12:40:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/3/13443/4434

Head to the near South Side to see one of Chicago's best and most hopping ethnic neighborhoods, Chinatown. Along Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, you'll find a slew of yummy-smelling restaurants, gift shops and teahouses.

Find out what there's to see, do and—most importantly—eat, while you're exploring Chinatown after the jump. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-11-03T15:09:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/29/3413/2554

When tourists come to Chicago, oftentimes they don't venture beyond downtown. Because this common, but easily remediable mistake, they miss out on of Chicago's best assets: its diverse neighborhoods. Lincoln Square is one such 'hood.

Once the city's German enclave, the North Side nabe now is known for the hip shops and cool cafes, restaurants and bars that line Lincoln Avenue. Plus, it's the best place to hear folk music in the city and belly up to the bar for a foamy brew. Be sure to let us know in the comments if you love Lincoln Square as much as us, and if you have any favorite spots we should know about. But for now, let's get to the meat of it with our top picks for what to do now in Lincoln Square:]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-10-29T12:04:18-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/