Offsite Strategy
Looking for a great place to connect for food, drinks? Or maybe a great workspace for the digital nomad? |
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| Click on the name in the table to show it on the map |
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| Name | Address | City / State | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker Bros Original Pancake House | 200 Marriott Dr | Lincolnshire, IL | Like most pancake lunch joints, should aim to get here around 11:30- 11:45 am to beat the lunch rush. Best thing here is the chocolate chip pancakes. |
| Egg Harbor Cafe | 512 N Western Ave | Lake Forest, IL | This has a pretty good lunch and breakfast selection. Note they close mid-afternoon. Like most pancake lunch joints, should aim to get here around 11:30- 11:45 am to beat the lunch rush. |
| Goose Island Wrigleyville | 3535 N Clark St | Chicago, IL | On game day, it's always wacky crowded. Can order the beer sampler here. |
| Prairie House Tavern | 23068 N Main St | Prairie View, IL | Very limited parking. No frills, this is definitely a neighborhood bar, low key. |
| Chief's Pub | 502 North Western Avenue | Lake Forest, IL | Nice location, a bit off the beaten path, down the street from The Lantern, a bit newer. Key was the decor - those are fireman's helmets up along top of the bar. Classic sports bar.. |
| John Barley Corn | 3524 N Clark St | Chicago, IL | One of the nicer places to go before a Cubs game - sit near the big windows to catch the street traffic walking by. |
| Rogue Distillery and Public House | 1339 NW Flanders St | Portland, OR | Yet another can't miss brewery / bar in Portland - fun atmosphere, cool bottles, good selection of homegrown stuff. |
| Miller's Pub & Restaurant | 134 S Wabash Ave | Chicago, IL | Loud and crowded, down near DePaul.. |
| Globe Pub | 1934 W Irving Park Rd | Chicago, IL | Best soccer pub in Chicago. For the really popular game, I think there is a cover charge. Have to park in the neighborhood to the north. |
| Beantown Pub | 100 Tremont St | Boston, MA | Right across the street from the graveyard where Paul Revere is buried. Cool old joint. |
| Elephant & Castle | 111 W Adams St | Chicago, IL | Sort of an upscale type soccer bar - down near the Loop. |
| Egg Harbor Cafe | 300 Village Grn | Lincolnshire, IL | This has a pretty good lunch and breakfast selection. Note they close mid-afternoon. Like most pancake lunch joints, should aim to get here around 11:30- 11:45 am to beat the lunch rush. |
| Lantern of Lake Forest | 768 N Western Ave | Lake Forest, IL | Nice low key place, a surprise given it's location. Good burgers, but best is to just hang in the bar. |
| Firkin | 515 N. Milwaukee Ave | Libertyville, IL | Very large selection of imports and craft beers, many some on tap. Pretty good food, too. Good for lunch or dinner. Park in the lot behind the building, but not the spots right behind, those are 30 minute spots. |
| Mickey Finn's Brewery | 412 N. Milwaukee Ave | Libertyville, IL | Order a "beer sampler" of their private label stuff. Parking lot behind the building is small, may have to go north of Finn's to Cook, then east a bit. Now with cask ale / bitters (new fave). |
| Moretti's Ristorante & Pizza | 6727 N Olmsted Ave | Chicago, IL | Good place to grab some pizza. Outside area is OK, nice in the summer. Good rush hour crowd, ok to watch a game, too. Park across the street in the train station lots. |
| Skyline Chili | 290 Ludlow Ave | Cincinnati, OH | Best chili chain in Cincinnati. This location is easy to get to, park at - note the free lot is across Hosea Ave to the north. You park, grab a plastic marker from the attendant, and when you are done paying for your food, you get a different color marker that let's you out of the lot for free. Also - apparently this is one of the oldest locations.. |
| Bridie McKenna's | 254 Green Bay Rd | Highwood, IL | Traditional Irish pub - featuring Guinness on tap, always a plus. |
| Big Bowl | 215 Parkway Dr | Lincolnshire, IL | I like the chicken pad thai - good place for lunch or dinner. |
| Fatman Bowling | 13860 Rockland Rd | Lake Bluff, IL | Just east of the Harley Davidson dealership - don't be surprised by the pedestrian exterior. They snuck a couple of bowling lanes in the back, but the bar area is cool. Guinness on tap - always good. |
| Nine Fine Irishmen | 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South | Las Vegas, NV | It's hard to find Guinness on tap in Las Vegas - this might be the only place. Best bet is the "rustic fried potatoes" - best appetizer anywhere!. |
| Timothy O'Toole's | 5572 Grand Avenue | Gurnee, IL | A Chicago-style Irish pub, corner of a mall lot, and very shiny new inside. Still - pub in the 'burbs? Hard to find, so this is OK. |
| Bife el Almacen | Plaza Andares | Puerta de Hierro, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico | This link takes you to the mall where this restaurant is located. A decent joint, key is - they serve Guinness! Ok, it's just from the bottle or can, but still ... |
| Maria Bonita (Hotel Camino Real) | Av. Vallarta No. 5005 | Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico | I always crash at this hotel, and the restaurant bar has pretty good tacos - not what you might think, more traditional. |
| Raglan Road Irish Pub | 1640 E Buena Vista Dr | Orlando, FL 32830 | Located in Pleasure Island, Downtown Disney. One of only two places in Walt Disney World where I could find Guinness on tap. Good atmosphere, catch the irish dancers - and the cheeseburger with tomato chutney is really good. |
| Fulton's Crab House | 1670 Buena Vista Drive | Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830 | Located in Pleasure Island, Downtown Disney. Excellent, huge ahi tuna steak, plus crab cake appetizers. |
| Kona Grill | 940 Milwaukee Avenue | Lincolnshire, IL 60069 | Pretty good selection of sushi appetizers - Guinness by the bottle, alas. |
| Upland Brewing Co. | 350 West 11th Street | Bloomington, IN 47404-3720 | Looks like a typical craft brewery / restaurant - but the food is spectacular. Awesome pulled pork, hamburgers, and french fries. |
| Waffle House | 530 North College Avenue | Bloomington, IN 47404 | Not like a typical truck stop Waffle House, this one is a bit cleaner. Food is OK, location excellent re: IU campus et al. |
| Scottish Highlander Pub | Garnisongasse 3 | 1090 Vienna, Austria | The Irish pub was packed, but this one was much better - sports on the tube, smaller / darker atmosphere. |
| Mr. Pickwick Pub | Rathausquai 6 | 6004 Luzern 041, Switzerland | Excellent atmosphere, great place to watch a game (regardless of the $20 USD beers). Right near the Chapel Bridge (Kapelbrucke) on Lake Lucernce. Apparently, this is a chain in Switzerland ... |
| Speck Meister | Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 12 | 6020 Innsbruck, Austria | Best places to go for a cheap lunch in Europe are defnitely the small delis and grocery stores, not the cafes - and this guy has an awesome little shop, within sight iof the Golden roof. The Google Map marker is a little off, this one is pretty accurate - it's just tucked in along the street, to the left as you face the Roof. |
| Hollywood | 58 Kramgasse | Bern, Switzerland | Ok, name is what I could remember from the yellow and blue sign, and address is approximate - this joint is tucked in under the eaves. Line was out the door, all university students, so we figured it was good. Awesome baguette sandwiches, quite cheap. |
| Universitätsplatz, Salzburg | Universitätsplatz | 5020 Salzburg, Austria | This is a big general area that typically has stalls and stuff - the far east end of the square has a couple of stalls to get a sandwich. The Google Maps link takes you to a pic of a specific stall - very nice pretzle bread and ham/cheese, plus cheap local beer to the left. |
| Demel's | Kohlmarkt 14 | 1010 Vienna, Austria | Sure I could get a beer here - and I do like . Sacre Torte seemed to be the big thing in Austria, but this place has an awesome house specialty cake (chocolate, of course). |
| Penny Lane Pub | 421 East Franklin Street | Richmond, VA 23219 | Solid little joint - restaurant is OK, the tight little interior bar is cool. If there is a soccer game on, it will probably be on one of the TVs. Really good homemade fries, too. |
| Bonefish Grille | 460 West Lincoln Highway | Exton, PA 19341 | Their Bang Bang taco was a nice take on the classic fish taco. Haven't had their tuna steak yet, but this place looks promising. |
| Curragh Pub | 6705 North Northwest Highway | Chicago, IL 60631-1319 | So what if it's a mini-chain (there's another one in Skokie) - the neighborhood is classic, the inside is great, nice and cozy for dinner-for-two, but also a great pub bar. Burgers were pretty good, too. |
| My Favorite Martin's | 17300 N Sun Village Pkwy #D | Surprise, AZ 85374 | Breakfast on the edge of Sun City West. Look beyond the sea of grey heads, it's a great little place, prices are just right, service is great because they are very good at taking care of the seniors. Phoenix does have Waffle House locations - but try here if you can. |
| Billy Goat Tavern | 430 N Michigan Ave | Chicago, IL 60611 | Stick with the original - a nice little dive. Under the Wrigley Building (go down the stairs!), inside it's a real throwback. You can't check in on Foursquare or upload your status - can't get a signal down there. And, they prefer cash to credit - you have been warned. Beer is okay, re-branded Lager and Dark from Berghoff's down the street. |
| Deer Path Golf Club | 500 West Deerpath Road | Lake Forest, IL 60045 | A nice little course, kind of sequestered awy - turns out to be a great place to grab lunch, do a little business. |
| Squealers | 5515 West 86th Street | Indianapolis, IN 46268 | Pretty good barbecue spot - huge portions, great sauce. |
| Silver Beach Pizza Co | 410 Vine Street | St. Joseph, MI | Great thin crust pizza, in a little spot overlooking the beach. |
| Rí Rá Irish Pub | 3930 South Las Vegas Boulevard | Las Vegas, NV | It used to be hard to find Guinness on tap in Las Vegas, but now a second pub (see also Nine Fine Irishmen). |
| La Salita Restaurant | 1217 Eubank Boulevard Northeast | Albuquerque, NM | Great New Mexico-style mexican food - I learned what Christmas means when you order (red + grean chilis). |
| Chatta Box | 755 Bedford St # 1 | Bridgewater, MA | A nice little thai restaurant, cheap and fast - great pad thai. |
| Solas Irish Pub | 710 Boylston Street | Boston, MA | Walking distance from two different Legal Sea Foods - tucked in small little place, nice close atmosphere, great little pub. |
| Ice House Pub | Unit 111, 408 Tamiami Trl | Punta Gorda, FL | Classic, dark spot with pub food, Guinness, and atmosphere. |
| Mick Morgan's | 118 Needham Street | Newton, MA | Imagine that, an Irish pub in Boston ... great neighborhoods nearby, too. |
| Legal Sea Foods | 255 State Street | Boston, MA | There are a number of Legals in Boston area, all of them great - try the chowder. This one is a cool location, the one near Harvard is kinda neat as well. |
| Sam & Greg's Pizza and Gelato Cafe | 119 Northside Square | Huntsville, AL | Great little pizza spot - nice thin crust, pretty quick service. |
| Savini Resto Bar | 680 Grande Allée Est | Québec, QC G1R 2K5, Canada | Vieux Quebec (the Old Town) has plenty of restaurants, but this strip along Grand Allee, behind the Parliament, is pretty nice. Solid Italian food, great people watching - but it ain't a pub, mid-expensive stuff. |
| Pub Le Mitan | 3885 Royal Ch | Sainte-Famille, QC, Canada | Well, you have to drive out on Ile d'Orleans to get there, but worth it. Yet Another Microbrewery, but if you show the least interest, attentive server was brining out taster samples. And the brewmaster put som interesting flavor tweaks in the beers up and down the range. |
| Le Jardin Nelson | 407 Place Jacques Cartier | Montréal, QC H2Y 3B1, Canada | Popular place, so prepare to be a bit crowded - but very cool open garden area for eating, live jazz, and a really awesome mid-day crepe - apparently I like maple syrup on my crepes-and-eggs. |
| Aux Anciens Canadiens | 34 Rue Saint Louis | Quebec City, G1R 4P3, Canada | Restaurant is ok, they are famous for their Maple Syrup Pie - which was really really good (better be - C$15 a slice!). |
| Mo's Irish Pub | 142 West Wisconsin Avenue | Milwaukee, WI 53203 | Mo apparently owns a lot of restaurants in the neighborhood. this one is conveniently near the theater district - just another sports bar. |
| The Chieftain | 198 5th Street | San Francisco, CA 94103 | It's warm on a sunny day, they leave the doors open. Right down the street from convention center (this is where you go if you are visiting Oracle OpenWorld). |
| Aran Irish Pub | Max Euweplein 73 | Amsterdam, Netherlands 1017 MA, Netherlands | Nicest if you can get a seat out along the canal. Hey, it's Amsterdam, nothing to complain about (although the Google map link is at the wrong end of the building). |
| Pub Irlandais Le Saint-Patrick | 1200 Rue Saint-Jean | Québec, QC G1R 1S3, Canada | Guinness is good, but when in Canada, you must remember to order the Blanc beer - that's "white", and it signifies wheat beer - good stuff. |
| O'Malley's Irish Pub | 欧玛莉餐厅 | 42 Taojiang Rd. | 桃江路42号 (S. Urumqi Rd. | 乌鲁木齐南路) | 上海市, Shanghai, 200031, China | Great place to watch a football (soccer) game with a gang - nice open air court with cover, big screen. But not as pub-by as the Blarney Stone ... Here's a good one - the bill came in to Quicken from "Shang Hai Ou Ma Li Can Ti" - get it? Sound it out ... |
| Blarney Stone | 5A Dong Ping Road | Shanghai, China 200031 | Nice, small, dark, low ceiling, small pub - classic place to catch rugby or football. Recommended over O'Malley's if you like atmosphere. |
| McMenamins Zeus Café | 303 SW 12 Ave (in The Crystal Hotel) | Portland, OR 97209 | Interesting menu, cool atmosphere inside. We sat on the street, and even though it was a bit cold, they had decent heaters, so no problem. Apparently, McMenamins does a lot of cool building rehabs. |
| Ben Michaels | 2404 Pueblo Bonito Ct NW | Albuquerque, NM | Some classic New Mexico cooking, owner is an eclectic guy, get him talking. |
| Soho Sushi Bar & Deli | 119 Main Street | Cedar Falls, IA | A cazh little place, it's right next to the Black Hawk Hotel, and when you stay at the Black Hawk, you just hit the Soho for breakfast. |
| Kay's Lounge | 6903 Southeast Milwaukie Avenue | Portland, OR 97202 | Neighborhood bar, definitely a throwback - nice atmosphere inside, surrounded by typical (I'm told) Portland eclectic neighborhood. |
| Pub St Paul | 124 Rue Saint Paul Est | Montréal, QC H2Y 1G6, Canada | Checked in on Foursquare and it said "Roxann is the best". I asked the bartender "where's Roxann?", she said "thats me". Cool throwback rock and roll bar, head upstairs and check out the Last Supper mural with the faces of old rock stars - can you name them all?. |
| Fado Irish Pub | 100 W Grand Ave | Chicago, IL 60654 | Nice location, few blocks west of Michigan Ave. This looks like a nice close-in pubby place. Head upstairs to the 3rd floor if the ground floor bar has no seats - it fills up fast ... |
| Luigi's Restaurant | Luigi's Hotel | La Fortuna de San Carlos, Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica | In a small volcano town, far away from everything - well, a realy nice thin crust pizza, and a couple of Costa Rican beers (Pilsen and Imperial) to choose from. Easy to grab a table, reasonably quick. (Note - google serach result is completely wrong, use the link here). |
| Altamira Restaurant (at Hotel Nayara) | 600 Metros Noreste de la entrada del Volcano Lodge | Nuevo Arenal, Costa Rica | Pretty good "tipico" lunch, plus a nice place to go zip lining and volcano walking from. |
| Lapa Rios Ecolodge | Matapalo, Peninsula de Osa | Puerto Jiménez, Costa Rica | Ok, this is probably the nicest "camping" trip you'll ever go on - but there is no air conditioning, you will get sweaty. However - awesome nature / naturalist sites, lots of macaws, toucans, spiders, howlers. And the restaurant is pretty good - a "top 5" pulled pork sandwich, and the tipico breakfast was great. Nice banana pancakes too. |
| The Beer Market | 1270 S Milwaukee Ave | Vernon Hills, IL | A really nice, very large selection of imports, Guinness on tap - but here is something different - they don't serve food here. Instead, the menus of the tables are for the local food joints (BBQ, Burgers, Sushi, etc.) - call up and they will deliver to your table. |
| Tir Na Nog | Bolkerstraße 55 | Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen 40213 | A rustic old pub, right in the heart of the action in the Altstadt - a good area to spend an afternoon / evening. Key - the waiter pointed us to Schweine Janes (look that one up too!). |
| Schweine Janes | Bolkerstraße 13 | Düsseldorf, 40213 | Killer pork sandwich - roasting on a big spit, every sandwich gets some crusty stuff. The sandwich is like $3.50 or maybe Euros - but awesome. |
| Crooked Spire Pub | Church Way | Chesterfield S40 1SF, United Kingdom | Nice little joint, of course with the cask pulls / bitters (new favorite), and in the shadow of the funky crooked church spire. |
| Crown & Trumpet Inn | Church St | Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7AE, United Kingdom | Perfect example of a local pub - real old building, tight quarters, nice outside out front, right in the middle of a neighborhood. Few left, alas. |
| Lake Bluff Brewing Company | 16 E Scranton Ave | Lake Bluff, IL | They will nitro-infuse something on the menu - not always the Guinness/porter, sometimes the other stuff. Nice neighborhood, some good restaurants nearby. |
| South Branch Tavern & Grille | 100 S Wacker Dr | Chicago, IL | This is the place to go when the weather is warm - the outside bar is very nice, good scenery (the river - come on now ...). During the winter? well, a bit crowded. |
| The Irish House | High Street Phoenix, 2nd Floor, Lower Parel | Mumbai, MH 400013, India | Alas, no Guinness - none to be found in India, strangely. Stick with the Kingfisher, local brew. Resonable atmosphere, even though it's located right next to a fancy shopping mall and a Cal Pizza Kitchen. |
| Earls Restaurant | 1600 Glenarm Pl #140 | Denver, Colorado 80202 | Just another nice bar / grille / restaturant - however, they have this thing on the appetizer menu, "crispy dry ribs", that's pretty awesome. |
| Pizzeria La Piazza | Buttermarkt 11 | 47906 Kempen Germany | A small town, but a nice little Italian place - can't go wrong grabbing a bite here. |
| Le Métropole | 24 Place Rihour | 59800 Lille, France | Classic street cafe, right around the corner from the Grand Place. Beer of the month was La Chouffe - very nice 8%. |
| Urban Bar & Restaurant | 2 Rue de la Boucherie | 1247 Luxembourg | Standard euro pub, but good Guinness on tap, and it's right in a little street where there are a couple of evening pubs where the cool crowd seems to go after work. |
| Queen City Q | 225 E 6th St | Charlotte, NC 28202 | Pretty good BBQ, gotta try a number of the different souces (Carolina BBQ different than Chicago / Kansas City / St Louis / Texas). |
| Ri Ra Irish Pub | 208 N Tryon St | Charlotte, NC 28202 | Ok, so it's clearly a chain - been to the one in Las Vegas as well - but great old building and atmosphere, gotta have the Guinness. Nice rooftop seating area as well. |
| Sadie's of New Mexico | 6230 4th St NW | Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM 87107 | Right near the Owl Cafe, which I have also heard great things about (haven't gone yet). Awesome New Mexico-style mexican food, go for Christmas (red and green sauce). |
| Jack Astor's Bar & Grill | 144 Front St W | Toronto, ON M5J 1G2, Canada | Good location in a hopping area, typically pretty busy. I like how they have the TV sets of varying sizes on "trees". |
| Eli's BBQ | 3313 Riverside Drive | Cincinnati, OH 45226 | Excellent little find - remodeled small old house, smoker in the back, cash only, picnic tables and family area out on the side. Expect long lines, all the sides are pretty good too. |
| MadTree Brewing | 5164 Kennedy Avenue | Cincinnati, OH 45213 | A very cool take on the local brewery thing - it's just a big open manufacturing / brewery with a bar area carved out of one end. Park anywhere, walk in the loading dock, and there it is. Good brews, too. |
| The Bull on Bell St | 57-59 Bell Street | Henley-on-Thames RG9 2BA, United Kingdom | It's a nice little neighborhood pub, but mid- to upscale, if you need something a tad businesslike. |
| Waffle House | 135 Andrew Young International Blvd NW | Atlanta, GA 30303 | Classic place for breakfast - short walk from the Georgia Dome, will surprise folks dressed in a tie when you take 'em here. |
| Meehan's Public House Downtown | 200 Peachtree St NE | Atlanta, GA 30303 | Classic Irish pub; watch out though, it's a Liverpool FC bar, so don't wear your Everton jersey. |
| The White Lion Inn | High Street | Hampton in Arden Solihul, West Midlands | Classic old 17th century inn, with cold rooms and a tiny little pub in front. Great place to get a bite and a pint like old times - loads of atmosphere. |
| Island Tap | 112 E Cook Ave | Libertyville, IL 60048 | Tucked behind another set of buildings, a block off of Milwaukee Ave (the main drag), it's the place you know the "regulars" go after everything else is closed down. Bare bones but a classic "unknown". |
| Da Crack | 2827 Poipu Rd | Koloa, HI 96756 | No frills - just a pass thru window in front of a kitechn. But killer Mexican food - huge stuffed burritos, tacos, salads, and bowls. Awesome after a day of island adventure. |
| Pizzetta | 5408 Koloa Rd | Koloa, HI 96756 | Just a good ol' pizza joint - but a great location in Koloa Old Town. Killer pizza hits the spot after a day on the island; great atmosphere, and a coupld of gift shops and shaved ice joints to walk off your meal. |
| Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge | 2000 E Dixon Blvd | Shelby, NC 28150 | Super down-home place. A few key rules: 1) Don't get Sweet Tea, ask for Half-and-Half 2) The hush puppies are amazing - unhealthy but amazing 3) Killer red-sauce cole slaw, never saw that before 4) of course, the BBQ is awesome 5) and incredibly cheap - huge party of 1o+ for around $120 (those ain't Chicago prices ...). |
| JOEY Bellevue | Bellevue Place, 800 Bellevue Way NE | Bellevue, WA 98004 | Trendy hip spot - but great location, nice scenery; if you are in town visiting Microsoft, stop here. |
| Mr Thomas's Chop House | 52 Cross St | Manchester M2 7AR, United Kingdom | A little tough to find, but a great old steak house, loads of personality. Surprisingly good cuts of steak (for UK). |
| The Old Nags Head | 19-20 Jackson's Row | Deansgate, Manchester M2 5WD, United Kingdom | Classic old English neighborhood pub, awesome atmosphere. Be careful, it's a Man United pub - don't go in there with your Man City colors on. |
| Sawyers Arms | 139 Deansgate | Manchester, M3 2RP, UK | Corner bar with great sight lines for checking out the pedestrian traffic in Manchester at the end of a working afternoon. |
| Schweine Schulze | Neue Str. 36 | 29221 Celle, Germany | Be careful when you walk by, the outgoing proprietor will engage you in conversation and pull you right into the shop. Killer pork shoulder, huge portions - pretty good stuff. |
| San Marino | Am Heiligen Kreuz 4 | 29221 Celle, Germany | A classic home style Italian place - but the proprietor is a very boisterous, outgoing, effusive lady. A great time for a quick simple dinner. |
| Dublin Inn | Am Markte 13 | 30159 Hannover, Germany | A classic Irish pub, tough to find in this town for some reason. |
| Bernini Ristorante | Piazza Navona, 44 | 00186 Roma, Italy | Perfect location on an awesome plaza. Waiters all have great personality. Went there for a late afternoon, early evening meal, watching an art fair amongst the fountains. Unbelievable. |
| Italian Village | 71 W Monroe St | Chicago, IL 60603 | Key is to go up the little bar on the top floor - up the stairs and turn left. Just the right amount of classic atmosphere; get there around 5-5:30p, before the regulars start filling it up. Tonsof character. |
| Lincolnshire Marriott Resort | 10 Marriott Dr | Lincolnshire, IL 60069 | Great location across the street from Walker Bros pancakes. Lobby is big and open, good work tables - and reasonably quiet. There's a Starbucks inside. |
| Chicago Marriott Naperville | 1801 N Naper Blvd | Naperville, IL 60563 | Decent central location, and there is a Starbucks in the lobby. A little loud, seating isn't super great. Plenty of parking, easy to get to. |
| Chicago Athletic Association | 12 S Michigan Ave | Chicago, IL 60603 | It's a real throwback hotel space, nearby Microsoft offices downtown. Go up to the second floor for the lounge area, super dark; nice spot for a quiet drink, but also has big work tables in the middle and plenty of folks working. |
| Pret A Manger | 211 W Adams St | Chicago, IL 60606 | Down near the Willis Tower, right to the east. Great place to get a bit of work in before a meeting up there. Free wifi, grab a coffee, get some work done, wach the passersby. |
| Yolk | 500 W Madison St | Chicago, IL 60661 | Great breakfast spot, all the classics (waffles! eggs! pancakes!) - good downtown location. |
| Brandy's Gyros | 584 E Oakton St | Des Plaines, IL 60018 | The original 'hot dog stand' where I had my first offsite strategy meetings with my first boss. Classic Chicago dogs, you can't go wrong. |
Compare two map areas; get your bearings ...
Upload a set of addresses, plot on a map - who lives close?
Public event schedule for Jim MacLennan.
Are you in the area? Attending the same event? Let me know, let's meet up!
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About the Site
When I talk about having an "offsite strategy" meeting, I'm looking to get out of the office and have some good, "strategic" conversation over a cup of coffee or a beer. Back when I worked for a software development company, we did our best design work at a hot dog stand in Des Plaines, IL; since then, I've always found it more fun to conduct some "bidness" in the proper atmosphere.
For myself, this site serves a practical purpose; I want to be able to quickly identify a short list of candidate spots to get together, based on your location and mine.
Original Site: 2009
When building the first version of this site, I was scratching an itch ... I was interested in working with Google Maps, and I was seeing a lot of action around jQuery. Back then, there were lots of hassles with cross-browser compatibility, the intricacies of CSS, details about working with images - plenty of details that really advanced my thinking on web design.
I also left a few tabs out there for "future projects" - like, posting pictures from my travels or links to my writings (in multiple locations). Kind of a scattergun design for a web site - again, just an excuse to get some hands-on coding done.
Of course, if you have any feedback - or suggested locations - please let me know.
Major Update: 2016
A few years go by, and all I'd really done is build up my list of great sites to meetup - but not much programming past that initial effort. Fast forward to 2016, and there are any number of new technologies to catch up on: HTML5, CSS3 and Frameworks, responsive design, a new API for Google Maps. Plus, a new application idea just itching to become a mobile app.
And so, a major rewrite - really from the ground up, starting with HTML5 and Bootstrap. Plus, I'm using this effort to get serious about learning Javascript - got to advance beyond cut-and-paste scripting from web searches!
As always - a work in process; but I am always open to feedback and suggestions; many of the new features that are makingtheir way into the site come from the folks that use the site to connect and collaborate with me!
Source Code
Coming soon to GitHub, but if you are interested in a copy like Right Now, just drop me a line ...
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