Illinois’ Ultimate Bar Crawl Map Creates An Amazing Party Night

An amazing party is created by Illinois' ultimate bar crawl map.

Bar Hopping In Chicago

Back in my younger days, I had several friends that lived in Chicago neighborhoods like Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, and Wicker Park. Since I lived in Rockford, it was fun to go visit them on the weekends.

Most of my trips consisted of concerts, games, and bars. When we went out drinking, that usually meant hours of bar hopping. We would try to hit as many places as possible.

None of us had a lot of money. I think my buddies spent most of their paychecks on rent at that time. It could get very expensive partying in Chicago too. Especially, if you started bouncing around to different taverns. We would usually try to "pre-game" before we went out.

Walking was not always the best way. Driving was not an option for obvious reasons. Uber did not exist yet. The cost of taxi cabs would add up quickly. Many times we would take public transportation like the "L" train. You could get a weekend pass and travel around all weekend for one low price. We usually had specific destinations we were heading to.

Favorite Party Events In The Windy City

My favorite party events in the Windy City were bar crawls. There was a social club that would organize these types of activities. You would pay a small charge or donated canned goods for charity to be a part of it.

Then they would give you a map of the different pubs to hit all along the way. The entrance fee would give you no cover at every location. Sometimes discounted booze too. There were times when we even make up our own bar crawl.

Combining A Bar Crawl With Public Transportation

Recently, I met a gentleman that was telling about a kind of bar crawl that he and his friends like to do. The concept was completely new to me. They would do train bar crawls. The whole idea fascinated me.

How A Train Bar Crawl Works

This is how many it works. They would drive into Rosemont and jump on the "L" train. Then, they get off every couple of stops and hit a bar in that location. After a beer or two, it is back on the train to the next pub. That track could take them all the way into downtown Chicago and back again.

I had only one question. How did they know where a bar was near a stop? You do not want to walk that far from the train station. That is when he did the big reveal. There is actually an official Chicago "L" train stop bar map. Wow, that is so amazing. It is a permanent bar crawl. See for yourself.

Full disclosure, this map is a few years old, so some of the establishments may no longer be in operation. If you decided to try it out for yourself, I suggest doing a little research before getting started. Sounds like a fun adventure to me.