The Green Mill

The first night we arrived in Chicago, Brian picked us up and we went back to his townhome for a quick drink and welcome. After that, we ventured into the city for some food and live music. We had an incredible Italian meal and then hit a local club called The Green Mill.

We fell in love with this late-night live music venue. We arrived around 12:00 am midnight, and missed the band that was performing that night, but we were able to stay into the wee hours of the morning listening to the house band and the "open mic" visting musicians.

The Green Mill has a colorful history, starting 1914 when it was known as the Green Mill Gardens. (It began earlier as Pop Morris’ Garden in 1907). It was then leased to “Machine Gun” Mc Gurn, a suspect in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and during prohibition it was turned into a speakeasy. A trapdoor behind the bar leads to a tunnel that was used to smuggle alcohol. Al Capone hung out there as did Charlie Chaplin. Billie Holiday, Al Jolson and Bennie Goodman were also seen frequently.