What to do with Your Insomniatic Self at 11pm on a Weeknight.

So, let's say you're single. Let's further assume that you're not fond of loud noise or cigarette smoke. In addition, you might want to get some studying or people watching done (I'm an academic, remember?) Quickly, now: tell me where you would go on a "school" night if something kept you awake and you just wanted to suck down a $4 latte and chill.

That's what I thought.

Well, given that I've got enough angst to do the research (thanks for pointing this out, Ryan.) I will present the results of my findings here for your amusement, comments, and---bite my tounge---use.

The only places that make it into this list must be open for a sit-down meal until at least midnight on a weeknight. And they must not be bar-like: you have to be able to hear your fellow human beings over the din and there should be no second-hand lung cancer issues (a couple of exceptions are noted below).

Oh, in addition

there shall be NO KAREOKE. If I want badly sung music, I'll perform it in my own shower, thankyouverymuch.

(By the way, why the hell does a latte cost $4? *I* should open a cafe. I'd make more money than being a physicist. All you have to do is find all the late-night disgruntled yuppies.)

The Chicago Suburbs

At first I said, "There's gotta be something." Then I said, "Wow, did I really buy a house in married asleep-by-ten suburbia?"

Anyone want to buy a townhome?

Well, actually, the suburbs have a few places where you might be able to sit for a spell during a late-night fight with cabin fever. Here is what I've found so far. If you know of something else, please let me know. (Hours listed are for a "school" night. Weekend hours are [presumably] later. Call first.)

Cafe's (i.e. the YUPpie scene)

The quest for the $3.00 latte.
- Kafein--2am
  1621 Chicago Ave., Evanston 60201 (847) 491 1621 Wood ambiance, usually pretty full. Good service. Incandescent lighting. Has a patio. Get the Aztec.
- Ashbary Cafe--1am
  8695 W. Archer Ave., Willow Springs (708) 839 6963 The crowd is high-school and undergraduate and there's a lot of cigarette smoke, but the people are friendly. There's food and coffee, and they have a couch and some video games. If you need to get away from the chatter and smoke, they have patio seating or you can go upstairs for a darker, quieter setting. Don't forget to doodle in the guestbook. Some people don't have this much character.
- Illusion Cafe--1am
  659 N Wolf Rd., Des Plaines 60016 (847) 296 2233
  This place has more of a bar feel than a cafe, but their (pretty good) pub menu lasts until midnight and they have esspresso and cappuchino if you would rather stay away from the alcohol while you surf on their wifi connection.
  It is kinda dark (hard to see my keyboard as I type this) and there are ashtrays on every table, but the music isn't too loud and---if it's slow---there isn't much smoke. But if you're up near Wolf and Central roads, it's worth a try.
- Xando Cafe--midnight
  8729 W. 95th St., Hickory Hills 60457 (708) 599 1205 Has a real menu, a couple of couches, patio seating, and incandescent lighting (if you can see it past the sodium vapor glare). You can plug in your Lappy if you're by the west wall. (If you've ever been to Hartford, then you'll be surprised to learn that they're not affilliated with Xando's where I used to frequent [which, by the way, no longer exists :( {It is now a Cosi's}]).
- Mr. Shesha's--midnight
  1570 W. Ogden Ave. #103, Naperville 60540 (630) 983 6600 This place was pretty cool. The atmosphere is African safari whith a relaxed couch lounge mixed with the local grunge/preppy scene. The place is rather unique---it's a hookah bar. For about $12 you can smoke a bong. The night I was in there, they did a very good job of controlling the smoke---for those of you not into smokey places.
  In addition, they have a couple of T.V.'s to watch while you play any number of the board games that they have avaliable. They have a food menu, and the coffee may very well be made with pre-caffeinated water, given the serious buzz I encountered after sipping my Zebraccino.
  The downside to this cafe is that it is somewhat pricey. The (Animal)ccino's were $5. and there is a minimum charge of $7/person if you come with less than 10 people. $5/person for 10 people or more. They also require that you start a tab and come to the counter to cash-out when you're ready to leave.
  Con's aside, I'd heartily recommend trying this place at least once. It's not really somewhere I'd go to study anything other than the people, but it's unique as far as the suburban cafe scene goes.
- Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins/(ToGo)--24 hours
  Scattered about Chicagoland I'm not quite sure where to put this. They're not really trendy enough to be YUPpie, and they don't have wireless, but they do have coffee and doughnuts and ice cream (if they're paired with a Baskin Robins). If they're also teamed up with a To Go sandwich joint, then they might have some food for you. There might also be an outlet for the Lappy.
  - IL64 and IL59
    Ok, this one didn't impress me as a study spot. There are no avaliable outlets for the Lappy and they have a TV blaring. Might not be important for you, but makes a diff for me.
Restaraunts

Probably not the place you want to go if you just want to sit down and read or work on the laptop. But you can expect good food and a change of scenery.
- Tap House Grill
  411 North Main, Glen Ellyn (630) 858 4370--midnight
  A cozy restaraunt just south of downtown Glen Ellyn. A nice selection of beers on tap and a good menu to boot.
- Fox & Hound
  - 370-420 W. Army Trail, Bloomingdale 60108 (630) 295-9626 --2am
    An interesting mixture of venues in one spot. Besides having the full food menu avaliable until closing, they also sport a bar and a few pool tables. One room is devoted to non-smoking and has about five televisions tuned into various sports stations.
    That they're open late is cool. That they have free Wifi is cooler. The only downsides to this place is that it can get jammed during the dinner rush, it's relatively loud, and there are only two outlets on the south wall in the non-smoking room.
  - 1416 N. Roselle Rd., Schaumburg 60195 (847) 884-6821
  - 910-918 W. Dundee Rd., Arlington Heights 60004 (847) 590-9019
  - 4320 E. New York Ave., Aurora 60504 (630) 236-9183
- El Burrito Mexicano--2am
  1219 Maple Ave., Lisle 60532 (630) 960-5799
  This one comes in from a friend of mine (sorry it took a while): "[I]t's in Maple Court strip mall at the corner of Route 53 and Maple Avenue in Lisle. The hours are 9 AM to 2 AM. Except Friday and Saturday, when they close at 5 AM. The burriots are amazing. The burrito suizo... is probably going to kill me one day."
  Having visited the establishment, it's kinda small and reminds me a lot of the recent invasion of Los Burritos Tapatios restaraunts that have taken over much of the west and southwest suburbs. Parking can be tricky as there is a bar next door which shares the parking lot.
- The RAM--1am
  1901 McConnor Pky., Schaumburg 60173 (847) 517 8791 (one of three) It's late, you're hungry or bored or both. Here's a place open late near Woodfield where you can get some food. Word of caution: this place likes LOUD music "after hours," so if you're looking for easy conversation, skip this one.
- Carol's Garden--midnight
  515 S. Schmale, Carol Stream (630) 260 0303 Good food, reasonable prices.
- DuPage Inn---midnight
  2410 W. Ogden, Downers Grove (630) 963 2565 Half bar, half 70's restaraunt. A decent menu at a decent price.
The Diner Scene

Don't expect any $4 lattes, but you can sit and chill with some good food.
- Omega's
  When you've had enough of Denny's and you need better, if more expensive, fare.
  - 1300 Ogden Ave, Downer's Grove--24 hours
  - South Highland Ave., Lombard--1am
  - 9100 W. Golf Rd, Niles--24 hours
- Kopper Kitchen--24 hours
  601 W. St. Charles Rd., Elmhurst (630) 834 2118 Rates up there with Omega's.
- Kappy's--2am
  10 E. Roosevelt Rd., Villa Park 60181 (630) 530 4600 7200 Dempster St., Morton Grove 60053 (847) 470 1900 An Omega's that closes.
- Simon's--1am
  2 W. Roosevelt Rd., Villa Park (630) 530 0200
  Much like Kappy's, and right across the minor north-south street. Interior decoration is a bit less diner-esqe and they have some outdoor seating.
- Denny's--24 hours
  One has to admit, it's a standard. It's not terribly trendy, but it will get you through in a pinch if you're jonesing for some greasy food or just a cup of joe at 2am on any given night.
- Steak and Shake--24 hours
  If it's a late night burger you want, they'll have it. Kinda bright white and harsh on the dark-adapted astronomer in some of us, but they're open.
- IHOP
  Pretty much just Denny's with better pancakes.
  - 2250 Barrington Rd, Hoffman Estates--24 hours
    Has quite the highschool crowd until their bed-time (about 1am).
  - 125 Smith Rd, St Charles--24 hours
  - 1821 W. Irving Park Rd, Schaumburg--??
  - 149 North Ave, Glendale Heights--1am
- White Castle--24 hours
  I seriously hesitate to add this. Especially after the "good food" comment above and the fact that there are, surprisingly, a few other places to go---but I suppose that it's open if you need it.
"Other"

When food and drink alone won't cut it.
- The Oasis --24hrs (coffee, McDs)/12am (Stonebridge gyros)
  Pick a tollway
  Ok, if it weren't for a friend of mine, I would never have considered this option. However, where else can you find a 24-hour McD's and Krispy Kreme (for coffee) and sit back and watch the cars whiz by below you? Somewhat unique atmosphere, although the bright mercury vapor lighting and lack of outlets makes this less than the ideal study spot. There is a Stonebridge gyro shop open until midnight if you want real food.
- Dave & Buster's --midnight
  Addison (630) 543 5151 There is a cover after a certain time, but I cannot remember when and how much. Haven't tried to study there, but maybe that's not the point.
- GameWorks--midnight
  601 N. Martingale Road, Suite 115, Schaumburg 60173 (847) 330 9675 Same deal as Dave and Buster's.
The "Keep-In-Mind" List

These guys don't make the time cut, but they're nice if you're not out too late.
- CoffeeHaus --11pm
  209 W. Golf Rd., Schaumburg 60195 (847) 755 1233
  - Free WiFi (with menu purchase).
  - Not many outlets
  They also have a wide-screen TV running animation, if you're into that.
- La Spiaza --10pm
  114 S Main St., Wheaton (630) 221 8772
  - Free WiFi (with menu purchase).
  - Live music on Thursday (open mic), Friday, and Saturday evenings.
- Starbucks
  Scattered about Chicagoland
  Yes, I know, it's a chain.
  Yes, I know, they charge for WiFi.
  However... the following stores warrant keeping an eye on:
  - 601 N. Martingale Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173 (847) 605 0476 --11pm
    Open until midnight on Friday and Saturday (probably because of their proximity to GameWorks) and they have a few outlets scattered around if you just want to work off-line on the lappy.
- NTWLink iCafe --10pm
  1268 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville 60540 (630) 718 1399 Alas, things change.
  Upon moving to their new, narrower, digs, they've clearly chosen to cater to the gaming community. They've retained their thirty or so gaming computers and WiFi ($5/hr), but lost their cafe. Consumables are drinks in the refrigerated display case, and they're down to six small tables lining the free wall space.
- Yue Sun--9pm
  357 Georgetown Square, Wood Dale 60191 (630) 595 2288 This place is kinda cool. It's true that they fail the time requirement pretty badly, but the place is pretty unique. For $20, you get all the sushi you can eat and it is delivered on a train, which is pretty cool. They do teppenyaki as well.
  Did I mention that they were pretty cool?

Chicago

So, after I realized that what I was looking for probably wasn't in the suburbs, I began hunting around Chicago. The list below is incomplete and just that: a list. I'll make it a bit more organized soon.

Cafe's
- The Third Coast--12am
  Dearborn
  Somewhat dark, but they have a real menu and coffee and seem to be friendly to the Lappy scene.
- Pick Me Up--3am?
  Clark
  A good selection of coffee and food, but not a place to study much other than the locals.
- Iguana--2am
  Laptop friendly if you're on the west wall.
- Cafe de Luca
  Has a real menu and small patio.
- Jamoch's Cafe
  1066 W. Taylor
Restaraunts
- San Soo Gab San--24 hours?
  5300 N. Western
Diners
I'll refrain from mentioning White Castle here.
- Golden Nugget--24 hours
- Nookies Tree
  Crowded, cash-only.
Watch
- Earwax--11pm
- Burgeois Pig--11pm
  735 W. Fullerton (773) 883 5282