If you go to the School of Art Institute, you probably do ...

1. Charlie Trotter’s (North Side) - Brag about eating there but one-up yourself by claiming it doesn’t live up to the hype.
2. Alinea (Lincoln Park) - Get ready to dump around $200 per person, but that’s for 25 progressive American courses.
3. Manor (Near North Side) - Unless you have a lot of cash to burn on bottle service, don’t even think about trying to get in.

Tasting the Hexagon without leaving Paris ...

1. L’Ami Jean (Basque, in Invalides) - Spicy Pyrénées cooking under the hanging chili peppers.
2. A Casaluna (Corsica, in Louvre) - Grilled wolf and Brocciu with Sunday night sing-alongs.
3. Chez Michel (Brittany, in Gare du Nord) - Seafood and wild game from a master of Breton cooking.

1. Alta (Greenwich Village) - Alta, as in "high," as in "haute," at this sexy Village tapas spot.
2. Degustation Wine & Tasting Bar (East Village) - Mannered tapas more about multiple changes of silverware than half-gallon pitchers of sangria. Put on a classy costume.
3. Flor de Sol (Tribeca) - Sexy Spanish tavern with the best sangria in the hood.

Where to make the most of those seriously weakened dollars.

1. Banners (North) - Delicious, spicy food at prices much beloved by locals and visitors to Crouch End alike.
2. Gallipoli (North) - Expertly cooked grilled meat served in a fun, informal atmosphere.
3. Lahore Kebab House (East) - Gorgeous Pakistani cuisine at prices more suited to the
subcontinent.

Friday
Stay: Hollywood Roosevelt. It's luxe. It's glam. There's all-night pool parties. It's the perfect setting for a weekend away with the ladies.
3 p.m.: Tropicana at the Roosevelt Hotel. Stretch your legs in the sun and have a cocktail (or three).
4 p.m.: Nothing to wear? Head on down to vintage clothing store Jet Rag. Dig through hipster heaven and you might come away with a pair of 70's Frye boots, or a sweet fur shrug. Either way, it's good times.

Your stomach does not know or care what time it is.

1. Mr. Lucky’s (Off-Strip East) - The food is merely adequate, but it’s the most convenient -- and lively -- pit stop between parties.
2. Firefly (Off-Strip East) - This noisy, dimly lit tapas joint serves small plates and specialty sangrias to a crowd of trendy, chatty locals until 2 a.m.
3. Fix (Strip: Central) - Fix's organic-feeling, wood-lined setting contrasts with the prettified people picking at glammed-up diner food like Kobe beef chili cheese fries.

Sometimes the only thing left to do is eat ...

1. Pick Me Up Café (Wrigleyville) - On weekends, stop in 24 hours to sober up on healthy diner eats after a boozy bender.
2. Hollywood Grill (Bucktown/Wicker Park) - Where all the weirdoes you normally attempt to avoid congregate after hours.
3. The Wiener’s Circle (Lincoln Park) - This simple and famous hot dog menu is perfect for those simply not ready to go home.

1. Irv’s Burgers (West Hollywood) - Juicy, fantastic burgers since 1958, responsible for Rowlands and Cassavetes' nourishment.
2. Tommy’s (Echo Park) - Open 24 hours, long line goes fast with occasional flashes of high-speed chasing and ghetto bird sightings along the Blvd.
3. Father’s Office (Santa Monica) - Award-winning gourmet burgers and microbrews in a crowded cubicle of wood and way too much inhumanity.

Simple prep for who’s-your-daddy prestige ingredients

1. Cul de Poule (Pigalle) - Suppliers are listed in the “credits” at the bottom of the menu.
2. Les Fines Gueules (Louvre) - Discerning gullets appreciate this menu’s all-star cast of characters.
3. Jeu de Quilles (Denfert Rochereau) - Their location next to the city’s best butcher was not an accident.

So you (or Mom) don't have to clean up the mess ...

1. Sixteen (River North) - Give thanks Trump-style by noshing on organic farm-raised maple roasted turkey, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, and, of course, the raw bar.
2. NoMI (North Side) - The Thanksgiving brunch buffet runs into the dinner hours of 7 p.m., but forget all that and focus on the roasted duck, traditional sides, and carved turkey just like Ma aspires to make.
3. The Goddess and Grocer (Bucktown/Wicker Park) - Place a catering order before the 24th to get your butternut squash ravioli, pumpkin risotto cakes with sage cream and balsamic syrup, and festive Thanksgiving cookies.