“If you’re looking to rub elbows with some political heavyweights the convention floor at the United Center is the best bet during business hours. But after the gavel slams, there’s a good bet, after hours you might find a few of them at 430 North Michigan Avenue.
“‘Enter at your own risk’ is the unofficial welcome of the Billy Goat Tavern.
“Co-owner Bill Sianis’s great uncle opened the Lincoln Tavern in 1934, but the name would change with the arrival of a new pet.
“‘He heard this noise outside the door, opened the door and saw a goat outside,’ Sianis said. The goat was adopted, and so soon the saloon had a new name, the Billy Goat Tavern.
“And it’s now celebrating its 90th year in business.
“It has made its mark on pop culture, parodied on Saturday Night Live by former Billy Goat customers who became famous comedians. And to this day, they’re still serving in the same style.
“Long known as an ink-stained watering hole for weary reporters, it became a favorite of legendary columnist Mike Royko.
“‘You could stumble here from four different newspapers at one time,’ Chicago Tribune reporter and author Rick Kogan said. ‘The Sun-Times and the Daily News and the Tribune, and The American. … And you could stumble back to work too.’
“The ‘Subterranean Saloon,’ as Kogan calls it also occupies a unique space in the heart of the city.
“‘It is a neighborhood tavern in a place that is really not a neighborhood,’ he said. ‘We’re in the middle of downtown. There are very few places like this left, even in neighborhoods anymore.’
“That’s why it has become an attractive campaign stop for politicians looking to connect with the common man.
“‘All you have to do is look around. Anybody from Chicago would feel comfortable in this place, because in the grand tradition of neighborhood taverns, they treat everybody equally,” he said. “It levels life’s playing field like any good tavern should.’ (Lowe, WGN, 8/19/24)