The Green Mill was a speakeasy back in the days of Al Capone, and it appears not to have changed much since. The cash register is clearly very old, and it's really cool looking, but it has the unfortunate habit of chiming and clanging during bass solos and other quiet parts of songs.
These days, the Green Mill is one of the foremost jazz clubs in Chicago. Kurt Elling and Patricia Barber both have standing gigs there, and both are well worth the $7 cover. Get there early, or else you'll be jammed in back with the loud men who came to pick up girls and can't be bothered to shut up so that you can hear the music. The front is quiet (and non-smoking) and you can sit practically within arm's reach of the musicians. The drinks aren't cheap, but they aren't ludicrously expensive. Every time I've gone, there's been street parking out front.
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