Since I'm staying there, there's really no point venturing to the Chicago Club.
There are a lot of CC fans here, but I agree. It's a short walk but you risk bandits with badges and then you have to pay for a shitty room. If you're looking to check out smaller bars while you're there, these are better options:
- Gold Palace: lower talent but you can barfine a chica to bring to Cas
- Dulce & Gabanna: Located across the street from Senda Norte, it's much closer to Cascadas than CC, about the same size, and has some talent. You can also, unlike CC, you can barfine a girl here to come back to Cas.
- Bar Tropical: owned by the owners of HK, this is where they send the lesser talent, but also girls who get punished for missing shifts, so you can find both bargains diamonds in the rough here.
Of course, none of these smaller bars will have the talent or selection that HK will have!
Traveling solo, any concerns about walking around the neighborhood?
Yeah, your biggest concern is the bandits with badges, the municipal police. If you go exploring, don't carry much or any cash on you. See @PutaTester's recent post.
Getting mugged or harmed in the streets actually feels unlikely. There's always a huge presence of mexican army in La Zona, so I'm never worried about real bandits, just the type with badges. ¡Esos pinche cabrones!
grab stuff at the pharmacy, etc
If you come in through PedWest there's a Roma Farmacía right across the street as you exist the turnstiles from customs that is very convenient. You could just stop in there, before catching either the Zona shuttle or a cab to Cascadas. The nearest farmacia to Cascadas is maybe a block and half away.