Chicago, IL

Starting next Wednesday June 6 through September 3, Navy Pier will be hosting Cirque Shanghai, a talented troupe of Chinese acrobats. The company was here last summer as well, but this year will be showcasing their new production Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi. The phrase “Bai Xi” means “100 amazing acts.” The performances combine dance, acrobatics, and feats of physical strength.

Here is a video from YouTube, taken by someone who saw the performance last summer.

The shows take place at the Pepsi Skyline Stage at Navy Pier Wednesday through Sunday and feature both day and evening performances. For more information and for tickets, visit the Navy Pier website.

Chicago, Navy Pier, Cirque Shanghai, acrobats, chinese acrobats, bai xi

Do you have an hour to kill today? Then, you should take a tour of the Chicago Theater. According to the website, “The tour encompasses historical and architectural highlights of the building, including the grand lobby areas, majestic auditorium and backstage space (when possible).”

At first, that sounds a little bit on the dull side, until you check out photos of the building…

Wow. You have to admit that is pretty amazing.

Tour Schedule

April 1 - September 30: Weekly tours take place every Tuesday and Thursday at 12pm
October 1 - March 31: Weekly tours take place every Tuesday at 12pm

Cost: $5 per person - which includes a souvenir VIP badge.

There are also sometimes special Saturday tours that include possible demonstrations on the Wurlitzer organ.

Does that make me a nerd, if that sounds REALLY REALLY cool to me?

If you want to learn some history of the building, visit this website: ZING!

The Chicago Theater
175 North State Street
Chicago, IL

The Chicago Theater, Tours, Sight-seeing, Wurlitzer organ

Starting tomorrow, May 28th, and running through this Sunday, June 3rd is the annual German festival Mayfest. The event takes place in the Lincoln Square neighborhood and features such events maypole dancing and traditional food and beer. The specific location of the event is the intersection of Lincoln, Leland and Western Avenues.

Admission is free and the hours are as follows:

May. 31: 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Jun. 1: 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Jun. 2: noon - 11 p.m.
Jun. 3: noon - 10 p.m.

Chicago, maypole, mayfest, german, lincoln square

Well, it looks like this weekend marks the beginning of a long series of neighborhood music festivals around town. I’m going to check out the Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival. This festival not only has a truly banal name, but promises “national, regional and local bands, plus food, beer, crafts and more.”
Sounds great, you say, but how much does it cost? $5 donation benefits Central Lake View Merchants Association

Here’s the lineup…

Saturday
Noon: Cook County Jazz Commission
1:30 p.m.: The August
3 p.m.: Mike & Joe
4:15 p.m.: Mike & Joe
6 p.m.: Alternate Routes
8 p.m.: Josh Kelley

Sunday
Noon: Forte
1:30 p.m.: Soulio
3:30 p.m.: Catfight
5:30 p.m.: The 1900s
7:30 p.m.: Carbon Leaf

Jun. 2: noon - 10 p.m.
Jun. 3: noon - 9 p.m.

Located at 3200 N Sheffield…
Apparantly, if you just get off the Red Line at Belmont and walk Northwest, you’ll run right into it.

Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival, Carbon Leaf, the 1900s, Catfight, Soulio, Josh Kelley, Alternate Routes, Mike and Joe, The August, Cook County Jazz Comission, Chicago

Although the city of Chicago has a wonderful (and free) zoo in Lincoln Park, there is another zoo outside the city that is worth the trip if you are an animal lover. The Brookfield Zoo, located in the suburb of the same name, features 216 acres of beautiful grounds, home to a wide variety of interesting animals. The zoo is a short drive from the city via I-290 and is also serviced by the Burlington Northern line of the Metra suburban transit system.

The zoo has a new exhibit called Stingray Bay, which features cownose rays and southern stingrays in a 16,000 gallon tank. Visitors can actually touch the rays as they pass by, making it an exciting experience for children and adults.

For more information about visiting the zoo, including hours and admission fees, check out their official website.

Brookfield zoo, stingray, zoo, animals, chicagoland, brookfield, chicago

Looking for something interesting to do? Why not find out what Midwestern Buddhists are like? Just steps from St. Michaels in Old Town, the Midwest Buddhist Temple is a beautiful and peaceful building. Take a cultural adventure, and check out their Zen Shin Meditations on Sunday mornings, or if you aren’t really interested in their spirituality, you could just go to their “First Ever Used Book Sale.”

Saturday June 9, 2007 10 AM to 1 PM
At front of Temple - Between Larabee & Sedgwick
Genres include fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.

Proceeds will go to Room to Read, which provides books and libraries to underprivileged children around the world.

Hardcovers $1 - Paperbacks $.50

Sounds like a great cause to me!

Buddhism, Chicago, Midwest Buddhist Temple, Used Books, Room to Read

The annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival will take place this weekend, starting on Friday June 1. The festival takes place in Millennium Park and includes performances in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Gospel Youth Tent on the North Promenade and the Walgreens Day Stage on the South Promenade. The festival runs from 4:00p.m.-9:30 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Among the performers are Donald Lawrence & Co., Myron Butler and Levi and Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson.

Admission to the festival is free of charge. For full schedule information at each of the performance areas, check out the official website.

Chicago, Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Gospel, music festival, millennium park

I’ve never actually been to a book club. They sort of seem like the kind of thing that my older sister would do. She would wake up early, go for a jog, take the kids to Mommy-and-Me Yoga, then drop them off at day-care and go to her book club.
I’m more likely to wake up at noon, watch Heroes reruns online for several hours, eat some junk food and go to a comedy club.
That having been said, I read - A LOT. Mostly on the train. And, I was thinking that it might be cool to go to some kind of magical place where lots of people who have all read the same book get together and talk about it! Woh. If only there was a place like that…

For information about Chicago Public Library Book Clubs, click here: BOING!

Book Clubs, Chicago, Public Library, Reading

An exhibit opened in Grant Park in Chicago yesterday called “Eyes Wide Open: An Exhibition on the Human Cost of War.” The exhibit consists of one pair of boots for every soldier who has died in the Iraq War. When the exhibit first came to Chicago in January 2004, there were only 504 pairs of boots. Sadly the exhibit has now grown to over 3,000 boots. Each boot has the name of a fallen soldier. The exhibit runs now through Memorial Day.

For more information, including a schedule of events and speakers, visit the Eyes Wide Open website.

Chicago, Memorial Day, fallen soldiers, Iraq War, eyes wide open, military

To honor those military personnel who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the city of Chicago will be holding a Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, May 26th. A wreath laying ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the eternal flame in Daley Plaza at State Street and Randolph. The parade will kick-off there at 12:00 p.m. and head south on State Street to Van Buren Avenue. The parade is estimated to have approximately 25,000 participants, making it one of the largest Memorial Day events nationwide.

The parade will also be televised live on the local ABC affiliate Channel 7, starting at 12:30 p.m.

Chicago, parade, Memorial Day, Memorial Day parade

I’m not originally FROM Chicago, so the phenomenon of BYOB theater venues is amazing to me. If you have a hankering for some hedonistic fun, get a ticket to Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play. I’ve heard that it often sells out, so buy a few bottled of Yellow Tail and get tickets early.

Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play

Friday & Saturday nights at 11:30pm
21 and over only!

In his third show this year, Byron Hatfield joins with Gorilla Tango theatre to produce a show that truly knows the heart of Chicago. Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play is a series of outrageous sketches, all centered around Chicago’s favorite past time: Drinking. But to really get into the swing of things, the show is filled with interactive drinking games for the audience, pitting males versus females, actors versus audience, etc. It’s sure to be either one of this winter’s favorite attractions or worst follies, so catch it while you can. B.Y.O.B. - Beer/Wine only, 21 and over. www.byebyeliver.com

Produced by Byron Hatfield and Gorilla Tango.
Show Rating - R

Gorilla Tango Theater
1919 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
773-598-4549

Gorilla Tango Theater, Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play, Theater, Comedy, Chicago

One of the things that Chicago is most well-known for is its food! Whether you are a resident or a visitor, one fun way to get to know the city in a different way is through a food tour. A company called Chicago Food Planet offers food tasting walking tours of the Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.

According to their website, they offer a wide variety of food on the tour, including stops at a bakery, a fudge and confectionery specialty shop, a Middle-Eastern delicatessen, a tea specialty store, a spice and herb specialty shop, a local chocolate lounge, and an authentic Chicago pizzeria.

In addition to the food, the three hour walking tour is fully-narrated and includes information about the various neighborhoods, including history, culture, and architecture. Advance tickets (at $38 a person) are required and can be purchased on their website.

Chicago food planet, chicago tours, chicago, lincoln park, gold coast, old town, chicago history, chocolate lounge

I recently saw what I believe to be a magical theatrical experience…

Arm Soup: The Story of How Five People Went West And Ate Each Other

Directed by my personal hero, Mr. Pat O’Brien, Arm Soup presupposes that the events that happened in 1846 to the Donner Party could happen in Modern America. A mismatched band of five modern residents of Loami set out on the road to California in a covered wagon. The actors (and writers) masterfully balanced the absurdity of the plot on the edge of pandemonium. They were the perfect example of controlled chaos.

Did I mention that this is a musical?
Riiiiight.
Basically, I was in heaven.

The cast was made up of a lot of actors that I normally associate with Improv Comedy: Beau Golwitzer (The Reckoning, Shotgun, Testify), Emily Wilson (Johnny Roast Beef, The Ragdolls), George McAuliffe (Revolver, 21st Century Men). And they all sang their little hearts out to songs written by the amazingly talented Tony Mendoza and Sam Locke.

Arm Soup is in an open run Friday and Saturday Nights at 10:30 at the Annoyance Theater on Broadway and Lawrence. It’s a couple of doors down from the Green Mill.

You can get tickets online: HERE
General Admission: $15

Arm Soup, Pat O’Brien, Annoyance Theater, Musicals, Improv Comedy, Chicago

Despite living in the city, Chicagoans still have the opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers and baked goods, without shelling out a lot of money at a specialty grocery store. The Farmers’ Market season in Chicago is here! Probably the most well-known market to people working in downtown is the market in Daley Plaza. It takes place every Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is a great place to pick up some berries for a pie or some fresh onions for cooking. This is not the only opportunity in town, however. Here is some more popular Farmers’ Markets in the city (please note the specific dates and times of each):

Chicago’s Green City Market
At the South end of Lincoln Park, North of the
Historical Society parking lot between 1750 N. Clark St. & Stockton Dr.
Wednesdays and Saturdays
May 16-Oct. 31, 2007
7 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Garfield Park Conservatory Farmers Market
(European Style Market)
300 N. Central Park
Saturdays and Sundays, May 26-Oct. 29, 2007
9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Daley Plaza Farmers Markets
Washington & Dearborn (100 N. - 50 W.)
Thursdays, May 17-Oct 4, 2007
7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Federal Plaza Farmers Markets
On Federal Plaza - East of the Post Office
Adams & Dearborn (230 S. - 50 W.)
Tuesdays
May 15-Oct. 30, 2007
7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Prudential Plaza Farmers Markets
Lake & Beaubien Court (200 N. - 150 E.)
Prudential Building Plaza
Tuesdays June 5-Oct. 23, 2007
7 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Park at Jackson & Wacker
311 S. Wacker (311 S. - 350 W.)
On the Park at Jackson & Wacker
Thursdays June 14-Oct. 18, 2007
7 a.m.-3 p.m.

For even more farmers’ markets, check out this list by the Illinois Green Party. 0

Chicago, farmers market, Chicago farmers market, daley plaza, garfield park, vegetables, fruit, gardening

Have you ever been walking around downtown, and you accidentally find yourself in the middle of some kind of protest? A few weeks ago, I found myself in this scenario, and I unfortunately never really figured out what was going on. It was something having to do with Bank of America and La Raza and racism.
Anyway, I was snooping around on the Chicago Free Speech Zone website, which seems to be a point of contact for people interested in Activism in Chicago, and I noticed that they have some really interesting events coming up.
Maybe you want to check them out.
Maybe you don’t agree with these people’s viewpoints - in that case, go check out their protest and learn a little bit more about why other people think differently than you.

Wednesday, May 23

Operation Midwest Mobilization
Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War will reenact the hypocrisies of deployment before “deploying” to New York for “Operation First Casualty” — a street theater action to bring the truth of the war home. At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue (on the river).

Man, anything called a “street theater action” sounds cool to me. The only problem is they don’t say what time this is all going down. So, I guess we’re on our own.

Also, here’s what’s planned for Memorial day…

Monday, May 28

March for Peace on Memorial Day
Members of Chicago-Area CodePINK and Northwest Suburban NOW will have an anti-war contingent in the Arlington Heights Memorial Day parade. Gather at 9 a.m. east of Arlington Heights Road on Sigwalt Street; look for unit number 35.

You know, everyone says that the age of activism is dead, and I think there’s a lot of truth in that. Most people assume that activists are all either crazy or out to get something. But, I think if more regular people take an interest in what’s going on in the world around them, we could change that stereotype.

Now, I’m probably on one of those Patriot Act lists.

Rock on!

Activism, Chicago, Memorial Day Events, NOW, CodePINK, Iraq Veterans Against the War