Today marks the opening of the three day music festival extravaganza that is Lollapalooza. It will take take place in Grant Park today through Sunday.
The extensive list of tremendous musical acts includes Pearl Jam, Snow Patrol, Amy Winehouse, The Roots, and Regina Spektor. For a full list of acts, including when they perform, visit the Lollapalooza Official Site.
Lollapalooza, Chicago, Pearl Jam, Amy Winehouse, Snow Patrol, Regina Spektor, The Roots, Grant Park
It what the city of Chicago has labeled a “one-of-a-kind experience,” visitors can participate in an immersion weekend, which includes a hotel stay, along with a behind the scenes look at a particular aspect of Chicago culture. Unfortunately several of them have passed already, but there are three left:
CHICAGO THEATER IMMERSION WEEKEND - THE COLOR PURPLE
Friday, August 10-Sunday, August 12, 2007
CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIRS IMMERSION WEEKEND
Friday, August 31-Sunday, September 2, 2007
CHICAGO THEATER IMMERSION WEEKEND - JERSEY BOYS
Friday, November 9-Sunday, November 11, 2007
According to the city of Chicago site:
Immersion weekends fuse the best of Chicago’s diverse hotels with the city’s arts and culture to bring the visitor distinctive presentations, behind the scenes experiences, and VIP access to events, activities and special guests.
For more information or to book your immersion weekend, visit the Chicago Immersion website here.
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If you are looking for something fun to do this Friday that will also help a good cause, consider attending The annual “Caring for Kids Day” at Alcocks sports bar in Chicago. They label the event “one huge gigantic street fest” and it will benefit LaRabida Children’s Hospital. As these photos from last year show, last year’s event included live music and a dunk tank!
Here are the details:
Friday July 20th
10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
411 S. Wells
312-922-1778
Event will take place outside the back door the bar.
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Do you want to be able to eat whatever you want at the Taste of Chicago and not have to worry about your waistline? Consider running in the Race to the Taste, which is a 5k (3.1 mile) run or a 2 mile walk taking place Sunday July 1st at 8:30 a.m. The race begins at Columbus and Balbo. All participants receive a Dri-fit shirt and a strip of food tickets for the Taste!
In addition to the 5k race and the walk, there will also be a Kids Dash, for the little runner in your family. The Dash begins at 10:00 a.m., with registration taking place at 9:00 a.m.
Registration for the 5k is currently available online here.
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Do you want an interesting and new way to explore Chicago and its architecture? You should consider taking a ride on the Loop Tour Train. The special train ride consists of a 40 minute fun and educational journey of the Chicago Loop. Docents from the Chicago Architecture Foundation narrate the tours to give you the history of the area.
The best part of this Loop Tour train ride is that it is free! Trains depart every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. from the Randolph and Wabash Chicago Transit Authority elevated train station. Tickets are required and can be picked up the morning of the ride at the Chicago Office of Tourism Visitor Information Center in the Chicago Cultural Center, which is located at 77 E. Randolph Street.
For more information on the tours, which run now through September 29, visit the City of Chicago website.
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According to reports, the city of Chicago is considering having a “congestion fee” in order to reduce traffic in the loop and raise money for things like the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Alderman Edward Burke introduced potential legislation at a City Council meeting on Wednesday that would require motorists who drive into downtown Chicago to pay a fee.
I think that charging motorists who insist on commuting into the loop is a great idea. There is really no reason why daily commuters cannot use the CTA, the suburban train system, or ride their bicycle as a way of commuting. However, given that the over $20 per day parking fee does not deter them already, I doubt an additional daily fee would do so. If the revenue is then given to the CTA, however, that could have a positive effect on the transit system. Of course concerns about the CTA’s ability to manage its money would then come into play.
The main problem that I see with this proposal is how they would go about collecting the fee and the costs of setting up that system. There are too many arteries into the loop that would have to be manned (either with a person or electronically) that could make the whole plan cost-prohibitive.
According to WGN News, a similar fee is in place in London, which equates to about $16 per day. It is enforced by requiring motorists to have a pass and those who do not are caught on one of the many video cameras in the city and sent a ticket in the mail. No exact plan for collection or fee amount for Chicago has been determined at this stage.
What do other Chicagoans think of this idea?
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The Chicago Public Library’s annual summer reading program is now underway. This year, in addition to the children’s reading program, the library has also added an adult summer reading program. The program, called “City of Big Readers,” which runs from June 11-August 4, encourages people to spend their summer reading, whether it is on the beach, on the bus to work, or in your own backyard.
To encourage your child to read, take them to the library where they can receive a reading log. When they return to any branch and tell one of the librarians about what they’ve read, they will be rewarded with a sticker for each book that they finish. If you are unable to take your child to the library so frequently, you could get some stickers to have at home to give them to your child when they finish a book. Be sure to ask your child to tell you about the book and what they liked about it. For more information on the children’s reading events, check out this guide (in PDF).
Adults can form book clubs for added motivation to finish that latest novel. Consider starting a club at your work or with a small group of friends. The library has a great program called “Book Club in a Bag,” which allows you to check out 10 copies of the same title, as well as materials to facilitate your book club. For more on this and other programs for adults, check out this guide (in PDF).
Visit the Chicago Public Library for more information on the City of Big Readers program.
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Chicago’s annual Summer Dance event starts this Thursday, June 14th, and runs though August 24th. The event provides free one-hour dance classes taught by professional instructors in Grant Park. The event takes place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, 6 to 9:30 pm, and Sunday afternoon, 4 to 7 pm, weather-permitting. The first hour will be the lesson and then live music will be performed so that you can practice what you learned.
Throughout the summer, 43 different bands will play and a wide variety of music styles will be presenting including mambo, swing, square dancing, salsa, and fox trot.
As a special addition to the event this year, there will be a series of events throughout several neighborhoods in Chicago. For more information on this component, called Chicago Summer Dance…On the Move, visit this link. Perhaps they will be in your neighborhood!
Visit the Chicago Summer Dance website to see the schedule of events. You can search either by date or by dance genre. The site also lists all the scheduled bands and the scheduled professional instructors.
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Next week, from June 9-15 is Chicago’s annual Bike to Work Week, sponsored by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. The goal of the event is to encourage people to consider biking as their primary mode of commuting, as it is environmentally-friendly, reduces traffic congestion, and promotes healthy living. There will be special events throughout the week, including a rally at Daley Plaza on Friday.
If your place of employment does not have a place for you to keep your bicycle, consider the Millennium Park Bike Station, which is now called McDonald’s Cycle Center. You can park your bike there for free or, for a fee, you can join and have access to showers and lockers.
For more information on Bike to Work Week, including tips and tricks for commuting, check out the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation website.
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This weekend, June 9 and 10, is the Printer’s Row Book Fair. The annual event, called the “largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest” features almost 200 booksellers from around the country selling used, new, and even antique books. There are also nearly 100 events on several different stages including readings, panels, and author appearances. There is also a children’s area called Kids Alley which features a series of events to get children exciting about books and reading.
The event is free to the public, runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and takes place on Dearborn, from Congress to Polk, and on Polk, from Clark to Dearborn. If you would like more information about joining over 90,000 other people this weekend at the fair, check out the official website.
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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
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!
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
Known for its Midwest charm, despite its big city persona, Chicago just may be your kind of town! This is the place to learn all about Chicago including its history, attractions, events, and the best place to get deep dish pizza.
Chicago, IL Author(s)
» Winnie-McCarthy
