The Museum of Science and Industry has a new Star Wars exhibit. The exhibit, called Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, features models, artifacts, and replicas from the movies and will run through January 6th. Advance tickets are suggested and are available online.
Chicago, museum of science and industry, star wars, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
On Saturday, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and all of their children were treated to an after hours visit at the Field Museum here in Chicago. The Field Museum is always a big hit with kids because it features dinosaurs and other fun natural history exhibits.
Here are several photos of the clan leaving the museum. You can see that Pax has a couple of temporary dinosaur tattoos on his arm.
It’s still not too late to do something fun tonight. I was going to go to a Women in Film - ONLY advance screening of Evening, but I don’t have any clean clothes, so it looks like I’m stuck doing laundry! Lame! If you don’t know anything about it, Women in Film Chicago is a great networking organization for women involved in film and television in the area. They put on great events and have a lot of advanced movie screenings. Check out their website: HERE.
If you aren’t a WiF member, you could hit Tuesdays on the Terrace to see free evening jazz concerts on the MCA’s Anne and John Kern Terrace overlooking Lake Michigan. “Enjoy cocktails and light dinner fare while listening to Chicago’s finest jazz musicians, hosted by local radio personalities. In addition to a dinner menu, Puck’s cafe also offers boxed meals and blankets, perfect for those who prefer to relax on the sculpture garden lawn.”
Dinner reservations are recommended, call 312.397.4034
In case of rain, the event takes place in Puck’s.
Check out the website: HERE
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
In April of 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened for business in Springfield, Illinois. Although Springfield is technically not a suburb of Chicago, at 200 miles away it is too far to earn that title, I love the museum so much I thought I would include it in my weekly feature.
The museum is part history lesson, part mini theme park, complete with replicas of Abe and his family and interactive shows. I had the honor of being one of the first guests at the museum on opening day back in 2005, which was a fun day complete with several Abe Lincoln impersonators milling around in the town.
The Illinois Railway Museum, located in Union, Illinois is home to a large, historic collection of locomotives, as well as other aspects of railroading. Throughout the various buildings that contain the trains, visitors can also see hundreds of old signs, such as railroad crossing signs and railway advertisements.
For more information about visiting the Illinois Railway Museum, including hours, visit their website.
I felt kind of junky yesterday, so I decided to go to my favorite place on the planet. The Garfield Park Conservatory!
Seriously, if you have never been there, you need to go. (1) It’s free. (2) It’s tons and tons of super gorgeous exotic plants. If that sounds boring to you, you should go just to discover how really awesome it is to connect with nature. I promise you that it will blow your mind. What you need to do, though, is go by yourself when you feel sort of junky. It will totally change your outlook.
Plus, it’s the only place in the city that you can breathe actual air. Not the fossil-fuel injected smog-air that you breathe the rest of the time, but real - mother nature purified - AIR. It’s amazing.
And, as luck would have it, right now is the magical time when the Spring Flower Show overlaps with Niki in the Garden. The Spring Flower show is - exactly as it sounds - spring flowers, and Niki in the Garden is a pretty amazing sculpture exhibit. You can catch it daily from 9am to 5pm (8pm on Thursdays) until May 14th. Really, there’s no reason not to go. Just think GREEN! Take the green line to the Conservatory/Central Park Drive station.
The Museum of Science and Industry, which is known for its creative exhibits to get people interested in science, will be joining forces with one of the most popular television shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Starting on May 25th, 2007 and running through September 3, 2007, the museum will have an exhibit called “CSI: The Experience.”
The premise of the exhibit is that visitors will have a chance to play the role of crime scene investigator. According to the museum’s website, there are three crime scenes that you can visit and investigate. Some of your task will be:
* Match shell casings in a firearms lab
* Hear from a forensic pathologist in a realistic autopsy room
* See a victim’s blood tested in the toxicology lab
* Learn about the advances in DNA profiling
* Examine the role human judgment plays with the advancement in technology
You will be given your own “CSI file” to keep track of your findings and results.
This exhibition price is in addition to the museum’s general admission and requires a specified entry time. Advance tickets are now available at the museum box office and online.
Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, museums, CSI: The Experience, CSI
Although the Chicago Transit Authority (”CTA”) receives a lot of criticism from daily commuters, an examination of the Chicago transit of the past should make Chicagoans grateful for the conditions (like air conditioning) that they have today.
In 1859, Chicago residents would have ridden in a horse drawn vehicle like the one below. It held 18 passengers and traveled the length of State Street from Randolph Avenue to 12th street. This vehicle, which is on exhibit at the Illinois Railway Museum, is believed to be the oldest intact example of the “animal railway” in North America.
From 1936 to 1958, Chicagoans traveled through downtown in streetcars, like the “green hornet” shown below from 1948. It had 57 seats and there were nearly 700 streetcars like this in use in Chicago.
In addition to the streetcars, the elevated trains (”el”) also served as an effective mode of transportation throughout the city, as they do today. The photos below shows few different trains through the years.
Elevated train 1922
Chicago, illinois railway museum, trains, railway, elevated train
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
