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Improving coronavirus numbers have made more summer events possible. Here’s the latest updates on this year’s changing entertainment landscape.
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Jul 9, 2021, 12:54pm CDT
A South Side alderman says the Wentworth Gardens development has become a “war zone,” and she wants the security firm in charge to be replaced immediately.
“People should not have to live in fear like that,” Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) said Friday, during an online news conference.
Dowell’s demand comes a day after two men were shot, one fatally, at the Chicago Housing Authority development, which is just south of Guaranteed Rate Field.
The victims were in front of a residence about 2:15 p.m. in the 3900 block of South Princeton Avenue when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened gunfire, police said.
Deandre Abrams, 26, was struck in the face and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The other man, 35, was shot in a leg and taken to the same hospital in good condition, police said.
Dowell said the shooting was the fourth homicide at Wentworth Gardens this year. In the same time span, Dowell said, residents have made 449 calls to 911, with reports of “shots fired.”
“The residents are living in a war zone; that is unacceptable. We do not live in a war zone. … Enough is enough,” Dowell said.
She said AGB Innovative Security Systems has failed the residents of Wentworth Gardens.
“We needed AGB to be far more active than they were, to break up illegal gatherings on the property, to address the illegally parked cars, … to stop people from selling parking spaces to people who are attending the White Sox games,” Dowell said, noting that AGB’s contract runs through November 2021.
“We need action now — today,” she said.
A representative from AGB could not be reached for comment.
Karen Vaughan, a spokeswoman for CHA, said the agency is “working on the procurement process now for when the contract expires.”
“Thursday’s shooting is a tragedy, and CHA stands with residents in the Wentworth Gardens community as it recovers from this violence,” Vaughan said in a statement. “CHA is cooperating fully with the Chicago Police Department in its investigation of this incident. CHA is working with our partners in law enforcement and the community to ensure the safety of all our residents.”
Humboldt Park claims a distinction that no other urban neighborhood shares: It is believed to be home to the oldest surviving outdoor community murals in the nation.
The three murals date to 1971, during the early years of the Chicago-born contemporary or community mural movement, which had been launched in 1967 with the creation of the “Wall of Respect” in Bronzeville by a group of Black artists and activists. The movement soon spread across the country.
As they mark their 50th anniversary, these classic Humboldt Park / West Town street murals resist being labeled aging relics from a bygone activist era. Though they largely depict events and issues that were current at the time, the murals remain relevant, reflecting the hopes and struggles, heritage and resistance, of the Puerto Rican community — and of the community at large.
“For me, what was interesting about the murals was their social messages,” says Jose Lopez, executive director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. “They speak to issues that impacted directly on the community, like housing, police brutality — all the issues that we continue to address today.”
Each of these “people’s art” landmarks has been restored at least twice over the decades, according to artists and organizers, a sign of how meaningful they are to their neighborhoods. They also show how outdoor murals can act as markers of public memory.
“My belief is the three murals done that summer are the oldest community murals surviving in the country, not just the city,” John Pitman Weber says.
As co-founder of the Chicago Mural Group coalition in 1971, he worked with grassroots organizations and led neighborhood residents working on two of the murals: “Breaking the Chains” at Rockwell and LeMoyne streets and “Together We Overcome” at Division Street and Hoyne Avenue. This is actually West Town, in an area that was predominantly Puerto Rican at the time.
The other mural is “The Crucifixion of Don Pedro Albizu Campos,” painted by the Puerto Rican Art Association — Jose Bermudez, Mario Galan and Hector Rosario — at North and Artesian avenues. This mural shows persecuted 1950s Nationalist Party figures on crosses and advocates for island independence.
Yet mural expert Eduardo Arocho says the wall has “transcended its original meaning to represent Humboldt Park.”
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Arocho has led neighborhood and mural tours for over 20 years. As a former longtime director of the Division Street Business Development Association, he also helped commission newer murals and street pieces along the Paseo Boricua, the six-block stretch of Division Street between Western and Sacramento avenues that includes the monumental steel Puerto Rican flags.
“Murals are the best way to tell the story of our community,” says Arocho, who recently launched his own Paseo Boricua Tour Company. “A lot of our experiences are not in books.”
The artworks were created as part of the same Chicago Mural Group summer program, with the help of federal funding and local organizations as sponsors. The murals’ content was discussed through a series of “open community meetings,” says Weber, then an art professor at Elmhurst College, who is one of the nation’s most influential muralists.
Weber and a racially mixed group of youths worked at the flashpoint of tension when they painted “Together We Overcome” on the side of a Puerto Rican-owned business along a once-derelict stretch of Division Street. The mural chronicled Black, Latino and white gang conflicts in the area, reflecting larger racial divisions. The scene is resolved by a unity march and a brotherhood clasp of Black and Brown hands.
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Three years later, in 1974, Weber added images of a coffin. That’s a reference to Association House youth worker Orlando Quintana, who was shot and killed nearby by an off-duty cop the previous year, sparking anti-police brutality marches.
In 2004, Weber and a team repainted the faded mural and added references urging affordable housing in a now-gentrified area. The building’s new owners and neighbors welcomed it, he says, though it’s now obscured by a garden.
Why restore decades-old street murals in changing, or changed, city neighborhoods?
“Oh, why don’t we burn down an art museum? Why keep a record of human history or human culture at all?” Weber replies. “That wall is a vestige of the history of the area. And the question is: Is it an advantage to erase history so that every place is the same? Knowing where you are is part of the question of knowing who you are and what stories you are part of.”
“Breaking the Chains,” created on an apartment building, is another street survivor. Weber led its residents, many of whom were members of sponsor Latin American Defense Organization, a social justice group, along with local youths, in designing and painting the wall.
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The work shows racially mixed hands “breaking the chains” of injustice, poverty, racism, slum housing and other negative forces, which are listed on the wall, in order to create a positive, progressive future, symbolized by children carrying roses. A woman crying from the window of a burning building refers to the arson-for-profit fires that ravaged the neighborhood in the 1970s.
Weber and a team restored the mural in 2013, a redo funded by the Latin United Community Housing Association, which owns the building, and the Chicago Public Art Group, earlier known as the Chicago Mural Group. (Disclosure: As a neighborhood volunteer, this reporter worked for about a day on each of Weber’s mural rehabs.)
Community groups donated funds to Mario Galan and Puerto Rican Art Association members to create “The Crucifixion of Don Pedro Albizu Campos,” which has since become one of the most iconic symbols of Boricua Chicago.
“It has a lot of imagery of the independence movement and all the people that sacrificed themselves for that cause, which is still an issue,” Arocho says.
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But the mural didn’t survive without a drawn-out struggle. Beginning in 2001, activists campaigned to save the mural from being blocked by the construction of a condominium on the adjacent lot. The protests stopped walls from being built three times, according to news reports. Finally, developers were forced to remove bricks after a land swap arranged by the city.
By 2011, the mural had been restored, and the lot had become a garden.
“Beyond all hope, we were successful,” notes Arocho, “Nobody would say that was possible.”
According to Arocho, there are plans to restore the mural and renew the garden again by September.
That’s when the community will celebrate the three murals’ 50th anniversaries.
Is there a world record for the fastest time to go from mattering to not mattering? The Cubs have done it in a blink, and although the Guinness people might want something more accurate, something involving fractions of a second, what I can I say? By the time we had blinked once, a formerly competitive, interesting baseball team had relocated to a town called Nobody Cares.
The Cubs recently went through an 11-game losing streak. That’s not just one white flag being waved. That’s the equivalent of all the flags outside the United Nations headquarters turning white and flapping in the wind. Then the Cubs won a game – yay! That was followed by another loss – oh, you again — and all the talk about gaining some “momentum” heading into the All-Star break changed back into muttering.
Weren’t we just discussing how cool it was to have two good baseball teams in town?
Wasn’t the public conversation all about how Cubs ownership was going to have to fortify the roster before the trade deadline?
To paraphrase “Young Frankenstein” (and to connect with all my young readers out there), didn’t that hump used to be on the other side?
And here we are, looking for other diversions. Oh, sure, people will still go to Wrigley Field, because it’s beautiful, because it’s summer and because it beats working. Cubs fans tramp to Wrigley instinctively, in the same way no one has to tell them to get dressed in the morning.
But to say that this season has meaning anymore, well, no. The same, possibly, for next season. That’s what the last two weeks have done. Amazing, when you think of it. And I know you’re trying not to think of it.
It’s not hard to believe that, even with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javy Baez still around, it has gotten to this point. The World Series title came in 2016, and five years is a lifetime in sports. The strange part of what’s happening now is the abruptness of it. Two weeks and then poof! We had seen the Cubs’ house for what it was, a structure that was showing lots of wear and tear. It still had some nice features, but it was clear that real work needed to be done.
Then an EF-5 tornado came through, there was no more wear and tear, and no work to be done. Also, no house.
That’s what the losing streak looked like.
And now? If you asked me what the Cubs should do about Rizzo, Bryant and Baez, I’d respond with, “Any good movies playing in the theaters?” Keep them. Trade them. I don’t care.
Maybe this is how chairman Tom Ricketts wins in the end. If you hold to the “Major League” view of things, then the Cubs’ not winning and not mattering is exactly what ownership wants at present. The family can get rid of some expensive players and cut costs. You’d have to be really cynical to believe that. Not me. Not cynical at all. No, sir.
Team president Jed Hoyer knows how much darkness and despair the word “rebuild” carries in these parts, which is why he took pains the other day to say that whatever the Cubs might do going forward, it most certainly won’t be a rebuild. He knows the franchise can’t push that button twice. It can’t unload everybody and put the fan base through profound losing and sky-high ticket prices. The Cubs did it for at least three years before an appearance in the 2015 National Championship Series finally saw the return of the sun. And then the 2016 title.
“We’re in a different situation now than we were in 2012,” Hoyer said. “And so, the decisions we’re making, the process we’re going through are completely different. So I think that label (rebuild) is certainly something to be avoided.”
He did imply that the losing streak has changed how the team will conduct business heading into the July 30 trade deadline.
“You have to keep one eye on the future and think about what moves you could potentially make that could help build the next year, the next great Cubs team,” he said.
Two weeks ago, he wanted to get married. Now, he’s talking divorce. One blink, and it’s all over.
Pardon me for not giving a whit about any of it. The Cubs have been tap dancing around the possibility of darkness for a while. Now they’ve gone all in, right into the abyss.
For those of you who still really care, here’s a flashlight. For the rest of us, there are still plenty of fun things to do in the sunlight.
Three Chicago cops and a federal marshal opened fire while serving an arrest warrant in West Garfield Park Friday morning, seriously wounding a man who is facing more than a dozen counts of aggravated sex assault and had cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet.
The suspect, 33, was in a black Jeep when he was confronted by federal marshals and Cook County sheriff’s deputies around 9:40 a.m. in the 100 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told reporters.
They approached the Jeep and ordered the man to get out, but he refused, Brown said. They then called for help from Chicago police.
The suspect displayed a gun and three police officers and a marshal opened fire, Brown said. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where fire officials said he was in grave condition. His name was not released.
A handgun was recovered at the scene, police said. Brown said it was unclear if the man had fired shots at the officers.
No officers were shot, but five police officers were taken to hospitals for evaluation, he said. Brown did not elaborate.
The suspect was wanted on 15 counts of aggravated sex assault with a firearm, and had violated his electronic home monitoring by cutting off the bracelet, Brown said. A warrant for his arrest was filed on Dec. 4, he said.
Brown used the incident to repeat once again his claim that the Cook County courts system is fueling gun violence by releasing on electronic monitoring people charged with violent crimes.
“If this debate that we’re having saves one life, then all the criticism is worth it,” said Brown, who has been accused by the county’s chief judge and prosecutor for mischaracterizing the monitoring program.
“I’ve mentioned that 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams was killed by someone on electronic monitoring,” Brown said, referring to a shooting at a McDonald’s drive-thru earlier this year. “We are advocates for the victims.”
The U.S. Marshals Service was leading the investigation into Friday morning’s shooting. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the three Chicago officers’ use of force.
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — Sitting in the dugout at tiny Yogi Berra Stadium as he prepared to play for the Frontier League’s Sussex County Miners, Todd Frazier recalled reading a quote from former Yankees teammate Masahiro Tanaka vowing Japan’s baseball team will win an Olympic gold medal.
“I didn’t know Masa talks like that,” the 35-year-old third baseman said. “You play for your country, you see some inner beast in people that you’ve never seen before. The quietest of people come out and roar like lions. The loudest of people come out and are like gazelles. And you just see the craziest thing.”
Frazier has experience playing Japan. Back when he was 12 years old in 1998, he went 4 for 4 and pitched two-hit ball over the final two innings as his Toms River East American team beat Kashima 12-9 in the final to win the Little League World Series.
Now near the end of his playing days, the two-time All-Star is the emotional force on the 24-man American roster headed to Yokohama for the six-nation Olympic tournament starting July 28 that also includes the Dominican Republic, Israel, host Japan, Mexico and South Korea.
Released by Pittsburgh in May after going 3 for 35 this season, the Toddfather helped the U.S. qualify for the Olympics on its second try, going 4 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in the berth-earning 4-2 win over Venezuela on June 5 at Port St. Lucie, Florida.
When the U.S. team gathered for that tournament, Frazier was given an additional task by former big leaguer Ernie Young, the U.S. hitting coach.
“He said, ‘Fraiz, you know what to do. Get these guys going for every game,'” Frazier explained. “So I would bring them all together, give a little pep talk and get them fired up, kind of like we’re playing in a Super Bowl because it was Game 7 every game.”
The U.S. roster includes baseball senior citizens such as Frazier and pitchers Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson and David Robertson, and a handful of top prospects as Tampa Bay pitchers Joe Ryan and Shane Baz. Major League Baseball does not release anyone on 40-man rosters for the Olympics, and general managers often discourage eligible players in their farm systems.
U.S. manager Mike Scioscia, who led the Angels for 19 seasons, says Frazier brings “a relaxed focus” that filters through to the rest of his roster.
“I’ve been seeing Todd from an opposing dugout for a long time. His attitude and his commitment is second to none,” Scioscia said. “He loves this game of baseball. He loves competing, and he loves putting on the USA jersey. So there’s no doubt that his leadership was huge.”
Frazier has a .241 average with 218 homers and 640 RBIs during parts of 11 seasons with Cincinnati (2011-15), the White Sox (2016-17), the New York Yankees (2017) and Mets (2018-20), Texas (2020) and Pittsburgh (2020). He won the 2015 All-Star Home Run Derby and reached the playoffs three times but never the World Series.
He also was on the U.S. collegiate national team for the 2006 World University Baseball Championship in Havana with David Price, Jake Arrieta and Sean Doolittle and on the 2010 U.S. team for Pan American Games qualifying, joined by Mike Trout, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Danny Duffy and Chris Archer, a group managed by Young.
“It’s just so exciting playing for your country because you’re not only representing yourself, your country, you’re representing the people that fought for your country, too,” Frazier said. “That’s how extreme it is. You want to play good for them. And when you think like that before games and you go out and play for others, good things usually happen.”
Olympic baseball is far from the high-tech life of the major leagues, where analytics departments parse spray charts, spin rates and scouting reports that some players fixate on and others ignore at their peril. When Frazier reported to the U.S., it was like a trip back in time.
“Basically, we had nothing. We had no video. We had no analytical process. It’s here’s your bat. Bring your own stuff. This is your jersey,” he said. “We got food for you. Now go out and play. Yeah, that’s what I love — everything about it.”
As recently as two years ago, Frazier had 21 homers and 67 RBIs. He hopes to regain that form.
“Making the big play, making that big hit at the end of the game, I think that’s what drives me to be the best possible player I can be,” he said. “And knowing that I still can do it, I think that fulfills me. I want to show my kids who their dad is.”
His 7-year-old son, Blake, is the short right fielder on an 8-and-under all-star team preparing for a July 10 opener. He gets home coaching.
“He had a practice this morning. He didn’t run out a ball. So after the practice, I said, `Listen, you ever see dad not run out a ball?’ He was like, `No, not really,'” Todd recalled. “I said. No, not `really.’ The answer is `No.’ And I’m like, you want to make it to the big leagues? ‘Yeah, I want to be like you.’ I said, well, you got to run out a ball.”
“Not being mean or anything, but just teaching him the ropes.” Frazier said.
Frazier’s fun is infectious for the U.S. and for his family, too. His wife, the former Jacquelyn Verdon, was a gymnast when they met at Rutgers in a class called public speaking for athletes.
“She got an A. I got a B, and I was pretty upset, because I thought I did a better job,” he said with a smile.
Their 5-year-old daughter, Kylie, is a gymnast and 2-year-old son Grant may play football.
“He’s the maniac,” Frazier said, chuckling.
With Blake and Kylie Kimberly that morning, practice began at home, not his wife’s ideal way to start her day.
“She complained about him swinging the bat at 8:30 this morning in the kitchen,” Frazier related. “I said Jackie, come on, let the kid swing. It’s baseball. I used to do it. She goes, `This is the weirdest thing in the world. Why didn’t you go outside?’
“I said because, first, it’s raining. And second, the bat’s right there. That’s what we do. We visualize. We do whatever. Baseball players are crazy. And she just looks at me like befuddled and said, ‘We never did this in gymnastics.’ I’m like, your daughter’s over there in the family room flipping all over the couches. I said, let’s go. We started laughing.”
Home time became a benefit of getting released.
“I get to see these things now, which is great,” he said. “Do I miss baseball in the major leagues? Of course, but I’ve come to grips with it.”
Frazier has 9 years, 93 days of major league service and needs 79 days more to fully vest in the pension plan. After he’s done playing, perhaps a career in broadcasting is ahead.
“I’m going to try and get on the team by the end of the year here,” he said. “If not, I’m going to try in spring training one more time and hopefully I’ll fight my way to get one more one more year and it’ll be great.”
Taste of Chicago To-Go offers food from over 40 eateries, music, dance and events in Chicago neighborhoods including Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, West Englewood and across the city
WHO: Taste of Chicago To-Go food vendors and food trucks; Chicago Band Roster musicians; author Marisel Vera; Taste of Chicago favorites Eli’s Cheesecake, Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs and Goose Island; food business incubator The Hatchery; and Let’s Talk Womxn — just to name a few; presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)
WHAT:
Taste of Chicago To-Go (July 7–11, a new and reimagined program presented in place of this year’s Taste of Chicago festival in Grant Park, returns this summer with free music, dance and food events across the city — featuring nearly 40 participating eateries and promoting Chicago’s amazing restaurant industry; plus “Community Eats” community meals serving local nonprofit organizations and pop-up music performances at participating eateries citywide, featuring artists from the Chicago Band Roster (created for the 2021 Year of Chicago Music).
WHEN + WHERE:
FRIDAY, JULY 9:
4–8PM
Taste of Chicago To-Go Presents Puerto Rican Food, Coffee and Storytelling featuring a conversation with Marisel Vera author of “The Taste of Sugar,” at ¡WEPA! Mercado del Pueblo (2559 W. Division St.)
Acclaimed local author Marisel Vera is a proud Boricua — and her novel “The Taste of Sugar” was recognized as one of 12 best Latinx books of 2020 by NBC News and the “Best New Novel by a Chicagoan” by the Chicago Reader.
5–8PM
Taste on Tap: a special event at Goose Island Brewery’s Tap Room (1800 W. Fulton St.)
Featuring a wide array of Goose Island’s brews and a one-night-only “TASTE of CHICAGO” pint. A commemorative koozie will be in limited supply and Goose Island Brewery will donate a portion of the proceeds from the evening to benefit My Block, My Hood, My City.
Pop-Up Performances
Experience live, in-person performances by Chicago musicians popping-up at the following eateries — to celebrate the Year of Chicago Music and support Chicago restaurants. For additional information about the Year of Chicago Music and the Chicago Band Roster, please visit chicago.gov/music.
SATURDAY, JULY 10:
10AM–2PM
Pop-Up Taste: a “Taste of the West Side” at food business incubator The Hatchery (135 N. Kedzie Ave.) — presented with the Garfield Park Neighborhood Market and offering live entertainment, cooking demos and innovative local food businesses and entrepreneurs; 10:30am: “I Am Community” art installation
10AM–4PM
Pop-Up Taste: Eli’s Cheesecake and Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs — Taste of Chicago’s tastiest team and long-time Taste of Chicago “booth neighbors” — have once again partnered to create a one-day food and music event at Eli’s Cheesecake Company (6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr. at the intersection of Forest Preserve / Montrose / Normandy).
1–8PM
Pop-Up Taste: Join us in the West Englewood community (6300 S. Wood St.) to purchase delicious food from local eateries and relax in a dining tent while enjoying a stellar line-up of local DJs, musicians and dancers — plus kids activities.
Taste of Chicago To-Go food vendors and food trucks:
1–7:45pm: Beer garden
Live performances by local musicians — celebrating the 2021 Year of Chicago Music hosted by DJ Mike P with special guest DJ Jamal Smallz:
Kids activities: 17’ Wacky Dual Lane Slide, Pop-A-Shot Baskets, Ring Toss, Social Photo Booth, Tic-Tac Toe, Giant Connect Four and Giant JENGA
SUNDAY, JULY 11:
12–3PM
Let’s Talk Women Picnic in White, an epic picnic at Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.), will serve as the closing event for Taste of Chicago To-Go — presented by DCASE and Let’s Talk Womxn.]
This celebration of Chicago features women-power music, women performers and interviews of Chicago’s leading women restaurateurs with pre-ordered picnic fare and beverages. The $45 picnic box lunch features five surprise items from Chicago’s top women-owned restaurants and will be picked up onsite upon arrival (vegetarian or non-vegetarian). Signature cocktails and beverages may also be pre-ordered. Limited food and beverages will be offered for purchase onsite. Guests are encouraged to dress in white in solidarity with women across Chicago and across the world and to bring friends and family to this celebration. For details, visit LetsTalkWomxn.com.
Pop-Up Performances
Experience live, in-person performances by Chicago musicians popping-up at the following eateries — to celebrate the Year of Chicago Music and support Chicago restaurants. For additional information about the Year of Chicago Music and the Chicago Band Roster, please visit chicago.gov/music.
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Chicago Auto Show 2021 officials announced they received approval from state and city officials to host a special edition of the show July 15-19 at McCormick Place. It will be one of the McCormick Place’s first live, in-person events since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. The special edition show will move to the West Building of the McCormick Place complex and expand outdoors to take advantage of July weather. With the show’s move, attendees will now experience more outdoor test-drive opportunities, test tracks, and technology demonstrations, which will take place along Indiana Avenue and surrounding city streets. Some of these outdoor opportunities include the Camp Jeep and Ram Truck indoor test tracks, Subaru’s popular pet adoption event, and Ford experiences, featuring the new Bronco, Bronco Sport, and all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV.
McCormick Place, West Building | 2301 S. King Drive, Chicago
The 2021 show will begin with electronic ticket processing and they will be exclusively sold online. Attendees will be able to select their preferred date and time. The event will be carefully controlled for crowd capacity and the floor will be regulated to control the number of people at any given time. Attendees will also have the opportunity to pre-register for onsite activities including an indoor and outdoor test track and ride-and-drive events.
And in an effort to make this show as special as possible, the Chicago Show organizers have gotten approval to shut down Indiana Ave for a Street fest! The Street Fest will feature the latest vehicles on display, food trucks, local brews, and musical entertainment. A variety of food options will be available including BBQ, street tacos, Asian fusion, burgers, and more. Goose Island will be on-site with their Chicago rail car bar and the Shandy Man will make special appearances. Desserts will include frozen custard, cupcakes, refreshing ices, and more.
The show will run from July 15 through July 18, 9 am-10 pm and July 19, 9 am-8 pm. More information regarding the show can be found here. Tickets prices start at $13 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. Tickets can be purchased here.
With people getting out more now that more are vaccinated and COVID-19 restrictions largely are lifted, we asked Sun-Times readers to tell us where they’d take someone visiting Chicago for the first time.
Hundreds of people responded, offering their collective take on a local’s guide to the city.
Everybody had at least a few must-sees to suggest. There were the expected downtown landmarks, of course, but also beloved spots across the city.
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“1.) An old-school neighborhood tavern — I like Stanley’s at 43rd and Ashland. 2.) Take the Brown Line to the end of the line so they get a bird’s-eye view of, like, 10 different neighborhoods. And 3.) Take the Pink Line to Ashland, and walk around Pilsen to see the murals and pop in to one of the many great Mexican restaurants around there.” — Paul Mulchrone
“A day at the Shedd Aquarium, then water-taxi to Navy Pier. Water-taxi from downtown to Chinatown. Go to the Signature Lounge for a drink and a stop at the women’s restroom with an amazing view of the city. Go to the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago History Museum and then the J. Parker [rooftop restaurant].” — Kate Gronstal
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“For the perfect day, head over to Hyde Park and the University of Chicago — where you can walk the campus and appreciate the amazing architecture and vibe. Then, just a stone’s throw away, is the wonderful Medici on 57th restaurant for a fabulous breakfast, lunch or dinner. Finally, end your afternoon with an awesome browsing experience at 57th Street Books. You will not be disappointed!” — Patti Joyce
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“For the full experience, it would have to be the top of one of the buildings, so they can see it all at once. Only then would I start taking them around to the obvious: Navy Pier, the Bean, the Magnificent Mile, Wrigley Field, etc.” — Sandy Gulliver
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“Get a topnotch beef burger in Beverly, a jibarito on Division Street, a tavern-style pizza from a neighborhood pizzeria and dim sum to go and eat at in Ping Tom Park in Chinatown. Go on an architecture tour along the river, get birria from Birrieria Ocotlan on 106th, then a walk around Steelworkers Park and picnic at Promontory Point in Hyde Park. Eat at Original Soul Vegetarian on 75th, and get BBQ in Washington Park. Spend a day at Montrose Beach, and walk around Devon and get some food, of course. Plus, go to whatever neighborhood festivals are going on while they’re here. See some music at Jazz Showcase or in the parks, get some Ethiopian food at Ethiopian Diamond or Demera, then see a show at the Green Mill. Walk down 26th, and get some tacos or churros or paletas — or all of it. Grab lunch at Manny’s Deli, and maybe, if we have leftover time, Millennium Park and downtown.” — Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle
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“After they do the standard tourist stuff downtown, we go to Logan Arcade because Chicago is the pinball capital of the world.” — Will Reynolds
“Navy Pier, Water Tower Place, Grand Lux Cafe, Sox park, Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, Grant Park, Willis Tower, the Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry, Odyssey cruise, Riverwalk and more.” — Mary L. Fleming
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“Mostly South Side stuff: Rainbow Cone, DiCola’s Seafood in Beverly and Vienna Beef at 38th and Morgan. Also Weber’s Bakery on Archer and Vito & Nick’s on Pulaski. Get breaded steak from Ricobene’s on 26th. That should hold ’em for a while.” — John Czerwiec
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“Get an all-day water-taxi pass — it’s a relaxed way to see different parts of the city, with unlimited on-off privileges, so you can hop off if an area looks interesting. Up to Goose Island, out to Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, and always end the day in Chinatown so that you’re getting back to where you started while the city is all lit up.” — Carolyn Leeb
“Lou Mitchell’s for breakfast, Lou Malnati’s for deep dish and Gene & Georgetti for steak. It’s all about the food!” — Donna Mazarka
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“Chicago is a beautiful city. Go for a lakefront bike ride, go on the Chicago River architectural boat tour to visit the Art Institute and museum campus. But, most of all, visit the neighborhoods — Chinatown, Greektown, Little Italy. Also the Botanic Garden and Morton Arboretum.” — Jill Sorensen-Davis
“My usual itinerary is to begin at Union Station, then breakfast at a nearby greasy spoon and a walk down Michigan Avenue to burn off the fats. See Buckingham Fountain, drive around Lake Shore Drive to see the aquarium. See the art museum, Marina Towers, Water Tower, Sears (Willis Tower), Hancock, Wrigley, Soldier Field and the nearest White Castle. Stroll Navy Pier, cruise Old Town, then head south to the Museum of Science and Industry. End with a dipped beef and peppers from Johnny’s for a nightcap.” — Bruce Lorenzana
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“The 95th in the Hancock, then on to the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) and the Art Institute. Next: shopping on Michigan Avenue and a boat cruise on the river to get a real feel for the city. A must for food would be deep dish at Pizano’s, a steak at Gibsons and dinner at Girl & the Goat to really showcase that Chicago is a global city with some of the best food. We would go to a Cubs game and then Divvy on the lakefront for activity. Last, I would find some good music — not sure if any blues bars are open, but, if Kingston Mines is, then that’s a must. I would also go to Reggies in the South Loop — great for people-watching and music.” — Rosalyn A. Ford
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“Got to Wrigley Field — for the history and hopefully a ‘Go Cubs Go’ serenade, Navy Pier for a chance to see the skyline from the lake, the Art Institute to see the world-class creativity, the Goodman Theatre or one of the Broadway in Chicago theaters to see outstanding actors who’ve been idled way too long.” — Paul Lockwood
“Dinner al fresco at Gibsons on Rush. Live music at Kingston Mines or Buddy Guy’s and drinks at Bar 94 in the Hancock. Zanies would be a second choice for entertainment. The second night, we would go to Rosebud or Tufano’s on Taylor, a Chicago Blackhawks game, and have a nightcap on Rush.” — Frank Mandros
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“A night on Devon is pretty unique to just about any city in the U.S. You can get great Indian or Pakistani food — maybe Khan BBQ or Annapurna — and go to some incredible old Chicago-style dive bars like Cary’s or Casey’s Corner or Smilin’ Jim’s. If you’re still going at 2 a.m., you could pop up the Mark II. Once you are done there around 4 or 5 a.m., you could get some tacos at Lindo Guadalajara at Lawrence and Clark. Sadly, most of the North Side south of Lawrence has lost most of its character.” — Paul Richter
“Chicago History Museum, Art Institute, Mr. Beef, Club Lago, the Green Door, Twin Anchors, Old Town Ale House, Miller’s Pub, Laschet’s Inn, Gibsons and Gene and Georgetti.” — Jan Smid
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“My go-to list: 1.) Hot dog at your favorite place (mine is Superdawg); 2.) Field Museum; 3.) Walk down Michigan Avenue; 4.) Oak Street Beach; 5.) Dinner at a great steak house — so many, but my go-to would be Chicago Cut Steakhouse; 6.) Drinks on the 95th floor of the Hancock; 6.) Museum of Contemporary Art; 7.) Art Institute; 8.) Buckingham Fountain; 9.) Agora sculptures in Grant Park; 10.) A great Mexican feast at Frontera Grill.” — Robert Lisowski
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“Lunch in Chinatown, CAC River Tour and dinner at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, then on to a Beverly neighborhood watering hole with a live band. Run Lake Shore Drive, and take side streets for the scenic views.” — Kelly Dahle
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“Definitely a nighttime Wendella boat ride with fireworks. The Art Institute, The Bean and a walk on the Riverwalk with lunch. Go to Water Tower, and have dinner at the top of the Hancock. Ride on Lake Shore Drive south to Hyde Park and the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. Take in a game at Wrigley and some blues on Lincoln. See Blue Man Group, visit Boystown, then hop the Red Line to Chinatown for a meal, and take a water taxi downtown. Don’t miss the Shedd and the Field. And, if it’s summer, a stroll around the Museum Campus and along Grant Park. Head to Buckingham Fountain and the rose garden. Also, visit the Lurie Garden, the BP Bridge and maybe see a concert at Grant Park. Sooo much to do, food to eat, music, festivals.” — Sarah Lipman
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If country music, BBQ and beer are some of your favorite things, you need to check out Windy City Smokeout this weekend. Located in the United Center parking lot, consider this one of the biggest tailgate parties in Chicago this summer. Of course, a festival is not complete without an array of awesome food choices, so here is the round up of must-eat food items at Windy City Smokeout 2021:
If you’re from the Chicagoland area, you’re probably familiar with Bub City. This Windy City staple is known for their tasty smoked meats and traditional American dishes. Their BBQ Nachos are the perfect mashup of a hearty meal and finger foods.
Serving up juicy smoked meats with a twist, Leroy & Lewis BBQ gives you traditional barbecuing with a dash of fine dining. Modern and innovative dishes are their expertise. We recommend their Bulgogi Beef Ribs & Kimchi. You can thank us later.
With their unique twist on traditional BBQ, Sugarfire Smokehouse is serving up ribs, burgers, and more; all St. Louis style. With juicy pulled pork dishes and beef brisket galore, they are a guaranteed hit. You’re definitely going to want to try the Burnt End Birra Tacos.
Looking for a little spice outside of BBQ? Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba has got what you’re looking for. Between the tapas, pintxos, and the sangria, all of the flavor-packed sensations are just a bite away.
Pizza, beer, and good vibes: that’s what Happy Camper is made of. With multiple locations across the country, Happy Camper is ready to serve modern spins on traditional American fare that you won’t want to miss.
Located in New Orleans, what once started as a small pop-up, Blue Oak BBQ has taken the meat game to new heights. Offering smoked meats and savory sauces that are sure to take your tastebuds for a trip to southern goodness.
For a complete list of food menus, beer lists and music artists, head over to the Windy City Smokeout website.
