The Local Tourist - Chicago's Neighborhood Guide: Restaurants, Nightlife, Things To Do, Events & More

For the Chicagoan Who Has Everything

The Local Tourist — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:57:09 +0000

The Chicago History Museum has come up with the perfect gift for people who love Chicago: a piece of our past. With their "Adopt An Artifact" program, anyone can be responsible for preserving the city's history. Donation levels start at $35 and there are six artifacts you can adopt:

Kukla, Fran, and Ollie’s Colonel Crackie

The Railsplitter, a larger-than-life Lincoln campaign painting, 1860

Terra-cotta arch from the Union Stock Yard, 1888

Frank Lloyd Wright–designed stained-glass windows, 1902

Burnham and Bennett’s Plan of Chicago, 1909

President Lincoln’s order to affix the Seal of the United States on the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863

Just like your first Cabbage Patch doll (although I never had one of those so I could be wrong), there are adoption papers. For real Chicago buffs the really cool part of this gift is that their names will be on a board in the museum's lobby.

Oh Mom...are you reading this?

Adopt An Artifact here

__________________

Your Downtown Chicago Neighborhoods Community Host

Where:

Chicago History Museum

Category:

Shopping In Chicago

Come on and take a free ride

The Local Tourist — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:32:08 +0000

Chicago is home to more bars per capita than just about every other city in the U.S. If you've been out on a Saturday night, then you know this is a case of supply meeting demand. We Chicagoans do love to go out. Thanks to Miller Lite a night carousing can be both cheaper and, more importantly, safer.

Starting this Saturday, Miller Lite will provide a free trolley that'll pick up and drop off revelers in the Loop, River North, Old Town, Lincoln Park, and Wrigleyville near bars and El stops. The "Miller Lite Free Rides" begin at 8pm and run until midnight. They'll be doing this every Saturday through December, and are throwing in New Year's Eve and New Year's Day for good measure.

The map of routes is below, but you don't need to print this out or bar hop with your computer in tow. Simply text "RIDE" to 46636 and they'll send a link with stops listed to your phone!

Category:

Getting Around

Ten bucks off hit show CALLS TO BLOOD by The New Colony

S. Mikayla Brown — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:52:25 +0000

One of the "it" theater companies in town is offering ten bucks off their hit show CALLS TO BLOOD. It's an original work that could be a great intro to theater for a t.v. lover - it's straight forward and engrossing. It's sort of a mash-up of a Judd Apatow movie and Law and Order SVU episode. It was so well received, they extended their run in a bigger space at the Royal George Theater in Lincoln Park. Check it out!

Use the code word "HEART" when you call the boxoffice for $10 off your ticket. Join us tonight! $5 martinis afterwards at the Black Duck.

More info here:

http://thenewcolony.org/callstoblood

__________________

S. Mikayla Brown is a local actor, improviser, producer and general voracious consumer of performance. Current projects can be googled or binged under CULT OF THE STAGE MONKEY CHICAGO and CHICAGO FRINGE FESTIVAL.

Where:

Royal George Theatre

Category:

Theater

75 cent Cheezeborgers & Beer. Happy Hour, anyone?

The Local Tourist — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:11:19 +0000

Billy Goat Tavern turns 75 years old today, and to celebrate they're offering cheeseburgers and beer for 75 cents each. That should make for a very happy hour. So happy that the curse of the goat may mean something entirely different tomorrow morning... It's available at all their locations, except for O'Hare (sorry travelers).

Where:

Billy Goat Tavern

Category:

Cheap Chicago

Category:

Restaurants

Da Curse of the Billy Goat, The Chicago Cubs, Pennant Races, and Curses

AlphaBeer is born

The Local Tourist — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:43:24 +0000

When she worked downtown, every Friday night my mom would get on the 5:04 train. Over time she got to know others that took the same route, and if you've taken the Metra on a Friday you know that people drink beer. Well, my mom and her crew came up with the idea to bring a beer every Friday that started with a different letter of the alphabet. At the time I worked in a restaurant, so when it was her week to bring the brew she'd call me, tell me the letter, and ask what she should get. Sometimes I'd be stymied, so she'd call up Binny's and they'd special order a Q or a K or whatever particular letter she needed. More and more people thought this was such a good idea until they went from needing one six pack to three. This group of ale-lovers even had a web site.

They've since disbanded. Mom no longer works downtown and the others have also gone their separate ways, but the story stuck. I was telling Barbara Maldonado about it a few weeks ago and we said "we should have an event". It helped that we were sitting in Twisted Spoke and their beer list is so comprehensive it seemed like you really could taste beers from A to Z.

We picked a date. Came up with a name. Bought the domain. Then we put out a request on Twitter & Facebook for a great beer bar in Wrigleyville because we want to see Lucid Ground at Cubby Bear after the event. Ta-da! Julia Shell came to the rescue. Within an hour she had our event set up at The Globe Pub with free transportation to the show.

Thus, AlphaBeer was born. This Saturday from 6 to 9pm The Globe Pub will have a beer from every letter of the alphabet for us to sample, poured by Eric Hobbs of Goose Island. After the tasting they're going to ship those who want to go off to Cubby Bear to hear some top Chicago bands, three of whom have been featured on TLT (tickets for the show $10 at the door).

Hop on over here for a complete list of beers and get your tickets right away!

What: AlphaBeer

When: Nov 21, 6 to 9pm

Where: The Globe Pub

Where:

The Globe Pub

Category:

Events

Category:

Nightlife

Save 50% at The Fifth Through Tomorrow

The Local Tourist — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:59:33 +0000

The Fifth wants to be your friend and they want you to follow them. They're not inviting you to stalk them...well, actually, they are. Instead of launching a costly print campaign, the new restaurant from the folks behind Kitsch'n, Volo and the Paramount Room decided to use the power of social media to reach their market. If you're one of the first 500 followers on Twitter or join their group on Facebook you'll get 50% off your food bill through tomorrow night. As of 11:59 this morning they're at 91 followers and 127 members, so there's still room for you! With items like sage-crusted fried chicken breast with shallot-scented potato gratin I'd hurry up and do it now before they hit their marks!

Where:

The Fifth

Category:

Cheap Chicago

City Gate Grille- a little sizzle in the 'burbs

Alan Carter — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:21:30 +0000

City Gate Grille is the latest dining option to open in the western fringes of Naperville. The restaurant is located in CityGate Center, a mixed use development just north of the IL. rte. 59 exit off of I-88. The complex includes the boutique hotel Arista, previously reviewed on this site, and is expecting to add retail stores and other attractions as it grows. This is a destination restaurant and it better be because currently there's not much else to see or do in the neighborhood unless you're a hotel guest or are in the area on business. The focus here is on regional American with Mediterranean influences, which covers a lot of real estate. For our media dinner, young - he's only 31-executive chef David Sapp prepared an interesting and largely successful menu. A selection of appetizers including smoked trout and duck prosciutto were very well received and left us eagerly awaiting the main event. The 5 course dinner traveled through several Med. regions, but there was always a sense of unity from one course to the next. The seasonings were subtle enough that you didn't feel like you just ran through Epcot scarfing down every over-the-top niblet each country thrust in your face. Which is not to say that there wasn't any flavor. Indeed, everything from the onion bisque to the pumpkin cheesecake was a big mouthfull of yum. Only the fish course was a bit disappointing, although that may be just me. I've always had a kind of adversarial relationship with the ichthyological contingent of the culinary arts. However, the scallops from the aforementioned appetizer sampler were outstanding, which just shows how fickle Neptunian charms can be. The presentations were attractive without being cutesy or showy, letting the aromas and flavors dominate. The wine pairings were right on target, although the chocolate stout beer didn't match too well with the cheesecake - too bitter for the sweetness of the dessert. It's not wine, so I suppose that lets it off the hook. Unfortunately, our menu didn't list the wines, so I can't comment on the vineyards. Given the accuracy of the pairings, it's probably fair to say you could rely on the sommolier's recommendations. My lovely but latcose intolerant wife has often had to settle for mediocre substitutions - you know, the whole angel hair with marinara thing - but here she was well accomodated. The bisque and cheesecake were out of the question, of course, but the other selections were tweaked just enough that she could truly enjoy them without fear of dairy induced reprisals. The room itself seats 220 on a couple of different levels and was conversation friendly. An unusual bas relief wall of undulating wave forms dominates one end and provides a distraction from the open bar with its ubiquitous TVs tuned in to sports channels. Given the entree price level (around $15-30) this intrusion is really unwarranted. All in all it was a very pleasant and delicious evening. You can learn more about City Gate Grille at citygategrille.com.

Where:

City Gate Grille

Category:

Life In Chicago

Category:

Restaurants

Category:

Reviews

Save the (lunch) date

The Local Tourist — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:13:31 +0000

Today I had the great good fortune to spend my lunch hour at Harris Theater. Danceworks Chicago and human beatbox Yuri Lane put on an amazing performance while I and several hundred others dined and noshed. Lest you think we were being rude, we were there for Eat To The Beat - an event where you're actually invited to eat - in a theater - while people are dancing - for $5. If you forgot your lunch you could even pick one up in the lobby for $10.

If you missed it, mark your calendar for February 23. That's the next Eat To The Beat, and this one will again feature Danceworks Chicago. In an interesting twist, they're inviting Chicago musicians, DJs, and spoken word artists to create the "soundscape" for Alex Ketley's If Ever (An Ocean) Relinquished. The winning piece will be presented during the Eat To The Beat performance, and the artist will receive $250 and two United tickets to anywhere in the continental US.

Take a look at the dance and then submit your soundscape by January 15. Complete details are on the Danceworks Chicago website.

Choreography looking for Soundtrack - AVI File from Andreas Böttcher on Vimeo.

If you do plan on going to the next one, a couple of things to note: the performance starts at noon and ends about 12:40 followed by Q&A, so if you only have an hour just leave the office a little before 12 and you'll get to see the whole dance. Also, remember you're eating in a theater, so bring a lunch that doesn't require two utensils.

Where:

Harris Theater for Music & Dance

Category:

Events

Category:

Music

Category:

Reviews

Category:

Things To Do

Musicians at Work Forum

The Local Tourist — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:59:05 +0000

Being a musician is a tough job. There's a lot more to it than just creating something people love to listen to. They have to find it first. That's where tonight's Musicians At Work Forum comes into play. Part of a monthly open forum hosted by Chicago Music Commission and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, this month's will discuss how musicians and bands can use social media to grow a fan base. It's open to the public and the tools and techniques talked about tonight could be helpful for any creative field. The evening starts at 5:30pm with networking and the panel begins at 6pm.

Where:

Chicago Cultural Center

Category:

Chicago News

Category:

Events

Category:

Music

Save $5 on Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival

The Local Tourist — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:53:33 +0000

The Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival is less than a month away! You can see twenty-five bands on three stages over thirteen hours for $35. Actually, because you're a Local Tourist (and you are if you're reading this), until Wednesday you can get it for $30! The fest is being headlined by six time Grammy winner Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and includes acts like psych-folk harmonizers Dr. Dog and The Emmitt-Nershi Band. Chicago's "premier blues entertainer" (according to the Chicago Tribune), Eddie "The Chief" Clearwater will also take the stage, and many, many more.

It's going to be a great day! Click here for tickets and use code LBS to get your $5 off. This offer is only good until Wednesday, so get 'em now!

Where:

Congress Theater

Category:

Music

Throw Down Your Heart, Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3: Africa Sessions

The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2