MLA ‘08 Blog

Often voted the best science museum in the country, Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is a delight for children and adults. It is the largest science museum in the Western hemisphere with an OmniMax theater, working coal mine exhibit and a real U-505 German submarine to tour. There are exhibits that range from transportation and genetics, to space exploration and petroleum sciences.

Favorite permanent exhibits include:

• An enormous train model that shows the train journey from Seattle to Chicago,
• Farm technology and baby chick hatchery
• Yesterday’s main street with a working silent film theatre
• Whispering room that is truly amazing.

The museum is located about 6 miles south of downtown, at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive. It is in the Hyde Park neighborhood that is also home to The University of Chicago. Consult the directions webpage for details about how to get to the museum by bus or train.

Don’t pass up a chance to visit this Chicago treasure.

-Andrea Garren

(Image from the Museum of Science and Industry website)

If you could use a laugh or two after a long conference day, Chicago has plenty of entertainment options on the lighter side. Check out the comedy listings at Time Out Chicago for a taste. Also consider one of these two Chicago favorites:

The Second City
Address: 1616 North Wells
Phone: 312-337-3992
Directions: Sedgwick stop on the Brown Line

A top comedy club in Chicago, Second City launched the careers of such big names in comedy as John Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and more.

Blue Man Group
Address: Briar Theatre, 3133 North Halstead
Phone: 773-348-4000
Directions: Belmont stop on the Red/Purple/Brown Lines

You may remember the Blue Man Group from their commercials for Intel computer chips a few years ago (take a peek on YouTube). With music, props, audience participation, and a good dose of humor.

Daniel Burnham, Louis H. Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe . . . Chicago is a city of great architecture. And there’s no better way to gain an appreciation for it’s history than by taking a tour led by a knowledgeable docent from the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF).

Here are four (of many) tours you might consider:

• Explore downtown Chicago and visit beautiful art deco skyscrapers.
• Admire art glass and mosaics by Tiffany Glass in several landmark Chicago buildings. The tour fee includes general admission to the Art Institute.
• Sit back and enjoy the skyline vistas on a river cruise. In addition to all you’ll learn about the city’s architectural history, you’ll also get the best unobstructed photo of the Sears Tower!
• Have you read Devil and the White City? Learn about the site and circumstances surrounding the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the backdrop for this chilling story. The special companion tour is offered on Thursday, May 22nd at 10:30 AM.

CAF tours are offered on all days of the week; visit their website to see which will work best with your conference schedule. Fees range from $5 for tours of individual, historic buildings, to $30 for the river cruise.

Insider tip: The shop at the CAF ArchiCenter is a great place to pick up an unusual gift or Chicago souvenir. They are located at 224 S. Michigan Ave., at the corner of Michigan and Jackson.

-Kristin Hitchcock

When you think of Chicago, you probably don’t think about beaches. But Chicago has 29 miles of Lake Michigan frontage and 15 miles of public beaches. A great way to enjoy them is by cruising along the Lakefront Bike Path. And don’t let the name “Bike Path” fool you. You can bike, run, walk, rollerblade, even swim your way past beautiful parks, neighborhoods, famous sights, and Chicago’s wonderful skyline.

There are plenty of kiosks and water fountains along the way to grab a snack or drink, Or you can use the many connections to help you bridge the gap. There are dozens of tunnels and bridges to get you over or under Lakeshore Drive if you need something more substantial to eat or drink. Also, you’ll find basketball courts, soccer and baseball fields, playgrounds - even a golf course - along the way.

This Associated Press article describes the bike path and gives contact and logistical details about renting bikes and Segways. And if you would rather tag along with an expert, the article even has information about guided tours. The Millennium Park or Navy Pier bike rental locations are closest to our MLA meeting hotel. The Chicago Bike Map, on the City of Chicago website, also provides a good look at the route and access points.

Chicago’s Lakefront Bike Path is a unique way to get exercise as well as see the city. Enjoy!

Insiders’ Tips:

1. Make sure you use the bridges or tunnels to cross Lake Shore Drive. It is far too busy to try to cross anywhere else.
2. Check out the view on the Bike Path at 51st Street looking north. You come around a bend and suddenly see a spectacular prospect of the city skyline and beautiful lake. It is my favorite view in the entire city.

- Andrea Garren

In addition to Jazz (see our earlier post) Chicago is a great city for Blues music. I asked Niles Frantz, who hosted a Chicago Public Radio Blues show for many years, about the best places for Blues in the area. Here are his recommendations:

Buddy Guy’s Legends
Address: 754 S. Wabash (about 10 blocks from the Hyatt)
Phone: 312-427-1190
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-2am; Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 6pm-2am

B.L.U.E.S.
Address: 2519 N. Halsted (a short cab ride from the Hyatt)
Phone: 773-528-1012
Hours: Su-Fri 8pm-2am; Sa 8pm-3am; Music starts at 9:30pm

Rosa’s Lounge
Address: 3420 W. Armitage (a longer cab ride, but Niles’s favorite place)
Phone: 773.342.0452
Hours: Tu-F 8pm-2am; Sa 8pm-3am; Su-M closed; Music begins at 9:30 or 10pm

Are you staying at the Hotel Orrington during the conference? If so, you might also be interested in:

Bill’s Blues Bar
Address: 1029 Davis Street in Evanston (a walkable distance from the hotel)
Phone: 847-424-9800
Hours: Su-W 4pm-2am; Th-Sa 4pm-3am

- Pat Pinkowski

In a previous post, we highlighted Broadway shows and local theater companies on stage in Chicago. Here are some music and dance venues you may also want to consider during your visit.

Are you looking for a colleague who would also like to attend a performance? Leave a comment below.

Chicago Opera Theater
Address: 70 East Lake Street
Phone:312-704-8414

John Adams’s A Flowering Tree is on stage five days in May. The production is “modeled on the themes of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and is based on a Southern Indian folktale.”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Address: 220 South Michigan Avenue
Phone: 312-294-3000

Enjoy the CSO’s performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, May 22-24th. Orchestra Hall also hosts a chamber music series and jazz, pop, and world music concerts. View their May schedule here.

Joffrey Ballet
Address: Auditorium Theatre, 50 East Congress Parkway
Phone: 312-902-1500 (box office)

The Joffrey Ballet presents four modern works in American Modern, on stage May 14-25th. The company performs at the Auditorium Theatre, a beautiful historic landmark designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan.

Built on rubble from the 1871 Chicago fire, the Art Institute of Chicago had a visionary purpose: to acquire and exhibit art of all kinds and to conduct programs of education. Now the collection encompasses more than 5,000 years of human expression from cultures around the world. Artists represented by its masterpieces include Picasso, Renoir, Goya, Monet and others too numerous to mention. Included in its principal masterpieces are such definitive works as:

• A Sunday on La Grande Jette, by Georges Seurat
• Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper
• American Gothic, by Grant Wood

During the MLA conference, the Art institute will have special exhibits on subjects as diverse as Contemporary Chinese Woodblock Prints and Animal Images on Ancient Coins. A complete list of exhibitions is available to help you plan your visit. The museum also offers tours and programs. The calendar page will provide details on upcoming events as May draws near.

The Museum is truly a highlight of Chicago. Located just a few blocks from the Hyatt, it is a great place to visit during your free time. To walk to the museum . . . From the conference hotel, head West along Wacker Drive to Michigan Avenue. Turn left and walk South on Michigan to Adams. The Museum is on the left hand side of the street; you enter between the two lion statues. It is also just a short cab ride away.

Further visitor information is available on the museum website. Admission is $12.00 for adults.

Insider Tip: Looking for a fun introduction to the Art Institute? Want to see how works in the collection connect to each other, and to the world around us? Take a quick tour of the collection with a themed self-guide. Each one features six works of art with brief, entertaining descriptions.

-Andrea Garren

Thinking of seeing a show while you’re in Chicago?

“Chicago is a great theater town, so if you want to see one of the Broadway plays running at downtown venues or sample superb regional companies, it is smart to plan ahead”

A great tip from Local Assistance Committee members James Shedlock, Christine Frank, and Debra Werner! You can read more about Chicago theater and performing arts in their columns in the October and November/December issues of MLA News.

Two popular blockbusters are Wicked–the prequel to the Wizard of Oz–and Jersey Boys–the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Here are a few links to information about these shows and other theater options, many of which are within walking distance of the conference hotel.

For more information on what’s playing, see ChicagoPlays.com. Also check out Hottix, a source for half-price tickets for local theaters.

Cadillac Palace
What to see: Avenue Q (opens May 21)
Address: 151 West Randolph Street
Phone: 312-986-5853

Chicago Shakespeare Company
What to see: The Comedy of Errors
Address: 800 East Grand Avenue (at Navy Pier)
Phone: 312-595-5600

Chicago Opera Theater
What to see: John Adams’s A Flowering Tree
Address: 70 East Lake Street
Phone: 312-704-8414

Ford Center for Performing Arts / Oriental Theater
What to see: Wicked
Address: 24 West Randolph Street
Phone: 312-977-1700

Goodman Theater
What to see: The Ballad of Emmett Till
Address: 170 North Dearborn Street
Phone: 312-443-3800

Lookingglass Theatre Company
What to see: Around the World in 80 Days
Address: 821 North Michigan Avenue
Phone: 312-337-0665

LaSalle Bank Theatre
What to see: Jersey Boys
Address: 24 W Randolph St
Phone: 312-559-0220

Steppenwolf Theater
What to see: Dead Man’s Cell Phone
Address: 1650 North Halstead Street (a cab ride from the Hyatt)
Phone: 312-335-1650

Hot Tix
Address: 72 East Randolph
AND
Address: 163 East Pearson, at Michigan Avenue (inside the Water Works Visitor Center)
Hours: Tu-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11am-4pm

- Dianne Olsen, with additional links from Kristin Hitchcock

Holy Cow! This could be the year. Really, it could.

And even if it isn’t, we won’t know that in May when we visit Chicago for MLA.

Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in major league baseball and no trip to Chicago is complete without taking in a game. The Cubs are scheduled to take on the Pittsburg Pirates May 16-18, 2008 and tickets are available online from the Official Site of the Chicago Cubs. As someone who took their kids to Wrigley before taking them to Disney World, I can say that every time I’ve been to the park to see the Cubs it has been a wonderful experience. Win or lose; whether you choose to sit with the Bleacher Bums or behind the plate, you will have a great time.

Oh, and there is ANOTHER team in Chicago as well: the White Sox. Comiskey Park US Cellular Field isn’t the same as Wrigley, but you can see the Sox take on the Cleveland Indians on May 20-22, 2008. Last time I went it was May and so cold we had to take breaks inside to warm up, so if you go, bring a blanket.

The best way to get to either ballpark is by taking public transportation. More information:

• Directions to Wrigley
• Directions to U.S. Cellular Field

- Pat Higginbottom

There are plenty of options for you cool cats looking for a little jazz while in Chicago. The famed Jazz Showcase, which has been presenting jazz in Chicago for sixty years, has a new home in the historic Dearborn Station, and The Underground Wonder Bar, booking a mix of jazz, blues, and other styles, has live music 365 days a year.

Fred Anderson’s Velvet Lounge features jazz 7 nights a week, and free jazz lovers won’t want to miss their Sunday night jam sessions. Or, on a Saturday night, step back in time to a ’20s era Al Capone speakeasy at the Green Mill.

Andy’s Jazz Club & Restaurant, one of Chicago’s most respected jazz establishments, and Pops for Champagne, with a selection of over 120 champagnes, are within walking distance from the Hyatt.

If you find yourself at Navy Pier on a weekend evening, stop by Joe’s BeBop Café to take in some local jazz acts and southern-style barbecue. During the week, enjoy a free lunchtime jazz performance, part of the Tuesday LunchBreak Series at the Chicago Cultural Center.

If you’re looking to add to your collection, jazz and blues aficionados shouldn’t miss the Jazz Record Mart, located just a few blocks from the conference hotel at 27 E. Illinois Street, between State and Wabash. It’s the kind of record store you didn’t know still existed, with vinyl and CDs galore, and a knowledgeable and approachable staff.

Insider Tip 1: If you find yourself wandering down Wabash wondering where an entire street disappeared to–look down. The Jazz Record Mart (and the rest of Illinois street) is located just down the staircase on the West side of Wabash.

Insider Tip 2: Find more jazz venues at the University of Chicago’s Jazz Archive venue web page.

Andy’s Jazz Club & Restaurant
Address: 11 East Hubbard Street
Phone: 312-642-6805
URL: http://www.andysjazzclub.com

Green Mill
Address: 4802 N. Broadway Avenue
Phone: 773-878-5552
URL: http://www.greenmilljazz.com

Jazz Showcase
Address: 47 W. Polk Street
Phone: 312-670-BIRD
URL: http://www.jazzshowcase.com

Joe’s BeBop Café
Address: 700 E. Grand Avenue (at Navy Pier)
Phone: 312-595-JAZZ
URL: http://www.joesbebop.com

Pops for Champagne
Address: 601 N. State Street
Phone: 312-266-7677
URL: http://www.popsforchampagne.com

The Underground Wonder Bar
Address: 10 E. Walton Street
Phone: 312-266-7761
URL: http://www.undergroundwonderbar.com

Velvet Lounge
Address: 67 E. Cermak Road
Phone: 312-791-9050
URL: http://www.velvetlounge.net

- Kristin Hitchcock, with valuable contributions from Debbie Gillaspie, Curator, University of Chicago Jazz Archive