The Chicago Traveler

• The African Festival of the Arts is Chicago’s largest neighborhood festival, featuring three music stages, ethnic cuisine, and more than 300 vendors selling everything from fine art to skin care products. Presentations include book discussions and dance workshops. (Aug 29 – Sept 1)
• The 30th annual Chicago Jazz Festival is the city’s longest-running lakefront music festival and features local, national, and international performers on several stages. (Aug 28-31)
• Get your fill of pierogi, Polish sausage, and sauerkraut at the Taste of Polonia, where you can listen to live bands play everything from rock to polka. (Aug 29 – Sept …read more

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It’s that time of year again. The Taste of Chicago is an annual food festival, where dozens of restaurants from across the city gather along Columbus Drive. Millions of locals and tourists sample hundreds of dishes from every cuisine imaginable, from hot dogs to ravioli to veggie gyros to pad thai to empanadas to omelets… Everything and anything edible can be found at the Taste, along with cooking demonstrations, live music, a wine garden, and kids’ activities. New additions this year include a sports pavilion and an international entertainment pavilion.
Admission is free, but the food and drinks aren’t. Tickets come …read more

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Tickets go on sale this weekend for the following Chicago events via Ticketmaster:

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
House of Blues
Mon, Jun 30, 7:30 p.m.

C U LaTour: Ministry’s Final World Tour
House of Blues
Sun, May 11, 5:00 p.m.

Edwin McCain
House of Blues
Thurs, Jun 19, 7:30 p.m.

Return to Forever
The Chicago Theatre
Fri, Jun 20, 8:00 p.m.

Stone Temple Pilots
Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island
Thurs, May 22, 8:00 p.m.

Alicia Keys
Allstate Arena
Sat, Jun 7, 8:00 p.m.

Steely Dan
The Chicago Theatre
Tues, July 15, 7:30 p.m.

Moody Blues
Genesee Theatre
Sun, Jun 8, 7:30 p.m.

Photo credit (via Flickr): Czilango, hizonic, maryatuab, tm marcello, Saffanna, riveri35, oxmour, Monique Hofland

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To all those who celebrate, Happy Kwanzaa! The week-long Pan-African festival honors African-American heritage and is observed today through January 1.Malcolm X College holds its own Kwanzaa celebration all week, featuring African dancing, spoken word, gospel singing, a marketplace, and more. Live entertainment will take place from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free!
For a bit of history, stop by the DuSable Museum of African-American History, and see the annual exhibit on Kwanzaa, recounting the history and principles of the holiday.
Malcolm X College: 1900 W Van Buren …read more

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Our International Tour takes us to Africa. A large African population can be found in the northern parts of the city, including Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park. There is no one type of African food. From Nigerian to Ghanaian, from Ethiopian to Moroccan, this huge continent has something for everyone.
Our first stop is on Clark St in Wicker Park for some Algerian food. The Crepe & Coffee Palace, down the block from Pocket Puppies, specializes in North African and Mediterranean cuisine, made with fresh organic ingredients. If you sense a Parisian vibe from the place, that’s because several African nations …read more

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One of the largest tourist attractions in Illinois begins this weekend: the Taste of Chicago. For ten days, over 70 restaurants from all over Chicago set up tents on a half-mile strip near Grant Park, allowing millions of people to sample an incredible amount of food from several cultures. Whether you like fast food or elegant entrees, you can find it at the Taste, along with cooking demonstrations, live music, and kids’ entertainment.
It is definitely the place to be when it comes to summer in Chicago, and I try to go every year. Located right behind the Art Institute, admission …read more

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One absolute must-see in the city is the Art Institute of Chicago. Just walking up the steps to the entrance between the two massive lion statues fills you with a sense of culture and majesty. And whether you decide to follow a map provided by the information desk or just wander about on your own, you’re bound to see some awe-inspiring work.
You have probably seen reproductions of some of the masterpieces here your whole life, but nothing compares to seeing them in their original glory in person. One of my favorite paintings on display is Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, one …read more

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If you’ve never had Senegalese cuisine before, you’re in for a treat. Senegalese food has been described as a mix between West African, which features a lot of seafood and grains, and Central African, marked by lamb and heavy sauces. Yassa’s menu offers choices like black pepper, cumin, and clove-crusted lamb chops; chicken yassa—lemon, onion, and spice-marinated chicken that’s charcoal-grilled and served with mustard; fataya—a sort of fish empanada; and theibu djen—grouper or red snapper stewed with eggplant, carrots, and cabbage served over jollof rice. Whole tilapia are marinated for hours and then thrown on the coals to be blackened …read more

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