The Chicago Traveler

The Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University, completed in 1890, is the oldest (surviving) high-rise in Chicago. It is both a Chicago Landmark and a National Historic Landmark.
Several of Chicago’s biggest historical and architectural names were involved with the construction of this structure. Ferdinand Peck, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, was a founding member of the Illinois Humane Society and wanted to build the world’s largest, grandest, and most accessible theater to rival the likes of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Many Chicago business giants helped finance the project, including Marshall Field and George Pullman. Dankmar Adler and …read more

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Navy Pier is a major tourist attraction in Chicago, offering a multitude of activities, including shopping, live music, virtual rides, restaurants, and cruises. You can even take in a bit of theatrical culture at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
This non-profit, professional theatre company was founded in 1986, when it performed on the roof of the Red Lion Pub. In 1999, it moved to its current two-venue facility at Navy Pier, which includes the 500-seat Jentes Family Auditorium (where the audience sits around three sides of the stage) and the 200-seat Carl & Marilynn Thoma Theater (a black box space).
I’m a big …read more

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The Cadillac Palace Theatre, another beautiful piece of Chicago’s historic Theater District, first opened its doors in October of 1926. Although the theatre may not look like much on the outside, it more than makes up for that inside. Visitors then and now saw breathtaking design inspired by the palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles, both in France. The interior includes huge decorative mirrors, breche violet, and white marble; and the walls are decorated with gold leafing and wood decorations.
The majestic theatre saw the likes of Jimmy Durante, Mae West, Jack Benny, and Bob Hope. Over the years though, audiences slowly …read more

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• Jim Jeffries, an Australian comedian whose R-rated humor has headlined the Edinburgh Fringe and Just for Laughs, performs at the Lakeshore Theatre. (May 8-9)
• At the new exhibit Smart Home: Green + Wired, visitors can explore a real, three-story sustainable “green” home in the Museum of Science and Industry’s backyard featuring energy-saving techniques and environmentally friendly materials. (ends Jan 4)
• Watch an informal fashion show featuring styles from Erin Gallagher and other local boutiques at Mom and Me Fashion Tea. Located at the Four Seasons Hotel, guests can enjoy tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and (for an extra fee) champagne. …read more

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The Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre opened in 1926 to much fanfare on the site of the former Iroquois Theatre. It was the first theatre Balaban and Katz had built in the Loop since the opening of the Chicago Theatre in 1921.
The theatre’s Asian-influenced décor may be over-the-top, but it has never been matched. In its heyday, the theatre was full of turbaned ushers, large mosaics, and multi-colored glazed Buddhas. The Oriental Theatre presented first-run popular films and vaudeville acts. Several stars played there, including The Three Stooges, George Burns, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Danny Kaye, Bing …read more

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• Follow a trail of flour, chalk, and toilet paper on the Sixth Annual Great Chicago Anthrax Scare/Santa Hat Run. This four-mile run (for $44) includes a Santa cap, a hazmat suit, and four hours of food and open bar with the Chicago Hash House Harriers afterward. Meet at the Hidden Shamrock by 2 p.m. (Dec 15)
• Aunt Mabel gave you an ugly-as-sin holiday sweater last year. Here’s your opportunity to finally enjoy it. The Second Annual Fugly Sweater Bar Crawl begins at Blarney Stone at 2 p.m. and makes its way through Wrigleyville ‘til 12 midnight. Call for details …read more

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One of the most recognizable and memorable Chicago landmarks is the legendary Chicago Theatre. Located on State Street in the Loop, the theatre is home to stage plays, comedy performances, concerts, magic shows, and speeches. For several decades, it was the city’s primary motion picture theatre and now focuses on live performances of popular music.
The Chicago Theatre was the first movie venue of its kind in America. Large, lavish, and full of grandeur, the structure astonishes its visitors with an elegant lobby, a majestic staircase, and a beautiful auditorium. Murals grace the stage and ceiling. Movie patrons were enticed by …read more

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A huge 90-foot-tall (27-meter) “tree,” made up of more than 130 individual Balsam Firs, is the centerpiece for the 94th Annual City of Chicago Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. Musical entertainment begins at 4:30 p.m., lighting at 5:00 p.m. (Nov 23)
The Sparrow, an award-winning musical, is back by popular demand at the Apollo Theater for an extended run. The story follows a small-town teenage girl with telekinetic powers. (Nov 14-Dec 31)
Matt Wertz, a singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN, and Dave Barnes, a rock and r&b artist, will be together at the House of Blues. (Nov 23)
The most audience participative improv show in …read more

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“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
–John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. While we may not agree with each other’s opinions, we must defend each other’s right to express those thoughts. Our democracy could not exist without the freedom to express different ideas.
Censorship suppresses those ideas …read more

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It’s impossible to talk about Chicago attractions without talking about Navy Pier. It’s the place to go when you can think of absolutely nothing else to do. There’s always something going on there.
This 3,000-foot attraction on the shoreline of Lake Michigan was originally opened to the public in 1916. It was known as “Municipal Pier #2″ (#1 was never built), and it was both a shipping and entertainment area. And while it experienced a “golden era” of success, its popularity declined in the ’30s, due to the introduction of cars, the opening of movie theatres, and the lack of shipping …read more

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