The Chicago Traveler

Fall has arrived, and that means the kids are back in school learning about all their favorite subjects. If your children, your teens, or even you yourself have a curiosity for all things science, a great opportunity awaits you right here in Chicago.
Science Chicago: Life’s a Lab is a year-long celebration of science and learning that will appeal to people of all ages. More than 100 public and private institutions are hosting events where Chicagoans can explore and discover how the world around them works. After all, science isn’t just in a textbook; it’s in action every day.
The festival covers …read more

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I am often amazed at how advanced our technology is. I remember when I bought my first portable cassette player. Now, I have a 3.5-inch (88.9-mm) device that holds thousands of songs. Fold-out maps and compasses have been replaced by GPS. And I can easily carry dozens of books with me wherever I go all in one gadget.
And the marvels don’t end there. We are constantly learning and adapting, and our gadgets are getting more and more advanced. If you want a glimpse into the future today, the Museum of Science and Industry has a new exhibit, Fast Forward.
The exhibit …read more

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• Learn about the causes and outcomes of earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, tornadoes, and more at The Field Museum’s new exhibit, Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters. (through Jan 4)
• The Las Vegas male revue Thunder from Down Under is coming to Chicago for a 75-minute performance at Crobar. Meet and greet the hunky hotties after the show. (May 23)
• Grab your tent and your sleeping bags and head down to Three Sisters Park for Summer Camp 2008. The weekend event features over 60 bands, including moe., the Flaming Lips, and OAR. (May 23-25)
• The R-rated, Tony Award-winning musical comedy Avenue Q …read more

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If you need a moment away from the hustle and bustle of the Windy City, but you can’t make it to one of Illinois’ natural wonders, visit the urban oasis that is the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Covering 4.5 acres (18,211 m2) of the north end of Garfield Park, the conservatory is one of the largest and most remarkable in the country. This humongous garden contains trees, flowers, cacti, and exotic plants from all over the world. Visitors can experience various climates via six interconnected greenhouses and two grand exhibition halls, offering everything from a wet and warm atmosphere to dry desert …read more

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A 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook up the Midwest at 4:37 a.m. Friday morning. While the quake may not be that big by West Coast standards, it was one of the strongest ever in Illinois. It was centered near the town of West Salem and was felt as far as 900 miles (1448 km) away. There have been no reports of injuries or significant damage.
Tremors from the initial quake could be felt even here in Chicago for about 20 seconds. Several people reported being awakened by rattling windows and shaking furniture. Downtown skyscrapers quivered, and bricks shook loose from buildings in Milwaukee, …read more

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The most popular cultural attraction in Chicago is the Field Museum of Natural History. Sitting along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan, it is part of the Museum Campus along with the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium.
After the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, people wanted to create a permanent museum to hold many of the scientific and technological exhibits that had been on display. The Columbian Museum of Chicago was built in Jackson Park with the purpose of “accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition of objects illustrating art, archaeology, science and history.” (–FieldMuseum.org) In honor …read more

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The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum opened in 1930 and was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to two full-size theaters, including the world’s first all-digital projection StarRider Theater. It stands on Northerly Island (next to Charter One Pavilion), which was initially meant to be the first of several man-made islands along the lakeshore.
In 1923, Dr. Walther Bauersfeld of the Carl Zeiss Corporation in Germany designed a projector fully capable of accurately reproducing the night sky. Placed in the center of a hemispherical room, the machine produced a precise celestial map onto the inner surface …read more

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• Sip on specially-priced $29 bottles of wine from past leap years (2000 and 2004) at the Leap Year Dinner at Café Matou. (Feb 29)
• Shane Salois of Cream Wine Company and sommelier Rashed Islam lead a tasting of more than 12 champagnes with appetizer pairings at the Leap Year Champagne Seminar at Viet Bistro. (Feb 29)
• At the Leap Year Celebration at Zocalo, get a flan dessert for $2.29 (in honor of the day 2/29) plus half-price appetizers and live music in the bar. (Feb 29)
• The Leap Year Celebration at Café Penelope features buffalo frog legs, “frog’s leap” …read more

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Most adults probably haven’t been to a museum since they were in junior high as part of a class field trip. And while the Museum of Science and Industry has plenty of kid-friendly interactive exhibits, grown-ups can find attractive features to visit as well.

The exterior alone is quite impressive, as the building dates back to 1893, when it was used for two World’s Fairs (the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and The Century of Progress Exposition in 1933). It then housed the Columbian Museum, which evolved into the Field Museum of Natural History. When a new Field Museum building opened downtown …read more

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Got an idea for a creative costume? Not military-related? Maybe you should stop at American Science & Surplus in Jefferson Park, just down the street from Andy’s Deli.
There really is no adequate way of describing American Science. It’s a bit of an oversized junk drawer, with all kinds of odds, ends, doodads, and thingamajigs. The store carries a large collection of old science-fair things (chemistry sets, ant farms, etc) as well as home repair items (paintbrushes, small engines, wrenches, etc). But that doesn’t even begin to describe the kinds of things you can find in the numerous aisles of this …read more

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