#Chicago blog

40 exciting things opening in Chicago in August

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 31, 2014 at 12:05pm

Summer is more than halfway over, but you still have plenty of time to enjoy yourself before the leaves begin to change. Tear yourself away from the pool and start making plans for August with our list of the month's most anticipated events and openings. Get your fill at Chicago Hot Dog Fest, discover the "fifth taste" when Umami Burger opens its first Midwest location in Wicker Park, or dance under the stars in Millennium Park with Robyn and Röyksopp. We've poured over our listings and assembled the best openings in Chicago in August.

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Tickets for the MCA's David Bowie exhibit go on sale today

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 31, 2014 at 9:30am

In just a few months, Chicago is going to be consumed with Bowie fever, thanks to the Museum of Contemporary Art's upcoming exhibition of David Bowie memorabilia, which opens on September 23. Earlier this summer, the museum offered up $100 "Bowie Superfan" tickets for "David Bowie is" that allowed customers to pay a premium to lock down tickets a few months early. For those of us without deep pockets, $25 regular admission tickets go on sale today at 10am CST via the MCA's website and its Bowie hotline, 312-397-4068.

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Ma Yansong and Jeanne Gang named as Lucas Museum architects

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 28, 2014 at 2:36pm

Last month, Chicago beat out Los Angeles and San Francisco to become the official home of the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. This morning, the Sun-Times named the architectural team that will be designing the latest addition to the lakefront's Museum Campus. According to the report, Bejing-based MAD Architects will be the principal designer of the museum building, led by by founder Ma Yansong, whose past design work includes the Absolute Towers in Ontario, Canada, and the Ordos Museum in Ordos, China.

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LollaShop opens at Block 37

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 28, 2014 at 12:23pm

Over the weekend, Lollapalooza's official pop-up shop opened its doors at Block 37, offering a selection of merchandise ahead of the opening of the Grant Park music festival. Spread out over two floors of the space that formerly held a Puma store, LollaShop stocks official festival T-shirts and posters as well as an assortment of clothing and accessories.

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Single of the Week: Kimberley, 31

Posted by Laura Baginski on Jul 28, 2014 at 12:06pm

Interested in Men

My idea of a perfect first date My perfect first date starts with interesting conversation over coffee or wine.
Then on to an activity that gives insight into my date; preferably a new experience for myself as well, which is easier than you think. Being British there are so many things new to me in the states. I just had my first s’more over a campfire this winter!

Riot Fest announces day to day lineups

Posted by Brent DiCrescenzo on Jul 24, 2014 at 1:38pm

Today, Riot Fest announced the day to day breakdown of its impressive 2014 lineup. The final three-day megaconcert of the summer, Riot Fest is again being held in Humboldt Park, September 12–14. With the National, Flaming Lips, Wu-Tang Clan, Metric and more, the Saturday bill looks to be the most welcoming to those who didn't grow up skateboarding. If you can only commit to one day, that seems to be it. Though Sunday is pretty awesome, too… Check it out.

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A new study finds that Chicago isn't a great city for recreation

Posted by Zach Long on July 23, 2014 at 3:44pm

WalletHub recently released a list of the 100 best and worst cities for recreation in the U.S. And, according to the results, Chicago isn't up to snuff, coming in at No. 62 overall. Cities were ranked based on factors like affordability, quality of parks, quality of recreational facilities and weather conditions.

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Why so sad, Jack White?

Posted by Laura Baginski on July 23, 2014 at 3:17pm

It's the scowl seen across the Internet today: Jack White, at last night's Cubs game, seemingly trying to figure out where that awful smell is coming from. In the spirit of Sad Kanye and Sad Keanu, we give you Sad Jack White, hanging out in iconic Chicago scenes.

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Batman Day celebrates the Dark Knight's 75th anniversary

Posted by Zach Long on July 23, 2014 at 1:13pm

It's been 75 years since the Dark Knight made his debut in 1939 and quickly became one of America's most beloved comic book characters. Today, comic book shops all over the nation are celebrating Batman Day by giving away a free comic that reimagines the character's origin story as depicted in Detective Comics #27.

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Three Dots and a Dash, the Aviary win at Tales of the Cocktail

Posted by Amy Cavanaugh on July 21, 2014 at 3:01pm

If you went out to a Chicago cocktail bar this weekend, you may have noticed something missing. Most of the top bartenders in the city were down in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, an annual cocktail festival. Chicago took home two big awards this year: Three Dots and a Dash was named Best New American Cocktail Bar, while the Aviary won World's Best Cocktail Menu.

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Single of the Week: Jim, 29

Posted by Laura Baginski on Jul 21, 2014 at 10:24am

Jim, 29
Andersonville

Interested in Men

My idea of a perfect first date I love to explore the city and try new things. I also love great conversation with someone who is passionate. Thus, finding a spot that is new to both of us where we can talk and get to know each other. A place known for their whiskey cocktails would be top of my list.

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Now you can buy 3D printers at Chicago Home Depot stores

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 14, 2014 at 3:45pm

Looking for a way to create your own action figure or find a replacement part for a home appliance? Today, MakerBot announced that it will begin selling its Replicator Desktop 3D Printers in a handful for Home Depot stores across the US. It just so happens that three of those store are located in Chicago (1232 W North Ave, 1300 S Clinton St, 2665 N Halsted St). Beginning today, customers will be able to visit the aforementioned Home Depot stores to learn more about 3D printing, view live demonstrations and take home a freshly printed souvenier.

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Meet Hala, our Single of the Week

Posted by Laura Baginski on Jul 14, 2014 at 9:38am

Hala, 24
Lincoln Park

Interested in Men

My idea of a perfect first date My perfect first date is preceded by me perfecting the elegant-without-trying-too-hard look, which is no small feat. We meet for a casual dinner, and I am very happy that you are not wearing a fedora.

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The summer Sunday TV schedule just got a lot more crowded

Posted by Jessica Johnson on Jul 11, 2014 at 3:15pm

Showtime and FX are joining the late weekend scrum with three premieres this weekend. The sophomore seasons of troubled melodrama Ray Donovan launches at 8pm this Sunday, followed be the glowing return of the masterful Masters of Sex at 9pm, while FX lifts the curtain on its vampire horror epidemic The Strain (you know, the thing with worm in the eye). Check out our reviews

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TV reviews: Welcome to Sweden and Working the Engels

• Rated as: 2/5

Posted by Jessica Johnson on Jul 10, 2014 at 12:20pm

Once the source of several quality sitcoms, NBC's well is running a little dry. In these new Thursday night hopefuls, Greg Poheler proves that his sister's wildly charismatic onscreen presence is not a genetic characteristic, while Kacey Rohl (who was intensely engaging in Hannibal) is unable to make sense of lazily written lead.

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Photos: Paul McCartney at United Center

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 10, 2014 at 10:45am

Paul McCartney has always been the consummate performer, armed with a sly smile and a wry theatricality that suggests that he's having just as much fun as the audience at his concerts. The former Beatle has been in "give the people what they want" mode for the past few decades, and last night during his show at the United Center he did just that. With a four piece band in tow, Macca made his way through a career-spanning, 39-song set that was heavy on Beatles hits, but made time for some essential Wings cuts as well as a few tracks from his recent LP, New.

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15 new dishes at Taste of Chicago 2014, ranked worst to best

Posted by Amy Cavanaugh on July 9, 2014 at 3:52pm

Ah, the Taste of Chicago, our annual chance to take an extended lunch break and go to town on sausages, fried food and Rainbow Cones. While standbys like Billy Goat Tavern, BJ's Market and Ricobene's are back again, this year there are six new stands setting up each day. Plus, there's a rotating selection of food trucks and pop-up restaurants. We tried all the "taste portions" from the new stands, most of which cost 5 tickets (about $3.50), plus some food truck items.

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Rahm supports a $13 minimum wage by 2018

Posted by Beth Newhart on July 8, 2014 at 2:45pm

Eariler today, the Minimum Wage Working Group, a team of leaders gathered by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, recommended the introduction of a $13 minimum wage for the city of Chicago by 2018. The committee stated that the increase will benefit over 400,000 Chicago workers and also add $800 million to the local economy over the next four years. "I fully support the proposal by the Working Group to raise Chicago's minimum wage to $13 in the next four years," Rahm stated.

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Some Lollapalooza after shows are still available

Posted by Samuel Israel on Jul 8, 2014 at 2:16pm

Concertgoing is no longer a hobby for the procrastinator. It has been less than a month since Lollapalooza released its after show list, and nearly all the tickets have been sold. Many of them immediately. That rate of ticket purchasing is bewildering. Fortunately, there have been a couple newly announced shows, and a few really good performances are still on market. Jump on them now.

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Chicago Dancing Festival tickets will be released today at noon

Posted by Zach Long on Jul 8, 2014 at 10:15am

The Chicago Dancing Festival takes place August 20-23, but if you're planning on attending the events at the Harris Theater or the Museum of Contemporary Art, you'll need to claim your free tickets today and tomorrow. Act fast, because these tickets tend to disappear pretty quickly. Tickets for the Harris Theater program on August 20 featuring Hubbard Street Dance, the Julliard School and the Joffrey Ballet will be released at noon today (July 8). Tickets are available at the Harris Theater Box Office (205 E Randolph Dr) or can be reserved by calling 312-334-7777.