Now that Valentine's Day is over, it's time to start shopping for yourself again. With loads of local vendors and some seriously great food on-hand, Sauced Night Market is also the perfect way to kiss winter goodbye. While it snowed over the weekend, we can expect a series of balmy days this week and rising temperatures heading into spring. (Emporium Arcade Bar Logan Square, 2363 N Milwaukee Ave, 6pm. Free)
Catch a show of stripped-down rock-and-roll by longtime indie favorites Parquet Courts at Thalia Hall. Expect the band to mix in a few instrumental tracks off its latest EP, Monastic Living, along with songs built from quirky power chords. (Thalia Hall, 1807 S Allport St, 8:30pm. $18, $20 balcony)
It comes only once a year. Thousands and thousands of orchid varieties arrive at the Chicago Botanic Garden for the yearly orchid show, which fills the garden's greenhouses with colorful and rare specimens. As one of the oldest, most popular and most widely cultivated flowers in the world, the orchid is truly in its own class when it comes to plumage, fully deserving a weeks-long dedicated exhibit. (Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Rd, Glencoe, 10am. $10, members $8, kids and seniors $8)