Chicago Festivals

Festival Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Festival State: Illinois Festivals

Festival Type(s): Local Festivals , Traditional Festivals

Chicago - Festivals, Shopping & Eating Out

by © Maxine Sommers 2008

As I drove into Chicago recently I asked my limousine driver what he liked best about living in Chicago. He replied, "Chicago is an exhilarating city with a non-ending variety of activities - a great place to have fun and enjoy yourself."

With a population of almost 3 million, Chicago could be a nightmare of confusion - but it isn't, basically because it is a city of diverse neighborhoods. Eighty-one distinct communities represent a variety of nationalities, each one taking pride in its heritage.

On the South side there is Pullman, built in the 1880's as a planned community for employees of the sleeping car firm; on the mid-North side lie Old Town and Lincoln Park with elegant vintage homes preserved under the city's Landmark designation.

On the near-South side, Chinatown is saturated with extraordinary restaurants. Pilsen is the epicenter of the Mexican-American community. Back-North, Bucktown/Wicker Park has a wide assortment of art galleries and coffee houses. For a real-life experience in these mini-communities there are seventy neighborhood festivals held throughout the summer. Each Saturday, during the summer months, a bus tour departs from the Chicago Cultural Center to a selected neighborhood. (For information call: (312) 744-7400.)

Tour buses trundle up and down the streets and cabs are everywhere. Many Chicago cabbies appear to be frustrated race-car drivers. When riding in a cab you will find the word "speeding" takes on a whole new meaning.

Each cab ride is an experience - count on it. On one occasion I got into a taxi and gave the driver the name of my hotel. He said, "Okay" - but he looked perplexed. As he raced down several unfamiliar blocks at the velocity of sound, I became suspicious. I repeated my hotel's name and added the address. The driver turned and looked at me and said with surprise, "Oh-that's where it is." I replied, "You said you knew where to go." He laughed and bellowed, "Well, SURE!" Question: Was he just going to drive around the city until he accidentally found my hotel?

I sat back and began to relax just as he drove us smack-dab into the middle of a parade with wall-to-wall people. Street musicians were playing Calypso music - the cab driver joined in with a booming, off-key, tenor voice. In the crush of noise and marchers, traffic ground to a halt. Standing directly in front of us was a police officer directing pedestrians with his arms waving back and forth and his feet dancing to the rhythm of the music. (Auditioning for Broadway?...who would believe this.) When the traffic continued to remain stationary, the taxi driver - in a fit of anger - stopped singing, and stuck his head and left arm out the window. He beat on the outside of the taxi door with his fist and shouted, "Hey copper - give me a break - GET! A! MOVE! ON!" We moved.

For ardent shoppers Chicago is a paradise. The heart of shopping is on State Street, the center of the Loop where the venerable Carson Pierie Scott emporium reigns supreme. Bargain hunters alert: Number 1 North State Street houses off-price retailers R. J. Maxx, Group USA and Filene's Basement. Bring a wagon full of money.

No shopping spree is complete without a walk down the Magnificent Mile-Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to the Chicago River. Feast your eyes on the treasures in Lord and Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and - if you are suffering from Texas-separation-anxiety stroll into Neiman Marcus and view Chicago's attempt to emulate our own "cool" Dallas landmark.

Shoppers-don't leave Chicago without visiting the Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michgan Avenue. You can spend the whole day there exploring over one hundred stores. Everything from Abercrombie and Fitch, F.A.O. Swartz, Louis Vuitton and a host of others. A fabulous place. It was time consuming but - knowing dedicated Texas shoppers would be pleased to have all the information - I walked through each store. A tough job - but somebody had to do it.

If you are new to the city and want a quick orientation, go to the Visitors Information Center in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street. Counselors offer guidance and directions and provide free brochures, maps and schedules. Call: 1-800-2 CONNECT for a visitors' packet.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation offers more than 50 tours. Guides are trained and prices are reasonable. Their boat cruise departs from the south side of the Chicago River-Michigan Avenue and Lower Wacher Drive. Shoreline Marine Company operates a 30-minute cruise from four locations: Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Buckingham Fountain-or for a less exotic approach-you might try a Chicago Motor Couch Company double-decker bus tour.

If you have a yen for a free tour of Chicago's historic Loop district, call the Chicago Office of Tourism: (312) 744-2400. While the tour is free reservations must be made in advance.

You can tour Chicago by foot, bus or boat to view its famous landmarks and its world renowned cultural attractions but...in order to really see the city I recommend you put on comfortable walking shoes and simply walk until your feet go on strike.

For a vintage Chicago experience try the following popular neighborhood festivals: Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival (June 1-2) held at Belmont Ave & N. Sheffield (773) 868-3010; Parkwest Antiques Fair Festival (June 1-2) held at Fullerton & Geneva Terrace (773) 935-3751; Old St. Pat's World's Largest Block Party Festival (July 19-20) held at Old St. Patrick's Church (773) 929-9255; Arts Experience (July 6-7) held at Pearson Street Sidewalk, State St. to Baumhart (312) 751-2500; and Jammin' at the Zoo Festival (August 23) held at Cannon Drive/Fullerton Parkway-Lincoln Park Zoo (312) 742-2283.

by Maxine Sommers

Chicago Festivals Dates and Location

Festivals in Chicago take place all year round. Check out http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/chicago/ for further information on the windy City.