lizseymour
04-29-2008, 12:31 AM
Looptopia: The nation's first dusk until dawn artistic celebration, Looptopia (http://www.looptopia.com) transforms and illuminates the Loop. On Friday, May 2 the Loop will be transformed into a sensory playground celebrating arts, culture, architecture and insomniacs alike. This all-night extravaganza paints the Loop as an urban wonderland, with 300 artists, 100 venues, 14 hours, and more than 100,000 people. Highlights include: green sculptures made from trash by the American Institute of Architecture; performances by Le Vorris and Vox Circus, Midnight Circus and Cirque du Soleil; dance performances and classes; live blues, jazz and Latin music; and Olympic and Paralympic sports demos.
Shoreline Gets Loopy: Shoreline Sightseeing (http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com/) has scheduled special Architecture Cruises from their Sears Tower dock at Quincy Park along the Chicago River as part of the Looptopia celebration. Tours will depart at 7:30, 8:30 and 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2. The one-hour tours will be led by professional, entertaining docents and passengers will receive Shoreline’s popular free map/guide to use during the tour and keep as a souvenir of their cruise. Tickets will be available online in advance or walk-up for the 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. cruises and walk-up only for the 10:00 p.m. cruise. Admission is $24 adults, $21 seniors over 65, $12 children under 12.
Cinco de Navy Pier: Celebrate the increasingly popular holiday at Navy Pier’s Cinco de Mayo Expo (http://www.navypier.com/things2do/entertainment/special_events.html#CincoDeMayo).
The celebration of Mexican independence includes ethnic eats, art displays, folk dancers and mariachi bands, plus more than 120 exhibitors and a re-enactment of the decisive Battle of Puebla. Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 in Festival Hall B and Terrace B. Tickets $5 per person. In further celebration of Cinco de Mayo, there will be traditional Mexican folk music, mariachi bands, and traditional dance at the Family Pavilion stage. Admission to this event is free.
Derby Dining: If you didn’t head to Churchill Downs, check out the Kentucky Derby lunch at Citizen Bar (http://www.citizenbar.com/index2.html) on Saturday, May 3. Chef Eric Smith offers a Kentucky-Style Southern lunch package which includes Chicken-Fried Pork Tenderloin, Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Fried Okra and Mango Mint Julep for $20 (without liquor, $15). The Mango Mint Juleps will be made with mango-infused Maker’s Mark and fresh mint and offered a la carte for $10. Guests who order the Derby lunch special may choose a winning horse and the Trifecta for a chance to win prizes: All entrants with the winning horse will get a $25 gift certificate to Citizen Bar and the lucky Trifecta winners will receive an iPod. Since the Derby runs around 5 p.m., the lunch package will be available throughout and following the race.
Italy at a Glance: A MANO Trattoria (http://www.amanochicago.com) is hosting an Italian wine class called Italy at a Glance on Sunday, May 4. The class will take guests on a guided tour through this complex and sometimes mystifying wine-producing country - from north to south, Pinot Grigio to Chianti, Piemonte to Sicily, and everything in between. The class will be led by Jan Henrichsen, guest wine expert and leader of sister restaurant BIN 36's popular BIN School wine class series. Tickets are $36 per person.
Shoreline Gets Loopy: Shoreline Sightseeing (http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com/) has scheduled special Architecture Cruises from their Sears Tower dock at Quincy Park along the Chicago River as part of the Looptopia celebration. Tours will depart at 7:30, 8:30 and 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2. The one-hour tours will be led by professional, entertaining docents and passengers will receive Shoreline’s popular free map/guide to use during the tour and keep as a souvenir of their cruise. Tickets will be available online in advance or walk-up for the 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. cruises and walk-up only for the 10:00 p.m. cruise. Admission is $24 adults, $21 seniors over 65, $12 children under 12.
Cinco de Navy Pier: Celebrate the increasingly popular holiday at Navy Pier’s Cinco de Mayo Expo (http://www.navypier.com/things2do/entertainment/special_events.html#CincoDeMayo).
The celebration of Mexican independence includes ethnic eats, art displays, folk dancers and mariachi bands, plus more than 120 exhibitors and a re-enactment of the decisive Battle of Puebla. Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 in Festival Hall B and Terrace B. Tickets $5 per person. In further celebration of Cinco de Mayo, there will be traditional Mexican folk music, mariachi bands, and traditional dance at the Family Pavilion stage. Admission to this event is free.
Derby Dining: If you didn’t head to Churchill Downs, check out the Kentucky Derby lunch at Citizen Bar (http://www.citizenbar.com/index2.html) on Saturday, May 3. Chef Eric Smith offers a Kentucky-Style Southern lunch package which includes Chicken-Fried Pork Tenderloin, Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Fried Okra and Mango Mint Julep for $20 (without liquor, $15). The Mango Mint Juleps will be made with mango-infused Maker’s Mark and fresh mint and offered a la carte for $10. Guests who order the Derby lunch special may choose a winning horse and the Trifecta for a chance to win prizes: All entrants with the winning horse will get a $25 gift certificate to Citizen Bar and the lucky Trifecta winners will receive an iPod. Since the Derby runs around 5 p.m., the lunch package will be available throughout and following the race.
Italy at a Glance: A MANO Trattoria (http://www.amanochicago.com) is hosting an Italian wine class called Italy at a Glance on Sunday, May 4. The class will take guests on a guided tour through this complex and sometimes mystifying wine-producing country - from north to south, Pinot Grigio to Chianti, Piemonte to Sicily, and everything in between. The class will be led by Jan Henrichsen, guest wine expert and leader of sister restaurant BIN 36's popular BIN School wine class series. Tickets are $36 per person.