Results tagged “parks”

A county judge issued a ruling against the Park District and Latin School today, mostly siding with Protect Our Parks. From Crain's:

Lincoln Park residents against the Latin School's park deal are taking their complaint to court. The prestigious private school footed parted of the $2 million bill for a soccer field in Lincoln Park in exchange for dibs on its use. Protect Our Parks, a nonprofit group formed to oppose the deal, filed a suit against the city yesterday.

The Chicago Children's Museum is moving ahead with plans to build its new facilities in Grant Park, despite serious objections from what appears to be everyone who's not the Children's Museum or Mayor Daley.

Carey Primeau posted these photos to Flickr last week, and we can't stop looking at them. Primeau tells us that the building was the Illinois Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, 135 S. Sangamon.

Where Can I Go Sledding?

Indoor Swimming Options?

Our public parks and forest reserves are being overrun by a nuisance population: Bird-watchers. Wait! No, not bird-watchers, gay cruisers. Yes, it's that old story again — bird-watchers continue to complain that their favorite woodsy areas are also popular cruising destinations.

October in Chicago makes us feel like kids again. This month, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Park District have filled the calendar with Halloween-themed activities perfect for the toddler set and their kid-at-heart parents. Here are our favorites in the lead up to the big holiday. The park district (along with Walgreens) is sponsoring events to get you in the spirit at over forty different neighborhood parks from Bessemer to Oz throughout...

When we first heard about the GIANT FIX/dance in a pool event created by The Seldoms, we immediately thought of the McCarren Park pool events in Brooklyn, but after delving in a little deeper, we learned that The Seldoms is not some indie-rock band, but is instead a pretty forward-thinking local dance troupe. So basically, they've drained the Hamlin Park Pool and are turning into a surreal field of movement and whimsy, including six dancers...

Batman flew off to Hong Kong. Here's what he'll be missing: Coming up: As we’ve mentioned, Kumail Nanjiani is a funny, funny man. Now he’s ditching us for New York. Send him off Thursday night at The Hideout, where he’ll pay tribute to Jonathan Messinger and his new book. It’s your last chance to see Kumail before he gets mega-famous or chewed up by the Gotham comedy scene. The young performers at Thirteen Pocket Productions...

We're all down with sculpture gardens. But are garden-gardens art? That’s the question artist Chapman Kelley (warning: pdf) is putting to the Chicago Park District — via a federal suit. Kelley alleges that the garden he designed and planted in Daley Bicentennial Plaza is art protected under the federal Visual Artists Rights Act. Not everyone agrees, saying that the flowers have run wild and that the garden occupied too much space. The park district reduced...

Today's National Park(ing) Day, a nationwide public arts event that celebrates America's parks — and reminds us all about the need for green space in cities. Volunteers turn a metered parking spot into a tiny park for the day in the hopes of demonstrating that parks are awesome. Too bad one of Chicago's installations was shut down after half an hour. Luckily, more are still going. There's one at Milwaukee and Leavitt, and one at...

Back in May, the International Olympic Committee laid the smack down on Chicago 2016 for illegal use of the torch symbol. (All Olympic imagery is reserved for official Olympic business. Chicago's still just an "applicant city.") Anyway, the suspense is over! The new logo is here, and boy, is it ... meh. According to this so-earnest-it-hurts explanation, the logo is "a great symbol of hope for our city and our nation," and the six points...

The debate over the Chicago Children's Museum plan to relocate to Grant Park has escalated since Monday’s neighborhood meeting at Daley Bicentennial Plaza. There, museum officials introduced plans for a more sunken, environmentally friendly design adjacent to the Plaza. The Museum’s growth has been remarkable. Founded in 1982 in two Chicago Public Library hallways, it’s since moved three times, most recently to Navy Pier in 1995. Twelve years later, they’ve apparently outgrown that tourist magnet....

Ah, the best laid plans of politicians and telecoms often go awry. When Chicagoist first heard the possibility that we could soon be bathing in glorious Wi-Fi in the streets of our fair city, we reacted with skepticism. We did dream a time when we could check our e-mail while riding the bus or post while relaxing on the beach. But that was back in 2006. Unfortunately, for now, we will have to put...

With summer easing onto its laurels and panting in the heat, it's easy to get into a mindset that all the fun the season brings to Chicago is over. Not so! While the rest of the city is waiting for the humidity to give way to fall, you could squeeze in some more entertainment, in the form of Queerfest Midwest. The event, from noon to 10pm on Saturday at the Pulaski Fieldhouse in Wicker Park,...

That's how many people are working illegally in this country, at least according to some estimates. Others put it closer to seven, depending on who you ask, and when. It's hard to get a handle on the actual number because most undocumented workers aren't too keen on standing up and being counted. Yesterday afternoon Elvira Arellano was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency charged with, among other things, keeping people from washing...

Have you dropped by Grant Park this summer for the city's Movies in the Park? Even if you haven't, there are a whole bunch of great movies playing in a park near you. Why are we bring this up in a post on politics? Because it's one of the many things that we love about Chicago: it connects us more with who we are as a city of neighborhoods. We were thinking about this earlier...

One of the many things we pay taxes for is local and community help during emergencies. One of the most universally known emergency services is 911, which saves lives daily. Most people assume it is the best possible option for them — unfortunately for some residents on the Southwest side last weekend, though, it wasn't. Fifty-one calls were made to 911 last weekend reporting a brawl in Durkin Park, but it was 26 minutes before...

When Chicagoist lived in Hyde Park, we had a local dive for every occasion: the best place to go with a hangover, the best place to satiate a Hawaiian pizza craving, the best place to use our fake ID. The Medici on 57th was always the best place to hang out with friends-- a funky, eclectic eatery with good food and constant coffee. But would our college favorite survive lunch with our toddler? Did the...

We've told you and told you about the problem Chicago has been having with Candian Geese. The Park District has staged "Find The Eggs So We Can Destroy Them" hunts. It has purposefully given the birds diarrhea. Parks around the city have let their grass, weeds and shrubs grow wild and free. There are whole businesses dedicated to getting them off your lawn. Perhaps as a result of this onslaught of anti-goose information, a group...

Well, we've been hearing about Looptopia for awhile. A big overnight festival held in the Loop, blah blah. We didn't think too much about it. We pretty much dismiss the Loop after 5 p.m. and give it up for lost on the weekends. Looptopia is obviously working hard to change all that. It's going on this Friday through early Saturday morning and since we're going to be down there, we decided to check out the...

Seeing Artimus Pyledriver play last night at Double Door made Chicagoist want to grow our hair long(er), stop bathing, quit our jobs, start drinking, and just hit the road. We missed the band last time they were in town, but were told by no small number of attendees that these Georgian upstarts nearly stole the show with their energy and antics. Last night confirmed these reports as the five-piece's stoner Southern-boogie metal tunes drenched the...

Chicagoist enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend by checking out the Chicago Lions USA Rugby Super League match on Saturday. The Lions hosted the Washington Rugby Club who traveled from the nation's capitol for the match. The Lions typically play their home games at Northeastern Illinois University at the corner of St. Louis and Foster, but due to the extreme rain earlier in the week this game was moved to the Lions' practice field at...

Red Hen Bread lacks highchairs, changing tables, a kid menu and a door big enough to comfortably squeeze a stroller through. We wouldn’t recommend going there with a large group and eating in, but with a long list of appetizing baked goods, a menu of innovative sandwiches, a friendly staff and an actual stroll-though window, this bread cafe should not be overlooked as a place to grab a bite with your kid. We recently tried...

Cool Wedding Venues?

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese...

The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is holding its annual Cookbook Expo this weekend in Chicago. And, for the first time, they're opening it up to the public. This is your chance to hobnob with some of your favorite cookbook authors and chefs, who will be on hand to sell and sign their latest books. The event runs from 5-6 p.m. tomorrow at the Hilton Chicago. Even though it's free, reservations are required; e-mail...

Except for an art teacher over in Evergreen Park. Bruce Lupori, a sixth-grade teacher over at Southwest Elementary School allegedly participated in a "joke gone bad" whereby he apparently put a plastic bag (with a hole cut in it) over a student's head. The incident happened in February, but the school only heard about it when kids told administrators about it on March 23. That seems a little odd. Did they not tell because it...

Wade Miller is in, and Mark Prior is on his way to Iowa. Spike Lee is spending time with about 300 CPS students. Someone broke into the Deatrick family's Bolingbrook home and stole a computer, jewelry and a pug named Pixie, but all they really care about is getting their dog back, especially for their kid. Thanks to the Bolingbrook Crime Stoppers, family and friends of the victims, and B96 radio hosts Eddie and...