Results tagged “tourism”

Those tethered hot-air balloon rides at Navy Pier have been approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in spite of protests from Erma Tranter, executive director of Friends of the Parks. The ride could be open by next week and will stay open through October. [CBN]

According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the amount of money tourists spent in the state was up in 2008 by nearly a billion dollars ($883 million, to be exact) for a grand total of $30.8 billion. Overall, the state also saw a 21-percent increase in visitors from overseas (1.4 million overall). While the number of tourists hitting our fair city declined by 2.1 percent over 2007's record-setting year (a total of 44.21 million) but the good news (besides the fact we're Johnny Depp's favorite U.S. city) is that they spent a little bit more time here than they did in 2007. [Crain's]

Mayor Daley and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin announced that O'Hare won a $12 million dollar grant for improvements to the airport, as part of the city's first economic recovery program. About $5 million of those funds will be used to replace runway pavement, and nearly $7 million will be used to widen a taxiway. "Both of these projects are important for the safe and efficient operation of this airport," Daley told CBS2. "They couldn't have been done at this time without the assistance of the federal grant." The mayor also pointed out that none of the funding will be used for the O'Hare Expansion Project, which is currently behind schedule and about $130 million over budget.

The governor is scheduled to make an announcement this morning that several state parks, closed by Rod Blagojevich as a cost cutting measure in response to state budget pressures, will be re-opened. The announcement, to be held at at the Department of Natural Resources headquarters in Springfield, will be "good news because that was just a huge economic loss to our district and the rest of the state,” said Dixon Democrat Sen. Tim Bivins. “I think anybody who likes the state parks of Illinois will like what we have to say,” Quinn spokesman Robert Reed told the Peoria Journal Star.

It seems the economic crunch might finally see Metra go back on their no-ads policy. On Monday, Metra began using a car featuring one of those full-wrap vinyl ads. Unlike the ones you'll see on the CTA for iPods or cell phones or movies, this one at least is for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, featuring the likenesses of, among others, Presidents Lincoln and Obama. It's an attempt to increase non-fare income, according to Metra executive director Phil Pagano. Metra will see what public reaction is and how the ad holds up to the elements before moving forward with any other ads.

Winter is generally a down time for restaurant business; our current banana republic economy isn't helping matters. That, and the range of options for diners wanting to have a night out on the town, is the impetus for the second annual Chicago Restaurant Week February 20-27. Sponsored by the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, 130 restaurants — from the 5-star Zagat rated concepts to off the beaten path diners — will offer 3-course prix fixe lunches for $22 and $32 prix fixe dinners.

• Motorola, based out of Schaumburg, announced today it would be cutting 4,000 jobs. This is in addition to the 3,000 cut during the fourth quarter of 2008. Damn.
• An Illinois House committee that oversees DFCS may consider tougher laws about aggressive dogs living in foster homes following Sunday's mauling death of foster child Alex Angulo.
• Tom Tuduj, accused of stabbing his boss to death in 2006, testified at his own trial and claimed his medication was to blame.

Another victim of the new City budget seems to be the city's free trolley system. The system, a big hit among tourists (88 percent of riders are out-of-towners), was put in by Mayor Daley after a trip to San Francisco in 2000. Initially funded by a federal congestion-relief plan, the city took over payments for the trolleys in 2004. Almost a million people have ridden the trolleys in 2008. The last day of service will be January 4, 2009 and is expected to save the city about $1.7 million.

• Chicagoist hasn't been the only one covering the event. Here are some other reviews of Chicago Gourmet.
• I don't know what festival Phil Vettel attended, but it sounded really fucking good. Mr. "One fork per plate" found no "shortage of richness"; at one point, Stolpman and I had to go to America's Dog to grab a bite.
• Apparently, Vettel didn't bother to share that same spoil of riches with fellow Stew correspondent Chris Borrelli. I don't mind a lot of wine at a gourmet food festival, either. But the ratio of wine tents to food tents was ridiculous.

After months of buildup and debate, the inaugural Chicago Gourmet festival of food and wine kicks off this evening with a gala reception at the Harris Theatre in Millennium Park. You just know that Mayor Daley is eager to showcase the rarefied air of the Chicago restaurant industry mere months before the IOC makes its final decision on the host city for the 2016 Summer Games. He tried to sell the sizzle in this week's edition of Time Out Chicago:

The long-anticipated and much-discussed Chicago Gourmet festival at Millennium Park is just over a week away. It's no secret that entrance to the event itself will cost some their entire month's rent, and then some.

Columbus Drive is safe for cars once again. Taste of Chicago is done for another year and city officials are declaring it a rousing success. As though they would say anything different.

Fewer domestic tourists visited Illinois last year than the year before, down 5 percent to 68.1 million. Our miles after magnificent miles aren't doing it for people anymore?

Mayor Daley, along with the mayors of Honolulu and Miami and travel and hospitality industry leaders, met with Republican presidential hopeful John McCain yesterday to discuss expanding the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which lets nationals of participating countries enter the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa. "As the travel process becomes more difficult, America's economy and image suffers," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association, who joined the mayors in a roundtable discussion with McCain. "We have lost 250,000 jobs. A lot of that is due to we are now regarded as an unfriendly place to visit," Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said.

Esquire Magazine's "Best Sandwiches in America" article is a must-read, if only for us because it gives us a checklist of places to hunt down the next time we're on vacation (btw, Katz's pastrami on rye is really all that). Although we have to question the inclusion of the McRib sandwich, we have no qualms with seeing Chick-Fil-A make an appearance on the list.

Some events in the next seven days to consider saving your freshly shoveled parking space with a few chairs.

If you've tried to make travel arrangements to Europe lately, you know first hand that the U.S. dollar is sucking wind compared to the Euro -- as of today's exchange rate the Euro is worth a whopping 47% more than the dollar. And don't think Europeans haven't noticed -- they're bringing that "free money" and empty suitcases to the Mag Mile and loading them up with Burberry and Hershey's chocolate. The Tribune reports that international tourists are flocking to Chicago: the number of overseas visitors rose by 8% in 2007, compared to no increase in 2006. So if you find yourself pushing your way through even more camera and shopping bag toting throngs along Michigan Avenue, that's why. And forget about getting a table at The Cheesecake Factory. Can't say we blame them -- we would be shipping our asses off to the ru du Faubourg Saint-Honore if the situation were reversed.

Lucky enough to get a few days off for the Chrismukkah holidays? Several Chicago area music entities have been kind enough to give you time-filling options.

Yesterday we learned that almost all of us have toxic chemicals hanging out in our bodies, and artists and musicians are no exception to the rule. Visual artists are often exposed to harmful chemicals on a long-term basis. Musicians risk hearing loss and/or vocal chord strain after a long career playing in loud clubs. And both groups risk repetitive motion disorders such as carpal tunnel. The upcoming Musicians at Work forum at the Cultural Center...

Where Do Cows Go to Retire?

While the other families we know hightail it out to the greener grassed suburbs, we here at the Chicagoist have found more and more to love about the city. Our most recent crush is on the Art of Play. We initially thought the Art of Play was a tourism gimmick, as it is sponsored by the city and state Tourism bureau, as well as the Mayor's Office of Special Events and other Chicago cultural organizations....

We took a break from our Dungeons and Dragons to check out the competitive gaming taking place at the Chicago Cultural Center this weekend, which played host to the 2007 U.S. Open. We’re not talking about tennis here. We’re talking about the Rubik’s Cube Championship, where the winner of the 3x3x3 Speed Solve gets an all-expense-paid trip to the 2007 World Rubik’s Cube Championship in Budapest. The competition was was sanctioned by the World Cube...

Today’s your last chance to visit ARTropolis. It’s “Student Day” at Art Chicago, where students, professors, and professionals discuss the basics of an arts career. A pass admitting two people to five fairs is $15. The Illinois Bureau of Tourism has announced its Seven Wonders of Illinois, the top regional attractions selected by popular vote. Cubs fans hit the polls early and often, naming Wrigley Field Chicago’s top attraction. Wilmette’s gorgeous Baha'i Temple represents...

"Old St. Mary's" via mattsabo17.

The League of Chicago Theaters wants you to get out of the house and see more shows, but you don’t have to get off your duff to get tickets. This afternoon, the League of Chicago Theaters launches Hot Tix Online, a service that makes purchasing half-priced tickets only slightly more complicated than reading this post. For the past few months, they’ve made a few shows available for online purchase and are now expanding options for those of us who can’t easily get downtown or to Skokie.

The media elite and tenured intelligentsia are making you feel like an unwashed plebian if you aren’t fawning over Fermilab or Millennium Park. And you’re sick of your relatives braying on about thrilling tourist traps like Medieval Times and Six Flags. You know better, don’t you? For the rest of the month, the Illinois Tourism Bureau gives you the chance to make your alternative views heard… and then promptly drowned out by the voters who...

Chicago sure seems conducive to fostering public relationships between critically abrasive duos. We produced one of the most famous teams in movie criticism with Siskel and Ebert, and who can ever forget the headline-shattering team of Marin and Mancow? We think it’s time to add DeRogatis and Kot to that list as well. Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis head up Sound Opinions, what they claim to be the world’s only rock 'n' roll talk show....

On Monday, we ventured out to the Chicago Cultural Center after work to check out the Moroccan souk as part of the city’s Sister Cities program. While the souk was a little underwhelming, we were suprised to find a breathtaking Healy and Millet Renaissance-style stained glass dome in the G.A.R. Rotunda. A security guard told us about another room in the building, where we found the largest Tiffany dome in the world, resplendent in...

If you don’t hear much from the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau in the next couple of months, don’t be alarmed. The bureau, which drives sales for McCormick Place and Navy Pier, is on the road, trying to find work. It will be stopping in 10 cities to try to convince corporate and association meeting planners to book their conventions here. Why all the palm-pressing? "Our new emphasis is back-to-the-basics, face-to-face sales and marketing,"...