Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10
Chicago After Dark
C
hicago's bustling energy isn't con-
fined to daylight hours. The city offers
something for everyone—from dis-
criminating culture vultures to hard-
core club-hoppers. But nightlife here
has a distinctly low-key, Midwestern fla-
vor. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra
and the Lyric Opera of Chicago are
world-class performing arts institutions,
but their audiences aren't snobby and
newcomers are welcome. Chicago's
thriving theater scene was built by per-
formers who valued gritty realism and a
communal work ethic; from the big-
league Steppenwolf and Goodman the-
aters down to the scrappy storefront
companies that keep springing up
throughout town, that down-to-earth
energy is still very much a part of the-
ater here. Chicago also has a thriving
music scene, with clubs devoted to
everything from jazz and blues to alter-
native rock, reggae, and Latin beats.
Music and nightclub haunts are scat-
tered throughout the city, but many are
concentrated in River West, Lincoln
Park, Lakeview, and Wicker Park.
While the city has its share of see-
and-be-seen spots, Chicagoans in gen-
eral are not obsessed with getting into
the latest hot club. We'd much rather
hang out with our buddies at a neigh-
borhood bar. To join us, you only have
to pick a residential area and wander.
You don't have to go far to find a tav-
ern filled with locals and maybe a pool
table or a dartboard or two.
For up-to-date entertainment list-
ings, check the local newspapers and
magazines, particularly the “Friday”
and “Weekend Plus” sections of the
two dailies, the
Chicago Tribune
and
the
Chicago Sun-Times;
the
Chicago
Reader
or
New City,
two free weekly
tabloids with extensive listings; and the
monthly
Chicago
magazine. The
Tri-
bune
's entertainment-oriented website,
www.metromix.com
; the
Reader
's web-
site,
www.chireader.com
; and the local
Citysearch website,
www.chicago.city
search.com
, are also excellent sources of
information, with lots of opinionated
reviews.
1 The Performing Arts
Chicago is a regular stop on the big-name entertainment circuit, whether it's the
national tour of Broadway shows such as
Rent
and
Cabaret
or pop music acts such
as U2 or the Dave Matthews Band (both of whom sell out multiple nights at sta-
diums when they come to town). High-profile shows such as Disney's
Aida
and
Mel Brooks's stage version of
The Producers
had their first runs here before mov-
ing on to New York. Thanks to extensive renovation efforts, performers now have
some impressive venues where they can strut their stuff. The
Auditorium The-
atre,
at 50 E. Congress Pkwy., between Michigan and Wabash avenues (
&
312/
922-2110;
www.auditoriumtheatre.org), is my pick for the most beautiful the-
ater in Chicago—and it's a certified national landmark, too. Built in 1889 by
Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, this grand hall hosts mostly musicals and
