Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Borders Books & Music
All ages.
Kids can hear stories, with special visits
from costumed characters, at this story hour, held at 11am on Tuesday.
830 N.
Michigan Ave.
&
312/573-0564.
Free admission. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago/State.
Children in Paradise
Ages 2 to 8.
Storytelling and monthly events makes
this a hot spot for storytelling. Preschoolers are welcome at the story hour, 10:30am
on Tuesday and Wednesday.
909 N. Rush.
&
312/951-5437.
www.chicagochildrensbooks.
com. Free admission. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago/State.
The Field Museum of Natural History
Ages 2 to 4.
Designed for
preschoolers, “Story Time: Fact, Fables, and Fiction” is a daily event in July and
August, and a weekend afternoon event during the remainder of the year. Held
in the Living Together exhibit area, stories and projects tie in with current
exhibits.
Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr.
&
312/665-7400.
Free with museum admission of
$17 for adults, $11 for children. Bus: 146.
Thomas Hughes Children's Library at Harold Washington Library Center
Ages 2 and up.
Twice a month puppets act out stories, and Saturdays are packed
with programs, including puppet shows, videos, crafts, author readings, and book
signings. Toddler story times are offered for kids 2 years and up and include sto-
rytelling, puppetry, music, movement, and a craft, and you must sign up in
advance, or if there's an opening, walk-ins are allowed. One-hour story times for
ages 3 and up are available on a walk-in basis year-round. Most Saturday programs
start at 2pm, but morning story hours vary, so call or log on for updates.
400 S. State
St.
&
312/747-4200.
www.chicagopubliclibrary.org. Subway/El: Red Line to Jackson/State, Brown
Line to Van Buren/Library.
Women and Children First
Ages 2 to 5.
Books and poems are featured at
this story hour for preschoolers, held Wednesday mornings from 10:30 to 11am.
5233 N. Clark St.
&
773/769-9299.
Free admission. Subway/El: Red Line to Bryn Mawr, then walk
several blocks west to Clark. Bus: 22.
Finds
10 Arcades
ESPN Zone
Ages 7 & up.
This 35,000-square-foot sports shrine provides
arcade fans with sports-inspired video games plus the Sports Arena, where every-
one can try out their skills. Future quarterbacks can try to throw the ball
through moving cutouts. A simulated rock-climbing wall moves up and down
like a vertical treadmill so you can never reach the top. You and your kids can
dribble and shoot baskets on a half court, scoring points based on the difficulty
of the shots you make. The basket can even be lowered so younger kids get a fair
shot. And, you can check your scores against those of the NBA players who
showed off their stuff here. If hockey's your sport, you and your kids can pre-
tend to be NHL players, with one of you taking shots on simulated ice while the
other plays goalie. The Screening Room is a fan's nirvana, with a 16-foot screen
surrounded by skybox viewing suites, along with another 37 monitors to cover
everything from the Super Bowl to the Madagascar Knee Volleyball Champi-
onships.
43 E. Ohio St.
&
312/644-ESPN.
www.espnzone.com. Free admission; cost is $6 for
15-point card, $11 for a 40-point card, and on up to $101 for a 700-point card. Games “cost” 4-16
points each. Sun-Thurs 11:30am-midnight; Fri 11:30am-1am; Sat 11am-1am. Subway/El: Red
Line to State/Grand.
