Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drive (
&
630/495-2282
). More
than a thousand cars and trucks,
domestic and foreign, are on dis-
play at this show, a tradition since
1901. Kids can get behind the
wheel of the latest models at this
event, which draws nearly a million
car owners or wannabe owners a
year. Mid-February.
International Cluster of Dog
Shows,
McCormick Place South,
23rd Street and South Lake Shore
Drive (
&
773/237-5100
). See
canines great and small strut their
stuff. They're all adorable, but only
one can win Best in Show. More
than 10,000 AKC (American Ken-
nel Club) purebred dogs of all
breeds heat up the competition. It's
quite a scene, particularly in the
poodle area, where you can see dogs
getting their hair blow-dried until
they look like canine rock stars.
Third week in February.
March
Spring Flower Shows.
Spring is
sprung a little earlier in the conser-
vatories than it is outside in the real
world, and thank goodness. See the
lilies, daffodils, tulips, pansies, and
other flowering perennials at
Lin-
coln Park Conservatory
(
&
312/
742-7737
) and
Garfield Park
Conservatory
(
&
312/746-5100
).
Throughout March and April.
St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Even the
Chicago River puts on the green for
St. Patrick's Day—it's actually dyed
Kelly green for the occasion. The
parade runs along Dearborn Street
from Wacker Drive to Van Buren;
the best place to view it is around
Wacker and Dearborn. Saturday
closest to March 17.
April
Opening Day.
Bundle up the kids
and join the diehard fans at the
ballpark (and diehard fans know to
wear long underwear, so follow
their lead). Optimism reigns
supreme and fans hope again that
this will be their season. And even if
it's not, hot dogs and peanuts will
take some of the edge off. For the
Cubs, call
&
773/404-CUBS;
for
the White Sox, call
&
312/674-
1000.
Early April.
May
Buckingham Fountain Color
Light Show,
in Grant Park, at Con-
gress Parkway and Lake Shore
Drive. The water and the ever-
changing colored lights put on their
show in the landmark fountain
nightly until 11pm. May 1 through
October 1.
The Ferris Wheel
and
Pier Walk,
at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
(
&
312/595-PIER
). Give your
kids a bird's-eye view of Chicago
from the Ferris wheel (those who
are slightly less fond of heights can
stay closer to earth on the carousel).
Another seasonal event along the
water is Pier Walk, a temporary
installation of more than 150 large-
scale sculptures displayed along the
pier's South Dock. May through
October.
Art Chicago,
at Navy Pier's Festival
Hall, 600 E. Grand Ave. This is one
of the country's largest international
contemporary-art fairs, and it's cur-
rently in flux. In the past more than
200 art galleries and 2,000 artists
have participated in the 5-day
event. With the show's decline in
popularity among art cognoscenti,
Art Chicago is changing up its
offerings, and we'll see what the
future brings. The event is usually
preceded by a bus tour through the
city's gallery districts in River North
and Wicker Park. For information,
call
&
312/587-3300.
Mother's
Day weekend.
Wright Plus Tour,
at The Frank
Lloyd Wright Home & Studio
(
&
708/848-1976
). Glimpse inside
the brilliant mind of Frank Lloyd
