“American Street Kid” debuts in Chicago December 11

In American Street Kid, filmmaker Michael Leoni takes you on a journey into a world that most people don’t know exists. A world where in order to survive, kids are forced to sell drugs, beg for money or sell their bodies. Their powerful stories are heartbreaking and their unrelenting hope and determination to create a better life shines through, in this true tale of love, friendship, and the triumph of the human spirit.

For more information, visit www.americanstreetkid.com.

2017 Chicago Auto Show #CAS17

The Chicago Auto Show opens to the general public today, Saturday, February 11 at McCormick Place, 2301 S King Dr, Chicago, IL. Public show times: February 11-19 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.; February 20 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

The Chicago Auto Show is the largest show of its kind in North America. First held in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent. This year marks the 108th edition. The Chicago Auto Show utilizes more than 1 million square feet in the North and South Exhibit Halls of the McCormick Place complex.

Collier’s Magazine piece promoting the 1939 Chicago Auto Show.

McCormick Place is easily reached by car or public transportation. Extensive shuttle bus service from all area parking lots to and from McCormick Place. Weekend-only shuttle service from the Millennium Park and East Monroe underground garages. Shuttles stop in 10-15 minute intervals near Columbus/Upper and Lower Randolph and at Gate 3 at McCormick Place.

Scooter and Wheelchair rentals are available by contacting Scootaround toll-free at (773) 439-9940.

Scooter rentals are $50.00 a day and wheelchair rentals are $20.00 a day. Scootaround accepts all major credit cards. Scootaround is located at Gate 4 of McCormick Place (west end of the Grand Concourse). While Scootaround will make every effort to accommodate all needs, you are encouraged to reserve in advance.

2017 Chevrolet Camaro from this year’s Chicago Auto Show 

McCormick Place is easily reached by car or public transportation. Extensive shuttle bus service from all area parking lots to and from McCormick Place. Weekend-only shuttle service from the Millennium Park and East Monroe underground garages. Shuttles stop in 10-15 minute intervals near Columbus/Upper and Lower Randolph and at Gate 3 at McCormick Place.

Scooter and Wheelchair rentals are available by contacting Scootaround toll-free at (773) 439-9940.

Scooter rentals are $50.00 a day and wheelchair rentals are $20.00 a day. Scootaround accepts all major credit cards. Scootaround is located at Gate 4 of McCormick Place (west end of the Grand Concourse). While Scootaround will make every effort to accommodate all needs, you are encouraged to reserve in advance.

Tickets are available at our McCormick Place ticket booths on public show days or online at ChicagoAutoShow.com and https://tickets.drivechicago.com. (Show box office closes one hour before the show closes.)

$13 for adults

$7 for seniors aged 62 and older

$7 for children 7-12

Free Admission for children 6 and younger when accompanied by a paying adult. Family members only.

Free screening of classic film “Flying Down to Rio” at Second Presbyterian Church

There will be a free screening of the classic film Flying Down to Rio (1933) at Second Presbyterian Church, 1936 South Michigan Avenue, Friday, February 17, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. The film features Long time church member Etta Moten Barnett (1901 –2004).

Etta Moten Barnett was an American actress and singer. She performed on stage in a revival of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which became a signature role. On film she appeared in Pre-Code classics Ladies They Talk About (1933) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gold Diggers of 1933 where she sang the classic “My Forgotten Man” with the film’s star Joan Blondell. In addition to appearing in films, her singing voice was dubbed for African American actress Theresa Harris in the film Professional Sweetheart starring Ginger Rogers (1933).

Flying Down to Rio features Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in their first film together, although Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond are top-billed. Moten Barnett sings “The Carioca” while Rogers and Astaire performs the dance of the same name.

Etta Moten Barnett

Besides her connection to Second Presbyterian Church, Moten Barnett was active in the National Council of Negro Women, the Chicago Lyric Opera, Field and DuSable Museums, and the South Side Community Center.

Barnett Moten died of pancreatic cancer in 2004 at the age of 102.

The screening of this film is A Black History Month Event presented in celebration of the 175th Anniversary of Second Presbyterian Church. Free popcorn and soft drinks will be served at the movie screening.

Happy Thanksgiving from South Loop Connection

Book excerpt: “100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die”

Take a Fall Stroll Through the Sculptures

Here’s a little piece of trivia for you: The Village of Skokie isn’t actually in Chicago, but the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park is.

Wondering how that works? The park sits on a 2-mile strip of land in the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). In 1988, a collaboration between MWRD, the Village of Skokie, and some public art enthusiasts produced the park that exists today. Roughly seventy sculptures call the subtly landscaped space home. Winding paths permit visitors to walk or bike through, and fall is the perfect time to do it.

Finding the park can prove to be a bit of a challenge. As you drive along McCormick Boulevard, it might be easy to miss the collection of public art tucked between the trees — especially if you’re gawking at the fall foliage — but don’t let that keep you from making a visit. It’s a quiet place to wander and experience large-scale contemporary sculpture, and it is most certainly something that should be on your Chicago bucket list.

Molly Page is a freelance writer and digital strategist. She considers herself lucky because her work often feels more like play. After falling madly in love with her adopted hometown, Chicago, she wrote a book about it, 100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die. When she's not hard at play, she can be found snapping pictures and adding to the list of foods she’s tried that would make you gag. Shrimp heads, anyone? Follow her adventures via Twitter or Instagram @mollypg.

Roadway from Chinatown to Downtown being constructed a century after first proposed

According to an article in today’s dnainfo, construction to connect Chinatown and Downtown has finnally begun. According to the article, the “Wells-Wentworth Connector” was originally proposed in Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago. The new roadway will cost $62 million.

What do you think? Will this help ease congestion between Chinatown the South Loop and other north-south roadways?

Wells-Wentworth Connector

Book excerpt: “100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die”

It isn’t only humans who look to Chicago as a popular travel destination. Birds love it here too. During spring and fall migration, Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary is quite the hot spot. Birders flock to “The Magic Hedge" to catch a glimpse of the hundreds of bird species making a short stopover in Chicago.

In 2001, the city began to focus on returning the sanctuary to its native vegetation. Time, money, and effort have created luxury accommodations for our winged visitors. The seemingly wild and unkempt plantings give the area an enchanted feel. Even when the birds are hiding in the trees, their songs can be heard throughout the area.

If you’re looking for a guided bird watching experience, you’re in luck. The Chicago Ornithological Society hosts early morning walks around Lincoln Park’s North Pond every week during the fall.

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary

Bio:
Molly Page is a freelance writer and digital strategist. She considers herself lucky because her work often feels more like play. After falling madly in love with her adopted hometown, Chicago, she wrote a book about it, 100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die. When she's not hard at play, she can be found snapping pictures and adding to the list of foods she’s tried that would make you gag. Shrimp heads, anyone? Follow her adventures via Twitter or Instagram @mollypg.

Book excerpt: “100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die”

Every year on a Saturday afternoon in August, King Drive is transformed from a major thoroughfare to a raucous parade route. The Bud Billiken Parade has been a South Side tradition since 1929. Floats anchored by DJs, enthusiastic marching bands, and colorfully costumed drill teams entertain thousands of neighbors as they celebrate the return to school each academic year.

This year’s parade is happening Saturday, August, 13th and is scheduled to step-off at 10 am.

Be sure to bring your appetite. All along the parade route, smoke billows from grills where jerk chicken wings, ribs, and other mouthwatering treats tempt spectators and draw shouts from float passengers. Family picnics line the street as the community cheers on performers and spends an afternoon celebrating. The parade, organized by Chicago Defender Charities, Inc., is intended to promote education; it ends in Washington Park, where the party continues throughout the day.  

Looking for another way to celebrate Chicago this week? Stop by Hip Cat Chicago on Friday, August 12th at 7 pm for a free cocktail event. Learn more and RSVP on Facebook.

Bio:

Molly Page is a freelance writer and digital strategist. She considers herself lucky because her work often feels more like play. After falling madly in love with her adopted hometown, Chicago, she wrote a book about it, 100 Things to Do in Chicago Before You Die. When she's not hard at play, she can be found snapping pictures and adding to the list of foods she’s tried that would make you gag. Shrimp heads, anyone? Follow her adventures via Twitter or Instagram @mollypg.

South Loop author pens “100 Things to do in Chicago Before You Die”

Local author Molly Page wants you to enjoy 100 things in Chicago…before you die! Page, a freelance author from the South Loop, has written an insider’s guide—100 Things to do in Chicago Before You Die—to some of the best that Chicago has to offer. Originally from St. Louis, Page has really embraced the city and all it has to offer. A lover of history and architecture, Page has assembled some interesting sites to see and experience. For example, did you know that there is a magic show at the Palmer House Hilton? And have you visited the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park? You’ll also discover the best blues club in the city and it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of right now.

Page has lived in Chicago for five years and has grown to love her adopted city. 100 Things to do in Chicago Before You Die is published by Reedy Press, a publisher specializing in local-interest guidebooks. The book is available at bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com. At Amazon, Page’s book is the number one bestseller in Midwest US Travel Guides.

Armand’s Pizzeria comes to the South Loop

Armand’s Pizzeria is coming to the South Loop. They’ll be opening shop at 1416 S. Michigan Ave., in the space formerly occupied by City Tavern. There is a sign posted in the window of the old City Tavern, but you can hardly see it due to the way the windows are configured.

Armand’s Pizzeria boasts that they make “Chicago’s Best Thin Crust Pizza.” They’ve been in business since 1956 and have 10 locations in the Chicagoland area, including locations in Wicker Park and Millennium Station.

I'd like to buy a vowel, Pat, so I can read this sign.

The sign says opening soon, but no official opening date has been announced.

"Empire" filming on 16th Street in the South Loop

Click on above to enlarge.

Merry Christmas from South Loop Connection!

Free Sing-Along Messiah today at 3:30 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church

Tapas Valencia to host free Thanksgiving dinner November 26

Tapas Valencia, 1530 S. State St., will be hosting their annual free Thanksgiving dinner on November 26, 2015, 11 a.m – 1:30 p.m.

Guests will be treated to a free traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Reservations are required because seating is limited. Please make your reservations before Thursday, November 19, 2015 by calling 312.842.444.

Portillo’s in the South Loop?

It looks like the Oak Brook-based chain is looking at locations in our neighborhood, this according to an article in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune. According to Nick Scarpito, Portillo’s director of marketing, they’re looking at 520 W. Taylor St., at Canal.

For a look at the complete article, click here.

When it rains, it floods (in the South Loop)

If you were outside walking in the rain this past Saturday, you probably had some difficulty navigating the flooding in the streets, alleys, and sidewalks. This was especially true for 16th Street between Indiana and Wabash, where the city has spent a lot of time (and we do me a lot of time) digging up the street, replacing sewer pipes, and then repaving the streets. You would think that water drainage would be an important consideration when making roadway and sewer improvements, but reality doesn’t seem to confirm this theory.

You needed waders if you wanted you feet to stay dry.

What do you think? Are the 16th Street improvements really improvements? And when do you think the work on 16th between State and Clark will be completed?

Check out the video below of road and sidewalk flooding on 16th between Michigan and Wabash.

Tour the Mansions of Historic Prairie Avenue

Kimball and Coleman houses on S. Prairie Avenue

Sunday June 14, 2015
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Glessner House Museum
1800 S. Prairie Avenue
Chicago, IL
$50 per person/$45 members

This very special (annual) tour provides attendees with the rare opportunity to visit the interiors of several historic homes in the Prairie Avenue Historic District.

See the beautifully carved wood moldings, leaded glass windows, fireplaces in elaborate tile, mosaic, and marble, and much more! Glessner and Clarke House Museums are also included on the tour as well as historic Second Presbyterian Church with its landmarked Arts and Crafts interior and collection of Tiffany windows.

Following the tour, attendees are invited to return to the museum for a reception and silent auction, featuring theatre tickets, Chicago memorabilia, collectibles, architectural fragments, and other items of interest.

For reservations (recommended), please call 312.326.1480.

Professional Eye Center going into 1130 S. Wabash

A new Professional Eye Center is moving into 1130 S. Wabash Ave. There are two other Professional Eye Centers in Oak Park and at E. 53rd St. in Chicago.

Playful Talk Show with Yana Reznik at PianoForte Studios A New Kind of Classical Music Show!

Yana Reznik

PianoForte Foundation is proud to present “Playful Talk with Yana Reznik”, a new production that invites audiences to engage with renowned stars of the classical music world in an entertaining and personal exchange of words and music. For the first time, both live and internet audiences come to know the personalities of the men and women behind the instruments. Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, Ars Viva Orchestra and international soloists join pianist and host Yana Reznik in music making, either prepared classical masterpieces or spontaneous improvisations.

Yana and her guests connect the classical stage with a diverse, cross-generational population that lives on the social media platforms of our interconnected world. The experience continues as “Playful Talk” live studio attendees get an exclusive opportunity to dine with Yana and her guest artists immediately following each broadcast.

The show is inspired by the passion of breaking down the boundaries and stigma of classical music. “Playful Talk” reaches out to the audiences through personal communication and accessibility along with the high level of performance.

“Playful Talk with Yana Reznik” is supported by Chicago’s prestigious PianoForte Foundation.

Here are the details: 

-“Playful Talk” is produced by the acclaimed and innovative pianist Yana Reznik and welcomes live audiences at PianoForte Studios at 1335 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL 60605.

-Each show is broadcast live via www.yanareznik.com

-Each broadcast is available for viewing at anytime after the show via www.yanareznik.com

-Audience members are encouraged to ask questions via Twitter (@playfultalk), which will be answered selectively during the show.

-The dining with the artists is held at Chicago’s Kurah Mediterranean Restaurant – the city’s cozy, highly regarded culinary niche at 1355 S. Michigan Ave. (VIP tickets required)

About Yana Reznik

Pianist, speaker, producer, host, entrepreneur, and cultural leader, Yana Reznik has been revolutionizing the way classical music affects our society. Her passionate performances and captivating storytelling had won the hearts of thousands on her 2010-2014 tour across the United States. Becoming known as the “Pianist with a Voice,” Yana breaks the boundaries of the expected and creates innovative programs to bring the beauty of classical music to a wider and more diverse audience around the world.

Yana’s passion for inspiring a new generation to love classical music has led her to be a guest speaker for the TEDx Skid Row, “Idea Project of LA”, Southern California Music Institute and Idyllwild Arts Academy.

As a humanitarian, Yana Reznik created the 'Artistic Voyage' concert series of 2011, a visionary gathering of musicians and artists to benefit worthwhile charity organizations around the world. Another one of Yana’s celebrated achievements had been her work as Artistic Director, pianist and host for 'Live at the Lounge' (Los Angeles) – a weekly concert series throughout 2010 that featured over 130 world class performers who collaborated with Ms. Reznik in an up-close and personal setting.

Since moving to Chicago in 2014, Yana has performed at the Myra Hess Concerts Series and PianoForte Foundation. Both concerts were broadcasted live at WFMT 98.7 Radio.

Upcoming Shows and Broadcasts:

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 @ 7pm CST Cory Tiffin, clarinet (Las Vegas Philharmonic) Chris Wild, cello (Ensemble Dal Niente)

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 @ 7pm CST Members of New Millennium Orchestra Francesco Millioto, conductor Dominic Johnson, viola, violin, DJ

Sunday, May 31, 2015 @ 6 pm CST Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra David Taylor, violin Weijing Wang, viola Richard Hirschl, cello

Live Performance Location: 

PianoForte Studios 1335 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago IL 60605

Broadcast streaming: 

www.YanaReznik.com

Tickets and Info: 

www.yanareznik.com

www.pianofortefoundation.org

Twitter: @playfultalk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Playful-Talk/1624050907822782

Contact: 

Yana Reznik Yanareznikmusic@gmail.com

312.569.9157

Below is Yana meets the artists from February 17, 2015 performance.

Around the South Loop

Snow falls in Coliseum Park