You don’t have to get frosted tips or wear a flame-themed bowling shirt to venture out and enjoy new places, but sometimes it can still be hard to get out of the neighborhood (whether you’re headed to Flavortown or not). Here’s some ideas for local places to “dive” in to and some things to stay in for (in case you just can’t imagine leaving the house this weekend). Enjoy!
- Fri 4/23, 5-7 PM: DJ Phokiss hosts Farm, Food, Familias, & Fiesta, an online party with a purpose and fundraiser for the Farm, Food Familias mutual-aid meals project that delivers free meals to families in Little Village, Englewood, and South Chicago. The project is coordinated by the organizations Getting Grown Collective, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Urban Pilon, Fresher Together, Amor y Sofrito, and Kwamena and started last May. Watch at Twitch and donate at Getting Grown Collective’s website.
- Fri 4/23, Sat 4/24, Thu 4/29, Fri 4/30, Sat 5/1, and Sun 5/2, 7:45 PM: Asian Pop-Up Cinema presents movies from South Korea, Taiwan, and more at the Lincoln Yards Drive-In, 1684 N. Throop. Buy tickets and see showtimes here.
- Now through Sun 4/25, times vary: One Earth Film Festival presents an online weekend of offerings in honor of Earth Day, including daily screenings of documentaries and short films concerned with our world and ecology. Check out the festival’s website for film descriptions and showtimes.
- Sat 4/24, 7 PM: Windy City Performing Arts presents Please Cast Me!, a virtual cabaret featuring members of the Windy City Treble Quire and the Windy City Gay Chorus. You can watch it on YouTube and the organization would love your donations to help their efforts: find more information here.
- Sat 4/24, 8 PM: Las Locas Comedy presents the Are We There Yet show, a showcase featuring five Chicago funny people. It’s offered in person with social distancing measures in place at Wicker Park’s Dstrkt Bar & Grill, or you can watch a concurrent livestream. Either way, advance tickets are required for access and can be found here.
- Seven days, hours vary: Chicago Botanic Garden is open with timed reservations required. It’s worth a trip to Glencoe to take a look at the new spring growth but the Garden’s website warns that you need to purchase your parking reservation in advance as well (as parking often sells out on weekends). Check it out.
- Weekends, times vary: The Chicago Architecture Center offers a variety of ticketed walking tours around the loop and beyond as well as their popular river cruise. Check out their website for details.
- Seven days, times vary: Open Books in the West Loop is open for walk-ins, and the Pilsen site (a self-service outdoor site with various payment options) is usually open, weather permitting. The stores are currently collaborating with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to bring free books to deserving children under the age of five. See their website for more information.
- Anytime, online: Some of you might remember that the classifieds section of this publication and others in the 70s and 80s often included ads that offered prayers to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes in the Catholic tradition. Did you know that the National Shrine of St. Jude, a site where many send those last-ditch effort prayers, is here in Chicago at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in the South Chicago neighborhood? You can take a quick tour via video and an image gallery on the Shrine’s website.
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