Bars and restaurants are slowly opening up, now that City of Chicago COVID-19 guidelines have loosened a bit and indoor dining is possible for establishments with a food license. The limit is still 50 percent capacity, and food must be available, but the shift to Phase IV has meant that a few of our favorite tippling houses are waving hello again.
This column does not recommend pretending that everything is the same as it used to be (that’s a sure way to prevent your own personal growth in life in general as well as our COVID times), so we encourage you to stay safe as you start to go out again and practice distancing when possible.
In addition to our own food and drink listings, here are some resources to help you figure out where to go for dinner. A group of Wrigleyville and Lakeview restaurants and bars that have patios or open window dining capability are listed at the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce website. The online publication Black People Eats offers a comprehensive list of Black-owned restaurants throughout the city at its website; many of the places listed also offer delivery or take-out. And Rebellious Magazine compiled a list of woman-owned restaurants in Chicago and the suburbs.
More coming up:
- Fri 3/12, 8 PM: Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois-Chicago hosts Funk Lessons: a Tribute, a homage to artist Adrian Piper’s 1983 performance piece Funk Lessons presented by artist Felicia Holman with DJ Cqqchifruit. It’s part of the public programming for artist Lise Haller Baggesen’s exhibition “Museums of Futures Past Times Present: Hatorade Retrograde The Musical,” which you can view through a 3D tour at the gallery’s website. Funk Lessons: A Tribute is a free, online event and an access link will be provided with registration.
- Wed 3/17 through Fri 3/19: The Crossroads Fund foundation celebrates their 40th anniversary with Seeds of Change, a virtual benefit. The schedule includes a keynote speech by Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman on Wednesday and music by Jamila Woods and DJ L O Kari on Friday evening.
- Thu 3/18, 6 PM: The nonprofit Friends of the Forest Preserves hosts a The Hidden Life of the Forest Preserves: Cool Mushrooms and Frozen Fungi, a Zoom webinar led by North Branch field organizer Derek Ziomber.
- Seven days (see website for hours): The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and Family Entertainment Center in Auburn Gresham is open for roller skating and bowling. Entrance tickets must be purchased in advance, and face masks are mandatory in the facility.
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