Chicago Weekend Fun!

Well, despite some cold and soggy weather, spring is almost over in Chicagoland. It will be summer soon, the kids will be out of school, co-workers will be out of the office on vacation and your lawn will need watering again. Why not take some time to enjoy this fleeting season and go have some fun in the city for the weekend? It was a short 4 day work week and we all just want to go home and relax with a bratwurst sandwich and a beer at this point. Here are some additional suggestions and recommendations to make your weekend sing.

1. I have written a lot about Second City and IO Theater since I am a big believer in Improv as a comedy form and a Chicago pool of talented comedians. I haven’t written as much about Stand-up Comedy unless you count my raving reviews of Eddie Izzard. (He really improvs his stand-up though) There are fewer places to see Standup Shows since Improv reigns supreme here. Zanies is one of those places and hosts some famous comedians along with the local ones and is a good place to go see a funny show for tourists and locals alike. (Gilbert Gottfried was there the last time I was walking by and read the posters) And although it is sometimes met with a skeptical look when you mention Zanies  in the suburbs along with 2 drink minimums, the Chicago location on Wells St in Old Town is celebrating it’s 30 year anniversary. So, you should check out their comedy lineup and consider a different format for laughs this weekend or next. Zanies is located at 1548 N Wells Street in Chicago and you can call Zanies for tickets at 312-337-4207.

2. The Chicago Beaches are officially open  now that we are past Memorial Day.  As always be safe at the beach and don’t bring any alcohol unless you want to be arrested. Take a walk along Lake Michigan and enjoy the skyline, the sunset and the water. If you are a tourist visiting from the midwest, enjoy our lake and the views that look like the ocean, but without the salt.

3. The Grant Park Gospel Fest is the festival of the week this week in Millennium Park at the Pritzker Pavillion. The performances run from noon till dusk with a wide range of performers from all over. Admission is free and the singing is amazingly uplifting.

4. This isn’t the most original thing to do this weekend, but most audiences rate the Indiana Jones movie  at least as good as a bratwurst, and you might like it as much too. The Sex and the City Movie also opens this weekend and it has gotten some great reviews and some crap reviews. The weirdest thing I have heard about this movie is that they did not remove the microphone booms from some of the scenes. Odd, random and totally weird.

5. The Annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is downtown on Saturday and Sunday. This is a different walk than the Susan G Komen walk but there will still be plenty of pink walking all over Chicago this weekend. It all starts at 6am Saturday at 1410 S Museum Campus Dr. If you would still like to participate you can call (888)540-9255 ext. 4 or go to avonwalk.org for more information on how to donate or walk this weekend.

6. And it is not totally a weekend event but I also recommend taking part in the Critical Mass bike ride on Friday May 30th. This is a fun bike ride with hundreds of other people in downtown Chicago. It is an official organized event, but many people still use it to support free speech and political causes (like being anti-war). It is a grass roots type event that is officially approved to ride through the city with some police escorts on bikes. I think it is fun to ride, although it is several miles and probably not for the less experienced rider or tourist. If you are looking for a fun crowd to ride with once a month visit chicagocriticalmass.org for more information or show up at Daley Plaza at 5pm when the event starts on Friday.

Have a great weekend!!