It’s Not Too Late To Create Your “Why Chicago” Video

You really, really want to win that trip to the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and you at least want a shot at $5,000 worth of video equipment. Unfortunately, you haven’t even started making a video and there are only three days left in the contest.

Fortunately, the weekend’s just getting started.

Every day Chicago is overflowing with things to do and this weekend is no exception. In fact, waiting until now could be a blessing in disguise. Just imagine if you capture Michigan Avenue dressed in all its holiday finery, complete with parade and fireworks, during the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. Then take a stroll down State Street to showcase the department store windows. Film Chicago’s Midwestern roots with a visit to the FamilyFarmed Expo. Since it’s located in Chicago’s most popular tourist attraction, Navy Pier, you can showcase both the cosmopolitan skyline and the city’s farming origins. How about showing the world two of America’s great music genres by checking out the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival? While there, you can also record a Second City comedy group, a marching band, a jam session and picking circle, and an art show. It’s an Olympic-sized music fest!

Hopefully these ideas will get you started. Now, get out there and shoot your “Why Chicago” video!

You can find more fideas and fun things to do in Chicago on The Local Tourist.

What’s Your Chicago Story?

As the third most populous city in the United States, Chicago is home to millions of transplants. People from all over the midwest, the country, and the world flock to the Windy City to take advantage of everything it has to offer. Every one of them has a story.

I moved to Chicago from Indianapolis seven years ago to be closer to my son. I had no job, an unused degree in journalism, and a lease in a downtown highrise. Somehow, though, I wasn’t scared. This city was exciting and energetic and got under my skin so quickly I felt like I was home the minute I unlocked my new apartment door.

Over the years I’ve heard many many other transplants express the same passion for their adopted city. This passion is why I leapt at the chance to help bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Chicago in 2016 by writing for this channel. With the Why Chicago video contest, everyone has the opportunity to share their story and tell the world why this city engenders so much loyalty.

Create a video of your first apartment, your first job, how you felt when you first discovered the lakefront path or watched a band at the Elbo Room or saw a show at the Royal George. What was it like the first time you bought flowers at a farmers market or wandered through a street fest? How did you feel when you realized you could navigate the city without a car? Do you still feel a sense of wonder when you look at the Chicago skyline and think “I live there”?

Please, tell us: What’s your story?

Photographers Can Still Show “Why Chicago”

Photographers, you don’t have to have a video camera to show Why Chicago. If you believe in Chicago and want to win that trip to Vancouver, take your still pictures and put them together in a video montage.

Chicago’s an incredibly photogenic city. A search on Flickr for “Chicago” produced 3,123,777 results. Many of those are of the iconic architecture and powerful skyline, but there are also images of storefronts and churches and parks and fountains. Some were taken by professional photographers and more were shot by people who just wanted to capture a moment and place in time.

If you’ve got your own collection of photos, you could create a a montage of your favorite Chicago spots, or a scrapbook of friends and the fun times you’ve had enjoying all this city has to offer. There’s a multitude of themes in all of those pictures you’ve got stored in your hard drive. Include some music and say a few words and wahlah, you’ve created a video.

But hurry! You’ve only got 13 days!

Chicago Hosts The President Elect

Last night’s rally for President-Elect Barack Obama in Grant Park was exhilarating, emotional, and breathtaking, and considering the size of the crowd, very very calm.

Paul and I headed to downtown Chicago around 8pm. We didn’t have tickets but just wanted to feel the energy as the election results came in. At first the streets were quieter than we expected, but as we neared Millennium Park the crowds grew. A police officer on Michigan Avenue quipped to another “they just keep coming, and coming, and coming.”

And they did. Thousands and thousands poured into Grant Park to watch the Jumbotron screens. It was like Taste of Chicago on steroids. If someone had told me ahead of time that every person in that throng would be smiling and happy and would spontaneously hug total strangers, I probably would have been a little skeptical. People broke out in song and impromptu dance circles sprang up and high-fives were frequent.

There were three things that were particularly amazing: one was that this seemingly amorphous mass would part ways for a t-shirt vendor parked in the middle of the street. Another was that everyone was so well behaved and orderly that even the police were smiling. The third was that the crowd dispersed so quickly that by 12:30 the streets were empty again.

As we headed to the train station, my friends and I remarked that this was proof that Chicago can handle the Olympic & Paralympic Games. We can more than “handle” them; that event will be met with even more excitement and organization than a Presidential rally.

If you were there and had the good fortune to record the experience, please submit a video for the contest! Last night the eyes of the world were on Chicago, and we shone with grace. Show the world our spirit and our passion and our diversity and that THIS is Why Chicago should host the Olympic & Paralympic Games!

Sweden’s Athletes Will Get A Taste Of Home

by Theresa Carter

My last post was about Chicago’s Swedish community. One of their most popular restaurants is Tre Kronor. Check out these items and you can understand why: salmon, cream cheese and fresh dill omelet served with new potatoes; eggs benedict placed on crab cakes instead of muffins; orange vanilla french toast with cinnamon and orange zest.

Now that’s a breakfast that’ll have you packing your bags and hopping on the next plane to Sweden. Fortunately, all you have to do is head to the north side of Chicago.

Larry and Patty Anderson (Swedish & Norwegian, respectively) opened Tre Kronor a couple of miles west of Andersonville back in 1992. Since then it’s become a favorite not just in the North Park neighborhood, but also as a dining destination. It’s easy to understand why. Besides the delectable items mentioned above, you get to order food like lingonberries and limpa toast while looking at trolls.

This family owned restaurant has a quaint feel, with wooden floors and happy dancing trolls painted on the wall. The servers wear t-shirts with Swedish sayings like “kotbulle” (meatball) and “fint sons snus” (I have no idea). Tre Kronor means Three Crowns and there’s a castle in Stockholm that dates from the 13th century with the same name.

If you go on the weekends there will be a wait. There’s no room in the restaurant itself, so they send you across the street to the Swedish Shop where they call the shopkeeper when your table’s ready. It’s kind of like a disconnected Cracker Barrel arrangement.

Dining at Tre Kronor is a treat. The food is wonderful, and the atmosphere makes you feel like you’ve been transported to another place. When the 2016 Swedish Olympic and Paralympic Athletes get a little homesick during the games, they can just head on up to Foster and Kedzie. It’s a bit of a hike, but much closer (and cheaper!) than flying to Sweden.

Swedes Built The Second City

by Theresa Carter

In 1912, when Sweden hosted the 5th modern Olympic Games, 20% of Swedes lived in the United States, many of them in Chicago. Now almost 100 years later there’s still a community of over 120,000.

The first Swedish settlement was in 1846. Some immigrants were on their way to Bishop Hill, Illinois, where there was already a large Swedish religious colony, but this group decided to stop and set up camp here. Over the next few decades more and more joined them until this area was home to more Swedes than any other in the U.S.

At first they lived in enclaves surrounding downtown. Swede Town was in the area now known as River North, but there were also pockets on the south and west sides. Fortunately these immigrants were skilled in construction. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 so many of them helped to rebuild the city it was said “the Swedes built Chicago”.

That fire also prompted their move to the north side and Andersonville. An ordinance prohibiting the construction of wooden structures made housing so expensive they had to move outside the city limits. Today Andersonville is a thriving community that, while welcoming other ethnic and cultural groups, also honors its Swedish residents by celebrating traditional holidays. The annual Midsommarfest is one of the most popular street festivals of the year. The Swedish American Museum educates visitors about the immigrant experience, and local businesses reflect their heritage.

Famous Swedes that called Chicago home include Pulitzer prize winning author Carl Sandburg and drugstore magnate Charles Walgreen. Next time you sit under a shady tree, consider that it might have been planted by Pehr Samuel Peterson. He began the Rose Hill Nursery, which supplied trees to the city at the turn of the last century.

By keeping their heritage alive while being influential in the community as a whole, our Swedish population exemplifies the immigrant experience in Chicago. One way they make their presence felt is through their cuisine. Next I’ll profile a Swedish restaurant favorite, and no, it’s not Ann Sather’s!

A “Global” English Pub

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Brits love their food, and they also love their beer and their football. Fortunately for everyone The Globe Pub serves them all up quite nicely.

Located on the north side, with dark wood paneling and high backed wooden bar stools, the Globe is a beer drinker’s delight. There are twenty beers on tap, and 168 - yes, 168 - by the bottle. The list is alphabetized and even declares the nationality of the brew. The menu is similarly diverse, yet pays homage to its English patrons with an extensive “Traditional Fare” section, including Steak & Ale Pie; Cornish Pastry, Chips & Beans; Chips & Curry; and of course, Fish & Chips.

What really draws them to The Globe Pub, however, is the football - both British and American. The bar televises English Premiership League EPL, Scottish Premiership League SPL , MLS Direct Kick games, NFL Sunday Ticket, college football’s ESPN Game Plan, 6 Nations rugby and Australian Rules Football. They’ve been known to open at 5am to broadcast a live game, and they did so during the Beijing Olympics games. It’s also the home bar of the Chicago Fire and they provide a $10 school bus ride to and from every home game, including refreshments.

For fun and games, there’s a separate room in the back that provides real cork boards for steel-tip dart games, a pool table, and a stage with DJs spinning 80s tunes on one night, comedians on another, and live quiz yet a different night. There are even open mic and variety nights.

While The Globe Pub may be billed as an English pub and cater to that clientele, with their food, sport, beer, and theme nights it’s truly global. When the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to Chicago in 2016, athletes and spectators from all over the world can pull up a bar stool and feel right at home.

The Polish Endorse Chicago 2016 at Chicago Going Olympic

The Polish American Awareness Foundation wants Chicago to be the host city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This group, which is dedicated to promoting a positive image of Poles, declared it in style at Chicago Going Olympic on Lightology’s green rooftop. The multi-tiered oasis in the heart of River North hosted approximately 300 people who support the bid.

Many are both currently and historically involved in the Olympics. Janusz Tatera, Poland’s Olympic Attache Counselor, attended the event after flying straight from Beijing. Also present was Edward Korfanty, Head Coach for U.S. Women Fencing. Under his instruction Mariel Zagunis won the gold medal in 2004 at Athens and again this year in Beijing. Janusz Peciak is not only an Olympic Gold Medalist in Pentathlon and an 8-time Pentathlon World Champion, he’s also the Head Coach of the U.S. Modern Pentathlon. Piotr Nowak is the Assistant Head Coach for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, and he also led the Chicago Fire to a victory in the MLS Cup in their first year.

The open bar offered Stawski vodka and the cuisine included traditional pierogies, but what was really impressive was the table laden with pastries. Towers and trays of goodies looked so good it was almost a shame to eat them. The Olympic-logo cake was left largely untouched most of the night - it seemed a travesty to cut into the rings!

Also featured was a silent auction to raise money for youth athletic scholarships. Prizes included Bally and Lakeshore Athletic Club memberships, a stay at Trump International Hotel and Tower, and dinner for two at NoMI.

It was a great evening that showcased the best and brightest, and was just another example of why Chicago should host the  Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016.

Michael Phelps is No Couch Potato

By Theresa Carter

You wouldn’t think of the man who’s won more gold medals than any other as a couch potato, but that’s exactly what he calls himself.

At the Chicago2016Channel live interview last night, Michael Phelps was asked what he would be if he weren’t a swimmer. Without hesitation, he said

“A couch potato.”

His answer took me by surprise. I was sitting in the front row at the press conference, and it was the last thing I expected to hear from the down to earth Olympian. I had to wonder if it’s because the world’s greatest swimmer is just tired. Since his monumental physical effort in Beijing, he’s been to Portugal, London, New York and Florida. That would make anyone want to sit on a couch and veg out to reruns.

I was surprised because this is the same guy who trained two hours a day on the stationary bike while his was wrist was broken because the cast kept his whole body out of the pool, and then more hours with a kickboard at the edge of the water. And this is the same guy who started a foundation to teach kids how to swim so he could help reduce the number of accidental drownings. And the same one who wants to share the great experiences he’s had with these kids, and to elevate the sport of swimming.

Instead, it sounds like someone who’s driven, focused, and dedicated.

Since he doesn’t plan on swimming a day after his 30th birthday, he’ll have plenty of time to be that couch potato. But somehow, I just don’t think that’s going to happen.

Chicago’s Fanatic About Festivals

Bring a bunch of people together who like the same things, add some great music and fantastic food, and wah lah, you’ve got one of the city’s festivals. With over 400 each year, there’s one for just about every interest, and just about every size of crowd.

Grant Park is Chicago’s “front yard”, and it’s where you can find most of the big festivals. Summers open with the Gospel Music Festival and close with Jazz Fest. In between there’s Blues Fest, the Outdoor Film Festival, SummerDance, and Viva! Latin Music Festival.

Our biggest party is Taste of Chicago. Chicago’s all about food, so it’s only fitting that we host the largest food festival in the world. Over three and a half million people attend this ten-day extravaganza with dozens of participating restaurants, and national recording acts playing free concerts in Grant Park each night. The Taste is the biggie, but we love food so much cheesecake, maple syrup, pizza, and ribs each get their own festivals.

Another popular event is the Chicago Air & Water Show Show. Centered around North Avenue Beach, it just celebrated it’s 50^th year. You can tell native Chicagoans by their calm reaction to Blue Angels flying through the corridors of skyscrapers in the Loop. That is, until the show starts, and then half the city cranes its neck to get a glimpse of the aerobatics.

You can see more than a glimpse of world-class art in the Windy City. Chicago’s Art Institute is internationally renowned, and the River North Gallery District has the largest concentration of galleries outside of Manhattan, but art lovers can also find the perfect piece by stepping outside. Art fairs pop up throughout the city, from major productions like the Gold Coast Art Fair to the Artworks series that stretch a block or two.

Our streets are also taken over frequently by cyclists, runners, and walkers. The Chicago Marathon is the biggie, with 45,000 runners and millions of spectators. One of the most popular events is Bike The Drive, when Lake Shore Drive is closed to vehicular traffic and opened to bicycles. There are also countless other races that benefit numerous charities.

Chicago’s greatest strengths are its cultural diversity and its neighborhoods, and that’s evident in the hundreds of parades and festivals that take place each year. From the Bangladesh Day Parade to the Turkish Festival, just about every nationality has its own celebration. Arabesque celebrates Arab culture for a week in Daley Plaza, and Celtic Fest fills Grant Park with traditional Irish and Celtic food, music and dance. Carifete brings the Caribbean to the south side. During the Chinatown Summer Fair a lion dance proceeds down Wentworth. Our large Polish population celebrates with Taste of Polonia. Hispanics have several fiestas, including Dia de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, and the Latino Book and Family Festival.

Chicago also has a vibrant and thriving Greek community, and one of our most popular festivals is Taste of Greece. Next week I’ll be covering this ancient culture. Only fitting, since they invented the Olympics!

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