Steve Lavey | 20 Million Minutes
Reaching for Significance in the Next 20 Million Minutes
As a student of trends, I was excited to see a fascinating interactive look at the migration of people from each county to every other county in 2008. Where do Chicago people migrate to? What areas send people to Chicago? More than 10 million Americans moved from one county to another in the USA during 2008. The map here visualizes those moves. Click on any county to see comings and goings: black lines indicate net inward movement, red lines net outward movement.
Provision Theater Company has announced that in these difficult financial times, it has teamed up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to raise money for hunger relief. Provision Theater Company will donate $5 to the food depository for every ticket purchased using promotional code GCFD2 for it’s upcoming production of Harry Chapin’s Cotton Patch Gospel which starts Sep 12th.
“We chose to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository with this show because Harry Chapin was such an amazing humanitarian and he worked so tirelessly to help those in need,” said Managing Director Mike Schuppe. “His fans will be able to enjoy this great show he wrote and also contribute to a cause he cared so strongly about.
Provision Theater Company opens their 2009-10 season September 12th with a bigger and bolder version of their 2004 hit production of Harry Chapin’s COTTON PATCH GOSPEL. The season will be the first produced in their brand new theater home, located at 1001 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago . To celebrate the space, the theater company will host a gala reception, highlighted with a champagne toast, on Saturday, September 12; a date that also marks the official opening of the production which previews September 10 and runs through November 8. Lou Contey will direct the production.
In March 2004, Provision Theater Company produced a Jeff nominated, critically acclaimed production of Harry Chapin’s off-Broadway smash hit COTTON PATCH GOSPEL. The production played to packed houses and unanimous critical praise from the Chicagoland media. The production features the reverential retelling of the Gospels of Matthew and John in a contemporary southern setting, set to bluegrass music. The award winning musical is based on the book “The Cotton Patch Gospels of Matthew and John” by Clarence Jordan, a Bible scholar and Civil Rights activist. Tom Key and Russel Trevz adapted Jordan ’s writings and worked with the late Harry Chapin to create this musical stage version.
Critics have raved that the show is “Tuneful, zesty and good-hearted!,” (Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune), “…this clever reworking offers a simple interpretation of familiar Bible stories and does so with a heartfelt passion laced with humor and enhanced by some darn good music!” (Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times), “Provision’s breezy, bright inaugural production offers a welcome alternative to Mel Gibson’s controversial film!” (Jen Goddu, The Chicago Reader).
People can order tickets at www.provisiontheater.org or by calling 866.811.4111. Please use promotional code GCFD2 when ordering. The performance schedule is as follows: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. ($28) and Sundays at 3 p.m. ($25). Select Wednesday and Thursday preview performances will be held at 8 p.m. ($22). Ticket prices include free parking.
Provision Theater Company is devoted to producing works of hope, reconciliation and redemption; works that challenge us to explore a life of meaning and purpose.
In addition to the 2004 hit COTTON PATCH GOSPEL, Provision Theater Company has celebrated two more Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for their critically-acclaimed production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Other highly praised and Joseph Jefferson nominated productions include: C.S. LEWIS ON STAGE, SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN, A CHRISTMAS MEMORY & THE THANKSGIVING VISITOR, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, THE SPITFIRE GRILL, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN and BEAST ON THE MOON.
We have lots of visitors and guests and invariably, they all ask — “How do I get free tickets for Oprah?” I found a great website resource for all you Chicagoans and visitors alike called Free Things to Do in Chicago .
Here is what they say about scoring Oprah tickets:
One of the most popular free things to do in Chicago is to take in an Oprah taping in the West Loop at her Harpo Studios. Audience reservations for The Oprah Winfrey Show are available almost exclusively by phone. As you can imagine, demand for free Oprah tickets far exceeds supply, so you may receive a lot of busy signals before getting through to one of the audience department employees. Periodically, you may be able to request last-minute reservations via e-mail.
The Oprah Winfrey Show taping schedule: Ms. Winfrey is much too important to be tied down to a production schedule like regular talk-show hosts. Therefore, your guess is a good as anyone as to what days the show tapes. A specific list of days is given to those lucky enough to get through by phone to………… Learn more at Free Things to Do in Chicago
Prescott Carlson of About.com:Chicago Travel points out that the Lonely Planet Travel Guide has named the Windy City one of the top 10 cities in the world in their upcoming book Best in Travel 2009 — Chicago was the only U.S. city that made the list. He says there is no argument from him as Chicago is home to magnificent architecture, world class restaurants, luxury hotels, a gorgeous lakefront, and tons of things to do and free things to do. I found a great website resource for all you Chicagoans and visitors alike called Free Things to Do in Chicago.
As the only American city to make the competitive cut, the globe-trotting experts at Lonely Planet sited Chicago’s business, art, architecture, food, music, theater and overall culture as the winning criteria. McDonald’s and Oprah originate here, along with other ubiquitous, historical and random landmarks alike, including jazz and blues festivals, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Green Mill, the Chicago Theater, and Picasso outdoor art. According to destination-expert author Karla Zimmerman, “If you want your finger on America’s pulse, don’t head to New York or LA. The heart beats in Chicago.”
But the Lonely Planet also nods their hats to what has yet to come, perhaps facilitating our bid for the 2016 Olympics; as if our array of world-renowned sports teams (Bears, Bulls, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks, etc.) weren’t enough.
While Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2009 released last month, Zimmerman scooped the city before Obama could scoop the President-elect title. This is just one more piece of evidence that points to Chicago’s bright future. Despite our inferiority complex to cities like New York, it’s nice that the “Second City” is finally getting some recognition among the first cities of the world. Other global cities on the list you’ll need to visit this year include Antwerp, Beirut, Glasgow, Lisbon, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Warsaw and Zurich.
Chicago has always been business friendly as it sits at the crossroads of the U.S, both in terms of air travel (newly expanded O’hare Airport) and the train freight year). Now, its central location lead to its being named 4th best place to locate a distribution warehouse in teh United States, according to Chicago Consulting. The consultancy, which helps companies design and engineer their supply chains, has released its 12th annual 10 Best Warehouse Networks for 2009.
The study lists the best towns and cities in the U.S. for locating DCs, outlining ten hypothetical networks—a single DC location, and so on, with the last network consisting of 10 DCs. It details the best location for each DC within each network—purely in terms of distance to population. It does not take into account things like transportation infrastructure; real estate costs; local and state taxes; available labor and other factors that play an important role in deciding where to locate a DC.
“There’s fundamentally only one criteria—which is distance—which translates into the amount of time it takes to get to customers,” explains Terry Harris, managing partner at Chicago Consulting. “We use a very sophisticated optimizing tool that we use in our routine consulting work which we have applied in this generic sense to the U.S. population.”
To view the list click here
I love Chicago for the summers. Many of us cocoon all winter long getting geared up for the 7 greatest months (any non-winter month is a great month, right) in Chicago. Well, here is the list of festivals coming to Chicago this summer from Metromix. What is your favorite?
15-17: Chicago Mayfest | click for pics from 2008
23-Sept. 27: Randolph Street Market Festival
24: Bike the Drive | click for pics from 2008
27-30: Chicago Turkish Festival
28-31: Free! Mayfest in Lincoln Square
30-31: Belmont-Sheffield Music Festival
30-31: Do-Division Street Fest and Sidewalk Sale | click for pics from 2008 [Read more...]
I love Chicago but am finding it harder and harder to find fun things to do with our family of six that do not cost an arm and a leg. I am constantly on the prowl for sites that list free things to do in Chicago. Having not found any sites that provide things to do for free in Chicago, I decided to build one myself. Go check it out at http://chicagofree.info
Please give me your comments and suggestions — I want this to be for all of us who live and work here in the greatest city in the world.
Askmen.com polled their editorial board and chose Chicago, our favorite town, as the “Best City For Men To Live In” of 2009! Read the article below and click for a link to see the 28 other cities we beat! [Read more...]
The University of Illinois-Chicago has agreed to let the city use five campus venues for the Olympics if the games come to town in 2016. University trustees approved a deal Tuesday that gives the city use of the UIC Pavilion, Flames Athletic Center, the Physical Education Building, the South Field Complex and Flames Field and the Student Recreation Facility.
The deal says the Pavilion would host boxing and paralympic volleyball. The games will run through July and August. The university wouldn’t be paid for use of the venues but wouldn’t assume any costs, either. Chicago is a finalist for the 2016 games, along with Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. A decision is expected in October.
If you’re an independent filmmaker, MovieMaker magazine put together its annual list of the top cities to host indie filmmakers and productions. Last year’s No. 1, Austin, got bumped to No. 10 in favor of Chicago. Also home to the Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller, the Bodyguard and even Bruce Wayne, the magazine lauded the Windy City as the best place to live “as an independent moviemaker this year.” So why is it so good and which other hotspots did it beat to win?
Apparently it’s a combination of high profile films such as recent blockbuster The Dark Knight and upcoming Michael Mann gangster epic Public Enemies (also starring Christian Bale, this time facing off against Johnny Depp) and the 30 per cent tax credit incentives that secured Chicago the coveted number one spot. MovieMaker also applauded the presence of independent filmmaking such as family drama Nothing Like the Holidays. “While blockbusters like The Dark Knight will always help to fuel the production economy, Chicago is an affordable enough city for low-budget moviemakers to thrive in too,” wrote the magazine’s editors. And it seems that this new honour has been welcomed by the Chicago filmmaking community with Rick Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office stating that “it’s well deserved,” adding: “It’s not just one thing. It’s the city’s multiple strengths and assets that truly make Chicago a workable and desirable place for independent filmmakers.”
The list goes on to include the obvious (New York, Miami) and the less familiar (Boise, Wichita and Bozeman, Mt.). Paste Magazine‘s stomping ground, Atlanta, came in at No. 2.
By its own admission, the list reformed this year to include 25 cities (up from 10) and a conscious effort to consider “those places that offer the perfect combination of employment opportunities, reasonable costs of living, strong quality of life, affordable home prices and, of course, financial incentives,” not a surprise given frantic economic times. The 25 cities:
1. Chicago, Ill.
2. Atlanta, Ga.
3. New York, N.Y.
4. Shreveport, La.
5. Albuquerque, N.M.
6. Boston, Mass.
7. Stamford, Conn.
8. Memphis, Tenn.
9. Milwaukee, Wis.
10. Austin, Tex.
11. Detroit, Mich.
12. Miami, Fla.
13. Seattle, Wa.
14. Portland, Ore.
15. Philadelphia, Pa.
16. Sedona, AZ
17. Salt Lake City, Utah
18. Wilmington, N.C.
19. Boise, Idaho
20. Denver, Colo.
21. Bozeman, Mont.
22. Wichita, Kan.
23. San Diego, Calif.
24. Richmond, Va.
25. Des Moines, Iowa
Related links:
MovieMaker.com
MovieMaker.com: Last year’s list of Best Movie Cities
I know we are all working on our New Year’s Resolutions but I came across this fun quiz on Chocolate. My knowledge of chocolate has grown exponentially as I have had the opportunity to spend some time with an enterprising young chocolatier, Jered Brown, who is going to soon open his own Chicago chocolatier shop called ChocolatBrown, I though I would share this with you.
Did you know that each year, Americans consume more than 12 pounds of chocolate per capita of chocolate? Or that cocoa beans boast large amounts of flavonoid and procyanidin, natural antioxidants that are believed to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke.? I didn’t either. I guess there are redeeming benefits to chocolate!
A new study by Bizjournals.com, a group of business publications, ranked housing affordability in the nation’s metropolitan areas, with terse advice for those seeking a financially manageable place to live: ABC —-That is, Anywhere But California.
Bizjournals compared median home payments and household income levels in the nation’s 50 largest metros. The study was based on statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey, the most up-to-date source of federal data on housing costs. The study, to no one’s particular surprise, concluded that six of the seven most expensive places for housing are in the Golden State. Others on the list of America’s 10 most expensive home markets are New York City, Sacramento, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Boston.
The study compared median home payments, property taxes and household income in 50 metros. Los Angeles was most expensive: The magazines estimated the monthly housing tab in L.A. amounts to about 75.5 percent of the median household income, with a median monthly mortgage-and-tax payment of $3,491.
Compare that to the most affordable metro, Oklahoma City. There, housing eats up just 19 percent of the median household income, the magazines said. The median monthly bill for mortgage and taxes is $667.
Chicago ranks as the 33rd most affordable metro, ahead of such cities as Portland OR (37th),Seattle, (40th), Boston (42nd), NYC (46th) and San Francisco (49th). In Chicago, where the aforementioned housing charges consume about 35 percent of our income, the study said. It pegged the median mortgage payment here at $1,358; add to that a median monthly property tax of $309, and your basic home-owning Chicagoan gets a monthly mortgage payment of $1,667.
The complete rankings are at www.bizjournals.com; go to “Online Edition” and click “Special Reports.”
Hispanic Magazine, came out last year out with their annual Top 10 Cities for Hispanics, and Chicago ranked in the top 10 among all US cities. The magazine looked at several factors in coming up with their top 10, such as cost of living, average home cost, Hispanic population, violent crime, pollution, health insurance costs, unemployment rates, and measures of school success. Chicago was given poor marks for cost of living, but high marks for wages and for a large and active Hispanic population. The Windy City also received high marks for “diverse culture” and “wealth of arts”.
The Top 10 Cities for Hispanics: (in alphabetical order)
01. Albuquerque
02. Austin
03. Chicago
04. Dallas
05. Denver
06. Houston
07. Miami
08. Phoenix
09. San Antonio
10. Tucson
The article goes on to say that Hispanics comprise 29% percent of the overall city’s population. The City of Chicago also has an active Puerto Rican community complete with its own street (Paseo Boricua), about 3 or 4 Puerto Rican specific restaurants, and an annual parade attended by many.
Alright Chicago — way to link up with Google!
Chicago Transit Authority riders can now plan their trips using the Google Transit Web site, Mayor Richard M. Daley and CTA officials announced Tuesday. Through a new partnership with Google, mapping and directions for CTA bus and rail services are available in 11 languages on the Google Transit Web site, according to a release from the CTA.
Google’s new Transit Chicago map gives detailed public transportation routes, like O’Hare to Wrigley Field. This initiative expands on Google’s popular mapping features and driving instructions to provide information for transit riders. Chicago is now the largest U.S. city to offer this service to transit riders, joining Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, among others.To access travel information, customers enter an originating address and a destination address. Tabs will allow customers to obtain public transit directions and provide the ability to customize the date and time of the transit trip.
When accessing the public transit data, step-by-step written directions will appear with fare information included. A map of the route represented by icons appears and clicking the icon will display an estimated schedule for the departure of the next train or bus. A link on the Google Transit page will take visitors to CTA’s web site at www.transitchicago.com to easily access additional CTA information.
You can reach the site here.
Popular Science recently reported its top 50 greenest cities, where Chicago ranked a strong ninth in the country. In their ranking, the key variables analyzed were:
Here are the leaders:
America’s top green city has it all: Half its power comes from renewable sources, a quarter of the workforce commutes by bike, carpool or public [Read more...]
Travel + Leisure, Headline News and CNN.com are launching their annual search for the best cities in America. Since Chicago was voted the best destination for food and dining in 2007, let’s make it happen again in 2008!
Here’s how to vote on the Travel & Leisure website below.
Let the debates begin
When Travel + Leisure announced the results of last year’s America’s Favorite Cities Survey, debates raged on television, in print and on the Internet: Was Chicago really the best destination for food and dining (as well as pizza)? As a foodie, I knew that, and all of you knew that, but finally the rest of the country knew that.
But did you think that Philadelphians deserve last place in the attractive citizens category? Are Seattle residents really the most intelligent in the country? How could sunny Los Angeles edge out surly New York as the least friendly city?
Cast your vote now
Here’s your chance to tell us what YOU think. Visit TravelandLeisure.com/afc/survey from March 7 to June 15, take the 2008 America’s Favorite Cities Survey and enter to win a dream trip for two. We want to know: Which of these 25 urban contenders has the best shoe shopping or ethnic eats? Where would you go for a romantic escape? Which cities have the best (and worst) museums, theater and live music? If you want a wild weekend or a relaxing retreat, which urban destination would you visit? You know best, so tell us!
(HT: Bestofthebestdiningchicago.com)
We know what a great music town this is, but it’s been confirmed by The Infinite Dial Radio Blog, which rated Chicago the best radio market in the country. Here is what they said in summary:
As you most know, I love Chicago and everything about it. I found a great new show on 
our local PBS station WTTW, called Hidden Chicago, where Geoffrey Baer takes you all over the Chicago region in search of often-overlooked fragments of our city’s history. Many are in places you pass by every day. But when you learn their hidden stories you’re sure to say “I never knew that!”.
Leave a comment and tell us your favorite hidden chicago tidbit……
Test Your Own Knowledge of Hidden Chicago:
Q: Where will you find an actual ticket booth from the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893?
A: In the back yard of a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Oak Park. It was moved there after the fair for use as a children’s playhouse and later became a garden shed.
Q: Where is the monument that Benito Mussolini gave to Chicago?
A: Along the Lakefront – just east of Soldier Field on the site of the 1933 World’s Fair. It’s a 2000 year old Roman column commemorating the arrival at the fair of a fleet of Italian seaplanes under the command of General Italo Balbo.
Q: Is there really a cowpath among the skyscrapers in the Loop?
A: There were no cows living in the loop when the highrise building at 100 W. Monroe was constructed in 1928. But a passageway through the building was left open anyway because the deed required it. It was part of a strip of land that a farmer named William Jones retained for his use when he sold this land in 1840. According to newspaper accounts Jones wanted to be sure he still had a way to walk his cows to pasture. It’s behind black metal doors and not open to the public.
Q: What’s that metal blob hiding in the bushes behind the Chicago History Museum at North and Clark?
A: It’s all that’s left of a storefront that melted in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Q: Where was the first movie version of “The Wizard of Oz” filmed?
A: At Selig Studios located at the corner of Byron and Claremont (map) on Chicago’s North Side. The yellow brick structure is now used for condominiums. Chicago was the silent movie capital of America before the industry moved to Hollywood. Another studio, Essanay is also still standing. Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and others worked there. It’s now St. Augustine College in the Uptown neighborhood.
Q: Why is there a mural behind the clutter in the manager’s office at Meyer’s Ace Hardware in Bronzeville?
A: This building once housed one of Louis Armstrong’s favorite jazz clubs, the Sunset Café. The mural decorated the back wall of the stage, which is now the store manager’s office.o
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