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Already Thinking About Chicago’s Farmer’s Markets

March 3, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I am so-o-o-o-o-o ready for summer. Once we get past the Super Bowl, it takes everything I’ve got to bear through the rest of winter. Summer is a ways off , but already the season’s summer farmer’s markets are getting prepared for a season that finds many of them all over Chicago. Did you know that according to the USDA, there were 4,385 organized, local markets across the country in 2006, a dramatic 18 percent rise since 2004? I am a huge fan of farmer’s markets – you get the best priced and freshest produce, baked goods, flowers and other food items, AND it’s a super fun Saturday morning activity to go walking around in and out of the vendor’s stalls. There are five such markets in the downtown area alone and twenty different markets all over the city that operate on a weekly basis (days of the week vary) — also see below. Here’s a Google mashup map for your convenience.

One of the local markets for us is the Green City Farmer’s Market (Chitown’s only 100% sustainable market, which runs May 14 through October and named one of the country top 10 by renowned chef, Alice Waters). However, if you’re not in Chicago, you can find a free listing for local farmer’s markets [Read more...]

Filed Under: Chicago, Chicago Fact, The City

“Time of Your Life” – Jeff Recommended

February 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Come on out and see “Time of Your Life, a Pulitzer prize-winning play by William Saroyan performed by Provision Theater Company at the Viaduct Theater at 3111 N Western Avenue in West Roscoe Village. Don’t miss this poetic tribute to optimism and dreams, starring Tim Gregory. A stellar 22-person ensemble cast brings to life Saroyan’s message of spending your life truly living, and Sue and I are going tonight so we can give you a first hand report. It’s already been reviewed by the Jeff Committee and got a RECOMENDED verdict from them.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! – Provision Theater has mounted a masterpiece… a magical evening of theatre… the kind of show that you want to experience again.” – Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com

Time of Your Life

LISTED AS ONE OF THE TOP 5 SHOWS TO SEE NOW

Sweet… Attractive… a postcard of a different time.” – William Scott, New City
“Saroyan’s writing is lyrical… characters, entertaining… there’s a humanity to this play.” – Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald

“Snuggle in the nostalgic comfort… an American classic.” – Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times

JEFF RECOMMENDED!

Filed Under: Breaking News, Chicago, Chicago Fact, Culture and Faith, Provision Theater, The Arts in the City, The City, The Cultural Conversation

Chicago Leads Nation: 25-34 Year Olds

January 12, 2008 By Leave a Comment

As we have always said at Park Community Church, Chicago is a magnet for bright talented college graduates to come to a global city and begin their careers. This was affirmed this week in an article by Crains Chicago Business who reported that Chicago leads the nation in the concentration of 25-34 year olds within three miles of the city center.

20Somethings

Crains reports:

Human capital — a buzzword among economists — simply means people. Think of it as raw material made up of bankers, traders, consultants, advertisers, engineers, artists and others who, through brainpower and creativity, turn ideas into money. “The comparative advantage of cities is determined by how smart, how trained, how innovative, how entrepreneurial the people are in that city,” says Edward Glaeser, a Harvard urban economist who advised the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ study group.

Chicago’s human capital is strong. Among U.S. cities, Chicago ranks first in the concentration of young people (ages 25 to 34) living within three miles of downtown. It’s second only to New York in the number of those with college degrees. Its universities are world class. The University of Chicago has been home to 20 Nobel Prize laureates, while both the U of C’s Graduate School of Business and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management rank among the world’s best business schools. Chicago also has the quality of life that keeps people here — vibrant art and music scenes, restaurants, museums, parks and recreational facilities.

Read the whole article here.

Filed Under: Chicago, Chicago Fact, The Arts in the City, The City, The Cultural Conversation, Urban Church

Chicago is the Most……

January 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment

As many of you know, I LOVE CHICAGO and all things about ti and believe that is ti the most livable, and best global city to live in around the world. As we begin 2008, I thought I would give you some of the titles Chicago holds as I Googled around the web.

Chicago is the most………

1. Caffeinated city in the US (Healthsaver survey)

2. Chocolate consuming city in the nation (Healthsaver survey)

3. Colas consuming city in the nation(Healthsaver survey)

4. Expensive place to buy cigarettes (retirementliving.com)

5. Studied American city— thanks to the birth of American sociology at the University of Chicago.

6. Accessible city in the country. The transportation hub of the Midwest, Chicago boasts the world’s busiest airport and is located at the intersection of the busiest interstate highway system. Approximately, 180,000 travelers pass through O’Hare International Airport daily. Chicago is the only U.S. city with three airline hubs, plus 50 commercial, commuter, and cargo airlines at O’Hare alone. When combined, O’Hare, Midway, and several small local airfields serve nearly 70 commercial, commuter, and cargo airlines with more than 300 daily flights to approximately 200 cities. All told, the Chicago area offers more nonstop flights than any other city. And, in an increasingly important global economy, airline carriers offer direct service from O’Hare to 60 cities around the world.

7. Important railroad center in North America. More lines of track radiate in more directions from Chicago than from any other city. Chicago has long been the most important interchange point for freight traffic between the nation’s major railroads and it is the hub of Amtrak, the intercity rail passenger system.

8. Visited U.S. destination for business travelers for several years running, according to a survey of business travelers fielded by Accenture, a global management and technology services company. This city is always adapting and improving to better meet the needs of convention organizers and their attendees.

9. Important Great Lakes port.

10. Searched City’ for Holiday Cards – CardsDirect.com

11. Ethnically diverse city in North America per capita. On the north side of the city, one out of three people is foreign-born.

12. Chicago is the most popular destination for Labor Day 2007 (priceline.com).

13. Important architectural city in America.

14. Bike friendly city in the country. Mayor Richard Daley is solidly behind initiatives to create a 500 mile network of bike paths and bicycle-friendly streets in Chicago. He wants Chicago to be the most bicycle friendly city in the United States. The Bike 2015 Plan is the City of Chicago’s vision to make bicycling an integral part of daily life in Chicago. The plan recommends projects, programs and policies for the next ten years to encourage use of this practical, non-polluting and affordable mode of transportation.

15. Popular site for national conventions of both major political parties; since 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republican Party, 26 national Republican or Democratic conventions have been held in the city. (MSN Encarta)

16. Known world-wide center of Polish immigration. Poles in Chicago are more visible and spectacular group than the Poles in NYC. Even on the airport O’Hare in Chicago one can hear announcements in Polish quite often. Many custom officers are caring the badges with the information “Mowimy po Polsku” (We are speaking Polish).

17. Livable major city there is, major being places that are home to several million people or more.What makes Chicago so great is that it looks and acts like a big city, but it doesn’t feel like one. Unlike so many cities its size, its cultural and recreational charms come with some big benefits. You won’t break the bank to live there; rents and home prices remain relatively reasonable. It’s accessible by public transportation and car. And it’s looking spiffier than ever thanks to major beautification and redevelopment efforts. (Best Places to Live)

18. Ethnically and culturally diverse city in the United States, and probably in the world.

19. Expensive city to fill up your car’s gas tank, thanks to city and county taxes.

20. Dog friendly city in the US.

Filed Under: Chicago, Chicago Fact

Friday Fun Fact About Chicago

October 27, 2006 By Leave a Comment

I love this city! In fact, I have just celebrated my 20th anniversary of my move here last week. Chicago is the greatest large urban city in the world to live in (IMHO!) and I want to share each week a fun fact about Chicago from the Encyclopedia of Chicago by Janice L. Reiff University of California, Ann Durkin Keating, North Central College and
James R. Grossman Newberry Library.

As a Christfollower and member of Park Community Church, a church committed to the city, , we want to celebrate all the goodness and excitement of Chicago, the third largest city in the United States. Cities are a critical element in God’s redemptive plan, because they are places of size and population density, centers of influence and commerce, and the gateway for those who are broken, in transition or in need. Given its preeminence as a global business and transportation hub, we believe that Chicago is one of the most exciting and strategic places to live, work and live out the life that God has for us here. Today we will start this new Friday item by looking at the venerable Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Field

A mecca for baseball fans, a Chicago landmark, and the heart of “Wrigleyville,” fabled Wrigley Field originated in 1914 as home of the Chicago Whales in the short-lived Federal League. When that league folded in 1916, owner Charles Weeghman bought the National League Chicago Cubs, moving them from the West Side to his new ballpark at Clark and Addison Streets. Following purchase of the team by William Wrigley, Jr., in 1920, the park became Wrigley Field in 1926. A second deck was added in 1927–28; bleachers, the famous manually operated scoreboard, and ivy-covered outfield walls in 1937; and lights in 1988, 40 years after they were standard elsewhere.

Rich in legends, redolent with nostalgia, and superbly maintained, Wrigley Field is known nationwide as a site for baseball as it once was and as many would like it still to be: a game played on natural grass, chiefly in the daytime, in intimate surroundings that link players and fans, in a residential neighborhood rather than a sea of parking lots. Rumbling by the right-field stands, “L” trains link baseball with its yesterdays and the Cubs with their legions of North Side fans.

Successfully marketing “Beautiful Wrigley Field” and “The Friendly Confines” as an attractive place to spend a carefree afternoon in the sun, the Wrigleys and the Tribune Company (owners since 1981) have found it unnecessary in the modern era to mount a consistently good team. Built for baseball, the park proved an unsuitable home for football’s Chicago Bears, who played there until 1970. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, about to become the oldest ballpark in baseball, Wrigley Field had become a model for a new generation of baseball-only parks in other cities.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Chicago

Filed Under: Chicago Fact, Weblog
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