St. Patty's Day is not for me.

Once again, I missed the dyeing of the Chicago River for St. Patrick's Day. It happened on Saturday the 15th. Whoops. Since I missed this time-honored tradition, here's a photo I ganked from one of my favorite travel blogs (http://www.debohobo.com/), so we can all just pretend that I was there to capture the magic for you...


I'm sorry, but St. Patrick's Day is just one of those holidays that makes me want to stay within five minutes of my humble abode (along with New Year's Eve). I hate going to bars and waiting 30 minutes for a drink only to have it knocked over by some drunken idiot before I even reach my table... and that's assuming that I got to the bar early enough to grab a seat between all the sweaty bodies looking for a little green beer or Jager Bomb action. I like to drink and I like hanging out at bars, but I don't like drinking and hanging out at bars on St. Patty's.

Anywho, I hope that you all enjoyed this holiday for me. If you have any photos or tips of awesome places to hang out for "party holidays" such as this one, send 'em my way.

Oh, yeah - Erin Go Bragh!

Silvie's Lounge, Chicago, IL (10/12/07) & XO Underground, Morris, IL (10/13/07)

My friend Daniel's band, The day after..., paid a visit to the Chicagoland area a couple weeks ago. I got the chance to check them out at two venues I've never been to before, including Silvie's Lounge in Chicago and XO Underground in Morris, IL. You can find reviews of both below...



Silvie's Lounge
1902 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 871-6239
http://www.silvieslounge.com/ (which they apparently don't update very frequently...)

Silvie's had a very nice atmosphere - it was clean, dark, and larger than many Chicago venues I've experienced. It was divided in half, with one side being the bar and the other side housing the stage. The cover was only $5, but I assume it varies depending on which bands are playing. I don't have too much to say about Silvie's, except that I liked it. There was nothing spectacular or awful about it, and the drink prices were of average pricing for a big city bar.

The stand-out part of my evening at Silvie's was the singer (and her amazing band) that went on after The day after..., named Kat Victoria. Their soulful, funky melodies and harmonies blew me away. Their stylings didn't match with the rest of the bands on the bill, but for once this was a blessing. I picked up a CD, and will definitely be listening to the singer's buttery voice often. They are local to Chicago, and will be playing another show in November. I urge you all to check it out - their tunes made me shake my thang, which I am not easily prone to do. You can find them here on the web.


XO Underground
425 E. Rt. 6 (located in Evergreen Plaza)
Morris, IL
(815) 416-1050
http://www.xounderground.com/

XO Underground is an all ages venue. Normally, this is a big turn-off for me (as a 25 year old), but they had so much going for them that it didn't matter. Just look at their website, and you'll see that they are truly jacks (or jills) of all trades there. They are a store (akin to Hot Topic), a hookah lounge, a music venue, and much more. They have a "cereal bar" (see photo below), which was pretty cool, and they also serve pizza. Between the high ceilings, the chain link fences, and the comfy couches, they've got the atmosphere nailed, too. Did I mention that they also had a great sound man and accoustics?

Best of all, it is truly a passionately run small business. The owner was there collecting money at the door (the cover charged ranged from $7-$10, depending on what time you arrived for the show) and helping to set up the bands. I got to talk to her for quite some time and her heart is truly with the XO Underground.

NOTE: Since this is an all ages venue, they do not serve alcohol. It is, however, B.Y.O.B.! My advice? If a band you like is playing there, don't skip their show just because it's an all ages place - you'll miss out.

PHOTOS! Chicago, IL (9/9/07)

Look who finally uploaded some photos!!! If you can't see the slideshow below, you can view the pictures on my flickr account here. Enjoy!

Museum of Contemporary Art Recommendation (Thanks, Kristin!)

I got an email from the other day from my friend, Kristin (Chicago, IL), recommending that I visit the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Peep it here:

i saw your blog about the art institute and i wanted to let you know about the museum of contemporary art..the MCA is located right by water tower place, one block away from the magnificent mile...one of the exhibits coming up is called sympathy for the devil: art and rock and roll since 1967

http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=56

when i read your blog, i thought you might be interested in this...mca is also doing an exhibition of its permanent collection for its 40th year anniversary

now for the good stuff...on tuesdays, the mca is free all day and open until 8...sometime soon it will have 40 free days in celebration of the 40th anniversary...although im not sure when these are

hope you find this info useful..i love your idea for alternatraveler and wish you luck with your travel plans in the future...cant wait to read more!

kristin

I'm so excited to have readers contribute. This project means the world to me and building a solid foundation for it is only possible with the help of others. Thanks again, everyone.

Chicago, IL (9/9/07)

Chicago, IL - Day Trip

My friends Niki & Nicki (I know, it's adorable...) took me on a belated birthday day trip to Chicago on Sunday. They surprised me by taking me to the museum at the Art Institute of Chicago, as I had never, believe it or not, been to an art museum. After the museum, they took me to Millenium Park, where we ate cookie dough and drank champagne. It was a damn good day.

Date(s): 9/9/07
Airfare/Gas: Zilch (my dear friends paid for gas)
Spending: $27 ($12 admission + $15 lunch)
Lodging: N/A

TOTAL COST: $27

REVIEWS:

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603-6404
(312) 443-3600
http://www.artic.edu/aic/

Admission: Adults - $12
Kids, Students & Seniors - $7
FREE on Thursdays from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Parking Garage: $20 all day parking

Originally, my friends and I only planned on staying at the Art Institute for an hour or two, but we enjoyed it so much that we stayed for about four hours. If you're unfamiliar with this museum, let me give you a point of reference - it's the one visited by Ferris and his friends in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Some artists whose work I particularly enjoyed viewing were Roy Lichtenstein, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Grant Wood. There was also an exhibit featuring Egyptian artwork, which I was really looking forward to but was a little disappointed with, as it was very small. On the flip side, I was unexpectedly impressed with their giant collection of Renaissance artwork. We didn't get to see all the exhibits, though, because they are building a new wing onto the museum. Next time, hopefully...

The museum is a lot bigger than it looks from the outside, and it was a bit confusing to navigate. They had plenty of security guards to point you in the right direction, but only if you knew the section number or building name, as they had no knowledge of specific artists or artwork.

We ate a light lunch at The Garden Restaurant, which is located in the courtyard, centered around a beautiful fountain. We had a wonderful waiter, Jonathan, for whom I made a sculpture, crafted from four different types of cheeses, in the form of a human head. He really appreciated it and took a photo with us.

All in all, it was a great time. I love being reminded of what a lovely and cultured city Chicago is.