ISBA Midyear Meeting (Joint Meeting with the Illinois Judges Association)
December 13 - 15, 2012
The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago, Illinois
ISBA Bar Services & Activities Committee: Some ideas for the family while visiting Chicago during the Midyear Meeting.
If you stay at the Sheraton Chicago hotel, you are a short walk to Navy Pier, with its famous ferris wheel, shopping, and restaurants. Plus, some wonderful photography of the City of Chicago skyline and architecture.
Many things will be available last minute, like tickets to a play. Check out www.hottiks.org online for last minute tickets to shows like or go into the ticket office at 72 East Randolph (at Michigan Avenue) across the street from the Chicago Cultural Center.
The Cultural Center is another great find. Free concerts at noon; a restored Tiffany dome on the 3rd floor worth seeing; art exhibit; and, great information desk with coupons and docents who lead walks around Chicago.
If you are looking for a special present for a little one, there's always American Girl. 111 E. Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 943-9400
Of course, the annual theatrical production of Dicken's Christmas Carol at the Good man Theatre should be a family tradition. See http://www.goodmantheatre.org/season/1213/A-Christmas-Carol/ for tickets and times.
Similarly, the decorations and caroling at the Museum of Industry's Christmas Around the World exhibit is worth the trip south to the Hyde Park area of Chicago.
Before coming to the City of Chicago, check out the official City of Chicago tourism site on the computer. www.explorechicago.org. You can do a search by date and get a full list of events and also refine it by event type, neighborhood, and even restrict it to free events. Lots of information is provided about music, plays, and events for the four-day weekend. Here is a sample of events found there...
Christkindlmarket Chicago (Under The Picasso)
Nov 21, 2012 - Dec 24, 2012 | 312.494.2175 | Free Admission
The Christkindlmarket Chicago is an annual holiday market featuring vendors from around the world who display hand crafted ornaments, toys and unique holiday gifts as well as traditional German foods, sweets and beverages. The market is rich in cultural tradition and includes special events, performers and activities.
Chicago Cultural Center - Music
Sep 4, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012 | 312.744.6630
Find all upcoming classical music events at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Ice Skating at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
Nov 16, 2012 - Mar 10, 2013 | Free Admission
The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park will open on Friday, November 16, 2012 and will remain open through mid-March 2013, weather permitting.
Shedd Aquarium
Jellies
Jellies have staying power. They've survived—and thrived—in the Earth's oceans for more than 500 million years. And a dazzling array of diverse species will extend their stay at Shedd's special exhibit, Jellies.
Lincoln Park Zoo
ZooLights
Enjoy the brilliance of this annual fun, free, family-oriented holiday celebration, featuring luminous displays and holiday-season activities throughout zoo grounds.
Kohl Childrens Museum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz exhibit features larger than life pop-up books that dazzle the eyes and stimulates the mind. Each section of this exhibit, based on the book published in 1900 by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, is an oversized three-dimensional page from the original story.
Museum of Science and Industry
Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit
Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit explores Schulz's personal history and his role as the sole inspiration and artistic talent behind Peanuts and its unique cast of characters. Through original cartoons, as well as reproductions and related Peanuts ephemera, guests will see how characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy were developed and how they evolved over decades in print and popular culture.
Chicago Pizza Tours
Chicago Pizza Tours is the first company to offer both visitors & locals tours designed around Chicago's most defining food, pizza. To make sure the experience took you beyond the big names and into the neighborhoods where Chicagoans call home, we created a bus guided tour of culturally significant and neighborhood pizzerias.
On our Chicago Food Tour you have an exclusive opportunity to See Chicago, One Slice at a Time as we sample pizza from different neighborhoods. Being bus driven provides us the flexibility to travel to any restaurant in any neighborhood and never compromise for what is within walking distance. Most think Chicago only offers up deep dish, and while that is a signature style, we also want you to try tavern style, artisanal, and Neapolitan just to name a few. Always a full slice, this tour serves as more than a meal replacement.
Chicago Brewery Tours
We allow between 45-60 minutes at each location, allowing for plenty of time to sample, order a pint or an appetizer, and if it's available, we are able to tour the facility. This is at the discretion of the brewery staff based on how busy the brewery is at that time. We describe the experience as a tour of styles and flavors, but we try and include a tour of the brewing process at one location on every trip. We do follow a strict time schedule, as we do multiple tours in a day.
Chicago Food Planet Food Tours
Our 3-hour food tasting and cultural walking Chicago tours combine delicious food and drink tastings with some serious fun in Chicago's most delicious, off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods. Suitable for all age groups and fitness levels, you'll experience delectable foods from one-of-a-kind specialty food stores and ethnic eateries while receiving an insiders view into the culture, history and architecture that defines the Windy City. Walk away with new culinary perspectives, big smiles, satisfied taste buds and the confidence to continue exploring the areas where locals live.
Chicago Chocolate Tours
Take a delightfully fun and informative guided walking and tasting tour of select chocolate shops, from secret treasures to famous favorites. Savor the flavors on the sweetest tour in town! Uplift through chocolate! Please enjoy exploring our website, and please contact us at info@chicagochocolatetours.com or 312-929-2939 with questions or to schedule your public or private Chicago Chocolate Tour.
Weird Chicago Tours
The Weird Chicago Tours run about 3 hours in length. We travel all over the city during the tours and we do get on and off the bus throughout the evening, offering a mix of ghosts, crime and the unusual all year around! We use air-conditioned and heated buses, so you'll tour Weird Chicago in comfort, no matter what the time of year! Children over the age of 10 are welcome on the tours, but it's not recommended for kids under the age of 10. Sorry, no babies or infants in strollers. No one under the age of 21 is allowed on our Weird Pub Crawls.
