Tag Archives: millennium park

“Legends, Myths, And Truths,” At The Millennium Park Boeing Gallery

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As a pioneer in the field of monumental ceramic sculpture, Jun Kaneko has played with scale and proportion. Visitors to Millennium Park will be able to see his work displayed in the Boeing Galleries, beginning April 12 through November 3.

The installation Kaneko has created for Millennium Park’s Boeing Galleries is representative of his past and present artistic practices. Works presented in the South Boeing Galleries feature Kaneko’s signature Dangos (meaning “rounded form” or “dumpling” in Japanese). These ceramic steles, covered in a variety of vibrant shapes and patterns, allow viewers to examine their environment and focus on a sense of scale and place.

The Dango form links Kaneko’s work to minimalist sculptors who played with simple and large forms, while at the same time, the pattern overlays show formal aspects – in repeating geometric shapes – similar to those of minimalist painters.

The North Boeing Gallery features a new body of work by Kaneko, drawing upon the myths and legends of the Tanuki figure. From ancient times, the Japanese have expressed the Tanuki in a variety of ways, for it is considered to be a trickster who causes trouble and mayhem in both the human and supernatural worlds. In our modern era, however, the figure is most commonly portrayed as a large, stout badger. The Tanuki is not only a creature found in mythology, but a small, nocturnal mammal native to East Asia. Click here for more information.

Touring the city with a segway

Flickr/tziralisThere’s lots of ways to get around the city, but the segway is the only one that requires a bit of balance. Even so, it’s a fun way to whiz around the city, all the while enjoying the scenery of Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, and all the skyscrapers. Before you zip down the sidewalk, your tour guide – whether its from Chicago Segway Tour or City Segway Tour – will first train you on how to ride the segway. Then hop on and take a tour of the Windy City, as your guide regales you and a small group with tales about what you’re traveling past.

The Field Museum: Still Rocking a Century Later

With its presence so large, so bold, so daunting, it’s no surprise the Field Museum is still rocking as one of Chicago’s top tourist destinations, visited by global trekkers day in and day out. Its large, impressive columns speak of antiquity (its prized possession is Sue, the largest and most complete T. Rex in the world), but the big, bold flags of new exhibits draping the museum scream of its modern take on history.

And its been rocking since it was incorporated in the State of Illinois on September 16, 1893 as the Columbian Museum of Chicago, later changing its name to the Field Museum to honor its benefactor, Marshall Field. Sitting proudly and prominently in Chicago’s Museum Campus (strikingly visible from Millennium Park), the museum attracts hundreds daily to ooh and ahh over the vast collections of over twenty million specimens, like ancient African and Islamic vases to nearly perfectly preserved mummies. From lectures to regular classes, specialized tours and overnight stays for children, it’s quite hard to find an angle the museum doesn’t reach.

Today, aside from serving as one of the world’s top museums, its research is constantly recognized as a leading developer in science, thanks to joint efforts with the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. Make sure to check the calendar for exhibit and event listings coordinating with your visit

Park Grill: 4 Seasons of Fun

Millennium Park bustles with tourists and locals in the soutdoor-summerummer gawking at art installations, music concerts and taking summer strolls while the winter hosts bundled up cuties of all ages circling the ice rink with their best moves. All seasons, this park swarms with action and the perfect place to tuck in to rest your feet in between park time is where else, but the Park Grill, found in the center of it all.

Lunchtime heats up with local business power lunches while happy hours revel in drink specials while dinners are posh yet classsic, top notch yet not over the top. In other words, Park Grill is always a safe bet and has been since it and the park’s debut in ’03.

2. Downtown Sound is Back! July 5-26

Picture 6This popular free series, Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays, is back for its second summer. Situated in the must-see Millennium Park, every Monday at 6:30pm discover new, up and coming bands from cutting-edge indie rock stars to pop veterans. The concerts are all free, and in July the mainstage will be host to The Thermals with Disappears, Caribou with The Budos Band, Kid Sister with Konono No. 1, and Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens with Bomba Estereo. The ten-concert series ends in July, so make sure to check it out before it’s too late!

So Chic And So Good: Terzo Piano at the AIC

When the Modern Wing of the AIC unveiled in 2009, it gave the already gigantic museum an additional whopping 65,000 square feet of modern galleries designed by Renzo Piano. Thankfully, Chicago also got a restaurant out of it: Terzo Piano. Those who don’t have time to do the museum can still enjoy the fresher-than-fresh offerings from the restaurant as well as its striking views of Millennium Park and Chi-town skyline.Picture 6

With salads so fresh you wonder where the garden is, delectable flatbreads and entrees, taste anything they offer and you’ll realize Chef Tony Mantuano (of Spiaggia) can do no wrong! And after your main course, it’s simply a must that you indulge in the cava di stagionatura or the authentic cheese cave. Fresh picks of cheese from neighboring masters in Wisconsin and imported delights from around the globe are the perfect way to finish your extended lunch or dinner.

As for the decor, think Modern Wing baby. Just as the wing was designed, so was the restaurant. Stark, clean white is complemented by earth accents of subtle metal and wood: so chic and so, so good.

Segway to Me Baby

Yeah it’s true that Segways will never really look all that normal. See one cruising past at high speed and it’s hard not to have a chuckle. The thing is, they’re just so darn convenient. When it comes to touring Chi-town that is. Walking tours are great but to cover major space and fast, Segways do the trick. Pride aside of course.

If you just can’t handle the Segway, bikes are just as popular and Chi-town was actually voted the #1 bike-friendly city in the US by Bicycling Magazine! So strap on your helmet and get ready to ride!

Chicago Bike ‘n Roll Tours allow tourists to see the best the city has to offer without the restrictions of roadways (i.e. double decker bus tours), or swollen feet (i.e. walking tours).

Bikes for rent are Trek and come in every option you could prefer. Tours adventure through Millennium Park, the lakefront, charming neighborhoods, famous Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier, Lincoln Park, and much more. In fact there are 9 tours to choose from so everybody leaves happy.segway-1_jpg_595x1000_q85

Hubbard Street Dances Outside the Box

If you’ve seen the Nutcracker more times than you can count then try on a new dance for size. The Hubbard Street Dance Company is boasting their Winter Series at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park, which will blow your Nutcracker-Deja-vu-Blues away. Critically acclaimed for its innovative performances and top echelon of choreographers, when Hubbard Street announces a new series, you’ll want Picture 17to snag your tickets asap. The billboards for this baby are already adorning all of Chi-town.

Dancing to the “haunting music” of Arvo Pärt by Ohad Naharin and rocking out to ‘Boléro’ by Maurice Ravel, the dancers will have you squirming in your seat awaiting your chance to move. Even if this means nothing to you, isn’t it enough that it’s:

  • Inspiring? Yes.
  • New? Yes.
  • Leaves you with something to talk about? Yes.

So leave Clara and her sugar plum fairies to their ol’ routine this season and support a company that dares to push the envelope.

The Winter Series is from December 3-6, 2009 in Millennium Park, but make sure to check their website for their seasonal series.