Dinner and a movie is the quintessential date. Its a time honored tradition as old as the movie theater itself, and for good reason. It doesn't require much thought. It also protects against the possibility of you and your date ending up with nothing to do, which leads to boredom, which leads to you two realizing you don't have much to talk about, which leads to your date leaving. That is why dinner and a movie is typically a first date. People on first dates can rarely think of anything to talk about. That's whats so nice about the movie, it eats up a great deal of time and later you can say, “So what did you think of the movie?”
Chicago's Boystown is one of the liveliest spots in the entire city and is among the largest LGBT communities in the country. and happens to be carved out of the highly-desirable Lakeview neighborhood, an area known for its bustling nightlife. Much like the mantra of its inhabitants “we're here and we're queer,” Boystown tells you all you need to know by greeting you with rows of rainbows pylons on the sidewalks, a gift from the city to let Chicago's gay population know they are welcome. Besides all the clubs, bars, and restaurants, Boys own is also dotted by dozens of other curiosities including head shops, video game stores, and comic book shops. You can't help but think they must be doing something right.
Memorial Day Weekend is the official start to summer, so why not bring in summer with one of the biggest festivals that EDM has to offer? Making its way to its highly anticipated Vegas show case, Electronic Daisy Carnival will be stopping at the famous Windy City to help kick off the season starting Friday, May 24th until Sunday, May 26th. After rocking New York in front of a crowd of 50,000 people this past weekend, EDC plans to keep the party going with the biggest names in EDM that the Second City Chicago has ever witnessed.
Imagine for a moment you're going to meet up with two of your bestest bros. Maybe you were friends in high school, maybe college roomates, or maybe you served on a submarine together however you want this to go is fine there are no wrong answers here. You decide to get together on Clark Street, Chicago's watering hole. It's a warm summer evening, the Cubs just lost another game (this is a scenario not a fairy tale), and despite prior experience, you're absolutely sure you and your wing men work best as a team, and over the course of the night you guys will only become that much more charming.
They're called hipsters and these days they can be found in just about any major metropolitan area. You can spot them by their tattoos, skinny jeans, and v-neck shirts. They make up a cultural phenomenon that seems to be an amalgamation of at least half a dozen styles from generations past. They are a clique of artists, they have a fascination with all things retro, and they love coffee shops. It's almost as if Andy Warhol was assembling his legions from beyond the grave. Any world class city has its enclaves that draw in untold numbers of young artistic dreamers. In Chicago its called Logan Square.
In 2003 the Princeton Review declared that DePaul University students were the “happiest” students in the country, and it's not hard to figure out why. The campus lies right in the center of Lincoln Park, an area surrounded by great restaurants, thousands of spandex clad women, and a sh*t ton of bars!
The bars dotting the area around the campus are certainly part of what makes going to DePaul a unique college experience. It's not a house party school by any means. If you really want to dive into the school's social scene you have to get aquainted with the local bars, but Lincoln park has a reputation for being very very expensive and make no mistake, it is. There are however a number of bars only a few blocks from campus that offer not only terrific atmosphere but deals that allow even the most cash strapped students to get slushed.
We were tipped off about a weekly comedy show at Goose Island. For readers in other cities Goose Island is Chicago's most famous local craft brewery. Going here gives you the benefit of having a diverse selection of quality brewed craft beers such as Green Line Pale Ale and Nut Brown Ale as well as a terrific food menu.
The comedy show is produced by a group called Duck Duck Comedy, and admission is just $5. If that perturbs anyone, we want to stress you're not paying to see an open mic. The producers of the show are very selective and make sure every comedian performing is a seasoned veteran of the Chicago comedy scene. All comedians have rather impressive resumes including sets at Comicon, Second City, etc. Remember the next Zach Galifianakis is out there performing somewhere, and it's always great to be able to say, “Yeah I liked him before he was famous.” Not only are there standup sets by comedians but each show is concluded by a musical act for a touch of variety.
New lifestyle trends and choices are constantly popping up all over the country and it can be hard to stick with them when cravings arise for unhealthy, high calorie comfort food. Up until recently, vegetarians and vegans have had to give up things like bacon cheeseburgers, hot wings, and tacos in order to stay on track. However, the increasingly popular Chicago Diner, which has locations on Halsted Street and Logan Square, has changed the way that vegans can eat, but more importantly, the way that meat-eaters view the vegan lifestyle. With menu options such as Chickun Ranch Salad, Country Fried Stӕk, and Mac & Teese on the kid's menu, customers are able to stay inside of their culinary comfort zone, while branching out into the world of tofu, seitan, and vegan cheeses.
There is something else besides Valentine's Day to celebrate this week, and you don't need a significant other to participate. For Catholics, Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time of year in which it is customary to abstain from pleasurable excesses. For many, that means the time leading up to Lent is the time to get in as much debauchery as possible before the fasting and piety begin, and this time is usually called carnaval. While the parades, drinking, dancing, and street food have been going on for weeks in Brazil, the culmination of the festivities happens tomorrow, February 12th, which is when SUSHISAMBA is hosting its yearly Carnaval Celebração.
Flosstradamus stands at the forefront of fame in the endless abyss that so clearly defines todays electronic music industry. As Chicago’s golden boys and one of the premier names in what is generally defined as “trap” music, this unique duo has risen to the limelight over the past 12 months. Having previously dabbled in other genres before taking on their instrumental, electronically infused hip-hop identity, Flosstradamus has been rebirthed into an astoundingly popular mogul. Having played shows around the country and collaborating with some of the best names in todays production game, the group has become the ultimate party starter.
As a sequel to their last in your face, traptastic mix, Banned 2 is destined to deliver the same twerk filled expose of the 808 sound that has become so insanely popular over the past year. Complete with original collabs with DJ Sliink A-Trak and Danny Brown as well as exclusives from the uber-talented Alex Young, Hucci, and DJ Carnage, this mix is destined to light up the dancefloor and get any eager crowd “Turnt Up”.
Give Banned 2 a listen and do not miss this high-energy duo when they come to your city.