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If the Chicago Sinfonietta were to have an unofficial motto, it might be “Taking Chances on New Things”.
Before any discussion on what they produce, they should be commended. That idea alone is surely the heart of Chicago’s cultural vibrancy: The Chicago Sinfonietta is not about providing the cultural authority to our city. Rather, they demonstrate the vitality of the Chicago street.
The Chicago Sinfonietta "holiday" picture. Courtesy of Chicago Sinfonietta.
This message is most poignant at the holidays. In the midst of what can be a traumatic trip to the mall for many Americans, the Chicago Sinfonietta presented their second annual Global Holiday Celebration. It’s a little too easy these days to become jaded by the holiday season. Our ironic, post-modern age has become very aware of the man behind the curtain. Anyone familiar with former Chicago resident David Sedaris will never look at Santa’s elves again. Or Macy’s, for that matter.
Did you know that before I moved to Chicago in January I had never visited the city before? Nope. When I moved to Chicago I knew nothing about it. I mean nothing.
This is what I learned after one year of being a Chicagoan:
- Evanston does not = Chicago. Not even close. But before I moved to Illinois I thought they were one and the same. Just a hop, skip and a quick L ride, right? Wrong.
- It’s the “L” not the “El”. Rookie mistake. My bad!
- Not everything south of the Loop is scary, although so many North-Siders tried to convince me of that before I ventured down that way.
- Not everyone talks like they do in that SNL skit about “Da Bears”.
- Nobody really says “Da Bears”, which is kinda disappointing.
- The Cubs really do suck that bad. And so does the traffic around Wrigleyville. Ugh.
- There is more to Chicago than just the Bean. But you would never know that if you knew my Virginia friends. For some reason the only pics they took in the city were of that freaking bean, and I was convinced that that was all that existed!
- Some Chicagoans don’t like Oprah. And here I thought everyone loved, loved, loved her! Gee, did I feel dumb.
- The Chi in Chi Town is pronounced like “Shy”, not like “Chai”. Whoops!
- You don’t eat ketchup on a hot dog. And thank goodness for that because I like the Chicago-style dog way better. When ordering, I now say, “Extra sport peppers, mister, please!”
- Chicago police officers are extra nice to you if you ask for their help on the RedEye crossword puzzle. I’ve never seen such attentive officers when I ask them what the answer to 44-Down is!
- The city is just as lively in the winter as it is in the summer. I thought -14 degree nights would scare Chicagoans into hibernation, but that’s not the case. The city is buzzing in the winter and there are so many cool things to be discovered.
- According to seasoned residents, “real” Chicagoans don’t wear gloves, long johns or own snow boots. Many “real” Chicagoans I have spoken to say that they just don’t invest in warm weather clothing like newcomers do. I am still investigating this claim.
- Whoever said that the Lake Effect doesn’t hit Chicago is dead wrong. They obviously didn’t live through the Chi winter of 2009. Remember all that snow?
- Chicago is a great place to live. The people are so friendly; the neighbourhoods are diverse and interesting; the local cuisine is out of this world and there is so much to be discovered. I love it here.
Of course I have learned so much about Chicago over the year, and am so thankful for all of the amazing people I have met that have befriended me and made it so welcoming.
Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Dev xx
Please have a safe, happy and fun holiday!
Christmas tree in Daley Plaza, 2009
And to all a good night!
Dev xx
It is winter in Chicago which means the blueberry days of summer are long behind us and the first shoots of rhubarb seem forever away (sigh). So how does one satisfy their sweet tooth when it’s cold outside and produce is lacking?
Your local farmers to the rescue!
I whipped up this sweet, crumbly and tart dessert while dinner was being prepared, and it was a crowd pleaser! Made with almost all local ingredients, it was easy to make, fun to eat and helped support my local farmers! Three hoorays!
I love finding little nuggets of artwork that depict our Windy City.
So you can imagine my excitement when I randomly stumbled upon an amazing find online.
The following was drawn by Mitch Meseke who lives in New York. Upon speaking to him I learned that while he is not from Chicago, he really liked the city when he came out to visit a friend and decided to sketch the Chicago skyline.
Isn’t that neat? I think it is pretty cool and would love to see other sketches of Chicago by people who love the city as much as I do!
Dev xx
Oh the weather outside is frightful, but it is worth freezing your butt off to go check out Lincoln Park Zoo’s ZooLights, starting up again tomorrow (18 December) and lasting through 3 January from 5 to 9 pm.
This display of lit up trees, which sits behind the seal enclosure, is set to twinkle to holiday music
ZooLights is especially great for kids, but just because it is family-friendly does not mean that there is not plenty for you to enjoy. For one almost all of the animal exhibits are open, which means if you have a hard time getting to the zoo because of daytime commitments, you can finally take it all in at night.
To quench the thirst of your inner badass, ZooLights has ice carving demonstrations that feature two dudes hacking massive cubes of ice with chainsaws, surprisingly producing some gorgeous work.
Ice sculpting at ZooLights
Needless to say the lights are impressive and I was really blown away at the selection of animal-themed lights. The coolest is one that my camera could not pick up: a rhino lit with dark purple lights.
If you have been to the zoo before you will probably not need to stay long at ZooLights. The downfalls of this free event are that it is crowded and most of the animals are snoozing. A stroll through the park is all you need to feel festive but don’t expect this to be an event you stay at for more than an hour.
Still, I had a fabulous time at ZooLights and was particularly wowed by the effort that went into creating the event. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, LP Zoo’s ZooLights went greener this year by providing more LED lights! Yay for saving energy!
See more pictures after the jump!
As you know, the Chicago Sinfonietta’s Holiday Concert, “Global Holiday Celebration,” is today (16 December) at the Harris Theater.
MCH is going to be there! Will you?
If you are still dragging your heels, then here is something that might make up your mind:
In honor of the season, the Chicago Sinfonietta has partnered with three worthy organisations to help those in need. For every $25 ticket purchased to the “Global Holiday Celebration” holiday concert, the Sinfonietta will donate $5 to the charity of your choice from the following organizations: Deborah’s Place, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Voices for Illinois Children.
To designate a donation choice when ordering tickets online, simply enter the name of the organization in the field marked “How did you learn about this performance?” When ordering by phone, simply mention it.
Courtesy of JASC Tsukasa Taiko
In addition to helping out your favourite charity, you will get to enjoy the music of the Chicago Sinfonietta, who will feature the Taiko drummer Tsukasa Taiko (pictured above). Definitely not your grandma’s holiday concert!
For more information about this programme, make sure to visit the Sinfonietta’s website!
See you there!
Dev xx
If you have not yet booked your tickets to see the Joffrey Ballet’s presentation of The Nutcracker, then I highly recommend you do…right now. Performances start up again on Thursday 17 December and work their way through the 27th. For the full schedule and ticket information, click here.
Drosselmeyer with the children; photo by Herbert Migdoll
Oh sure, this event may not be for the hipster in your life who will scoff at how The Nutcracker is, “like, sooo overdone” and how, at times, it can get a bit cheesy. But I think even the most hardcore of hipsters (you know, the ones who go to Billy Dec’s Underground just to be seen) will get giddy at seeing this holiday classic.
Act I begins with a long-winded scene in the Victorian parlour of the Stahlbaum’s house. A bunch of well-dressed guests and their children show up for a Christmas party that includes gift-giving and dancing. The highlight of this scene were ballerinas Anastacia Holden and Calvin Kitten, playing Clara and Fritz respectively. Both ballerinas did a great job channeling their inner child and were incredibly emotive. Kitten pouts, throws fits and tortures Holden’s character like a pro, and adds a lot of depth to the relationship between the two. Without his acting, you might not realise how jealous he is when Holden’s character receives the Nutcracker doll from Dr. Drosselmeyer (Godfather of Clara and Fritz), played by David Gombert.
Pop the champagne and call HR!
Graduate students from the 2009 class of the Medill School of Journalism graduated with their masters in journalism last week. This new wave of journalists are equipped with lots of technical training that will help them adapt to the ever-changing world of journalism, along with great reporting, writing and broadcasting skills.
The year-long programme was intense, and I wish the best to all of the new graduates and look forward to seeing their work in different print and online publications, as well as on broadcast media!
Congrats!!
Dev xx
From the bottom of my ugly Christmas sweater heart, thank you for everyone who attended the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party last night! It was faboosh to meet so many local Chicago web publishers and several readers of Making Chicago Home!
Fausto from FeastofFun.com at last night's Chicago's Ugly Christmas Sweater bash!
If you missed out, no worries! I am sure something will be in the works soon for another fun bash!
You can see pictures from the event, including my ugly vest and turtleneck combo here. Pictures taken by none other than Feast of Fun’s Fausto!
Dev xx
