Chicago Lifestyle Podcast & Video Blog
It is the dawn of the civil rights movement, times are changing, President JFK has just been assassinated. Caroline is recently divorced, has three girls at home and a grown son in Vietnam. To make matters worse she is under employed and feeling like she …
While investigating the net to see what is happening in Chicago this week I was nearly overwhelmed by the number of fan videos for BTS at the United Center. It seems the K-pop (Korean Pop Music) boy band from South Korea has been rocking the …
I thought it would be fun to feature beer reviewer Mark McDermott who I found while simply trolling the web for interesting Chicago related content.
Though he does not review Chicago beers exclusively he is based in Chicago.
To give this intro to Mark a bit more of a Chicago spin I am specifically including his video review of Foudre Red a limited edition beverage from Chicago’s own Goose Island Brewery to give you a chance to experience his very informal “at home” presentation style and get a sense of his palate.
We’ll be keeping an eye on more offerings from this brew maven, posting a few updates when he talks about something else Chicago specific.
In the meantime check out the video below and watch more of his reviews at his youtube channel.
Be sure you are of legal age and please Drink Responsibly.
I have two pet peeves when parking in Chicago. The first is the high cost, especially downtown, and the second is giving money to Chicago Parking Meters LLC which will probably go down in history as one of the worst business deals in history for the …
This is a new reggae music video release produced by Reno Lovison RenoWeb.net for Chicago musician Robert Burchell with Tony Aiken & Future for New Vision One Records, distributed by VPAL Music. The primary video was shot on a roof deck on the north-west side …
Part of the fun and allure of the Ravenswood Art Walk is the opportunity to poke in and out of many of the art galleries and businesses along this former light industrial corridor on Chicago’s Northside.
This is as much an architectural tour as it is an art event. It is also a chance for several of the areas service businesses to show off their spaces and garner a bit of visibility.
Beside visiting a number of galleries you will also get to peek into a some shared office spaces, design firms, film studios, and other creative and not necessarily creative businesses.
A couple of highlights include the vintage architecture dealer and the vintage car collection. Both of these spaces are available for event rental.
When you feel the need for nourishment, food is available at a few restaurants along Ravenswood as well as near the El stops at Montrose, Wilson and Irving Park. But there is also a nice selection of food trucks assembled just for the event immediately below the familiar Deagan Building clock tower at Berteau.
Though this event is not what it has been in the past it is still one of my favorite end-of-summer activities. Perfect for a nice walk as the last glows of summer fade and the first cool breezes of fall are in the air.
A quest for success, what is legal, what is fair and ultimately, what is right and what is wrong. Real estate developer Harmond Wilks who has aspirations of becoming mayor finds himself at odds with his wife and his business partner after encountering a couple …
Enjoy a quick glimpse of the Andersonville shopping area as the neighborhood gears up for an evening of festivities centered around the annual Andersonville Arts Week. This video features a close-up look at the creation of an anamorphic 3D chalk drawing by Chris Carlson on the …
Hey kids before 3D printing there was (and still is) something called injection molding.
In this process hot plastic goo is forced between two molded pieces of steel that have been “carved” into a particular shape. When the molds are released the plastic quickly cools retaining the shape of the steel mold. How cool is that?
Well it seems that a local manufacturer has a tradition of selling molded toys from Mold-A-Rama vending machines where you can witness the entire semi-magical experience right before your eyes for just few bucks.
I remember my first experience with this nearly instant delight was at the Museum of Science & Industry in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the south side. I believe at that time the end product was a small bust of Abraham Lincoln.
That location was (and probably is still) ideal because after all you are supposed to be learning about how things are made and where stuff comes from.
Half of the fun is feeling the still warm plastic and the fragrance of the in’toxic’ating aroma.
Well it seems you can still find these fresh made toys and souvenirs “hot off the press”* all around the Windy City, specifically at The Willis (Sears) Tower and Lincoln Park Zoo. So why not go on a scavenger hunt and start a collection.
These two videos will help to get you started enjoying the experience and locating a few of these simple treasures.
*actually I think this is a reference to newspapers.
The great debate continues to rage over thick or thin. Maybe it’s more of a sou’side, nortside thing like Sox or Cubs, but I adamantly say “real” Chicago is crispy thin crust pizza cut into squares. Deep dish is fine when that is what you feel …
If the reference to giardiniera (pronounced jar-din-ear) is not enough to make your mouth water, then maybe you don’t know what it is. In which case this video is perfect for you. Maybe the mention of vinegar, olive oil, sport peppers or pickled veggies will …
It is a well known adage that Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city outside Warsaw and it is probably even larger if you consider all those of Polish descent throughout all of Chicagoland.
As a third generation half-Pole (both of my maternal grandparents were born in Poland) I still feel a close connection to my Polish heritage. This is further enhanced by the fact that my uncle Stanislaw Radosh (my mother’s brother) is the founder and executive director of the Polish Center for Discovery and Learning in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
The tug of my Polish roots is what brings me to “Taste of Polonia” year-after-year. The mega-event held at the Copernicus Center on Milwaukee Avenue in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago is an annual ritual gathering of the area’s Polish diaspora. We struck up conversations with three different groups of people who happened to be from Geneva, Roselle, and Crystal Lake.
Interestingly “Taste of Polonia” is not simply a “church-basement” celebration of days-gone-by but is actually a rather contemporary festival that honors the old and features the new generation of Polish immigrants.
After enjoying our Polish plate at the standing-room-only dining tent, we wandered inside to cool down and see what was happening. About 1500 people filled the sizeable former movie palace to see and listen to Andrzej Rosiewicz a 74 year old singer who is apparently a kind of vaudeville entertainer accompanied by a canned soundtrack. It was all Polish language so not quite sure what was the fuss except to say he packed the place.
Surprisingly for us, in the social room (just past the ever popular casino games) we happened upon what turned out to be a Chopin piano concert by two very talented pianists. They were there to help promote what I concluded to be a newly released Polish language indie cinema costume drama,”W SŁUŻBIE OJCZYŹNIE I NAUCE” a short episode in the life of Maria Skłodowska-Curie.
Pianist Pawel Checinski who was born in Poland and is a well known teacher and professor of music in Chicago evidently performed much of the music track for the film. He was on hand to perform several Chopin piano pieces at the conclusion of the film’s presentation.
I can’t say much more about the film as is was not subtitled and the presenters provided no translation of the introduction for the benefit of the non-Polish language speakers in the audience. This is perhaps one of the drawbacks of “Taste of Polonia” in recent years. I do not suggest they do their programs in English but rather just translate enough to give the rest of us a glimpse into what is happening so that we can have an idea of what’s going on.
Prior to the film we witnessed an additional surprise performance by Piotr Pawlak, a young pianist, with a head of hair that could rival Paderewki. He was born in 1998 in Gdańsk and has won numerous awards in Poland. His fabulous technique and passionate musicality provided an interesting contrast to that of the master Checinski. The juxtaposition between the agile youthful exuberance of Pawlak compared with the powerful but compact technique of the maestro was a delight to see and hear.
It was an unexpected treat to hear these two piano masters together. Incidentally, they had never met before.
Shame on the organizers of “Taste of Polonia” for not giving these two exceptional musicians a more prominent venue and better piano. In spite of which they delivered outstanding musical performances to the handful of appreciative attendees.
Later on in the theater we sat in on the screening of “The Fourth Partition.” This is a documentary about the life and contributions of Polish Americans from about 1865 through WWII told largely, and perhaps appropriately, from a Chicago point-of-view. After all Chicago is arguably the capital of Poland in America.
The remainder of “Taste of Polonia” is much like the rest of the many Chicago summer street fairs including the obligatory appearance of local politicians. We got a quick photo of Illinois Governor Rauner at the V.I.P. entrance. As with other ethnic fairs the food is good though not exceptional. But of course that is not the point. The point is to literally get a Taste of Polonia. If you want to enjoy a comfortable Polish meal visit one of the many Polish restaurants in Chicago.*
The garage band music at three different venues throughout the fair is mostly too loud to the point of overpowering the sound systems and distorting the sound. Later in the evening they had a nice performance by “Gentlemen of Leisure,” a very credible R&B cover band.
Due to rain much of the scheduling was moved around which contributed to the chaos but if you’re willing to just go with the flow you will be sure to encounter an eclectic mix of all things Polish that will give you some insight into the culture, and an interesting flavor of what is the “Taste of Polonia.” Be sure to put it on your calendar for 2019 Labor Day weekend.
by Reno Lovison for Chicago Broadcasting Network.
*Review of Staropolska.
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