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DAY OF FREE TOURS AND MORE

8/26/2016

You are invited to the first ever International Greeter Day.

I told you about the Chicago Greeters in my very first post on 1/1/2016. The Chicago Greeters are a group of about 200 volunteers who love showing guests around the city for FREE. The Chicago Greeters offer FREE 2-4 hour walks anywhere in the city every day of the year, 1-hour walks around downtown every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and tours of Millennium Park every day from mid-May to mid-October. In addition, the Chicago Greeters are part of an international consortium of more than 100 greeter programs in 28 countries called the Global Greeter Network.

On September 10, 2016 Greeters around the world are celebrating International Greeter Day and you are invited for FREE.

The day-long events start at 10AM in the North Tent on the Chase Promenade in Millennium Park. Volunteer Chicago Greeters will be conducting FREE walks in several neighborhood starting at 10:30AM and 11:30AM. This is your chance to explore China Town, Pilsen, Wicker Park, Hyde Park or the Prairie Avenue District with a knowledgeable Chicago Greeter for FREE.

In addition, FREE tours of Millennium Park and the Loop will leave every half hour from 10:30AM- 2:00PM (14:00). Find out more about the International Greeter Day and the Chicago Greeters online Be a part of the International Greeter Day and join in the fun for FREE

UPDATE

I've also told you about the FREE Navy Pier Trolley. Well, the route has been expanded! The FREE trolley starts at Navy Pier and as usual and runs west on Illinois Street to State Street making several stops along the way. The route then heads south on State Street, but here's the change. Now the trolley runs further south on State Street making a stop a the Riverwalk. Other stops along the way will offer easy access to shopping and restaurants. The trolley continues on State Street through the shopping district in the Loop. Turning east on Monroe Street the trolley will stop near Michigan Avenue for easy access to the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park. Grant Park and Maggie Daley Park. Then the route turns north on Columbus and east on Grand and back to Navy Pier.

The FREE trolley runs every day from Memorial Weekend (end of May) through Labor Day Weekend (beginning of September) and on the weekends during the rest of the year. For a map and more information check out the Navy Pier website.

All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the to get the International Greeter Day and the Chicago Greeters websites for the most up-to-date information.

Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com

If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com

Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit join in on a Insta Greeter walk about and take the Greeter Millennium Park tour. For more information about these FREE events see 1/1/2016 post or got to www.chicagogreeter.com,

Until then I hope to see you in Chicago!

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BIKING CHICAGO, UPDATES and MORE

8/19/2016

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If you are a regular visitor to my blog, welcome back. If you are new to ChicagoFreeForAll.com let me suggest you start with my first post 1/1/2016. This blog is meant to be used to plan your trip in advance. It is not necessarily a "what's happening today" site. However, from time-to-time (like today) I will add at the end of the post special upcoming events.

BIKING

Chicago is ranked among the best cities in the country for biking. The number and length of dedicated bike lanes is growing. But let me offer one caution. Pedestrians, drivers of motorcycles, cars, taxis, trucks and buses are not necessarily looking out for bicyclers and many are not used to the growing number of bikers and bike lanes. At the same time, there are bicyclists who do not follow the rules of the road and give a bad name to the rest of the bikers.

My advice? First, be sure to follow the rules of the road for bicycling. The Illinois Secretary of State created a great PDF file on the Rules of the Road. Second, be extra cautious. Don’t assume you have the right away. This is a time when size matters.

Don’t have a bike? Well, you have some affordable (albeit not free) options. You can rent a bike from one of several companies.

Divvy Bike rental is probably the most affordable. There are Divvy Bike stations all over the city and you can pick up the bike at one location and leave it at another. The big disadvantage in my mind is the Divvy Bike rental does not include a helmet. Ride at your own risk.

Other bike rental companies rent bikes, helmets and locks. In addition you can go on your own or pay for a guided bike tour. Two such companies are Bike and Roll and Bobby’s Bike and Hike, You can find locations and costs on their websites.

Consider buying a used bike. Most of the bike rental companies sell their used bikes and helmets at the end of the season at a deep discount. And Working Bikes takes in donated bikes, refurbishes them and sells them at a deep discount all year long. In addition, “ Working Bikes ships thousands of bicycles each year to our partners in countries throughout Latin America and Africa…Working Bikes donates to individuals and partner organizations here in Chicago, providing transportation to people in homeless transition, refugee resettlement, and youth empowerment programs in our own community. Working Bikes donates over 6,000 bicycles each year to our international and local partners.” If you are considering buying a used bike or have a bike to donate I hope you will consider supporting Working Bikes.

So where should you ride? Well, my first suggestion is along the lakefront. The lakefront trail runs from the Hollywood Curve on the north and south past the Museum of Science and Industry. There are plenty of places along the way to get off the trail and explore a neighborhood. I suggest Lincoln Park Zoo, Chinatown, Bronzeville and Hyde Park just to name just a few. But be careful along the lakefront trails. You are sharing the path with pedestrians, roller bladders, Segways and at times very fast moving bikers.

The city provides a FREE downloadable map of all the trails around Chicago. The map is offered in English and Spanish. This link also takes you to bike maps of 4 Universities in the city, other regions and the Cook Count Forest Preserves.

Trail Link by Rails and Trails Conservancy also provides FREE maps of regional rides.

Six suggested bikes routes were published in the Chicago magazine

The Active Transportation Alliance is also a great source for biking info. In addition they often offer FREE and secure bicycle parking at many of the city’s events.

The newest biking and walking trail in Chicago is The 606 Named for the Chicago zip codes that all start with 606, this 2.7 mile long trail was built along abandoned, elevated train tracks. It runs through some lovely neighborhoods and by or near great parks. Considered Chicago’s “Highline” there are FREE activities of all kinds and for all ages along The 606 offered primarily on the summer weekends.

For up-to-date info and an insiders’ view of biking Chicago check out the Chicago Bike Blog. There are even tutorials about fixing a flat, locking your bike and more.

FREE bike parking around the city. There are bike racks along the streets and FREE bike parking at Millennium Park in the McDonald’s Bicycle Station located on Upper Randolph Street. The Chicago Police Department bicycle unit and a bicycle repair shop are also located there.

What are you waiting for? Let’s get out and see the city on a bike. While there are only a few weeks left of summer, fall is also a lovely season to ride. You can even join the ever growing group of bikers who ride year-round – yes I mean all year long even in the snow. Try it; you may like it.

UPDATE

How about going to the Opera for FREE. The Lyric Opera offers some FREE performances to various senior citizen organizations. "Each season's Senior Matinee enables underserved Chicago seniors to attend a selected Lyric Opera dress rehearsal at no cost. Tickets are distributed by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services."

Encore is a FREE program which offers discounted tickets to some of their performances. The Encore program is available to anyone between the ages of 20 and 40.

And NEXT is a FREE program for college and graduate students that offers $20 tickets when space is available. Sign up for email and text alerts to enjoy this discount.

THIS WEEKEND

The 58th Annual Air and Water Show is being held this weekend. The show is centered around North Avenue Beach and that is where the announcer, Herb Hunter will be describing each act. If you want to avoid the crowds you can see the planes for miles north and south of the beach and listen to it on WBBM Newsradio 780AM and 105.0FM from 10AM to 3PM (15:00). Want to enjoy the show form home? WBBM will also provide livestream video on their website.

NEXT WEEK

One of my fellow volunteer Chicago Greeters, Wally, shared the following information. Next week is the Chicago Amateur Piano Competition and most of the events are FREE to attend. All events on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoon are FREE. The final competition is Saturday morning and a nominal fee of $10 is being charged. Please check their website for times and locations. And thanks Wally for sharing!

Once again a big thanks to another fellow volunteer Chicago Greeter, Bill Feldman for proofreading my post.

All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the DCASE website cityofchicago.org/dcase to get the most up-to-date information.

Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com

If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com

Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit join in on a Insta Greeter walk about and take the Greeter Millennium Park tour. For more information about these FREE events see 1/1/2016 post or got to www.chicagogreeter.com,

Until then I hope to see you in Chicago!

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THEATER and more

8/12/2016

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THEATER

Going to a live show can be very expensive, but discounted and FREE tickets are available for some shows, Please note many of these theater companies are not-for-profit organizations and they appreciate donations of any size.

SHAKESPEARE
During the summer months, you can enjoy Shakespeare in the Parks. For the past 5 years the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier has performed in the Chicago neighborhood parks. This year in celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th birthday they are performing a 75-minute abridged production of Twelfth Night. I’m sorry to say this weekend are the last 2 performances for 2016. Head to Eckhart Park Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 6:30pm (17:30) 1330 W. Chicago Avenue or Ping Tom Memorial Park Sunday, August 14, 2016 4pm (16:00) at 1700 S. Wentworth Avenue. Next year be sure to check out their website click on Plays and Events and enjoy these FREE outdoor performances in 2017 (and beyond) or sign up for their enewsletter.

QUEST THEATER ENSEMBLE
Offering FREE productions, the Quest Theater Ensemble is “dedicated to being the ‘People’s Theater of Chicago’ by creating productions that inform, delight, inspire and unite” and are “committed to making theater accessible to everyone.” Their performance space is located at the Blue Theater 1609 West Gregory. Don’t be surprised to find it is in the basement of a school. FREE parking is available just north of the venue and there is plenty of FREE street parking.

ORACLE THEATRE
Oracle Theatre located at 3809 North Broadway offers productions on a “pay what you can” basis.Check out their line up online.

FREE NIGHT OF THEATER PROGRAM
From the Free Nigh of Theatre Program website: “The Theatre Communications Group has established a simple way to urge people who might not necessary attend theatre to give it a try: partner with theatre companies around the nation to offer free tickets. Browse the website to see what’s available – but do it soon: the program ends Oct. 30, and the free tickets, which are still available as of this writing, will be snatched up before then. And mark your calendars for next year’s free theatre event so you can be the first to take advantage of it!”

FREE STREET THEATER
The Free Street Theater performance space is located on the 3rd floor of the Pulaski Park Field House at 1419 West Blackhawk Street. You can buy tickets online or :”pay what you can at the door”. Their mission is to “create performance by, for, and with a wide range of participants, challenge ideas of where theater belongs and who belongs in a theater, and use theater to ask questions, prompt dialogue, and build community.” Check their website for list of performances and locations. Also on their website you can sign up for email updates

THEATER MOMENTUM
Pendulum Space/Theatre Momentum is located at 1803 W. Byron Street Suite 215 and is “theatre that happens to be improvised.” All shows are FREE. Check out their website for the list of upcoming shows.

THE HYDE PARK FREE THEATER
Located at 1448 East 57th Street between Harper and Blackstone you can enjoy the FREE performances at The Hyde Park Free Theater. Their performances include “dances, discussions, lectures, performances, parties, dinners, protests, rallies, conversations, symposia, debates etc.” So check out their website to see what’s happening.

RED THEATER CHICAGO
The Red Theater Company is a not-for-profit organization that makes their performances accessible to all audiences including “Captioned performances, “Touch-Tours and ASL interpreted performances”. All performances are FREE. In addition for every $10 monthly donation they give 3 seats to nontraditional theater goers including those who “cannot afford to see it including ”seniors, people who are differently-abled, youth and the working poor.” The Red Theater Company is located at 1333 North Milwaukee Avenue.

HOTTIX
Hottix offers half price tickets for same day performances in more than a score of theaters in the city. You can purchase tickets online or go to one of their 3 locations: 72 East Randolph Street & 163 East Pearson Street and in the lobby of Block 37 108 North State Street. In some cases you can buy tickets for future performances. They update their website throughout the day as tickets become available so it is worth checking back periodically.

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway in Chicago offers deeply discounted tickets for same day performances for some of their productions . Here’s how it works. For those shows who participate, you go to the box office during the day up to 2 hours before the show. You fill out a form with your name and email address. Two hours before the performance a drawing is held. Usually each name drawn is eligible for 2 tickets. NOTE: You must be present to win and you must pay with CASH – not checks or credit cards are accepted for these discounted tickets. Broadway in Chicago manages the PrivateBank Theater at 18 West Monroe Street, the Cadillac Palace Theater 151 West Randolph Street, the Oriental Theater, 24 West Randolph Street, the Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University 50 East Congress Parkway and the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place 175 East Chestnut.

BROAWAY IN CHICAGO CONCERT
The annual Broadway in Chicago Concert is a live performance of some of the great shows currently playing in Chicago. Held each year in Millennium Park this year the event is Monday August 15, 2016 starting at 6:30pm. (17:30). This is a very popular performance, so I suggest you get your spot at the Pritzker Pavilion early.

GOODMAN THEATER
For some of the performances at the Goodman Theater offers half price tickets. Any remaining mezzanine seats in the Albert and Owen Theaters tickets go on sale online at 10AM the day of the performance, Select “Season and Tickets”, pick the current date and enter promo code MEZZTIX at point of sale. The discount will be made before you check out. You may also buy available mezzanine tickets at the same discount at the box office starting at 12 noon. Each purchase is subject to handling fees.

THEATRE IN CHICAGO
Theatre in Chicago is a great website to find more information about the theater scene in Chicago is Along the left side you will see a link to Half Price Tickets. Currently there are several shows offering discount tickets to Goldstar members. Go to their website or more information and to sign up for FREE for the Godlstar program.. Sign up on line or download the FREE Goldstar app and you will receive notices of discounted ticket offers.

Scroll down and you will see dozens of other theaters offering half price tickets to the general public.

Also if you sign up for the Special Offers Newsletter you will automatically get a $5.00 coupon to be used on your first ticket purchase.

OPERA
How about going to the Opera for FREE. The Lyric Opera offers some FREE performances to various senior citizen organizations. "Each season's Senior Matinee enables underserved Chicago seniors to attend a selected Lyric Opera dress rehearsal at no cost. Tickets are distributed by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services."

Encore is a FREE program which offers discounted tickets to some of their performances. The Encore program is available to anyone between the ages of 20 and 40.

And NEXT is a FREE program for college and graduate students that offers $20 tickets when space is available. Sign up for email and text alerts to enjoy this discount.

OTHER DISCOUNTS
Wherever you go, don’t be afraid to look for or ask for military, senior and student discounts!

THE SAINTS
Another way to see a show for FREE is by volunteering to be a Saint. As a volunteer Saint your duties will vary from venue to venue but essentially you serve as an usher in theaters all over Chicagoland. In return you can stay and see the show for FREE.

THANK YOU
I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Hedy Weiss, Theater Critic for the SunTimes and frequent guest on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight for her contributions to this week’s blog. Thank you!

BONUS
I’ve already told you about my favorite weekend end Chicago: Open House Chicago. It’s coming up in Oct 15 and 16, 2016 so mark your calendars and for more information check my earlier post. But there is another event that I hate to miss and it is currently showing at the Merchandise Mart. It is called CANstruction. CANstruction is an exhibit of large-scale displays using can goods. All good is then donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. This year it is open between August 11, 2016 and September 6, 2016 at the Merchandise Mart located on the river between Wells and Franklin Streets.

TODAY
Today is the annual Bud Biliken Parade. from 9am to 11:30am. The route is south on King Dr. from Oakwood Blvd. to 51st St. and continues on Ellsworth Dr. thru Washington Park to 55th Street.

So I’ll be you thought you can’t afford to go to live theater. I hope I’ve convinced you there are performances out there that are Free For All!

All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the DCASE website cityofchicago.org/dcase to get the most up-to-date information.

Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com

If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com

Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit (see 1/1/2016 post) at www.chicagogreeter.com

Until then I hope to see you in Chicago!

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UPDATE 2

8/5/2016

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This week I want to tell you about a couple of events I just learned about and remind you of a few upcoming events..

The first is an important grand opening of the Martin Luther King Memorial. It involves a day-long festival I hope you will attend. The memorial is a permanent addition to Chicago's Public Art and of course will be open to the public throughout the year.

The following excerpt was copied from an email I received from the Chicago Public Art Group. Please check out their website; it is a super source of information!

"The MLK Memorial is Opening!
Chicago Public Art Group invites you to join us in commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's historic march through Chicago's Marquette Park. The Inner-City Muslim Action Network partnered with CPAG artists John Pitman Weber and Sonja Henderson and to honor the Chicago Freedom Movement and the heroic efforts in 1966 to protest segregated housing.

On the morning of Saturday, August 6, more than 700 area residents will kick off a day-long festival by retracing a seven-block portion of Dr. King's Fair Housing march. This march is open to the public - learn more and register at http://www.mlkmemorialchicago.org/the-project/the-1000-mile-march/.

The memorial will be open for viewing all day. It is located on the South West corner of 67th and Kedzie Avenue. "

Additional information about the memorial can be found at MLK Memorial website. I hope you will join me at the festival this weekend or stop by another time to admire and be inspired by the memorial.

The Chicago Public Art Group has a wonderful website with a map identifying the location of public art around the city. Click on a location and you will see the name of the piece and a brief description of the piece. This would be great to refer to as you wander around Chicago.

Also, I just found out every Friday during the summer months from 4:30pm (16:30) to 6:30pm (18:30) you an enjoy live music at the Park Grill Plaza located in Millennium Park. And it's FREE!

Tonight from 5pm (17:00) to 10pm (22:00) is one of the Activate Chicago events. In their own words "Activate transforms iconic Loop alleys into pop-p urban experiences. Combining the talents of Chicago’s most creative minds, the events feature art, music, and more in unique urban settings." The event is FREE and if you are 21 years of age or older and RSVP online you get a FREE drink. Check the Activate website for the location.

Also this weekend is the 4th annual Chicago Hot Dog Fest. It is presented by and held at the Chicago History Museum at 1601 North Clark Street. Admission and activities are FREE. The event starts Friday and runs through Sunday. You will enjoy musical groups, games and interesting and entertaining presentations all 3 days for FREE. Food and beverage purchases are extra, but there is plenty to see and do for FREE.

Let me also remind you next week are the FREE 2nd Friday events at the Fine Arts Building, the Chicago Art District and along the Chicago Cultural Mile. Check the websites and make your plans for next week's FREE events.

A new FREE app called Vamonde offers FREE Chicago self-guided tours around Chicago. One of the tours is of the murals from the Chicago Public Art Group (refer to the MLK Memorial above) and another of the Illinois Institute of Technology architecture (refer to 7-8-2016 post). The app is currently available only for IOS but in Beta testing stage for an Android version. Stay tuned.

This Sunday is the annual Made In Chicago Market "It's a fun celebration of all things DIY—showcasing some of the best apparel, housewares, and food and drink that Chicago has to offer! Shop local and support your neighborhood makers. Free admission! Free parking! You should come!" There will be more than 70 vendors. It is held in the Plumbers Hall 1340 West Washington Street from 11am to 5pm (17:00).

Finally, I want to encourage you to sign up for e-newsletters from organizations I have highlighted in my posts. I find this is the best way to find out about FREE events and activities around the city all year long.

All information was correct at the time of this post, but before you come, please check the websites to get the most up-to-date information.

Want to receive announcements of new posts? Just leave your email address and I will notify you of new posts on http://www.ChicagoFreeForAll.com
If you know of a free event in Chicago you’d like me to share, email me at ChicagoFreeForAll@gmail.com

Don’t forget to sign up for a free Chicago Greeter visit (see 1/1/2016 post) at www.chicagogreeter.com

Until then I hope to see you in Chicago!

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CHICAGO FREE FOR ALL!

DAY OF FREE TOURS AND MORE

BIKING CHICAGO, UPDATES and MORE

THEATER and more

UPDATE 2

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