From its earliest frontier days,
Chicago has had some of the best
nightlife in the US.
"Sweet Home Chicago",
birthplace of Muddy Waters'
urban
blues , as well as R&B's
Chess Records, is still going
strong, inspiring the energetic
dance beat of 1980s
house
music as well as the
groundbreaking
jazz of
the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Nightclubs
aplenty are all over town,
especially along Halsted Street,
Lincoln Avenue and Clark Street
on the North Side.
Uptown
, at the intersection of North
Broadway and Lawrence, is a bit
down-at-heel, but has half a
dozen good venues. The best
gay
clubs congregate in the
Lincoln Park area. Highbrow
pursuits are also well provided
for: Chicago's
classical
music, dance and
theater
are world-class.
For what's-on information,
Chicagoans pick up the excellent
free newspaper
The Reader (copies comes
out Thursday afternoon and are
usually all gone by Saturday).
The weekly New City and
the gay and lesbian Windy
City Times are good sources
as well. Full listings also
appear in the Friday issues of
the Chicago Sun-Times and
the Chicago Tribune , and
Chicago magazine has
useful arts and restaurant
listings. The Gramaphone Ltd
record store at 2663 N Clark St
(tel 773/472-3683) is the best
place for details of one-shot dance
nights.
Blues
B.L.U.E.S. 2519 N Halsted St tel
773/528-1012. Opened in the
1970s, it's still going strong,
though a little over-touristed.
The tiny stage has been graced
by all the greats. Blue Chicago
536 N Clark St tel 312/661-0100.
The...
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Jazz
Andy's 11 E Hubbard St tel
312/642-6805. Very popular with
the after-work crowd; informal
with moderate prices. The Cotton
Club 1710 S Michigan Ave tel
312/341-9787. A sophisticated,
live-music venue and disco, it
attracts a...
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Rock clubs
Cubby Bear 1059 W Addison St tel
773/327-1662. A sports bar
during the day - right next to
Wrigley Field - this place
transforms itself after dark
into one of the city's most
boisterous and eclectic live
venues, popular with aging
dinosaurs more...
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Folk, country and world music
clubs
Baby Doll Polka Club 6102 S
Central Ave tel 773/582-9706.
For 40 years, this Southwest
Side club has been full of
locals doing the polka, two-step
and the occasional tango.
Fitzgerald's 6615 W Roosevelt,
Berwyn tel 708/788-2118....
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Dance
Circus 901 W Weed St tel
312/266-1200. This celebrity
hangout features cartoonish,
technicolor decor and a live
trapeze act. Crobar 1543 N
Kingsbury St tel 312/413-7000.
The exclusive, hyper-trendy
warehouse club near the river...
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Theater and comedy
While it was once every Chicago
actor's and playwright's
ambition to end up in New York,
many are now quite content to
remain here. The city now
supports numerous theater
companies, many of them -
notably Steppenwolf, John
Malkovich's former...
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Classical music, opera and
dance
Under Daniel Barenboim, who is
committed to including more
contemporary music in its
repertoire, the profile of the
world-renowned Chicago Symphony
Orchestra - based at the
Orchestra Hall, 220 S Michigan
Ave (tel 312/435-8122 or
312/435-8172, ...
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Sports
Staunchly blue-collar Chicago
must be among the best US cities
for watching sports , as
Chicagoans are, for better or
worse, loyally supportive of
their teams. The city's most
successful outfit in recent
memory was the Michael
Jordan-led ...
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Drinking
If not quite as wild as in the
bootlegging days of speakeasies
and Prohibition, Chicago remains
a consummate boozer's town and
is one of the best US cities for
bars , catering to just about
every group and interest and
many open to 3 or 4am,...
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