Celebrating Chicago: Part I

Hi Everyone, Liane here!

It is beginning to sink in for me that this program is starting to come to an end. In realization of this, I would like to take some time to reflect on all that I have seen. Through this program I have explored so much of this amazing city. Our assignments bring us in contact with some truly inspiring people and places. I have shared a lot of these experiences through my posts, but never have I ever shown some of what I like to do in my free time. This is a post dedicated to the musical venues which I have had the good fortune of seeing shows at while here in Chicago.

The first place I will bring you to is The Green Mill (Uptown Neighborhood):

Prior to coming to Chicago for this program, I was watching a lot of Boardwalk Empire, an HBO show that is set during the onset of Prohibition in Atlantic City. In the show, a young Al Capone is depicted. It is no secret that Al Capone's place in Chicago was The Green Mill, and so I was very excited to come see for myself where Mr. Capone used to frequently hang out at.

The sign over the entrance to The Green Mill.

Being that Al Capone was the head of Chicago's mob, he was a very hunted man. Every time he was at The Green Mill he sat in the same booth. It faced the door so he could always see who came through the door.

The booth reserved for Al Capone at The Green Mill.

There are a series of tunnels leading towards the lake which are accessed from a trap door underneath the bar of The Green Mill. Mr.Capone would escape through when the police or other mobsters would show up looking for him. The public cannot go down here, unfortunately, but employees of the cocktail lounge have been down there. I asked one of them what it is like, and he told me that there are just a lot of big rooms he assumes were used for storage of money and alcohol.

Go to The Green Mill to see some great jazz musicians play! They have performances all days of the week.

The second place I will show you is City Winery (West Loop Neighborhood):

The entrance to City Winery.

This is a really cool venue to see a concert at because in one half of the room is the stage with tables in front, and the other half of the room is the winery. There are massive barrels of wine aging behind a glass wall. The interior of this place is obviously wine themed, and on the way to the restrooms you pass by an impressive display of bottles lining the wall.

Wine wall at City Winery.

I got to see Dessa, a Minneapolis based artist, at City Winery. My table was directly in front of the stage, and at one point during the show Dessa jumped off the stage and was singing right behind me.

Dessa on stage at City Winery.

The third place I will present to you is Shubas Tavern (Lakeview Neighborhood):

Shubas Tavern.

This venue is incredible for seeing a show at because it is fairly small, and your chances of meeting the performer are pretty high! The night I was here Caroline Smith was performing. If you have not heard of her, I recommend you look her up immediately!

Caroline Smith on stage at Shubas Tavern.

So, even though there is a lot of work to be done for the Chicago Program, there is always time to go out exploring! Any music fan will find a venue here in the city that they adore.

Stay tuned for Part II of my Celebrating Chicago series of reflections.