HyperLocal News for Blue Island, Illinois

Morseland: Music and great food In Rogers ParkMorseland's motto, "Good Eats, Nice Beats" best describes this low-key live music and food venue in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood.

Chicago Cultural Center: Bringing the art world to ChicagoChicago is a culturally diverse city, so it makes sense to have a center dedicated to the arts. Completed in 1897 and originally a library, the Center offers free movies, admission and art exhibits year round and even performs civil ceremonies.

SPACE: The perfect setting for live musicFrom the exposed brick walls and custom curtains to the lighting and large stage, Evanston's SPACE has easily become one of the best venues to hear live music in the Chicago area.

Chicago Dine Around: Chicago's premier progressive dining tourChicago’s renowned for numerous of things, especially being a food epicenter. Chicago Dine Around aims to combine the best of the city’s world gourmet cuisine and electrifying sights into one memorable dining evening.

Stearns Quarry: From quarry to landfill to a natural wonderLocated five miles from downtown in the blue collar neighborhood of Bridgeport resides 400 million years of ancient ruins in the form of the Stearns Quarry. Originally a working quarry, last spring the Chicago Parks District beautified the old limestone mine and altered it into a stunning park.

Montrose Beach: Respite from Chicago's downtownOak Street and North Avenue Beach in the Gold Coast absorb a lot of the summer beach traffic, but with more space and calmer waters, Montrose Beach further north up the lakefront acts as a respite from the overflowing downtown beach scenes.

Tastebud Tour: feeding all of the sensesEach year Chicago’s culinary expertise grows in scope and Chicagoan Lynn F. Jaynes acknowledges this in creating a food tour called Tastebud Tours. Throughout the three-hour walking tour, out-of-towners and locals alike learn about Chicago’s history and get to experience the city’s world famous cuisine first-hand.

Shedd Aquarium: A wonderous world under the seaOpened in 1930, Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium has become a highly-regarded aquarium to get up-close-and personal with marine life from local and international waters. The museum’s stellar exhibits cater to both the young and old offering something for everyone.

Museum of Contemporary Art: Thought provoking modern artThe museum features a terrace with a lake view, a gift shop with books and DVDs for sale, a café called Pucks and four floors of breakthrough and sometimes titillating art work in the form of paintings, chromatic prints, graphic novels, and audio and visual items. The contemporary in the title refers to Post-World War II works, anything after 1945 to present day.

Lincoln Hall: An intimate musical spaceLast fall, Chicago was blessed with one of its best music venues in the form of Lincoln Hall. Akin to Schuba’s, Lincoln Hall is a state-of-the-art music venue hosting intimate performances from the world’s best musical acts.

The Empty Bottle: Music, cheap drinks and dancingUkrainian Village’s Empty Bottle has been delivering top notch musical acts to Chicago since opening in the early ‘90s. A launching pad for up and coming national and local acts, the Bottle also serves cheap beer and excellent food at its Bite Café next door.

Handlebar Bar and Grill: Wheeling drinks and veggie foodThe Handlebar is a biker bar, but of the cyclist kind, not the rough and tumble motor bike type. Bucktown’s neighborhood pit-stop welcomes both the peddling-friendly and non-wheeled set for breakfast, dinner and drinks.

Big Star: Tasty tacos from the border and beyondNamed after the Lone Star state of Texas and not the band Big Star, the honky tonk taqueria and whiskey bar brings affordable gourmet tacos to the denizens of Wicker Park. An extensive list of tequilas and American whiskeys presents itself along with daily $3 shots.

The Red Line Tap: An Old Chicago Tavern Is Given New Life.Named for the elevated train line that rumbles outside its front door, the Red Line Tap offers music and libations.

The historic Green Mill Cocktail Lounge offers up great jazz and big bandA favorite of Chicago gangster Al Capone, the Green Mill still draws an eclectic crowd sprinkled with artists, musicians and poets.

Fitzgerald's: A classic music joint with loads of charmThis popular west suburb music venue has a bar, restaurant, patio and sprawling live performance area made famous in several Hollywood films.

Woodlawn Tap: a nobel spot to belly-up for a beer.Woodlawn Tap, a nostalgic Hyde Park pub that has been the watering hole for University of Chicago students since 1948.

The Violet Hour has people talking (quietly)One of Chicago’s most popular bars is less a bar and more a cocktail lounge. Called The Violet Hour, (a name taken from T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land”) this Wicker Park neighborhood has received rave reviews from around the world.

Goose Island Beer Company: a Cubs fan favoriteA brewpub down the street from Wrigley Field attracts fans with big TVs, an even bigger menu, and best of all, beers brewed on-site.

Wolfbait & B-girls: A Showcase for Chicago DesignersFrom hats to dresses to chunky jewelry, Wolfbait & B-girls supports Chicago artists and designers and the movement to shop local.

Chicago French Market: A market with a European flairIn the West Loop resides the Chicago French Market, a one-stop shopping haven offering fine cheeses, wine, olives and raw foods. With over 30 specialty vendors from all over the world, experience Europe’s finest epicurean delights without leaving the confines of the city.

Workshop: A hub of sustainability in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhoodMore than a shop, Workshop is fast becoming a hub of sustainability in ethnically diverse Pilsen. Designer and Workshop owner, Annie Novotny sets a trend in this Chicago neighborhood showing businesses can make a difference.

Cascade Drive-In Theater: reliving the past in the presentWith only approximately 300 drive-in movie theaters still in existence, the Chicagoland area is lucky enough to harbor three of them, namely the biggest, Cascade Drive-In located an hour from Chicago in the West Chicago suburbs. When the sun sets, vehicles transform into personal living rooms under the stars.

Reckless Records: Keeping records and CDs relevantSome people think record stores are a dying breed, but since 1989, Chicago’s High Fidelity-esque Reckless Records has thrived even when corporate chains like Virgin and Tower have tumbled. It’s Reckless’ independent spirit and ability to find rare music that keeps it essential.

Starfruit Cafe: A healthy alternative to ice creamAll forms of ice cream are delicious, especially those relished during the hot days of summer, but dessert doesn’t always have to be high in fat and sugar. With four locations throughout Chicago, Starfruit's quaint and sunny cafe replaces the triple scoop sundae with delectable and healthy treats made from kefir.

ShowPlace Icon Theatre: viewing movies with all of the perksDespite the technological advances in home entertainment, people will always congregate at movie theaters. The South Loop's ShowPlace Icon understands what people want in their movie-going experience: great sound, comfortable seats, no pre-show advertisements, gourmet food and of course cocktails.

Sip Coffee: Not just fancy coffee drinksMost coffee shops in the city consist of Starbucks selling indulgent Frappuccinos, so sometimes independent, community-based coffee houses get overlooked. The stretch of Grand Avenue in West Town is packed with local restaurants and shops including Sip Coffee, a two-story coffee house replete with two outdoor garden areas and enough ample space for the caffeine-addicted to generate their own personal work space.

Greek Town's Athenian Candle Company, Win Back Your FlameWhile backroom workers make tall candles for local churches, those in the front of the shop sell everything from candles to help win back lovers or insense to bring good luck.

Marie Parie Oui, Oui!Tres petit but filled with eclectic clothing, jewelry, home decor, Marie Parie has French flair with a bohemian twist.

Pavement at Pritzker PavilionAfter an acrid breakup over a decade ago, one of the most influential bands of the ‘90s, Pavement, decided to reunite for a world reunion tour this summer. The Stockton, CA quintet recently played their first Chicago show in 11 years at Pitchfork Festival on July 18, but will touch down again and perform more of their beloved classics on September 13 at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Devo at the Congress Theater: A pre-Lollapalooza show of mythical proportionsAkron, OH quintet Devo may best be known for their ubiquitous 1980 hit Whip It, but throughout the past 30 years, they’ve demystified the one-hit wonder status through touring and releasing a new album of chart topping songs.

North Coast Music Festival: Chicago's newest and brightest music celebrationIn its inaugural year, the North Coast Fest acts as a means to close out the summer concert season with one last hurrah. Taking place in Union Park over Labor Day weekend (September 3-5), bands and artists from all over the world will make “summer’s last stand” a reality.

Milwaukee SummerfestAlthough it is still a small city, Milwaukee strikes it big with Summerfest.

Wicker Park Festival: Top-notch fun for seven yearsFrom the parks to the streets, Chicago’s summer festivals are anything but dull. Taking a cue from other neighborhood fests like Do-Division, Wicker Park Fest has been attracting top-notch bands, vendors and neighborhood friends for over seven years now.

Pitchfork Music Festival: indie rock's finest hit Chicago in JulyChicago hosts several music and street fests all summer long, but as far as Chicagoans are concerned, there’s the grand vision of Lollapalooza and then the much smaller yet equally impressive Pitchfork Festival. Held every July in Union Park, the trendy festival books 40 of the world’s best buzz bands to perform in front of over 50,000 spectators during the three-day event.

Lollapalooza: The world is listening this AugustEvery August, approximately 100,000 people flock to Grant Park in downtown Chicago to hear over 100 international buzz and established bands perform outdoors. Since its inception in the early ‘90s and since its advent in Chicago in 2005, Lollapalooza’s become one of the foremost and exhilarating music fests on the continent.

Chicago Country Music Festival: A little bit of country in the big cityThis annual country music fest attracts thousands of fans to Grant Park with big name acts, dancing, kids activities and a whole lot more.

Celtic Fest Chicago: A jig of a good timeThis annual Grant Park festival features live music, dancing, competitions and demonstrations dedicated to all things Irish and Scottish.

Bucktown Arts FestivalThere's a reason the Bucktown Arts Fest has been a popular Chicago draw for 24 years. This two-day event attracts more than 180 artists from across the country and provides great food and entertainment.

Hurry! Hotel rooms are hard to come by for LollapaloozaNeed a hotel room for Lollapalooza? Not many remain.

Eleven City Diner: The Jewish deli is alive and wellCarnegie Deli in New York set the pace for Jewish delis back in the ‘30s serving heaping portions of corned beef and pastrami, and luckily the South Loop’s Eleven City Diner is one of the few places in Chicago that recognizes the importance of that tradition.

Union Pizzeria: Fresh from the brick ovenUnion Pizzeria serves pizza the Italian way: a crunchy, thin crust topped with fresh ingredients.

Sultan's Market: Bucktown's cheap and delicious Middle Eastern foodSince 1995, the Jordanian family owned Sultan’s Market has served the Bucktown community flavorful and affordable Middle Eastern bites. From hummus to spinach pie, Sultan’s knows how to satisfy the palate.

Bistro Bordeaux: Authentic French cuisineFrom the butcher papered tables to Chef Frank Mnuk's interpretations, Bistro Bordeaux has earned the title as one of Chicago's top new restaurants. Even though it's in Evanston.

Bridgeport Coffee House: A neighborhood hubMore than a local cafe, Bridgeport Coffee House is a neighborhood hub that features jazz, bake sales and sometimes even a movie or two.

Alterra At The Lake CafeLocated in one of Milwaukee's old pumping stations, Alterra At The Lake Cafe offers up not only coffee but live theater and a great view as well.

Epic Burger: A 'more mindful' mealHamburger joint Epic Burger subscribes to the rule that “not all burgers are created equal,” giving it an advantage over every other preservative-filled fast food establishment. Their burgers and fries are made from fresh and all natural ingredients that support local farmers.

BAT 17Lean and Mean homemade deli sandwiches, chopped salads and desserts only found in dreams make up the menu at Evanston's Benson Avenue Tavern.

Sobelman's Pub and Grill boasts Milwaukee's best burgerMade from Black Angus, grass-fed beef, Sobelman's offers single or multi-patti, towering burgers that will make this Milwaukee favorite tops.

Karl Ratzsch's in Milwaukee Brings German Food to the Midwest.Milwaukee, once a thriving community of German immigrants remains the place for some of the best German food in the country. Karl Ratzsch's tops the list.