culturalupdate

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A client contacted CUI in need of a large hotel suite for a “girls’
weekend” with friends. The client’s friend had booked two rooms on
her own at a hotel in the Loop, but the rooms were not connecting
rooms. The client also didn’t want her friends to be all the way in the
Loop when all the activities they had planned were in the River North,
Streeterville and Gold Coast areas. With CUI’s extensive relationships
with the best hotels around, a Premium Suite at a top hotel in the Gold
Coast was quickly arranged, with plenty of room for all four guests. In
addition, the client and her friends were accommodated at the CUI
preferred rate, saving them $200 off the regular rate!
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In celebration of March Madness, all three Tuscany Restaurant locations will feature a different, reasonably-priced lasagna each day of
the week, March 19-30. Varieties will include Ricotta Lasagna, Pollo
Lasagna and Primavera Lasagna.
Trattoria Gianni at 1711 North Halsted has been serving Italian
favorites for 23 years in the heart of Lincoln Park. The restaurant will
be celebrating the grand opening of a new, expanded al fresco dining
area this spring!
The Chicago International Vintage Poster Fair brings over 25 international dealers with more than 10,000 original vintage posters for
sale to the Chicago Cultural Center on the weekend of March 31April 1, with a Friday evening preview to benefit the Art Institute on
Friday, March 30.
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RPM Italian recently opened in the former Ben Pao space at 52 West
Illinois Street in River North. Celebrity couple Bill and Giuliana Rancic
have teamed up with Lettuce Entertain You and chef Doug Psaltis to
present Italian cuisine (with a few of Giuliana’s family recipes) in a
modern setting.
Brides-to-be take note: Vera Wang Chicago is now open at the corner of
Rush & Oak Streets, above the ultra-posh Hermès shop. The 5,000 sq.
ft. store carries everything from Vera Wang’s most recent bridal collection to gorgeous accessories and the Lavender shoe collection.
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For March, our connoisseur Bernard Guinand presents “Spring is in the Air:
Let’s Cook with Wine!” Visit www.conciergeunlimited.com to view this
month’s Wine Insight.
March 2012
Volume XXII—Issue III
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through
11
4/16
4/22
4/22
5/20
6/3
9/3
opens
9
15
30-4/1
ongoing
Light Years
Charles James: Genius Deconstructed
Animals Around the World
Opening the Vaults: Mummies
Schiff Foundation: Selections
This Will Have Been
Genghis Khan
Art Institute
Chicago History Museum
Art Institute
Field Museum
Art Institute
MCA
Field Museum
Science on the Half Shell
Field Museum
Mythbusters: The Explosive Exhibition MSI
Chicago Int’l Vintage Poster Fair Cultural Center
Deep Space Adventure
Jellies
Science Storms
around the globe
through
4/2
Ellsworth Kelly: Prints and Paintings
5/6
Van Gogh Up Close
Adler Planetarium
Shedd Aquarium
MSI
LACMA, Los Angeles
Philadelphia Museum
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8-10
9-10
15-18
22-25
24
SPDW Dance: Fifteen
Giordano Jazz Dance: Passion/Fire
Hubbard Street Dance Spring Series
American Ballet Theatre: Giselle
Luna Negra Dance Theater
Victory Gardens Theatre
Harris Theatre
Harris Theatre
Auditorium Theatre
Harris Theater
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11
16-18
5/3-6
through
5/20
5/27
Stars On Ice
Allstate Arena
Disney Live! Three Classic Fairy Tales Rosemont Theatre
Sesame Street Live
Rosemont Theatre
Snow White
Pinkalicious
Apollo Theater
Broadway Playhouse
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at Symphony Center
1-3
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde; CSO; J.Nott, cond.
4
Richard Goode: Schumann, Brahms, Chopin; R. Goode, piano
8,10
Muti and Zukerman; CSO; R. Muti, cond., P. Zukerman,
violin
15-17 Muti Conducts Cherubini Requiem; CSO and Chorus;
R. Muti, cond.; A. Mizrahi, narrator
22,24 Russian Masters; CSO; K. Petrenko, cond.
29-4/1 Uchida Plays Mozart; CSO; M. Uchida, conductor and piano
at Harris Theater
26
Music of the Baroque: Handel’s Allegro; MOB Chorus
and Orchestra; J. Glover, cond.
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Lyric Opera of Chicago
1-17
Showboat by J. Kern / O. Hammerstein; J. DeMain, cond.
4-24
Rinaldo by G. Handel
6-25
Aida by G. Verdi; R. Palumbo, cond.
Metropolitan Opera, NYC
1-17
Khovanshchina by M. Mussorgsky; K. Petrenko, cond.
2,8
Madama Butterfly by G. Puccini; P. Domingo, cond.
5-31
L’Elisir d’Amore by G. Donizetti; D. Renzetti, cond.
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through
11
Megacosm
11
The Feast: An Intimate Tempest
25
The Convert
25
Gypsy
4/1
Legally Blonde
6/24
The Doyle & Debbie Show
9/2
Million Dollar Quartet
opens
3-4/8 Camino Real
6-25
Bring It On: The Musical
13-18 Riverdance
21-4/22 Cascabel
27-4/8 Fela!
4/5
The March
4/8
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
open run
Blue Man Group
Sky’s the Limit (Weather Permitting)
100th Revue
around the globe
through
17
Crazy For You
7/1
How to Succeed in Business...
9/2
Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark
A Red Orchid Theatre
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
Goodman Theatre
Drury Lane Oakbrook
Marriott Lincolnshire
Royal George Theatre
Apollo Theater
Goodman Theatre
Cadillac Palace Theatre
Ford Center/Oriental Theatre
Lookingglass Theatre
Oriental Theatre
Steppenwolf Theatre
Shakespeare Theater
Briar Street Theatre
Second City
Second City
London, UK
New York, NY
New York, NY
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4/1
Van Halen
4/5-6/3 Jersey Boys
4/18-29 Being Shakespeare
4/19
Daniel Tosh
4/21
The Iceman Cometh
5/1-6 Cats
6/8
Roger Waters
6/9
Brad Paisley
6/15
Aziz Ansari
6/20-24 Cirque du Soleil: Dralion
7/6
Neil Diamond
7/12-14 Barry Manilow
7/20-21 Cirque du Soleil: Michael Jackson
12/11 The Book of Mormon
Allstate Arena
Bank of America Theatre
Broadway Playhouse
Chicago Theatre
Goodman Theatre
Cadillac Palace Theatre
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Chicago Theatre
Allstate Arena
United Center
Chicago Theatre
United Center
Bank of America Theatre
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2
7-8
9
9
9
10
16
19
19
22-23
23
24
25
26-27
30
30-31
The Chieftains
The Head and the Heart
Gomez
Lady Antebellum
Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt
Kelly Clarkson
Gaelic Storm
Black Keys
Fiona Apple
B.B. King
George Benson
Saw Doctors
Boyz II Men
Magnetic Fields
Of Monsters and Men
Jeff Tweedy
Symphony Center
The Vic
The Vic
Allstate Arena
Star Plaza Theatre
Horseshoe Casino
Riviera Theatre
United Center
Lincoln Hall
House of Blues
Chicago Theatre
The Vic
House of Blues
The Vic
Park West
The Vic
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♦Bulls
♦Blackhawks
5 Indiana
9 New York
8 Orlando
11 Los Angeles
10 Utah
13 St. Louis
12 New York
18 Washington
14 Miami
21 Vancouver
16 Portland
25 Nashville
17 Philadelphia
29 St. Louis
24 Toronto
26 Denver
30 Florida
also
9-10
Monster Truck Nationals
11
Stars on Ice 2012 Tour
23
State High School Hockey Champ.
28
All-American Games H.S. Basketball
♦ Wolves
4 Oklahoma City
7 Milwaukee
14 Peoria
24 Hamilton
25 Houston
Sears Center
Allstate Arena
United Center
United Center
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2-4
World of Wheels
10-18 Chicago Flower & Garden Show
11
South Side Irish Parade
16
William Shatner: Shatner’s World
17
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
25
Greek Independence Day Parade
30-31 Celtic Woman
through
11
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
4/8
Hancock Observatory Ice Rink
around the globe
16-4/8 Monte Carlo Spring Festival
20-4/27 Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial
7/27-8/12 2012 Summer Olympic Games
Donald E. Stephens
Navy Pier
Beverly/Western Ave.
Auditorium Theatre
Columbus & Balbo
Halsted & Randolph
Rosemont Theatre
Millennium Park
John Hancock Building
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Washington, D. C.
London, U.K.
Contact your CUI concierge for top tickets to all upcoming events!
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Erin go bragh! From shillelaghs to soda bread, Concierge Unlimited
International holds the key to your greenest and greatest St. Patrick’s Day
celebrations.
The 2012 NCAA Basketball Tournament begins on March 13, and
68 schools will battle it out on courts around the country to make it to
the championship game on April 2 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
There’s no need to travel far and wide to get in on the action,
however. Here are some local options for festive viewing.
3/2-7: Chicago Irish Film Festival
The 13th anuual Chicago Irish Film Festival highlights the best work
of emerging and established Irish filmmakers.
(Beverly Arts Center)
♦ Bull & Bear
Bull & Bear is a luxury multi-media sports emporium, with a full
menu, personal table taps and 25 plasma screen TVs.
3/4: Wearing of the Green Dinner Dance
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations begin with the IAHC’s fifth annual Wearing of the Green Dinner Dance. Festivities include dinner, live music,
spot prizes and a raffle.
(5:00 - 10:00 p.m. at the Irish American Heritage Center)
♦ Ditka’s
3/11: South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade
After a brief hiatus, the South Side Parade is back. Despite its rowdy
reputation from years past, the rejuvinated parade promises a more
family-friendly atmosphere. The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. and
proceeds down Western Avenue from 103rd Street to 115th Street.
Joe’s Bar on Weed Street is a massive warehouse-style venue specializing in sports, live music and private parties, with 110 plasma
TVs and HD projector screens for optimal viewing.
3/12: Siamsa na nGael
This annual event at Symphony Center offers world-class Celtic
enertainment courtesy of the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, Old St.
Patrick’s Concert Choir, the Trinity Irish Dancers and narrator Brian
Dennehy.
(7:30 p.m. at Symphony Center)
3/17: St. Patrick’s Day Cruise
Shoreline Sightseeing conducts its famous St. Patrick’s Day cruise on
the green Chicago River. Traditional Irish fare will be served while docents highlight the Irish community’s role in shaping modern Chicago.
(10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m., Odgen Slip at Navy Pier)
3/17: St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The big parade takes over Columbus Drive and the river runs green on
Saturday, March 17. The festivities begin at 10:45 a.m.
(12:00 noon, Columbus Drive from Balbo to Monroe)
For a more refined game-viewing atmosphere, Ditka’s steakhouses
in the Gold Coast and Oakbrook Terrace offer stellar menus and a
variety of private dining options.
♦ Joe’s Bar
♦ Mother Hubbard’s
Visit ESPN’s preferred venue for NCAA sponsor parties. This classic
Chicago sports destination features seven 10 ft. screens so you’ll be
sure to see all the action.
♦ Theory
Pop in to Theory for a casual drink, or reserve the VIP room for a big
celebration at this upscale River North sports lounge.
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See what all the buzz is about and experience the world-class cuisine
of the area’s best chefs. Contact your CUI concierge today for top table
reservations!
♦ Best New Restaurant: Bistronomic, Next
♦ Outstanding Bar Program: The Aviary, The Violet Hour
♦ Outstanding Chef: Carrie Nahabedian, Naha; Paul Kahan,
Blackbird; Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia
♦ Outstanding Pastry Chef: Patrick Fahy, Café des Architectes;
Mindy Segal, Mindy’s HotChocolate
3/17: St. Patrick’s Festival
The fun doesn’t have to end after the parade is over. Head over to the
St. Patrick’s Festival for a family-friendly celebration with traditional
Irish food, dance. music and children’s activities.
(1:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. at the Irish American Heritage Center)
♦ Outstanding Restaurant: Tru
♦ Outstanding Retaurateur: Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality
♦ Outstanding Service: Spiaggia; Topolobampo
♦ Outstanding Wine Program: Sepia
♦ Rising Star Chef of the Year: Dave Beran, Next; Matthew Kirkley,
3/18: St. Paddy’s 5K Run/Walk
Don’t put away the green just yet. Work off the holiday calories with
a 5K run/walk in Lincoln Park. The event features the “Leprechaun
Leap,” a fun-filled kids’ dash, and a post run/walk at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
(10:00 a.m. at Cannon Drive and Fullerton)
♦ Best Chef, Great Lakes: Josh Adams, June (Peoria Heights);
L2O; David Posey, Blackbird
Michael Carlson, Schwa; Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat; Martial
Noguier, Bistronomic; Chris Nugent, Goosefoot; Bruce Sherman,
North Pond; Giuseppe Tentori, GT Fish & Oyster; Paul Virant, Vie,
(Western Springs); Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia
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Concierge Unlimited international holds the key to your VIP access to the
hottest upcoming concergs. Contact your CUI concierge today for tickets!
4/1
Van Halen, Allstate Arena
4/5
Guster, The Vic
4/5
Thomas Dolby, Park West
4/6-7 English Beat, SPACE
4/7
Erykah Badu, Arie Crown Theater
4/10
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, SPACE
4/12
Rodrigo y Gabriela, Chicago Theatre
4/16
Daryl Hall, Auditorium Theatre
4/16-17 Death Cab for Cutie, Chicago Theatre
4/19
Leon Russell, Mayne Stage
4/21
Snow Patrol, Aragon Ballroom
4/22
Counting Crows, Riviera Theatre
4/27
Gipsy Kings, Chicago Theatre
5/2-3 Yanni, Chicago Theatre
5/11
St. Vincent, The Vic
5/12
Andrew Bird, Auditorium Theatre
5/13
Chris Botti, Rosemont Theater
5/15
Steve Winwood, Chicago Theatre
5/17
Mark Lanegan Band, Metro
5/19-20 Bonnie Raitt, Chicago Theatre
5/21-22 Beach Boys, Chicago Theatre
5/22
M. Ward, The Vic
5/28
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Allstate Arena
5/30
6/2
6/8
6/9
Nickleback, Allstate Arena
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Chicago Theatre
Roger Waters, Wrigley Field
Brad Paisley, Wrigley Field
6/10
New Edition, UIC Pavilion
6/28-29 Ministry, The Vic
7/6
Heart, The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
7/6
Neil Diamond, United Center
7/8
Ringo Starr, The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
7/12-14 Barry Manilow, Chicago Theatre
8/3-5 Lollapalooza, Grant Park
8/7-8 Coldplay, United Center
9/19-20 Madonna, United Center
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Last-minute Libations
A client was invited to an exclusive, last minute VIP
wine tasting at a wine cellar. Wanting to make an impression and not show up empty handed, the client wisely
contacted their CUI concierge for assistance. The CUI
team was able to recommend and secure a quality bottle
of wine, along with tasting notes, and have it delivered to
the client, all within the hour!
W eekend Warrior
A client had placed an order for breakfast the
week before New Year’s Eve, and the company was to be
closed for a four-day weekend the following week. The client received last minute changes to her meeting over the
holiday weekend, and texted the new meeting details to
her CUI concierge. The CUI team was able to secure the
catering changes and reconfirm all the arrangements—all
during the CUI concierge’s holiday weekend days off!
The client was extremely grateful for the help, and the
meeting went off without a hitch.
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Save your valuable time and let us be At Your Service
♦Catering & Corporate Dinners♦
♦Entertainment♦
♦Favorable Hotel Rates♦
♦Flowers & Unique Gifts♦
♦ VIP Restaurant Reservations♦
♦Private & Corporate Events ♦
♦Top Tickets: Theatre, Sports, Concerts & more♦
♦Travel & Transportation ♦
Contact Amanda Rubin, your CUI Concierge at
(312) 692-8140 [email protected] www.conciergeunlimited.com
We invite your suggestions for future issues of Cultural Update. Are there cultural events you
would like us to highlight? Do you have feedback about a restaurant or event that we have
recommended? Let us know what you think! Please feel free to contact the editor via email at
[email protected] or by phone at (312) 220-0500.
”2011 Concierge Unlimited International, hereinafter CUI. All rights reserved. Cultural data subject to change. This CUI Cultural Update is the sole and exclusive property
of CUI. It shall not be, in whole or in part, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitte d in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission of CUI.