PW: BEA 2000: What's Going on in Chicago

MUSEUMS
The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. (443-3600), offers "Bilbao: The Transformation of a City," an exhibition focusing on a dozen recent architectural projects. Also, "Crossing the Line: Photography Reconsidered," 125 photographs comparing the work of masters with contemporary talents.

Center for Book and Paper Arts,218 S. Wabash Ave., 7th floor (421-2668), has two exhibits: "Bruce Beck and the Turtle Press" and "Past, Present, Post: The Mail Art Show."

Chicago Children's Museum, 700 E. Grand Avenue. (527-1000), features "Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood--A Hands-On Exhibit," with a full-size version of the television show's set.

Chicago Public Library Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. (747-4876), presents "Before the Curtain G s Up: 10 Years in the Making of the Chicago Theater Archive."

DuSable Museum of African-American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. (773-947-0600), presents "Last Mile on the Way: African-American Homegoing Traditions 1890-Present," photos, film, documents.

Field Museum, 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr at Roosevelt Rd. (992-9410), presents "The Dead Sea Scrolls," an exhibition organized with the Israel Antiquities Authority. Also "Sue," the largest, most complete and best preserved T-rex ever discovered is on display. The 42-foot-long skeleton is 90% complete.

Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, 1852 W. 19th St. (738-1503), displays Jeff Abbey Maldonado paintings.

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. (397-3834), offers "Beat Streuli photography" and "Age of Influence: Reflections in the Mirror of American Culture," which features works by Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Matthew Barney.

Museum of Science and Industry, 57th St. and Lake Shore Dr. (773-684-1414), offers "Titanic: The Exhibition," with more than 200 artifacts from the ship's wreckage.

National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, 1801 S. Indiana (326-0270), has an open exhibit, "Vietnam: Reflexes and Reflections."

Oriental Institute Museum, 1155 E. 58th St. (773-702-9521), showcases history, art and archeology of the ancient Near East.

State Street Bridge Gallery, Riverwalk at State Street and lower Wacker Drive (744-6630).French artist Claude Lévêque.

Vietnam War Museum, 954 W. Carmen Ave. (773-728-6111), continues "Vietnam Fragments: Scrapbook of a War."

MUSIC AND THEATER
Annoyance Theatre, 3747 N. Clark St. (773-929-6200). The theater company that brought you The Real Life Brady Bunch now offers Co-Ed Prison Sluts (through June 3).

Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave. (773-935-6860), presents Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along.

Bailiwick Repertory Theater/Bailiwick Arts Center, 1229 W. Belmont (773-883-1090). Oscar Wilde meets William Shakespeare in Naked Will.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave. (312-595-5600), offer Alls Well That Ends Well.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. (294-3000). Charles Dutoit conducts Itzhak Perlman, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs works by Barber, Debussy and Shostakovich.

Goodman Theater, 200 S. Columbus Dr. (443-3800), stages A Raisin in the Sun.

Mercury Theatre, 3745 N. Southport Ave. (773-325-1700), stages Alfred Uhry's Last Night in Ballyhoo.

Piper's Alley,230 W. North (664-8844). Come bless Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding as they head toward their seventh anniversary.

Second City, 1616 N. Wells St. (337-3992). Improvisational humor, sketches and funny stuff.

Steppenwolf Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. (335-1888), features Gary Sinise in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Victory Gardens Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. (773-871-3000), offers Sharon Gless in Cahoots.

FESTIVALS
Printers Row Book Fair (June 3-4; 10 a.m.-6p.m.) 500, 600 & 700 S. Dearborn & Polk Streets (987-9896; www.printersrowbookfair.org).

BASEBALL
Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St. (831-2827). On June 2, 3 and June 4 the Cubs play Detroit. Alas, all day games.

TOUR TIME
Here is a short list of some of the tours/ tour companies that are worth your time:

Though there are undoubtedly still gangsters in town, the Untouchable Tour (773-881-1195, 610 N. Clarke) brings Chicago's gangland past alive, concen-trating on the hoodlum hangouts of such guys as John Dillinger, Al Capone, "Bugs" Moran and others, as well as the site of the St. Valentine's Day massacre (which is now in the shadow of a retirement home).

Richard Crowe, who claims he's the only "full-time professional ghost hunter in the Midwest," runs Chicago Supernatural Tours (708-499-0300; P.O. Box 557544, Chicago Ill. 60655), a $30, five-hour bus tour of Chicagoland cemeteries, murder sites and haunted pubs. In the summer, Crowe offers two-hour supernatural cruises on a boat called the Mercury Skyline Queen.

The first-rate Chicago Architecture Foundation (312-922-3432, 224 S. Michigan Ave.) organizes river cruises, bus tours and scores of walking tours of spe-cific buildings, streets, districts and neighborhoods. The foundation also offers both walking and bus tours of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest hits, a bike tour of suburban Winnetka and more than 50 other tours. Fees vary from $5 for a walking tour to $17 for river cruises to $25 for bus tours covering 30 miles of historic districts.

Six Buildings that Scream "Chicago"
The fact that the yellow stone Water Tower (800 N. Michigan Ave.) is still standing at all lends it a modicum of significance-- it's just so old and, like Chicago itself, a survivor. Oscar Wilde notoriously labeled it a "monstrosity" during his 1882 visit to Chicago. For all its fame, it's really just a cover for a 38-foot-high standpipe.

Ungainly and sinister looking and just a block north, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's 1970 John Hancock Center (875 N. Michigan Ave.) sticks out like a sore thumb on the city's skyline, but this is one of its best-known buildings. You couldn't miss it if you tried.

A few blocks south, the white terra-cotta-clad Wrigley Building (400 N. Michigan Ave.) is an ode to the chewing-gum empire of the building's namesake. Lit at night like a birthday cake (which many say it resembles), the building sits at the foot of the Magnificent Mile.

Known as the "corncob buildings," the 62-story Marina City (300 N. State St.), built by Bertrand Goldberg in the early 1960s and standing just west of the Wrigley Building, is perhaps Chicago's best-known silhouette.

Owned today by the Kennedys (yes, those Kennedys) but originally built in 1931 by Marshall Field, the elephantine Merchandise Mart (350 N. Wells St.) is still, at four million square feet, one of the world's largest wholesale markets, open to the trade only (the first two floors are a bland retail). It sits along the Chicago River west of Marina City, dominating the neighborhood like a Buddha.

Although its not a building, it's certainly a landmark--Wrigley Field (Clark and Addison Sts.) may not be the most up-to-date ballpark in the nation--it was built in 1914--but like the Chicago Cubs, it's much beloved.

Chicago: Since You've Been Gone
By Sam Weller

I'm really not sure why Frank Sinatra called Chicago "that toddlin' town." Still, it's a good bet that what Sinatra really meant when he crooned composer Fred Fisher's 1922 classic, "Chicago," was that the city was a t -tappin', finger-snappin', somethin' always happenin' kinda place. In that regard, some things never change. But in other areas, there have been some changes in Chicago since Book Expo America last set up shop here in 1998. Here's a guide to help you sort out what's new, what's out, what's cool, what's hot, along with some hush-hush secrets known only to locals... and now you. Ssshhh. Don't tell.

A few major tourist traps have closed up shop. Michael Jordan's Restaurant is gone. Perhaps if his Royal Airness had stopped in every so often to dine on those overpriced burgers, his devotees would have shown up more often to purchase one of the equally expensive Bulls jerseys. Instead, the place petered out like a limp air ball, and now, rumor has it that Chicago Cubs home-run slugger Sammy Sosa will try his hand as a restaurateur in the old Jordan space. Don't these jocks ever learn?

But rest easy, there are some fabulous spots to savor a burger in Chicago at far more affordable prices. For more than 30 years, Moody's Pub (5910 N. Broadway, 773-275-2696) has been a favorite with Chicagoans for serving mouthwatering, char-grilled half-pounders.

If you're still looking for a Michael Jordan jersey, the best place to find it is at Sports World (1027 W. Addison St., 773-472-7701), which is directly across the street from Wrigley Field. This is a quick fix for the sports junkie.

Fade out for Planet Hollywood; the overhyped, overpriced establishment has closed since the last BEA. If you're looking for a slice of Tinseltown, why not catch a movie at the historic Music Box Theater (3733 N. Southport Ave., 773-871-6604)? The premiere art house in the city, the Music Box's architectural style stands nearly unchanged since it opened in 1929.

Don't go looking for antiquarian books at Booksellers Row--the venerable Chicago bookstore has closed. Instead, you can wander down to the Printers Row Book Fair, a true bookworm's delight, and the largest fair of its kind in the entire Midwest.

If you're looking to scratch a niche, Chicago has several really cool niche bookstores. Theater enthusiasts will love Act I (2540 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-348-6757, www.act1books.com), which sells hard-to-find theatrical material. Transitions Bookplace (1000 W. North Ave., 312-951-READ) is the city's New Age touchstone, offering all the self-help advice and chakra-cleansing tips your inner child could ever ask for. The store also hosts wellness seminars in the nearby Transitions Learning Center (1750 N. Kingsbury St.). For a great selection of gay and lesbian material, as well as general books, stop off at Unabridged Bookstore (3251 N. Broadway, 773-883-9119). Also check out Women & Children First (5233 N. Clark St., 773-769-9299). Finally, for sci-fi aficionados, no bookstore can come within a light-year of Stars Our Destination (1021 W. Belmont, 773-871-2722). The shop, which houses more than 6,000 new and at least 24,000 used titles, is a science fiction fan's fantasy come true.

You're not gonna see much of the city from a speeding cab and less on the shuttle buses. Here's a thought: rent a bike at one of the Bike Chicago (1-800-915-BIKE) lakefront locations, and peddle along the city's 18-and-a-half mile paved lakefront bike path. You'll come back convinced that Chicago is the most beautiful city for bicycling in the country. You can find Bike Chicago at Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave.), the Lincoln Park Zoo (2200 N. Cannon Dr.) and at Buckingham Fountain (Grant Park at Lake Shore Dr. and Congress). Bicycles are $8 an hour or $30 a day; locks and safety gear are complimentary. Cool service alert: they deliver bikes to hotels. The lakeshore trail begins at Kathy Osterman Beach (Ardmore Ave., 5800 North and the lake) and winds all the way south to the South Shore Cultural Center (7059 S. Shore Dr., 312-747-2536). Here's a secret--bike on the south side of the city; the north is loaded (particularly on weekends) with pedestrians, bicyclists and pets, which can be annoying, no matter how beautiful the scenery. The best stretch for solitude is to start at Buckingham Fountain and work your way south.

So what are you waiting for? Get toddlin'!

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