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IL Travel Guide

Air-Conditioned Travel: Chicago's Gen Art Film Fest

Where: 3733 N. Southport Ave. [map], Chicago, IL, United States

6/18/2008 at 3:00 PM
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As sunburns mount and the mercury rises, the allure of the local multiplex grows. But, seriously, you aren't going to see "The Love Guru" are you?

Support indie filmmakers at the Second Annual Gen Art Film Festival in Chicago this weekend and you can do penance for both "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Sex and the City."

A $20 ticket gets you in to one of the new films and that night's after-party. We're liking fest opener "Bart Got a Room," a teenage nerd fable co-starring Alia Shawkat ("Arrested Development") along with William H. Macy. Ensemble drama "Explicit Ills" on June 27 looks good, too.

Related Stories:
· Gen Art Film Festival [Official Site]
· Film Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the Music Box Theatre: greddy]

0 Comments - Add Yours by egw

O'Hare Having a Party, No One Coming

6/17/2008 at 11:00 AM
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While the government is maintaining caps on takeoffs and landings at New York area airports--and some aviation insiders pray for re-regulation--officials at Chicago O'Hare are rolling out the welcome mat. The head of the FAA, Bobby Sturgell, says there will be no more flight caps at ORD, citing a new runway that's scheduled to open this fall.

But airlines aren't exactly clamoring to fill the extra capacity, says the Chicago Tribune:

The flight caps are no longer necessary, or even relevant, because the airline business is in the midst of an unprecedented downturn spurred by record fuel prices and a weak economy.

Both American and United, big-time carriers at O'Hare, have recently announced major cuts in service. JetBlue has all but halted growth--save for some new flights in the Caribbean.

This should help Virgin America with its planned expansion at the airport, right? Possibly, says spokeswoman Abby Lunardini:

[It's] encouraging, but we don't have official word back on our FAA filing yet.

UPDATE: Now Virgin America says it will cut capacity by 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, due to higher fuel costs.

Related Stories:
· Flight Caps to Vanish at O'Hare [CT]
· O'Hare coverage [Jaunted]
· New Airline Routes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the ORD disco lights: diongillard]

0 Comments - Add Yours by pbb

Cycling Travel: Obama Scorns Your Spandex

6/11/2008 at 9:00 AM
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We chuckled when the site Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle poked fun at the Democratic senator's ascribed powers. But fashionistas found the presumptive presidential candidate's choice of attire for riding a bike this weekend downright bizarre. What? No one wants to see a politician in bike shorts.

To avoid the scorn of the beautiful people, make sure you have the correct gear for your next two-wheeled trek. We liked this basic but thorough list from RideThisBike.com.

Related Stories:
· Cheesecake Travel: Obama Skips Philly's Finest [Jaunted]
· Barack Obama Spending The Most On Hotels For His Campaign [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: LAist]

1 Comment - Add Yours by egw

Music Travel: Pitchfork's Cool Kids in Hot Chicago

6/05/2008 at 2:00 PM
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When we attended the inaugural Pitchfork Music Festival, we had our doubts that the massively Conversed, pale hipster kids which populated the crowd would support a yearly event involving summer heat and big, acoustically challenged stages. Now in its fourth year, though, the cooler-than-thou website has established itself as a Third Coast must-visit.

The fest is bringing back last year's experiment of having bands play their seminal albums in full in a concert setting. This year brings original post-punkers Mission of Burma and rap godfathers Public Enemy. And with single tickets at $30 a day (for 10-15 bands), you can see awesome acts like The Hold Steady and Spoon and still have money left over for dinner at the Billy Goat Tavern.

Related Stories:
· Pitchfork Music Festival [Official Site]
· Music Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: discokev]

0 Comments - Add Yours by egw

LOL Travel: Second City Founder Brought Joy to Millions

6/04/2008 at 12:30 PM
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We here at Jaunted love to laugh, so we were saddened to read of the passing of Paul Sills, a founder of Chicago's venerable sketch-comedy institution The Second City. Sills may not have been a household name, but he worked with some of the most famous names in American comedy, from Nichols and May to John Belushi, Bill Murray, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey in classes and nightly topical performances.

In the Chicago sanctum, anything goes--and often does at the adults-only shows. The drinks are great, too!

Catch a Second City show at permanent theaters in Chi-town, Detroit, Las Vegas (inside the Flamingo), Toronto and LA, or on tour.

Related Stories:
· The Second City [Official Site]
· Paul Sills, Founder of Second City Improv, Dies at 80 [Playbill]
· Comedy Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: johnlutes]

0 Comments - Add Yours by egw

Travel Snapshot: The Futuristic Disco at ORD

6/04/2008 at 12:00 PM
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When we found out one of our recent flights went through O'Hare International on the way to Boston we got cold chills and our spine tingled. ORD is rightly notorious for delays and canceled flights. Given the violent weather that's been sweeping the Midwest, we crossed our fingers and stayed as positive as a meadowlark in a field full of flowers.

Not only did our flight go off without a hitch, we got to experience the awesomeness of the pedestrian connector between Concourses B and C in Terminal 2.

It was like walking through a futuristic disco version of Captain EO. All that was missing to make this the coolest transfer ever was roller skate rentals and 3-D glasses. Next time you find yourself stranded at O'Hare, head down to the moving walkway and relish the pretty lights.

Related Stories:
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]
· Airport Art coverage [Jaunted]

2 Comments - Add Yours by DanielR

Earthquake Travel: Where Is Bellmont, Illinois?

4/18/2008 at 12:30 PM
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Early this morning, a fairly strong earthquake hit what has to be one of the sleepiest parts of the midwest. The epicenter was just north of the hamlet of Bellmont, Illinois, near the border with Indiana. The quake is a fresh reminder that Hawaii, Alaska and California aren't the only states with dangerous travel potential.

Believe it or not, another earthquake tourism site is in the region: New Madrid, Missouri was home to two of the biggest tremblers ever recorded in the United States. In 1811 and 1812, two massive quakes shook the small town and the tremors reached St. Louis, Memphis and Cincinnati.

Related Stories:
· An Earthquake Rattles the Midwest [The Lede, NYT]
· Nerd-Friendly Info on the Quake [USGS]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Google Maps/Where Is... coverage [Jaunted]

0 Comments - Add Yours by pbb

Adventures of Link: Lollapalooza Lineup Announced

Where: Grant Park [map], Chicago, IL, United States

4/07/2008 at 5:39 PM
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Lollapalooza descends on Chicago's Grant Park August 1-3, and while the once-punk rock fest may have more catholic tastes these days, it's still got plenty of cutting-egde tunes. Headlining are Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails.

Also performing are Kanye West, Wilco, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley and Lupe Fiasco. Advance 3-day passes are on sale now for $190, and the price goes up to $205 when those are gone.

Related Stories:
· Lollapalooza [Official Site]
· Radiohead to Headline Lollapalooza Fest [AP, via Google]
· Grant Park [Official Site]
· Chicago Hotels [HC]
· Music Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

0 Comments - Add Yours by pbb

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