Entertainment
Chicago is a welcoming and bustling town. The metropolitan area, with its diversity of attractions, has something for
everyone. Best of all, everything is within easy reach of the Medical Center, whether by way of the expressways or using convenient public transportation. When planning a day or evening in Chicago, a great source of information is Metromix, which compiles all of the restaurants/bars/clubs/music and theater venues/movie information (including showtimes), and even has reviews of all the places. You may also want to refer to the Chicago Events
Calendar.
Theater is thriving in Chicago with the renowned Steppenwolf Company, Goodman
Theater, the Cadillac Palace and a host of other
well-established and experimental groups. Also, Loyola University Chicago has an excellent theatre department and, currently, Loyola students can buy tickets for all main stage performances for only $7.00.
Sports fans have the Bulls, Bears , Cubs, Blackhawks, White
Sox, and a myriad of ballparks where you can watch these and other teams play.
Chicago's many cultural attractions include the world-famous Chicago Art
Institute, the Field Museum of Natural
History, the Museum of Science and
Industry, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Historical
Society, and the Lincoln Park Zoo as well as numerous smaller museums and
galleries. You might want to take a Chicago Architectural tour. Most of these have discounted prices for students and/or free days.
Music is Chicago's forte and in addition to the world famous Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, the Lyric
Opera, and summer concerts Ravinia, the
Chicago area is replete with music venues to fit every
taste, Free concerts are available during the summer at the Park Concert Series.
Chicago is the home of the Blues and the birth place of Gospel. The best
of both are featured for free every summer at Chicago's Blues Fest and
Gospel Fest not to mention the worlds largest block party, Taste of
Chicago. The music can also be found year round at numerous clubs, including the
Buddy Guy's Legends, House of Blues, Kingston Mines, and Second City.
Chicago is also noted for its good restaurants. Some of the most fun places are found in the many ethnic neighborhoods such as Greek Town, Chinatown, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village or Little Italy.
There are numerous free or low cost events throughout the year, and especially in the spring and summer, including
outdoor movies in Grant Park, Taste of Chicago Air and Water show, Venetian Night, Festival of Lights, Jazz Fest, Blues Fest, SkyDive Chicago, Art Festivals, Shows (Auto Show, Boat Show), Parades (St.
Patrick's Day Parade, State Street Thanksgiving Parade),
and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. You may also enjoy Millennium Park and Navy Pier.
Entertainment in the Maywood-proximal suburbs
Our students also enjoy local entertainment such as movies and food within walking distance in Oak Park.
The Oak Park Visitors Center website has links to the shopping/restaurants in the area:
The OakBrook Center Mall
The
Lake Street Movie Theater
Forest Park also has an
active night life enjoyed by many students.
Here are some other suggestions for activities:
Housing
Maywood is
10 miles west of downtown Chicago. It is located near historic Oak Park, home to many Frank Lloyd Wright houses and birthplace of Ernest Hemingway. Many of our students live in Oak Park and commute the short 2-3 mile distance to the medical center. In addition to Oak Park, there are a variety of locations within the Chicagoland area where our students have found housing. In particular, the suburban areas near the campus offer a wide choice of comfortable, affordable living accommodations to suit all lifestyles. These include River Forest, Berwyn, Brookfield, Forest Park, North Riverside, and LaGrange Park. Alternatively, some students do commute from Chicago. We highly recommend that you solicit the advice of our current students as to location, commuting needs, and price range. Lists of apartments and houses for rent, maps of the campus and nearby communities, and information about local transportation are readily available in various locations in the Chicagoland area.
Here are some possible on-line resources for housing options in the suburbs:
Oak Leaves Newspaper (published by Pioneer Press). Many students have located apartments through the ads in this online paper.
Oak Park Regional Housing Center
1041 South Blvd.
Oak Park, IL 60302
708.848.7150
Fax: 708.848.7165
Chicago
Reader (newspaper)
Online Yellow Pages
Chicagoland
Yellow Pages (this site has pictures for many of the properties)
Transportation
Located in Maywood, Loyola University Medical Center is a short ride
from both O'Hare and Midway airports. Many of our students use the Pace
Bus system to commute to the medical center.
Down
town Chicago is short ride away using either light rail CTA
system or Metra
trains.
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