Mark Hardin, a flight attendant for Florida-based Spirit Airlines, will be spending Christmas Eve and Day in the Windy City. “Since my crew and I will be [here], we would like to know what special events are going on Christmas Day in Chicago that we could attend,” Hardin writes. “We really would like to make this holiday a special one.”
More Top Picks Best Page Magnifiers For Seniors
At Play answers: Hey, there’s no better place to be stuck in than Chicago, where we’ve got tons of events to keep you and your flight crew busy this Christmas.
First, Christmas Eve, when there’s lots happening.
At the Music Box Theatre’s 22nd Christmas Sing-Along and Double Feature (3733 N. Southport Ave., 773-871-6604 or www.musicboxtheatre.com), moviegoers can sing Christmas carols with Santa before they watch either “White Christmas” or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The double feature ($15, $10 for a single film) begins at 1 and 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
If the outdoors is your thing, take the Blue Line downtown and go ice skating at Millennium Park (55 N. Michigan Ave., 312-742-5222). From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Christmas Eve, you can glide around the ice surrounded by some of Chicago’s most picturesque landscapes. Skate rental: $7.
Head over to Chicago’s theater district if you’re in the mood for a good show. The Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn St., 312-443-3800), one of the nation’s top regional theaters, will perform Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” on Christmas Eve. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, catch “500 Clown (sings) Christmas Carol(s),” a smart and zany rewrite of the Dickens classic, at Gallery 37 for the Arts (66 E. Randolph St. 312-742-8497 or www.gallery37.org).
In terms of food, Chicago offers some good alternatives to dinner with the `rents on Christmas Eve. Spiaggia (980 N. Michigan Ave., 312-280-2750) has a four-course meal for $95 per person. Italian restaurant Va Pensiero (1566 Oak Ave., Evanston, 847-475-7779) also has a five-course dinner that includes a garlic-braised octopus salad, brandied lobster bisque and pan-sauteed monkfish medallions at $65 per person.
Things slow down on Christmas Day but remember, Dec. 25 is just another Sunday in Chinatown, whether you’re up on Argyle or down on Cermak. Stop at Sun Wah Bar-B-Q (132-34 W. Argyle St., 773-769-1254) on the North Side for such delicacies as crispy-skinned roast duck and barbecue pork. On the South Side, try the twice-cooked pork, the fried-steamed pork elbows or the shrimp in mayonnaise sauce at Lao Sze Chuan (2172 S. Archer Ave., 312-326-5040) which specializes in Szechwan cuisine.
Other restaurants will be open, but relatively few, according to restaurant critic Phil Vettel. But he says few people dine out that day, so chances are you will find open tables.