Uniquely Chicago Activities

Chicago Navy Pier from the Lake Guardian
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Let’s hope you’re smart enough to make the trek to Chicago for your next vacation. Perhaps you have realized that Chicago is one of the best places on earth to visit because it has the best of everything you want and it’s all in one of the cleanest and friendliest major cities in the world. The question will be: what do you do in Chicago when you get here? Well you know about the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building and you know all too well about Navy Pier but maybe you should do something else than the obvious. While you’re in the City of Broad Shoulders you should take a look at some other things to do in Chicago.

The Second City – Sure, everyone knows of the world famous home for Comedy but do you know about the other resident company in the building? The Mainstage gets the glory but the members of the E.T.C stage are as talented as anyone in the city and their sketch comedy revues are some of the best in the world. Since Chicago is the birthplace of sketch comedy this is the time to embrace it and head over to see this lesser known company.

IO Improv – While Chicago is the home for great sketch comedy it is also the very best place in the world for Improvisational Comedy. Every night of the week IO features their resident “Harold” teams which is their long form improvisational piece. It’s like nothing you have ever seen and definitely worth a look. And if you are around on a Wednesday night you can come out see TJ and Dave and see the very best improvised show in the world.

The Metro – Right down the street from IO is The Metro. If you’re  young and into music then this is a one of the great small venues for up and coming bands as well as established bands with smaller followings or looking to play to a smaller, more intimate crowd. The tickets are usually cheap and the place has a great energy. It’s uniquely Chicago.

The Slammin’ Salmon: Hilarious Restaurant Movie

The Slammin' Salmon
Image via Wikipedia

If your answer to either of the following questions is yes, you are going to love the Slammin’ Salmon: 1. You work, or have worked, in the restaurant industry, or 2. You liked the movie Supertroopers. Created by Broken Lizard, the same people who made Supertroopers, Beerfest, and Club Dread, the Slammin’ Salmon is an irreverent comedy set in a popular Miami restaurant and focused on a contest among the waitstaff to see who can make the most money in one evening. It was released in the US at the end of 2009, but had a very limited theatrical release, and for all intents and purposes, it went straight to DVD. It is worth seeking out though, and if you have worked in the service industry, you will appreciate many of the characters’ frustrations.

Due to a mob debt, the owner of the Slammin’ Salmon restaurant (played by Michael Clarke Duncan) offers a contest to his waitstaff: whoever brings in the most revenue for the restaurant that evening will receive a $10,000 prize. The restaurant manager, Rich, whose duties normally include more mundane things like bookkeeping and ordering restaurant supplies, is forced to try to motivate the staff, many of whom are difficult to inspire. One of the movie’s funnier characters is Nuts – given that name by his co-workers in reference to his mental instability. Hilarity ensues when Nuts forgets to take his medication, due to daylight savings time, and becomes Zongo, his riotous alter ego. Another funny scene happens when Rich accidentally eats a customer’s diamond ring, which has been inserted into a brownie for a surprise wedding proposal. By the end of the movie, the viewer gains insight into what really goes on behind the scenes at a busy restaurant (exaggerated for comic effect, of course).