CHICAGO 4 KIDS: smiles+smarts

tigers and bears and water, oh my!

This was not my niece Amélie's first visit to Chicago. She had been here several times and I wondered if we had exhausted the majority of Chicago venues that would hold the attention of a very mature10-year-old.

make memories at a children's exhibit with adult sophistication

I naturally wanted Amélie to take home great memories, but I also hoped to give her a richer CHIGAGO 4 KIDS experience. Some museums and venues seemed a bit stuffy and overwhelming for a lively, intelligent youngster. I also know that Amélie may have been spoiled by an at times by an over-generous aunt (me) during our jaunts. I wanted to see if we could still have as much fun on the cheap and without giving this journal a budget slant.
I searched hard for things to do that might be a bit out the ordinary; places that she would find easy and fun, but would be ultimately enriching, yet accessible to anyone’s pocket. I was after kid-friendly fascination, not the usual fluff with big price tags. In a city as big-hearted and big-shouldered as Chicago, there had to be "stuff" that would leave Amélie smiling, but smarter, and me happier with my choices.

Quick Tips:

For the ultimate "on the cheap" days with kids, take note and take advantage of the free day of the places you’d like to visit. Big corporations donate to these cultural institutions so that they can have one no-admission-charge day each week, when they are then within everyone’s budget. Each institution has a different day of the week, so check their website.

in a cozy nook in the Kraft Center child-scaled library, native American lore can come to life

Each venue chronicled have changing special exhibits and events. At The Art Institute of Chicago Kraft Family Center, there are many unique exhibit and Holiday-related programs and events for children. The Indian Tale-telling around a faux campfire to explain the mysteries of the upcoming Cahokia Mounds exhibit; Halloween costume-making and makeup, and the Christmas wreathing of the Lions are annual favorites.

right outside the zoo, Lincoln Park lawn is a great pick for a picnic with your child

There are many clean and green public places for bring your own picnics IN or NEAR the venues journaled. Lincoln Park, Millennium Park and Peggy Notebaert Museum have benches, tables, and public restrooms nearby.

Best Way To Get Around:

Please see each specific venue for particulars.

Whatever way you are traveling to downtown or Lincoln Park areas in Chicago, the Free Trolley can be a godsend on a hot day with a toddler or two in tow.
The mayor’s office began this program in 2000 for summers only. It has now been expanded into the summer and fall and extended to december to ease holiday-shopping traffic congestion and help weary gift-finders get around easier.

some trolleys come wrapped in colorful, but annoying advertisements

The Trolley stops are available near the popular sites (see Free Trolley journal entry). It can help maximize your time; lessen the incidence of cranky, tired children (and adults); and you may end up with a bit of change in your pocket for a treat or two.

Kraft Education Center Family Program: Lots of Dots
Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue

impressing a child with Seurat
Thanks to such pioneering donors as Mrs. Potter Palmer and Frederic Clay Bartlett, The Art Institute of Chicago houses the largest and most significant collections of Impressionist art in the world outside of France. This being the case, I was determined that my niece, Amélie, should be exposed to these treasures during her visit. I wanted her to be able to understand why these paintings were special, having them explained in a way so that she could understand their importance. Luckily, during her visit, there was a special exhibit telling the story of one of the world’s most famous paintings, Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

a small portion cut from Seurat's most famous painting enlarged to reveal the tiny painted points that do appear as stitches

ben-day and pixels
Amélie patiently endured a tour of the exhibit, Seurat and the Making of La Grande Jatte, showcasing the processes that led to the masterpiece. Upon completion of the tour, we made our way to a large, airy room under the Grand Staircase to attend a family program called "Lots of Dots". My niece eagerly joined a group of eight other children near her in age, which was led by Marie, a knowledgeable volunteer instructor at the Kraft Education Center.

The program began with basics about the paintings the children had just seen in the gallery upstairs. Marie began simply explaining that the classification of the method of painting known as Pointillism is derived from the French word point (pwə), which means stitch. The art community of the late 1800s thought that the paintings created in this method seemed to be stitched together from small bits of color. She continued explaining in uncomplicated language how the eye perceives color; the difference between primary and secondary colors; and how combinations of primary colors create secondary colors. Amélie and the other children then gathered around a photo of La Grande Jatte, where Marie explained that Seurat studied color, light, and form based on the most advanced information at the time about color and visual perception. She showed the students a blown-up portion of the painting to demonstrate how Seurat placed pure colors side by side, applying tiny strokes, dots, and dashes to the surface of the canvas. When seen from a distance, these tiny stitches blend in the eye and are perceived as secondary colors. You could see on the children’s faces that the technique known as Pointillism was no longer a mystery.

To make her point, she showed the children comics from the Sunday newspaper as another example. The children examined the comics with a magnifying glass and Marie explained that the cartoons are made using the Ben-Day process. Although only four colors are used (the primaries and black), the naked eye sees the effect of secondary colors in the combination of tiny dots. (I thought that a discussion of pixels could have also been added here.)

The children were then shown to a large drawing table supplied with colorful tubs of fat oil pastel sticks. The instructor led the students in completing a color wheel by helping them fill in an outlined pattern. As each student was completing their wheel, she explained the way the artist Seurat used the theories he discovered. Marie gave each child a line-drawing of La Grande Jatte, encouraging them to fill in the lines or create an original Pointillist picture on the blank side, making many small dabs and dashes of gloriously thick and messy pigments. Amélie was proud of her finished Pointillist creation and I felt I had accomplished my goal of a bit of painless art appreciation and a fun afternoon for both of us.

former dead space under the stairs made a highlight for children

shop+touch
After our educational afternoon, we browsed the two corridors adjacent to the Kraft Center. As you exit, the corridor the left has revolving exhibitions highlighting the latest and hottest children’s book illustrators, including recent Caldecott Award Winners. This month’s display selected original illustrations from artist and author Aminah Robinson’s book, To Be A Drum. My niece was delighted to learn that Ms. Robinson paints her illustrations with a method called hogmwag, a homemade medium that is a mixture of mud, pig grease, dyes, glue, and found objects. Amélie was excited about the fact that the artist used mud and pig grease in her paintings, and I was enchanted with the images, so we proceeded to the corridor to the right of the Kraft Center to the Children’s Gift Shop to purchase a copy of the book for Amélie to take home.

a wonderfully touchable bronze sculpture of Jeanne de Arc by Antonin Mercié

A former dead-space under the grand staircase in between the two corridors was calling for our attention. The area had recently been cleared of non-structural walls and debris, and with an endowment from the Elizabeth Morse Trust, had been transformed into an engaging and intriguing Touch Gallery. Five sculptural portraits from different time periods and points of origin are exhibited. At each station, placed at a child-friendly height, the bronzes are accessible to tiny hands and tagged with identifying signage in black and white print and bumpy silver Braille. This new permanent exhibit is a small step in a needed direction to make museum visits meaningful for the seeing-impaired. I also applaud that this Touch Gallery invites kids large and small to experience art in a way that until now was decidedly forbidden in a museum setting.

tips:
●The Art Institute of Chicago’s Kraft Education Center is a place where families can enjoy learning about original works of art in a fun and friendly environment. The programs change with the season and current exhibitions in the museum.
●Programs meet in the Kraft Center, a large room on the lower level, located on the east side of the Grand Staircase.
●All family programs are free with museum admission, which is voluntary; visitors pay what they wish but must pay something.
●Registration is not necessary for most family programs.
●Children must be accompanied by an adult, and they don’t accept school groups for family programs.
●To receive the Kraft Education Center Family Programs calendar by mail, call 312/857-7161.

general info:
admission:
Adults: $10 - Children, Students (with ID) and seniors (over 65): $6
Children five and under are free. Members are always free.
TUESDAYS are still free. HOURS: M T W F daily 10am-4:30pm;
Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 12 noon-5pm
THURSDAYS are the late day now ! 10am-8pm

Crown Fountain: Spitting Giants
Monroe Street & Michigan Avenue
Southwest Corner of Millennium Park

The day I took my visiting niece Amélie to see the newly opened Millennium Park, I prepared well in advance by amply stocking my little red truck with a half-dozen big, fluffy towels. The weather forecaster predicted a 90˚F day, and I knew that the temptation of the cool water of Crown Fountain would be too much for either of us to resist.

my photo-op: the artist Jaume Plensa sees the delight that he designed

Designed by a handsome Spanish artist, Jaume Plensa, the Crown Fountain features two 50-foot high glass block towers at either end of a shallow black granite basin that creates the hottest (and well, also THE coolest) of new urban spaces. Each tower contains super-sized LED screens actively with changing video images and lighting that is synchronized with water play. The entire composition is raised several steps above street level, establishing it as a special precinct and giving Millennium Park a striking southwest gateway.

Being able to walk in the shallow granite pools right up to the fountains and touch the water, makes the whole arrangement wonderfully friendly for interaction. The LED screens of each tower are programmed to display a magnified giant human face for approximately 13 minutes. For the serious viewer, there is subtle drama watching an enormous human face blink and breathe, smile and sneer, grimace and grin, wink and flutter their eyelashes. Near the completion of the face’s cycle, by the courtesy of concealed pumps, the face spits a jet of water into the reflecting pool, like a medieval gargoyle, much to the delight of the waiting crowd of children, young and old.

At the end of an all-too-brief minute of shower, the face fades, all water abates, and the fountain is quiet. Out of the momentary stillness comes a huge rush of water from the very top of each tower cascading down over the heads of the eager participants in the games of these filmic giants. The images are playful but thought provoking in that these giants momentarily become the givers of life and the reason for human interaction. All explanations aside, my niece’s giggling and squealing with glee as the water tumbles over her, shot from super-sized lips, gives the fountain reason enough for being here.

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: Nurturing Nature in the 21st Century
2430 N Cannon Drive
Fullerton Parkway west of Lake Shore Drive
773/755.5100

exterior impressions
My niece cast a wary eye at me in the way that only 10-year-olds can, when I pulled up in front of the Chicago Academy of Sciences’ Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. At first inspection, I had to admit that the building that houses the museum seemed overpowering in the summer heat. The massive glass widows shimmered in the hot sun as the tall sand-colored walls loomed white-hot over our heads.

The design concept for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum evolved from a metaphor of the sand dune which was the first inhabitant of this Lake Michigan shore site. The architects chose pale native shale and sea-colored glass to construct the striated, angular, and very asymmetrical walls that make up the shifting levels of the building. This literal translation mimicking the ever-changing dune was most apparent on this scorching summer day.

As we approached the entrance up the curved walkway, the harsh feel of the building was softened by the sight and scents of the profusion of native prairie flowers bending in the lake-breezes. I could see a smile starting to form on my niece’s face as she spied the gargantuan white polar bear standing on his hind legs and hovering over the entrance portico. We happened to luck upon the museum’s Free Thursday, yet were warmly greeted like paying customers and given a detailed Visitor Guide outlining that particular day’s activities and a map indicating their locations. Keeping with the museum’s mission of environmental awareness, returning the Visitor Guide at the days-end for re-cycling entitles you to 10% discount in the gift shop.

permanent exhibits
Our Visitor Guide listed six permanent exhibits. The Judy Istock Butterfly Haven (1) is where you can get up close to more that 70 species of butterflies from four of the seven continents. You can walk through this intricately controlled 28-foot tall butterfly biosphere to experience these beauties in a natural setting. This is truly a magical space. Magically is such a fluffy word that I rarely use to describe ANYTHING. But with gentle waterfalls, whiffs and puffs of scented air, vibrant flora, and the many intensely colored butterflies flitting about you, magical is the word for this little sanctuary. You can stroll with some interesting and interested folk of all ages eagerly photographing or mingling with dozens of exotic international butterflies.

Next door to the haven is a special butterfly breeding lab not found anywhere else on this continent. There Amélie and I watched a vivid blue butterfly emerge from his chrysalis, and hang out around the edges of his glass home, patiently drying his wings for his first flight. We were enthralled with the spacious biosphere and returned several times during our visit that day.

At the C. Paul Johnson Water Lab (2) , we were shown the power of water and its influence on our lives. This exhibit will re-open as Riverworks in the late fall. It will then incorporate live animals and dynamic water play experiences to show the important work of the numerous local rivers in their support of plants, animal, and humans.

Joining the Green Family on a tour of their house teaches the little future homeowners how our homes impact the environment each day. The Extreme Green House (3) uses live animals and hand on exhibits to demonstrate how we are all connected to our environment. The best display is a model bathroom that shows the presence of bacteria on common surfaces. When a button is pushed for a black-light mode, the germs glow green against the purple-lit sink, mirror, and walls. Really icky and, of course, wildly popular.

Light, sound, and live and preserved animals in meticulously re-created environments in the Wilderness Walk (4) do more than present scientific facts about the biodiversity of our fragile Midwest ecosystem. The vignettes present a host of intriguing ecological situations with the amazingly lifelike models of the animals and plants that are necessary to ecological balance. You could almost hear the deer chewing the leaf she just plucked off a wild weed stalk.

The Wilderness Walk is linked to Hands on Habitat (5) that provides a safe space for children under seven to explore and learn about ecosystems. They can climb the two-story Mazza Foundation Tree of Life to see how trees grow and discover the creatures that call this tree home. Below the tree, they can manipulate the leaves and the creatures with colorful levers, pulleys, and wheels. I found it hard to tear Amélie away from this interactive spot.

outdoor greens
Although the extensive glass and multilevel open-air terraces enable you to connect with nature outside while you view exhibits inside, the outdoor Greening Project Exhibits (6) enthusiastically embraces the natural landscape of adjoining park and pond. The grounds around the museum are profusely landscaped with plant communities that used to dominate the Midwestern landscape, featuring prairie wildflowers and a butterfly garden along the edges of North Pond. The open-air exhibits showcase the eco-friendly, energy-efficient building technology of the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The three-story Cliff Garden, is a limestone wall that resembles natural ravine walls here in Illinois, climbing native vines, and a quiet gathering niche surrounded by native wetland plants.

The Rooftop Stop explains the process that was used to create the 17,000 square-foot green rooftop. Colorful signage explains the roof, garden, and solar panels. An interactive sculpture will spin, giving you AND the garden a brief light shower from a whimsical, colorful metal shape when you push a big green and yellow button. On this 94˚F day, this was the perfect place for several roof-top showers while getting a fabulous free 360-degree panoramic view of towering downtown skyscrapers, breezy Lake Michigan, and cool, green Lincoln Park.

Good eats
Stepping back inside, we suspended our adventures for a healthy snack of fruit and yogurt at the Butterfly Cafe. The café is clean and colorful, open, and simply furnished to handle big groups of little people. The food choices were the typical cafeteria fare at somewhat inflated popular city-venue prices. A superb feature of the café is the view over the North Pond of Lincoln Park, which can serve well for inclement days. But a suggestion is to bring your own picnic lunch and adjourn to the vast green park across from the museum for your noon meal or snack if the Chicago weather permits.

crime solver insects
The much heralded special exhibit CSI: Crime Scene Insects was inspired by the fascinating forensic science featured in CBS’s popular TV show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Before entering, you are treated with a short film introducing you to the science of forensic entomology, narrated by CSI’s main character, Gil Grissom, and a real forensic entomologist, who is the technical advisor to the TV show.

The exhibit intriguingly demonstrated how insects help to reveal critical details of a crime scene and why they are such valuable witnesses in helping piece together the events at a crime scene. We were able to view live and preserved insects including flies, maggots, and dermestid beetles. After carefully reading a display, we can now understand how to collect and analyze evidence from theses insects. The individually partitioned sections in the exhibit hall were beautifully constructed from small pieces of wood, fitted together like intricate puzzle-pieces, and displaying the literal theme of solving the puzzle of criminal activity.

I was surprised to see the extensive and sometimes graphically thorough displays of the "tools of the trade" of forensic medicine in this exhibition. A mock court room arrangement showed looping film-clips of actual testimony of a forensic entomologist as an expert witness. There were two different simulated crime scenes you could analyze, matching results with experts. But by far the most popular venue was a very absolutely realistic morgue refrigerator display complete with lifelike bodies in its shallow metal drawer-pans. I thought that the morgue model was a bit chilling (no pun intended) for an exhibit geared to children. But I was soon reminded by my relatives that many children are exposed to much more disturbing images on a daily basis on primetime TV.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is compact enough to be experienced in one day. However, the state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, computers, special daily-demonstrations, and microscopes sprinkled throughout may keep you lingering longer seeing nature in new ways you never expected.

admission: Adults $7; seniors/teens $5; kids (3-12) $4
Admission is free on Thursdays and on April 27, in honor of Earth Day.

hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 4:30 pm; Sat-Sun 10 am – 5 pm;
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool Gardens: Jumping Rocks
Fullerton Avenue and Cannon Drive

We savored the wonders of Peggy Notebaert Museum until closing time and found we had several hours to enjoy Lincoln Park Zoo across the street before it closed. To get to the zoo, I led my little group up to the gate to a short cut path through an often overlooked Chicago garden.

Considered one of the most important historic landscapes in Chicago, The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool was built with Works Project Administration (WPA) dollars during the depression, between 1936 and 1938, to provide a "hidden garden" for the city’s residents. The site did begin as a Victorian lily pool in 1889, but its design was redeveloped by Alfred Caldwell for whom it is now named.

Alfred Caldwell was a disciple of famed naturalist landscape designer Jens Jensen. After designing this 1.5-acre garden, Caldwell became the premier landscape architect of the Prairie School. Wright and Caldwell worked together on many designs. It is often-held opinion that Caldwell was to landscaping what Frank Lloyd Wright was to Prairie School architecture. Like its architectural counterpart, the intent of the Prairie School tradition of landscape design was to help build an appreciation for the beauty of the natural environment.

the influence of prairie school architecture evident in the design for the pavilion

Caldwell's intention for the design was to reproduce a small segment the Midwest original prairie features in a calming garden retreat. He used an extensive plant palette native to the Midwest landscape, stone outcroppings, waterfall walkways all arranged around a lily pool to create with a prairie stream, replicating a creek running through an indigenous prairie. The handsome wooden Prairie-style pavilion shelters birdwatchers, photographers, lovers, and lovers of nature from sun and shower.

The many terraced outcroppings and steps of natural stones were an instant magnet for my niece. Meeting some other children, they devised spur-of-the-moment rock jumping games, much to her delight and her mother’s horror. But, shady nooks, these rocks form were designed not so much for games as to provide repose for the migrating birds that use the area as a resting site. Because of the zoo's proximity to the Lily Pool, the zoo began to manage the site for breeding birds in the 1950s and called it The Rookery. To respect the past and reflect the future, the site was renamedThe Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in May 2000.

More than half a century after its conception, it seems that this scenic glade still possesses the power to surprise and delight those of us who find this hidden gem. I don’t think that there are few other public spots in Chicago that offer the same sense of truly natural respite from the harshness of the city right in its midst.

Lincoln Park Zoo: sea-lions + tigers + bears
2001 North Clark Street

Lincoln Park Zoo is open 365 days a year.
The zoo is free every day.

intricate sculptural wrought-iron main gate mimics flora and fauna found in the zoo

There are enough sea lions and tigers and bears, as well as other sights to keep a child happily occupied for an entire day at Lincoln Park Zoo. Although this time we hadn’t planned on a full day at the Zoo, we had a brief visit after another nearby venue we were seeing had closed.

History and design
Lincoln Park Zoo stands as one of the last free major cultural institutions in the United States and the only one left in Chicago. This Zoo harkens back to the turn-of the-century European zoos that began in formal public gardens. It is among the oldest zoological parks in the U.S., which begun with the gift of a pair of swans in 1868.
Although Lincoln Park Zoo is particularly famous for its historical structures, the early Georgian Revival zoo buildings and Victorian cages were little more than decorative enclosures for the separation of species. Over the years, the zoo has evolved and succeeded at combining state-of-the-art animal and visitor facilities with beautiful architectural reflections of past sensibilities. The modern designs stress the re-creation of natural habitats with human intrusion kept to a minimum.

pleasing graphics with a voice

Animal afternoon
We entered at the east gate and picked up a free visitors guide at the Information Pavilion. You can book a guided tour and colorful strollers and wheelchairs are also available for rent. If we were spending the day, we would have followed the Red, Green, Blue or Gold Trails laid out and clearly marked. Because we had about two hours before closing, we limited our visit to venues in close proximity to the gate with a small circular route. We started at the Kovler lion house and looped through the sea lion pool, penguins and sea birds, African savannah, birds of prey, and ended at the 19th-century McCormick Bird House.
I was enormously impressed with the clarity and creativeness of the directional graphics and educational signage, which proved to be more than just written words. A little key will activate additional audio explanations at each signage station. For a fee of a $3, the key enables you to access a years worth of audio knowledge and entertainment for you and your children.

Swimming lions
TheSea Lion Pool, situated in the center of the zoo, is home to harbor seals, gray seals, and California sea lions that cavort as thought they are always on stage. The original pool was constructed in 1879, making it one of the oldest and most popular Lincoln Park Zoo exhibits. Extensive renovation of the Kovler Sea Lion Pool was completed in May 1999. It was re-designed for a more naturalistic environment to provide the seals and lions a habitat that as closely as possible replicates their home in the wild. My niece loved the underwater viewing area, where you can get a nose-to-glass close-up look at the happy-looking seals as they gleefully glide about the pool.

this giraffe enjoys the faux savannah

African adventure
Another newly rebuilt area is home to elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and assorted other large mammals. The outdoor view areas are planted and landscaped to mimic as closely as possible in the Midwest, the conditions and look (and taste if you are a giraffe) of the African Savannah.
The African journey begins in a ranger station. From there, visitors see a varied landscape, from the riverbanks of the African rain forest, up to the top of the tree line for an eye-to-eye view of the giraffes in the Africa Savanna. You can follow a realistic dry thorn forest path, before finally dipping back down to visit the lakeshore of a replica of one of Africa’s Great Rift Valley lakes.

beautifully detailed exterior brickwork of the 1912 lion house Lion house
The Kovler Lion House is a handsome historical landmark at the heart of the Zoo. Once inside, its wide hall and vaulted ceiling can amplify the roars of the Zoo’s collection of the world’s most beautiful big cats, including African lions, Siberian tigers, leopards from Asia and Africa, jaguars from South America, and snow leopards of the Himalayas.

nice 'hood: birds live in a landmark Georgian Revival brick building

Brick bird building McCormack Bird House is another landmark brick building built in the Georgian Revival style, with roosting room for birds from the tropics, seashores, forests, wetlands, and savannas. It was designed in 1904 by the Zoo’s first director, Cyrus DeVry. He made certain to include habitats replicating the dense jungles, sandy coasts, running streams, and grassy plains of the birds’ natural homes. My niece Amélie loved the lush, tropical, free-flight area where she could watch exotic and endangered birds soar overhead. This habitat alone is home to more than 20 bird species.

Naturally, after two hours, we were only able to see a small fraction of what the Lincoln Park Zoo has to offer. But as animal lovers we were pleased to see that creatures that were formerly kept in stark concrete pens were now in state-of-the-art ecosystems designed to reflect individual natural habitats. Lincoln Park Zoo has kept faithful to its past zoological park elegance and with ambitious modernization has continues to strive to be among the best in care and management of wildlife in captivity.

a long day for this cat

BUDGET TIP: Although the Zoo does not charge admission, Zoo parking is $12 in the near lot if you come by car. I parked several blocks away in the lot behind the Lincoln Park Conservatory (nearer to the Notebaert Museum). The all-day fee was $8. We walked to the Zoo through the Caldwell Lily Gardens and took the Free Trolley back to our car at the end of the day’s sightseeing.

Fogo de Chão Restaurant: Grumpy Gauchos
661 N La Salle Drive
312/932.9330

Fogo de Chão means "fire in the earth." The name seemed as captivating and sultry as the open fire smoldering in the eatery’s window that fronts La Salle Street in Chicago’s trendy River North district. I had heard about the unique all-you-can-eat-meat churrascaria-style dining experience, and I thought that it would provide a bit of fun for my visiting niece as well as the accompanying adults.

Visible from a distance, the 35-foot blue smokestack marks the 250-seat Chicago Fogo de Chão. Opening in late 2002, it is the fourth in the U.S., migrating via Texas from Rio Grande de Sul in Southern Brazil. Stepping inside, stone, rustic metal, and wood used in the interior details suggest the rugged terrain of rural Brazil but conveyed a noticeable absence of elegant softness to pamper the diner. The only apparent elegance was the huge featured wine-cellar. The dining rooms were spaciously arranged to let the gauchos move freely with their skewers of meat. But this abundant space only imparted a barn-like ambiance and an acoustical nightmare for conversation, not the luxury that was perhaps intended.

Arriving early for our reservation, we headed to the bar for a caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil. This is a potent combination of crushed limes, sugar, and cachaca, (rum distilled from sugarcane) and tastes like a cross between a killer margarita and a very powerful mojito. My guess is that a caipirinha hangover would be murder.

The gimmick of Fogo de Chão is that the meat is carved tableside from giant spits by specially trained, knife-wielding carvers/waiters in gaucho attire. You are supposed to be able to control their service with a small green- and red-sided chip. The green side reads Sim por favor (Yes, please); the red side says Não obrigado (No, thank you). It seemed to be a good concept in theory.

After the glum waiter explained the rules of the chip, we began our experience at an enormous salad bar with a dizzying but attractive array of fresh greens, vegetables, cheeses, shrimp, and salmon. This is not a place for vegetarians. The minute I took my last bite of arugula, the gaucho-garbed cutter guys started to arrive. The cutters are endlessly circling men with skewers of roasted meat and very large knives. The gauchos come by every two minutes or so asking if you would like a slice of a filet, sirloin, lamb leg, chicken, parmesan-encrusted pork, or a linguica sausage. The meat-gauchos were supposed to come only if our coaster was green. But we apparently were served by the color-blind Brazilian cowboys, and the experience felt more like a siege than attentive service.

I will admit that the meats were flame-char tasty. But for the most part, were too chewy, greasy, and/or well-done. The filet mignon barely resembled a premium cow-cut, and all the meat that hit our plates was cooked, but tepid. With all that freshly-skewered meat going around, you would think that some of it would have arrived warm. The accompanying side dishes were fried polenta (bland and dry), mashed potatoes (quite unremarkable), and fried bananas (a too-sweet excess).

The wine list was a heavy cloth-bound tome. Its extensive weight is reflected in the highly visible, award-winning wine cellar, the pride of manager Sidiclei Demartini. There are some nice robust reds from Chile, Argentina, and Australia to go with all that red meat. But by the bottle or glass (cheapest by-glass is $12), the wines are overpriced, even for this trendy area of Chicago. I am certain that the showy, but quite lovely wood- and glass-encrusted wine repository had something to do with the inflated prices.

The desserts are an additional cost and disappointingly ordinary. The exotic sounding house special, Papaya Crème, was mundane; a melted peach-not-papaya tasting ice cream with a dash of cassis. Amélie made a better choice, opting for scoops of coconut and chocolate gelato. Other sweets were flan, crème brulee, and flavored cheese cakes.

The wait staff were not the fun-folks (or even very solicitous) as promised. We felt rushed during a non-crowded Thursday evening. And I don’t know if it was part of the gaucho code, or just a bad day on the pampas, but all of our waiters wore expressions as droopy as their chinos.

A trip to the enormous salad bar and all-you-can-eat meats cost $50 per person for dinner and $25 for lunch (not counting any beverages, desert, tax, or tip). Valet parking however IS a good value at $10 plus tip.

My experience in this establishment finds an overdone concept. If Fogo de Chão means fire in the earth, I think that the fire is a liar. This restaurant caters to conspicuous over-consumption, overeaters, or perhaps people who are on Atkins. Food doesn’t beguile you here, it assaults you. For the price, I sought delight and circuses, but would have settled for better food and fun. Being oblivious to the faults that the adults noted, my niece Amélie seemed to enjoy her experience. She delighted in the costumed gauchos; (and trying to make them smile); the huge salad bar; and the noisy, busy atmosphere. And to be honest, her delight was the reason I came here in the first place.

Free Trolleys: budget wheels
877/244-2246

Clean-fuel Free Trolleys will connect you from the bustling downtown museums, shopping destinations, and attractions to the greener spaces of the Lincoln Park venues. While touring the town with my niece, I found it invaluable to be able to park my car in one, lower-priced garage and still be mobile. We were able to determine the amount of time we wanted to spend at any attraction, knowing that we could easily hop a trolley and go to another area. It made seeing any site more fun and kid-friendly for possible shorter attention spans.

you can pick up a Free Trolley or double-decker bus to take you to dozens of Chicago attractions

The Free Trolleys travel to and from Navy Pier, the Museum Campus, Lincoln Park Zoo, Michigan Avenue, and State Street with many stops in between. Each trolley route is served by trolleys accessible to people with physical disabilities. Most trolleys are wheelchair and stroller accessible.

I have listed some stops for the various colored routes going to shopping, museum, and Lincoln Park destinations for examples of how you can get around Chicago for no charge. However, I would suggest that you call the Free Trolley hotline 877/244-2246 or check on-line at the Chicago Department of Transportation website for any time or route changes, especially if you are counting on the trolley for your mobility during your trip.

map of lincoln park free trolley routes

Orange Trolley Line Stops: Lincoln Park/Metra
●2 N Riverside (Metra Ogilvie), 5 N Canal
●190 W Adams, (Metra LaSalle Street Station)
●120 S Riverside (Metra Union), 490 W Adams
●2430 North of Fullerton(Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum)
●Stockton- north of Webster (Lincoln Park Zoo)
●Stockton- south of 1730 CHS Parking Lot(Chicago Historical Society Parking)
●1630 N Clark (Moody Bible Church) (CHS)

Purple Trolley Line Stops: Lincoln Park/Navy Pier
●Water Tower Park, 811 N Michigan
●Navy Pier Headlands, 650 E Grand
●2430 North of Fullerton (Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum)
●Stockton- north of Webster (Lincoln Park Zoo)
●Stockton- south of 1730 CHS Parking Lot (Chicago Historical Society Parking)
●1630 N Clark (Moody Bible Church) (CHS)

Red Trolley Line Stops: Shopping Line
●Water Tower Park, 811 N Michigan
●Nordstrom - North Bridge, 500 N Michigan
●Tribune/Hammaker-Schlemmer, 445 N Michigan
●Boulevard Towers/Illinois Center, 225 N Michigan
●Hit or Miss (Cultural Center), 222 N Michigan
●Block 37 - East Gate (Field's), 112 N State
●Marshall Field's, 111 N State
●Burger King/CTA Red, 112 S State (Palmer House)
●190 W Adams (Metra LaSalle Street Station, Sears Tower
●2 N Riverside (Metra Ogilvie)5 N Canal
●120 S Riverside (Metra Union), 490 W Adams

Green Line Trolley Stops: Metra/Museums
●Old Navy (Marshall Field's), 7 E Washington
●Orchestra Hall (Art Institute), 220 S Michigan
●Au Bon Pain (Art Institute), 70 E Adams
●2 N Riverside (Metra Ogilvie), 5 N Canal
●190 W Adams (Metra LaSalle St.)190 W Adams
●120 S Riverside (Metra Union), 490 W Adams
●Grant Park, South of Harrison, 601 S Michigan
●Spertus Jewish Museum (hotels), 614 S Michigan
●CTA Orange/Green, 10 E Roosevelt
●CTA Orange/Green, 11 E Roosevelt
●Field Museum, 434 E McFetridge (S)
●Field Museum, 434 E McFetridge (N)
●Shedd Aquarium, 500 E Solidarity
●Adler Planetarium, 700 E Solidarity

Chicago’s Free Trolleys are easy to use (save your bucks to buy a little fun trinket or book for your child!).
No ticket or reservation is necessary.
To catch a trolley stop marked by a Free Trolley sign.
The Free Trolleys are marked with signs in their front windows.
Riders must board 30 minutes before service ends.