NFPA Conference & Expo

Chicago travel video: theater & performing arts

Chicago has five Tony Award-winning theater companies, original world premier productions and breathtaking classical performances. Learn more about Chicago's theater and performing arts at the Choose Chicago website. 

Blues festival, food and culture a bonus when attending NFPA seminars at C&E

One of the things I enjoy about business travel is the opportunity to explore new places.  Playtime is limited, so it requires savvy planning to highlight your business trip with a personal touch!  In addition to the great sites that Jennifer mentioned in earlier posts, I’d like to highlight a couple of events occurring just before and after the Conference that I found in the Chicago Visitors' Guide.

Blues fan?  Come early!  Attend our pre-conference seminars and be in town for the Chicago Blues Festival (June 6-9), the largest FREE blues festival in the world according to the City of Chicago.  Learn
important skills from NFPA experts by day and celebrate your favorite blues artists by night.  Just don’t skip class, we’ll be watching!

On the other hand, if the Proposed Revisions to the 2014 NEC® or Changes to NFPA 25, Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems (2014 edition) interests you, then you’ll want to stay for our post-conference seminars on Friday, June 14^th.  After class, you can enjoy the Taste of Randolph , a multi-cultural display of food, vendors and music! 

 

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Pre-conference Seminars... anyone? anyone?

The Chicago Blues

This week’s blog is brought to you in two parts: part one is an event and part two is one of the many iconic films set in Chicago. Their common thread is blues music, and admittedly, that takes all the mystery out of the movie.

If you’re in Chicago a few days early for the pre-conference seminars, or just some vacation time, the Chicago Blues Festival is taking place from June 6-9 in Millennium Park. This event is the largest free blues festival in the world, and the biggest of the Chicago Music Festivals, bringing in over 500,000 attendees.

If you aren’t going to be there early, or if the outside world isn’t a huge draw, there’s always The Blues Brothers. A cult film from 1980 that was inspired by an SNL sketch, it stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues. They embark on a mission to save the orphanage that they were raised in by reforming their old band and putting on a show. This is not done in the most ethical or practical way, and involves Chicago cops, a country band and Nazis chasing them haphazardly through the seedier parts of the Windy City.

Enjoy the movie’s incredibly eclectic trailer below and let us know your favorite Chicago movies!

 

Chicago sightseeing- Millennium Park

Unless you’ve been living in a reality free from images of Chicago (which is unlikely, given the recent posts on this blog), the massive metal bean known as the Cloud Gate should ring a bell. It’s one of the most recognizable Chicagoan icons and sits in a position of prominence in Millennium Park. Summer moves quickly in the city, especially when working around a bustling expo, and the park offers a chance to get outside and enjoy the scenery.

The park is located right next to the Art Institute of Chicago. If art and the sight of grass aren’t enough of a draw, Millennium Park has some profoundly unique features (Cloud Gate, the Crown Fountain, The Boeing Galleries, etc.) and areas to eat (The Park Grill). Additionally, the 2013 Grant Park Music Festival will take place at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, on the Great Lawn in the middle of Millennium Park, beginning June 12.

Explore the official website for more information.

Yield to your consumerism in Chicago

From the wreckage of the Great Chicago Fire to a massive shopping district, the Magnificent Mile is a 13-block stretch of North Michigan Avenue with 460 stores, 275 restaurants and copious landmarks and other attractions. During the summer, it is quite crowded but worth a visit.

 The hundreds of stores along the mile are mostly high-end retailers, but the blocks surrounding it feature shops for any price range.  Restaurants speckle the area, which offers an opportunity to satisfy the need for a deep dish pizza (Giordano’s) or southwestern barbeque (Bandera), or get your chocolate fix at Ghirardelli’s.

 The Magnificent Mile is the site for many seasonal exhibitions. During the summer, it puts on the free Summer Concert Series and the Gardens of the Magnificent Mile festival. Anyone window-shopping or wandering on the mile is welcome at the events.

 If theater is calling your name, the Magnificent Mile district includes easy access to the Broadway Playhouse, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and The Second City. Concerts more to your taste? Check out the House of Blues or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There are seven museums nearby, ranging from contemporary arts to an aquarium.

 For more information, visit the official site.

Make the Most of Your Trip: Boston Early Music Festival

 
 
One event that draws a lot of attention in Boston is the Boston Early Music Festival, held every other June. The celebration of Renaissance- and Baroque-era music has been called “the world’s leading festival of early music” by The Times of London. It features a fully-staged baroque opera, concerts by some of the world’s leading musicians, and nearly 100 smaller fringe concerts. This year, the festival happens to take place during the NFPA Conference & Expo!

From their site: Join us in Boston for the most engaging, inspiring, and exciting early music celebration in North America. Experience the spectacle of our fully-staged operatic centerpiece, Agostino Steffani's Niobe, Regina di Tebe, hear distinguished artists and ensembles in Festival Concerts throughout the week, try out exquisitely crafted instruments at the world-famous Exhibition, shop at the BEMF CD Store, and more.

The Festival takes place June 12-19. It is held at many different venues across the city, with directions on the website. Check out the schedule of events, or get tickets.

-Jon Palmer