TASTE OF CHICAGO 2007

Take a vacation to Chicago but give your taste buds a workout by coming and sampling foods from seventy area restaurants during the free, ten-day ‘Taste of Chicago’ festival in Grant Park from June 29-July 8. Go through colorful tents that house outdoor kitchens and try candy, ice cream, Polish and Italian food from shops and restaurants such as JR Dessert Bakery, Polka Sausage and Deli, Chicago Celebration Company and Bobtail Ice Cream Company. For respite from the festivity, visit the Gourmet Pavilion where each day an upscale restaurant will be serving cuisine. If all the scrumptious offerings inspire you to make your own creations, get some tips by visiting Dominick’s Cooking Corner where chefs will offer tips and lessons.

Delight Your Ears (and Eyes) Too…

If you need some time to digest all the food , listen to top-notch music at the Petrillo Music Station. This year, there will be performances by Kenny Rogers, John Mayer, Soul Asylum and Los Lonely Boys. Between acts, attend the Kenny Rogers Look-Alike contest, Macy’s Independence Eve Fireworks Spectacular and a screening of Walk the Line.

Suit Your Personal Taste

Unique venues will be set up throughout Grant Park such as the Family Village where there’ll be a teddy bear clinic, a cheesecake decorating table, chess lessons, family bingo and dinosaur activities. At Fun Time Stage, see the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Canine Unit, the Children’s Dance Theatre Chicago, African dancers and Chi-Town cheerleaders. The International Pavillion is the site of global arts such as Mexican Paper Cutting, Italian mask-making and a harper digeridoo workshop.

Burn it all off…

To get rid of those extra calories, join in the Bally Total Fitness Race to Taste 5k Run & 2-Mile Walk on July 1 at 8:30 a.m. Participants receive a Dri-Fit event t-shirt, a one-month free membership to Bally Total Fitness and one strip of Taste food tickets. If you’d rather laugh it off instead, attend the ComedySportz Theatre where two Improv teams will compete to provide the most humor.

Rest on a Full Stomach…

After a day of consumption, get a good night’s rest or let the party continue the party by heading back to the Radisson Chicago Hotel and Suites, which is less then two miles from Grant Park and in the heart of Magnificent Mile where all the after hours celebrating during 'Taste of Chicago' will be taking place.