By Josh Ellis, Associate, Metropolitan Planning Council

There are certainly other places I enjoy. I spend hours every weekend reading and swimming at Promontory Point, I stop most nights on my bike ride home to take in the night skyline on the 18th Street bridge, and there are a few others I prefer to remain undiscovered. But when it comes right down to it, many of the places I enjoy don’t attract enough other people to be labeled “public.”

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Recently CBS2 News posted the 10 Best Free Things to Do in Chicago and we congratulate HyPa’s own trio of FREE museums for making the list; Oriental Institute, Smart Museum and Renaissance Society. This is just the beginning! Chicago’s Culture Coast boasts 12 FREE arts and cultural venues for you to explore.  The price is right!  And all parking in University of Chicago parking lots and garages is free after 4 PM and on weekends. So, there is no excuse.  Check out HyPa’s 12 Free Places to visit in Hyde Park by clicking the link below.

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Nicole Mitchell at Little Black Pearl

by Shamontiel L. Vaughn

I am an accidental jazz lover. An ’80s baby, my favorite music was hip-hop and R&B exclusively, although I could handle some country. I grew up listening to music like Rakim, The Temptations, MC Lyte and Marvin Gaye, but I don’t recall ever bobbing my head to jazz. After I graduated from college, I noticed mediocre rhyming in hip-hop was increasing and R&B was turning into singing rap music. I became burnt out on the radio until I flipped to a Chicago jazz station and found out I could add jazz to my favorite genres of music.

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From ballet to folk, jazz to classical, mummies to Mies, you’ll find a diverse and dynamic arts community ready to share its cultural riches. You can make and create art yourself this Spring in Hyde Park.
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Pick up your Passport at any of Hyde Park’s arts and cultural organizations and enjoy fantastic jazz while earning prizes such as CDs or even the special Jazz Pass for the Jazz Festival.  Be sure to get the Passport stamped at every Passport To Jazz event.  The next two are coming up on March 7 and 12, just check out the calendar.  And before or after each performance, take a few minutes to look around and see where you are.  It is NOT going to be your typical jazz venue.
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The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine have recently been singing the praises of the arts and cultural destinations here in Hyde Park. And as the first Executive Director of HyPa, it is my privilege and honor to share some of these sightings with you.
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Looking for new adventures to start the New Year with your kids, family, and friends? You are in the right place! Hyde Park has dozens of activities going on all the time including art, music, dance, theatre. Hyde Park’s spectrum of dining options including ethnic restaurants, kid friendly eating and romantic dinner spots will make your adventure complete.
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On Friday, October 9, Chicago Tribune reporter, Lauren Viera captured the sights, sounds and tastes of Hyde Park as the On the Town section reintroducing the Neighborhood Watch series with a fantastic profile of our neighborhood. Viera’s tour of Hyde Park highlighted five of our HyPa members.

And in the course of the story she confirmed what HyPa members have known all along … that visitors and residents of Hyde Park can enjoy a rich and full day of arts and cultural experiences that are world class in nature and in many cases are free and easy to get to and explore.
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