You likely know about the big venues: Steppenwolf, Oriental, Lookingglass, Goodman, Victory Gardens, Second City, Cadillac Palace. But did you know Chicago also sports one of the largest concentrations of neighborhood theaters of any major metropolitan city in the U.S.? There are more than 200 theaters around the city and in the suburbs that support a varied community of theatergoers. Whether musicals or dramas, storefront spaces or thousand-seat auditoriums, Chicago has incredible theater.
No matter where you go in the city – from the Far North Side in Andersonville all the way down to Pullman and west to Garfield Park, art is everywhere: murals on the sides of buildings; industrial sculptures tucked away down alleys; paintings on the walls of trendy restaurants; and, of course, works in galleries and in our world-renowned museums like the Art Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art. For our latest installment of The Local, we explored art in three city neighborhoods: the West Loop, South Loop and Andersonville.
Chicago has no shortage of great watering holes and every neighborhood has its share of corner bars. It’s arguable that these local spots serve as meeting places for neighbors and whether that’s your corner dive or a swank spot serving up handcrafted cocktails, you can make one your own.
Thaddeus Wong, co-founder of Chicago’s #1 real estate firm @properties, was recently honored with the 2015 REALTOR® Community Service Award by the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. Wong was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the greater Chicagoland community as an active member of the association.
Throughout his real estate career, Wong has been active in a number of philanthropic causes that have benefited dozens of organizations. In 2009, he co-endowed the @gives back Community Fund, a 501(c)3 that was created out of the desire to inspire charitable outreach among @properties’ brokers and strategic partners. Each year, @gives back holds a number of events to raise money for local organizations with an emphasis on providing shelter, education and youth development in local communities. This year’s beneficiary is Noah’s Arc Foundation, an organization founded by Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and his mother Cecilia Rodhe that provides art and sports programs for at-risk youth.
In addition to his community service through @gives back, Wong co-chairs the annual Beelzebub Halloween Bash and Fundraiser, and has served as a mentor to young people through Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and the Harold Eisenberg Foundation.
