About us
🎉 Welcome to & Windy City Wanderers! 🌆
We’re so glad you’re here!
Whether you’re new to Chicago or a lifelong local, these sister groups are all about being a tourist in your own city—discovering hidden gems, rich history, fun facts, and unforgettable experiences across Chicagoland. 🗺️✨
Windy City Wanderers is the sister group to 1001 Things to See in Chicago Before You Die, and we host many joint events together—so you’ll often see crossover adventures and shared outings. 🤝
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🗓 What to Expect
We host fun, social outings year-round (yes, even in winter ❄️). Expect:
• Walking tours & neighborhood explorations
• Concerts, lectures & theater
• Pop-up dinners, trivia & social nights
• Museums, festivals & special events
Events take place throughout Chicago and nearby suburbs like Evanston, Oak Park, and Park Ridge.
🚇 All events are CTA-accessible.
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💬 Why Join?
• Discover new places all over Chicagoland
• Meet new people and make real connections
• Enjoy an active, well-curated event calendar
• Try the group FREE for 90 days
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💰 Membership
• 90-day free trial
• Annual dues: $12/year after the trial
• 🎉 Host an event and your dues are waived!
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🚨 RSVP / No-Show Policy (Please Read)
To keep events fair and running smoothly:
• A no-show without updating your RSVP = 1 strike
• 3 strikes = a 3-month pause from events
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🤝 Stay Connected
📘 Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576822533554
👥 Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1571684466442303
📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/1001thingstoseeinchicago/
🌬️ !001 Things to See in Chicago Before You Die Meetup (sister group)
https://www.meetup.com/windy-city-wanderers
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💡 Have an idea for an event? Want to host or co-host?
Just message me—I’d love to hear from you!
Can’t wait to explore, wander, and discover Chicago together 💙
Cheers,
Giovina Romandine
Organizer, Windy City Wanderers 🌬️🚶♀️🚶♂️
Upcoming events
28
🎤📚Chicago Misconceptions: Third Coast: Inland Port | CFC Winter Lecture 🍸
Bad Apple Lincoln Park, 658 W. Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL, US🎤📚 Chicago Misconceptions: Third Coast: The Great Inland Port | CFC Winter Lecture Series 🍸
Join us for the TENTH lecture of the season in Chicago for Chicagoans’ 9th Annual Winter Speakeasy Lecture Series — and a very controversial topic
⚠️ IMPORTANT HOST NOTE
I will be attending so it will be back to normal rotation with Giovina as host!Landlocked city? Not so fast! As the junction between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes, Chicago's been one of the nation's largest ports for over 175 years. You'll discover our city's rich maritime history, from the earliest shipyards, to naval battles, lighthouses, freshwater pirates, & the many things we still ship by water today. Lecture by tour guide and maritime historian Sam Presti
🎤 Lecture by Sam Presti— tour guide & maritime historian
🚨 REGISTRATION REQUIRED — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
TENTH LECTURE OF THE SEASON!
Lecture by Sam Presti
📅 Tuesday, March 10, 2026***
🚨 REGISTRATION REQUIRED — READ FIRST
RSVPing on Meetup does NOT secure your spot.
You MUST register separately on Eventbrite to attend in person.This event is FREE, but registration is required to enter the speakeasy area for the lecture.
🗓 Registration opens: Tuesday, 2/24/26 at 9:00 AM (set reminder)
⚠️ Space is limited — register ASAP
👉 Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-misconceptions-third-coast-the-great-inland-port-registration-1975057383802If registration is full:
• Join the Eventbrite waitlist — people cancel and waitlist guests DO get in
• Walk-ins are allowed, space permitting at 7 pm⭐ NEW, BIGGER VENUE — but it still fills up fast!
****IMPORTANT!! PLEASE NOTE THAT TICKETS FOR THE EVENT ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT EVERYONE SETS A REMINDER TO REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2026, AT 9 AM. RSVPING ON MEETUP DOES NOT SECURE YOUR SPOT. YOU MUST GO BACK AND REGISTER VIA THE EVENTBRITE LINK TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE. ****
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## ⏰ TIMING & ENTRY DETAILS (VERY IMPORTANT)
• Meetup group meets: 6:00 PM
• Doors open: 6:30 PM
• Registered ticket holders admitted first
• Walk-ins admitted at 7:00 PM, space permitting
• Lecture begins promptly at 7:10 PM
➡️ Not registered? Arrive close to 7:00 PM and be flexible.***
📍 Venue
Bad Apple Lincoln Park
658 W Belden Ave · Chicago
Historic, handicap accessible, with great food & cocktails
🍔 YES — food is available during the lecture
✔ Food available during lecture
✔ Separate checks allowed
✔ More seating than past venues
https://www.badapplebar.com/the-bad-apple-lincoln-park***
🏙️ About the Series
Chicago for Chicagoans returns for their 9th Winter Speakeasy Lecture Series, designed to teach Chicago residents about the history of their own city.Hosted at Bad Apple Lincoln Park, these pay-what-you-can events spark discussion about Chicago’s past — and how it continues to shape our future.
📅 NOW ON TUESDAY EVENINGS!
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🔍 This Year’s Theme: MISCONCEPTIONS
This season explores the unfair stereotypes, urban legends, and dubious assumptions surrounding Chicago’s past.Each week features a different local Chicago historian & expert for 12 one-of-a-kind evenings of:
• Legendary tall tales
• Corrected mischaracterizations
• Disproven myths
• Lively discussion + tasty cocktails
Attend in person or watch the recorded lectures online afterward.***
📚 THIS WEEK’S LECTURE — 03/10/26
Landlocked city? Not so fast!
Though far from the ocean, Chicago has long been a maritime powerhouse. As the critical junction between the Great Lakes and the vast Mississippi River system, the city became one of the nation’s most important inland ports — a title it has held for more than 175 years.This lecture explores how water shaped Chicago’s rise from a frontier outpost to a global commercial hub.
You’ll discover:
⚓ The earliest shipyards along the Chicago River
⚓ How the Illinois & Michigan Canal transformed trade routes
⚓ Naval activity and military connections on the Great Lakes
⚓ The role of lighthouses in protecting busy shipping lanes
⚓ Tales of freshwater pirates and riverfront crime
⚓ The engineering marvel of reversing the Chicago River
⚓ The surprising volume of goods still shipped by water today — including grain, steel, cement, and moreLearn how sailors, dockworkers, engineers, and entrepreneurs built a thriving maritime economy in a city many still mistakenly call “landlocked.”
From gritty industrial riverfronts to grand lakefront harbors, Chicago’s maritime story is bold, innovative, and full of unexpected drama.⚓ Lecture by tour guide and maritime historian Sam Presti
🗓 Registration opens 2/24/26
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👩🏫 About the Speaker: Sam Presti
Sam Prestigiacomo is a Chicago native and an artist, folklorist, and armchair historian with a penchant for digging up the brutal and bizarre stories of Chicago She specializes in tours of Edgewater, queer & Jewish history, ghosts and pirates***
🌐 Learn More & Watch Recordings
Chicago for Chicagoans:
http://www.chicagoforchicagoans.org/
Effing Chicago:
http://effingchicago.com/🎥 Recordings posted the following Thursday:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChicagoforChicagoans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagoforchicagoans/videos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicagoforchicagoans***
💛 Support the Nonprofit
Chicago for Chicagoans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Tax-deductible donations:
http://www.chicagoforchicagoans.org/donate.html***
🚇 Getting There
Public transit:
Google Maps or CTA Trip Planner
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/🚗 Parking:
• Metered parking on Lincoln, Fullerton & Halsted
• Some free side-street parking (watch signs)
• SpotHero lot directly across the street***
⚠️ NO-SHOW POLICY (PLEASE READ)
• 3 no-shows without updating RSVP = 3-month event freeze
• RSVP cut-off = event start time
• If late, message the host directly
• Failure to check in counts as a no-show
• Continued no-shows may result in removal from the group10 attendees
🎤🌮🎶 Live Band Karaoke/ Multi-Group Meetup! 🎶🌮🎤
All Star Seafood and sports, 730 South Clark, Chicago, IL, US🎤🌮🎶 Live Band Karaoke /Multi-Group Meetup! 🎶🌮🎤
**⭐ Hosted by Deanna (**musiclovermay18) ⭐
Come on out for an incredibly fun Tuesday night—join multiple Meetup groups for Live Band Karaoke at All Star Seafood & Sports!
If you've never done live band karaoke before, you're in for a treat! This isn't your standard machine karaoke—the band plays live and helps you out if you don't know all the words or need support. Whether you want to take the mic or just watch and cheer on others, it's a blast either way.
✅ No experience necessary! The band will back you up and keep the energy high.
✅ Or just hang out and enjoy! Watching people perform with a live band is half the fun.
✅ Multi-group event: Expect a bigger, livelier crowd than the RSVP count—these typically average 10–12 people from our group alone, plus attendees from other groups.We want laid-back, non-judgmental, fun-loving folks who want to have a good time and support each other—even if someone can't carry a tune in a bucket!
🎉 TACO TUESDAY SPECIAL!
Come hungry and enjoy their awesome Tuesday Taco specials. Pair your food with drinks from their full bar.***
📅 WHEN:
Tuesday night! Live Band Karaoke starts at 8 PM.
🕗 Arrive early to get a good spot, hang out, grab food and drinks before the singing starts!***
📍 WHERE:
All Star Seafood & Sports
730 S. Clark St., Chicago, IL
✅ Website
✅ Facebook
✅ Menu***
🚗 PARKING INFO:
Street parking on Clark, Polk, and Wells Streets (watch for no parking and permit-only signs—it can be tricky).
⭐ Highly recommend using SpotHero or Parking Whiz for the safest and easiest option.
🚇 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
Plenty of CTA options—plan your route here: CTA Trip Planner***
✨ WHAT TO EXPECT:
✅ Sing with a live band (they’ll help you!)
✅ Amazing taco specials
✅ Drinks, friends, fun vibes
✅ A supportive crowd from multiple Meetup groups
✅ Outstanding food & a full bar
✅ Even if you don't sing, it's a great show!***
⚠️ OUR NO-SHOW POLICY:
✅ Please update your RSVP if you can’t make it!
❗ 3 no-shows without updating = 3-month hold from events.
✔️ Cut-off to update is the event start time.
✔️ Message the host if you’re running late.
✔️ Always check in with the host when you arrive.***
✨ Come sing your heart out, try some delicious tacos, cheer on your friends, and have an unforgettable Tuesday night with great people. Whether you’re the next Beyoncé or just want to laugh and clap along, this event is for you.
See you there! 🎤🌮🍻
3 attendees
🍀🎨 Art, History & a Little Irish: Second Fridays @the Fine Arts Building 🎶🏛️
Fine Arts Building, 410 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, US🍀🎨 Art, History & a Little Irish: Second Fridays @the Fine Arts Building 🎶🏛️
Second Fridays at the Fine Arts Building + St. Patrick’s Celebration!
We haven’t done this in a while — so let’s go back! Join us for Second Fridays / Artist Open House at the legendary Fine Arts Building, one of Chicago’s most beloved creative landmarks.
Doors open at 5:00 PM, but we’ll meet at 6:00 PM to catch a little bit of everything across all 10 floors.
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📅 Event Details
🗓 Friday, March 13, 2026
⏰ 6:00–9:00 PM
📍 Fine Arts Building 410 S. Michigan Ave · Chicago
🎟️ FREE event, but registration is requested
👉 Register & select Friday 3/13/26:
https://airtable.com/appxkU5EFRtKzulPx/shrVTZReAWPiB0NqW
OR
https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/events/second-fridays/***
🎨 Second Fridays: Open Studios (5:00–9:00 PM)
From 5:00–9:00 PM, enjoy a free open studios night with participating tenants throughout the building, which may include:
• 2nd Floor Art Gallery (featuring artist Don Yang)
• Performers Music
• Ann Pickett Studio & Gallery
• Portrait artist Lou Ann Burkhardt
• Chicago Human Rhythm Project
• Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
• Exile in Bookville
• Jazz Institute of Chicago
• Illustrator & editorial cartoonist Richard Laurent
• Liederstube
• Monsieur Pamplemousse custom jewelry by Alex Agudo
• Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
• Chicago Opera Theater
• Patrice Olsen Fine Art
• Ossia Musical Forum
• Oak Street Design
• Press Here StudioExplore all 10 floors of working studios, galleries, and performance spaces in this 127-year-old landmark.
Since 1898, the Fine Arts Building has been a haven for artists of all kinds — home to pioneers like Harriet Monroe (Poetry magazine), Frank Lloyd Wright, Lorado Taft, William W. Denslow (Wizard of Oz), and the Chicago Little Theatre. Today, it continues to buzz with painters, musicians, dancers, puppeteers, photographers, writers, and more.
🕰️ History + Architecture Highlights
• Self-guided walking tour of 40+ historic studios
• Windows Into History exhibits (5th floor)
• Photo exhibit highlighting the Studebaker Theater’s legacy
• Original architectural details throughout the buildingChicago’s Artist Haven Since 1898, the Fine Arts Building is home to painters, musicians, sculptors, yoga studios, puppeteers, therapists, coaches, designers, and craftspeople — all under one historic roof. It also houses two performance venues: Studebaker Theater and Carriage Hall.
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🎭 Studebaker Theater
The Studebaker Theater is a stunning showcase for the performing arts. From its origins as a vaudeville house to its years as a cinema complex — and through multiple reconstructions and restorations — it has long been home to some of Chicago’s premier productions.
🔗 https://www.fineartsbuilding.com
🔗 https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/studebaker/***
🏛️ What You’ll See
• Open artist studios on all 10 floors
• Original manually operated elevators
• Late-19th-century Art Nouveau murals
• Windows Into History exhibits (5th floor)
• Self-guided walking tour of 40+ historic studios
• Photo exhibit highlighting the Studebaker TheaterParticipating tenants may include galleries, musicians, illustrators, bookshops, puppet theater, youth orchestras, jewelry designers, opera & jazz organizations, and more.
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🎭 Studebaker Theater
The building is also home to the Studebaker Theater, one of Chicago’s oldest and most significant performance venues — from vaudeville roots to cinema to today’s restored live theater space.
🔗 https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/studebaker/***
🚇 Getting There
Public Transit: CTA friendly — use Google Maps or CTA Trip Planner
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/
Driving: Downtown parking can be tricky
🚗 Use SpotHero or ParkWhiz (many garages nearby)***
⚠️ NO-SHOW POLICY (PLEASE READ)
• 3 no-shows without updating RSVP = 3-month event freeze
• RSVP cut-off = event start time
• If late, message the host directly
• Failure to check in counts as a no-show✨ Celebrate St. Patrick’s season surrounded by art, history, music, and Chicago creativity — this is one of those magical, roam-at-your-own-pace nights you won’t want to miss!
21 attendees
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