Brianna Yang

So, it’s summertime, you’ve already finished all three seasons of Downton Abbey and both seasons of Homeland, and you, quite frankly, feel like you have nothing else to live for. Thank goodness you live in Chicago, then, or you’d probably be a pretty depressing person to be around.

If you’re interested in learning about science or history, Chicago museums are holding plenty of fascinating exhibits this summer. The Field Museum is currently showing three new exhibits that will remain open throughout the summer months, including one about teens who spent a week making films about research at the museum. The Adler Planetarium offers two 3-D shows, one about the sun and and the other about the harmful debris (satellites, etc.) in orbital space. The Museum of Science and Industry also features an exhibit on the making of bicycles and does science demonstrations, like a lesson on Segways, everyday. If you need to impress your Jewish grandmother this summer, the Chicago History Museum is presenting an exhibition called Shalom Chicago about the history of Chicago Jews. You could also take a Chicago Architecture tour on a boat down the Chicago River to learn about some of the interesting buildings.

If you like performance or visual arts, there are a lot of great shows to see during the summer. Shows in Chicago’s theater district include The Book of Mormon, West Side Story, Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, Buddy, Flashdance, and The Australian Bee Gees Show. West Side Story is only playing from June 11 to June 16, so I recommend buying tickets now if you want to go see it. Steppenwolf Theater is showing a production called Belleville, about two young American expats who are living  in budding Belleville, Paris when an incident shakes up their life. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater will feature Othello: The Remix (written by the Q Brothers who visited the freshman and sophomore English classes) and Henry VIII until mid-June. The theatre will also  show Shrek: The Musical starting mid-July. The Art Institute is displaying an exhibit on architecture and design and an exhibit on the works of artist Kara Walker.

There are so many great things to do in Chicago this summer, and I hope you’ve been inspired by some of my suggestions. Have a great summer!