Check out the new exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago!

From June 24th until October 13th, the Art Institute will host an exhibit titled Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary. This exhibit showcases the work of artist Rene Magritte featuring over 100 paintings, collages, and drawings. Rene Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian artist, whose primary objective was to challenge the viewer's perception of reality. Magritte began his study of painting in 1916 at Academie des Beaux-Art in Brussels. Some of his earliest paintings used a Cubo-Futurist style, such as the painting, The Three Nudes. Magritte's first painting using surrealism style was painted in 1925 and titled The Lost Jockey. He continued to use surrealism style throughout his career by transforming and “misnaming” objects as well as the representation of visions seen in half-waking states. With these techniques, Magritte created an unbalanced view of nature and trickery. Magritte commonly recreated famous paintings by adding a surrealist twist, such as a Manet piece, The Balcony. His work was not truly appreciated until the 1960's around the time of his death. However, his work has continuously influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art styles.

The exhibit at the Art Institute takes viewers through Magritte's most experimental years starting in 1926 until 1938. You will be able to see many of his different pieces, such as The Treachery of Images and Time Transfixed. As you view the work of Magritte, challenge yourself to think beyond the nature of reality and into the world of surrealism. 

For more information on the exhibit or to view ticket prices:

http://www.artic.edu/

FIFA World Cup – Who Will Win?

The long four year wait is over! The FIFA World Cup has arrived. The World Cup is being held in Brazil. There will be 12 different stadiums used throughout this next month. The matches will take place from June 12^th until July 13^th.  The qualifier matches begin tomorrow, starting with Brazil vs. Croatia 3PM CT. Want to know the remainder of the schedule? See the link below or go the official FIFA website! As with every sport, predictions for the winners of this World Cup have taken off. Many wondering if the home advantage will give host country and 5-time World Cup winner, Brazil, the added reason to win #6. Chicago, home of the U.S. Soccer Federation Headquarters has many places to catch one or all the matches. If you’re interested in watching the U.S. team or your home team is playing the United States, head over to Avery Field on match days, June 16^th and June 22^nd. The third game on June 26th will be broadcasted at Petrillo Music Shell. United States isn’t your team? No problem. Many of the Chicago bars will be showing the matches, such as:

Timothy O’Toole’s Pub – 622 N. Fairbanks Ct.

The Globe Pub – 1934 W. Irving Park Rd

AJ Hudson Public House – 3801 N. Ashland Ave

Cloes – 1935 W. Chicago Ave

Dank Haus – 4740 N. Western Ave

The hostel will also be offering some outings to watch the matches! Be on the look out for these opportunities!

This month will be an exciting time for all soccer fans! Even if you are not a huge fan, don’t forget to tune in and root for your home country!

World Cup Schedule - http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/01/52/99/91/2014fwc_matchschedule_wgroups_22042014_en_neutral.pdf

Get ready, it's time for the World Cup in Brazil!!! But what actually is the World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month; this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).

The 19 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The other World Cup winners are Italy, with four titles; West Germany, with three titles;Argentina and inaugural winners Uruguay, with two titles each; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.

From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup

New Intern Bio

My name is Courtney Sage, and I am a new intern at HI-Chicago. I am a student at Eastern Illinois University double majoring in political science and history, both with a concentration in international studies. I am ecstatic to be a part of the HI-Chicago team! I have traveled extensively within the United States; however, I have only traveled once outside of the country to Australia. I plan to travel much more throughout my life. This will be my first experience at a hostel, and I know it will be an exciting one. I wanted to intern at HI-Chicago to gain experience with international travelers, as well as expand my own knowledge of other cultures. It will be a terrific summer engaging with travelers and spending time in the great city of Chicago.

Play Ball!

Believe it or not, baseball season is already upon us and in full swing! Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Chicago, and people come from all over to enjoy the games.  There are two major league baseball teams which represent Chicago, which is only true of four metro areas in the U.S. 

 The Chicago Cubs are a part of the National League, and they play at Wrigley Field on the north side.  The Cubs have been playing at Wrigley Field since 1916, but the field is celebrating its 100^th season this year.  Actually, they are hosting a “Party of the Century”, which will take place all year long and feature throwback uniforms, free gifts, food treats, special guests and more. Though the Cubs are not exactly known for a great winning record—they have not been to a World Series game since 1945, to be exact—but that does not stop their dedicated fans.  From its ivy-covered outfield walls to its old-fashioned bleachers and hand-turned scoreboard, Wrigley Field provides an old-fashioned, all-American atmosphere for baseball fans to enjoy. 

The other team, the Chicago White Sox, reign over the south side.  The White Sox are part of the American League, and their stadium has a much different atmosphere.  They play at the U.S. Cellular Field, which has been and continues to be renovated and improved. It is one of the nicer ballparks in MLB.  The White Sox won the World Series fairly recently in 2005, which was their first championship win in 88 years. 

Tickets for both teams can be bought online, and the prices are very reasonable, depending on where you would like to sit.  Which Chicago team will you root for? 

Traveller Spotlight: Michael

Today I was able to talk to a guest named Michael who is visiting us from San Francisco.  He is in town reuniting with a group of 12 friends that he met while participating in AmeriCorps in 2007-2008. AmeriCorps is an organization that engages Americans in service related activities all over the country, which can range from working at a school to a state park.  Michael said his team was able to help with the reconstruction after devastating Hurricane Katrina, among other projects.  He joined AmeriCorps after college and really liked being able to travel all over and meet new people.

            

    At this point, Michael has only been here for a few days, but he still saw a lot! His weekend activities included seeing the ‘bean’ at Millennium Park, heading over to Navy Pier, enjoying some deep dish pizza, and hearing some live music over at the House of Blues. He said the evening at House of Blues was nice because it was much more mellow than the liveliness of the Saint Patrick’s Day festivities. Though he enjoyed his time, he said he was just ‘along for the ride’ and his favorite part of the trip was catching up with the friends he hadn’t seen in about six years.

Even though he has been in the city for a few days, this is his first night at the hostel.  We hope you have a great stay, Michael!

               

Saint Patrick’s Day 2014

We hear a lot about “going green” these days. But Chicago takes this idea to the next level.  On Saint Patrick’s Day—and all throughout the month of March, Chicago celebrates Irish culture and tradition through several outlets.  There are pub crawls, parades, an Irish Film Festival, and more!

But, the biggest event would have to be the Dyeing of the Chicago River.  At 10:45 am, 45 pounds of eco-friendly vegetable dye are poured into the river, transforming it into a gorgeous emerald green color.  This grand tradition has been taking place for more than 50 years, and it is a perfect kick-off for the rest of the day’s festivities.  The river will only stay green for about five hours, so be sure to check it out before heading to the parade!

Downtown Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is one of the largest in the country! It begins at Columbus Drive, goes north through Grant Park, and ends are Monroe Drive.  The parade includes vibrant floats, Irish step dancers, marching bands, and bagpipes.

In case you aren’t ready for the St. Patrick’s Day fun to end, don’t worry; the fun isn’t over yet! On Sunday, March 16, the South Side Irish Parade will take place at 12 noon at Western Ave between 103^rd and 115^th street.  Also on Sunday is the Northwest Side Irish parade, starting at 12 noon and located at Onahan School at 6634 W. Raven Street. 

Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day and don’t forget to wear green!