Download PDF file (4.0 MB) - Chicon 7

Vacation atChicon 7Leane VerhulstHave you ever taken extra vacation days (or holiday as they say in other countries) when going toWorldcon? A few days before or a few days after to sightsee and enjoy the destination? Have you ever had troubletrying to find people who want to do the same thing? Well I have, and I decided to do something about it. I got agroup together last year for Reno and we did some exploring that was so much fun that I decided that I wanted toprovide something like that for people attending Chicon 7. The idea for a department called Vacation was born.My idea for the Vacation department is to line up people who want to do events in (or near) Chicago andwho would open up these events to other members of Chicon 7. Actually, the people who attend these events don’teven need to be members of Chicon 7 so if you have a friend that plans to join you in the city but who can’t make theconvention, they are still welcome at these events. And also note that these events would be separate from Chicon 7and all costs would be up to the individuals, but I want to have free events in addition to the events that may cost afee.Some events that are already being planned are:1. A trip to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Kenosha, WI, on Sunday, August 26. (http://www.renfair.com/bristol) This Ren Faire is a couple of hours north of Chicago and is a wonderfulplace. If enough people are willing to pay for vans or a bus to make it affordable, we will try to rentthem, otherwise, carpooling is the plan. If we can get at least 15 people, then we can get discount tickets.2. Can’t Stop the Serenity Charity event in Chicago on Saturday, September 8. (http://www.chicagolandbrowncoats.com) This event raises money for Equality Now and The House of theGood Shepherd. In addition to showing the movie Serenity, it has a costume contest, a charity auction,and possibly even an improv team performing an episode of Firefly. Maybe. You never know.3. Outings to see the Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley Field. (http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com) The Cubs willbe playing at home from August 24 through September 2. At this time, no specific days have been decidedupon.4. An outing to the Museum of Science and Industry. (http://www.msichicago.org) We are currentlylooking at Monday, August 27 so that we can also see the special “Mythbusters: The Explosive Exhibition”(which ends on September 3). This museum is a wonderland, seriously. I have spent hours andhours in this place and still don’t think I’ve seen everything.5. A beer tasting. No date has been decided yet. A fan plans to find some nearby bars that have local brewson tap and do some tastings. There are quite a few microbreweries in Chicago – it’s been growing in thelast few years.Those are the events lined up so far, but there are so many other things to do. The Lincoln Park Zoo which isfree and accessible by public transportation. The Sears Tower. The John Hancock building. The Field Museum.Adler Planetarium. The Shedd Aquarium. The Art Museum. Millennium Park. Grant Park. The Jazz Festival. NavyPier and the Ferris Wheel. Boat tours. Architecture tours. Ghost tours. Gangster tours. Shopping along theMagnificent Mile. Theaters. Shows. Concerts. Restaurants. So many things!!!And that’s the problem – there are so many things to do that one person or a few people just can’t lineeverything up. So that’s where you (yes, you), come in. We need people who are interested in arranging an event tostep up and let us know. An event can be as simple as a dinner outing for 8 people to as complex as an outing like theBristol one where money needs to be collected ahead of time and where vans or a bus might need to be rented.If you are interested in running an event or if you just want more information about events being planned,send an email to vacation@chicon.org and we’ll get you set up.I hope we hear from you. Chicon is going to be great!Chicon 7 2012 4PROGRESS REPORT FOUR