The White House Exhibit

This is a great exhibit if your coming to Chicago. You will get to see parts of the White House that no one gets to see!

Its inside look at the People’s House that few people get.
The Museum’s new temporary exhibit, The White House: A Look Inside, offers an unprecedented up-close look at America’s most famous and beloved landmark. It takes you from the East Wing to the West Wing, through notable moments in history to the White House as it is today, in grand dimensions and true-to-life scale. Like the home that inspired it, this exhibit offers an awe-inspiring experience for the young and young-at-heart.

It begins with a photographic timeline of the White House: learn about its original construction, and the renovations and expansions throughout its 200-plus years. Gain new insight into the ever-changing role of the First Lady, and behind-the-scenes details on the daily life at the White House, supported by a legion of dedicated staff. See authentic artifacts from administrations throughout history, ranging from White House china to holiday cards. Learn more about the people – and even pets including a pony and a sheep – who have made their home in this famous house, with a special focus on the four Presidents who have lived in Illinois: Lincoln, Grant, Reagan and Obama.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a meticulously detailed, 60-by-13 foot, 1:12 scale replica of the White House. Complete with hand-carved chairs and tables, stitch-by-stitch carpet recreations and even tiny working televisions, this masterpiece of miniature is the result of more than 600,000 work hours. This gift “to the people from the people” is truly a wonder to behold.

Opening with Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light on November 20, the doors to the White House exhibit will be open through President’s Day, February 15, 2010.

Besides Chicago deep dish pizza, and Italian beef Chicago is also known for having some great works of art out on public    display in downtown Chicago. We’ve got Picasso, Chagall, Calder and many other famous artists that have brought their creative genius here on the shores of Lake Michigan. You could spend a day in itself and not see everything that’s out on public view. The Chicago Art Institute is also a great place to visit. Now you maybe be thinking the kids would be bored with that. I can tell you something, The Art Institute will definitely surprise you. They have such a variety of art including the “Art of War” Which is armorment and guns and knives that are unbelievable works of art with their detailed carvings and etchings. Its a sight worth seeing. Here are a few pics form some of Chicago’s great works of Art..

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Harry Potter Exhibit

The Museum of Science and Industry has the Harry Potter Exhibit at the museum until September 27th. Kids and there families are staying with us as were the closest hotel to the museum. I’ve never seen so many kids with us before. They usually come for the American Girl Experience but Harry’s got them beat. Here’s a link to the musem and the exhibit which is worth seeing.

After seeing the exhibit mast of the families are heading either to our nearby beach or Navy Pier. It’s great to see all the families here. They love the fact that they save at least $35.00 a day on parking here at the Ramada since its free here. I feel like I should be wearing round glasses and a special hat though also. Anyone know where I can get an owl?

http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/harry-potter/

Looking out over this view I always want to take a picture. In fact I’ve started bringing my camera to work. The city and the lake have a different look each day. The sky changes color, the water is different shades of blue, the sunlight highlights the skyscrapers downtown differently. Take a look at the architectual details on some of the buildings, like the museums in the area. Many of the buildings are really works of art, the detailed craftmanship on the stone work brings these buildings to life… makes you wish you could be a stone carver and do such wonderful work that will be noticed and marveled at for years and years to come.

By looking at the newer buildings, it seems that many of these artists have long left this world and the canvas thats being painted now is just colored steel and concrete. Many of our guests after enjoying the main attractions in Chicago, start exploring the inner city and begin to see those details that make Chicago special. Now, that could be our unique older buildings, our people, our landscape or even our animal life. Like our special friend that lives here in Hyde Park against all odds away from their home halfway around the world. Their normal enviroment is the Amazon Rain Forest but somehow they have adapted and now call Chicago Hyde Park their home.

If you look up in the larger trees in our neighborhood you will see these nests made up of twigs. In fact, they can be as large as four to five feet in height. When you first see this little green bird that resembles a parrot, you think how in the world can this happen. Usually when you see one, your going to see a dozen or more at a time, as they do stay in flocks. They are called Monk Parakeets. They are the largest parakeet I’ve ever seen. They are fun to watch and their nests actually have room for multiple families in them so their body heat combined helps them survive the cold Chicago winters.

How they got here no one knows for sure. Possibly an escaped pet or a broken cargo container. Either way they are just one of the great things about Chicago that our guests get to enjoy when they stay here. So bring your camera and explore a unique side of Chicago.

Below is a list produced by the Illinois film office of all the films shot here in Chicago in 2007. 2008 list hasn’t come out yet. Its amazing how long it is and its great to see what an impact Chicago has on this industry. Go to the Illinois Film Office web site and you’ll see all the listings as far back as the early 1900′s.

It just supports what I’ve been saying, in that Chicago is a great place to come visit! Hollywood sure thinks so!

2007 Chicago Films

“BAGGAGE” Backyard Productions Feature Film
“BIOGRAPHY: SERIAL KILLERS” Towers Productions Television Series
“THE BEAST” Canterbury Productions Television Pilot
“BIO REPACKS 2007” Towers Productions Television Special
“BUBBLERAMA” Backyard Productions Feature Film
“THE CACHE” Three Good Men Productions Feature Film
“CHICAGO OVERCOAT” Overcoat Productions, Feature Film
“CITIES OF THE UNDERWORLD: MOB UNDERGROUND” Authentic Entertainment Television Series
“CS LIES” Towers Productions Documentary
“CNN 002” Towers Productions Television Special
“THE DARK KNIGHT” Warner Brothers Feature Film
“DESIGN ON A DIME” Circus Dog Productions Television Series
“EAGLE EYE” Dreamworks Productions Feature Film
“THE EASTER STORY IN STAINED GLASS WITH HYMS” Concert Hot Spots Television Special
“EBERT & ROPER” Buena Vista Productions Television Series
“ER” Warner Brothers Television Series
“ERIC CLAPTON’S CROSSROADS” Rhino Entertainment Television Special
“THE EXPRESS” Express Films Feature Film
“FAMILY PRACTICE” Sony Pictures Television Pilot
“THE FINAL REPORT” Towers Productions Television Special
“THE HORSEMEN” Horsemen Productions Feature Film
“HOT ROCKS” Mendota Lake Productions Feature Film
“INSIDE VIETNAM” Towers Productions Television Special
“THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW” Universal Television Series
“JUDGE MATHIS” Warner Brothers Television Series
“LET’S PLAY TWO: THE ERNIE BANKS STORY” Pan Pacific Media Documentary
“LEVERAGE” Leverage Productions Television Pilot
“THE LUCKY ONES” Return Productions Feature Film
“MAKE NO LITTLE PLANS: DANIEL BURNHAM & THE AMERICAN CITY” Archimedia Workshop Television Special
“MEET THE BROWNS” Meet Productions Feature Film
“THE MERRY GENTLEMEN” Merry Gentlemen Productions Feature Film
“MY BOYS” Remote Broadcasting Television Series
“NGS 014” Towers Productions Television Special
“NOTRE DAME” Towers Productions Television Special
“OF BOYS AND MEN” Anointed Harvesters Feature Film
“THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW” HBO Films Television Series
“THE POKER HOUSE” Poker House Productions Feature Film
“PROTESTANT REFORMATION” Towers Productions Television Special
“ROCKSTAR” FBR Productions Television Special
“RUNAWAYS: CHICAGO” Towers Productions Television Series
“RUNAWAYS: JACKSONVILLE” Towers Productions Television Series
“RUNAWAYS: SAN FRANCISCO” Towers Productions Television Series
“SPORTS ACTION TEAM” Towers Productions Feature Film
“THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE” Avery Pictures Feature Film
“TOP CHEF 4” Magical Elves Television Series
“WANTED” Wanted Productions Feature Film
“WARWICK: I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER” Concert Hot Spots Television Special
“WERE THE WORLD MINE” Were The World Mine Productions Feature Film
“WITLESS PROTECTION” Witless Productions Feature Film

Well 2008 is ending today and its been a great year here at the Ramada! To recap some of the things we have done at this great Chicago Hotel are…

We just completed a major overhaul of our lobby and added an exercise room that looks out over Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive

We added a special Board Room called the Chicago Room with a great board room table with high back executive chairs to serve our guests needs.

Also added was a new business center to handle our guest’s internet and printing needs.

We now have complete secured wired high speed service as well to our guest rooms.

In September we completed a remodel of our restaurant and lounge and added large screen format tv’s for our patrons viewing pleasure in our lounge.

The hotel was also completely re-wired for a new cable tv system for improved viewing and additional channels added to all of our guest rooms

All of the hallways have just been done over.

Overall we have done some great improvements and whats even better is whats coming up and how we are determined to improve our guests experience here at the Ramada even more in 2009.

Thanks for following the blog and thanks for being our guest and I look forward to seeing you next year!

Happy New Year!

This has improved our look dramatically and we hope our guests like it as well, I’m sure they will. Were keeping our fingers crossed and hopefully rooms will be next. Either way we’ve got a great property at a great price and apparently people are noticing! We even had a famous actor stay with us, they did an interview here for his next film! You never know who’s going to stay here at the Ramada Chicago Hyde Park. Its great when the world beats a path to your door!

Come enjoy the Chicago Winter and see how warm it really is here!

Sometimes there here for a day sometimes there here for more than a week. Sometimes they come back a few months later sometimes a year later to the Ramada. Just as they let us into there hearts they come into ours. Our staff gets to know them and their family very well. We get to know what our guests like and don’t like. We know what rooms they want to stay in that will make them the most comfortable. We know what restaurants in Chicago will cater to there needs.

The fact is its not just our employees that open there hearts but Chicagons as a whole are very friendly people and they wear there hearts on their sleeve. Chicago is the town of “Big Shoulders” for a reason as Mark Twain said. I think to go along with that big shoulders we also have a big heart!

Come feel the love here in Chicago!

At Christmas time we do get the shoppers though. Chicago has the greatest shops and you literally can “shop till you drop” here! We have a small shuttle that goes downtown and drops everyone off at Water Tower Place, a great place to begin your shopping quest!

Some of these ladies I wonder how they have room to sleep with all the bags they bring back to their rooms. I think they like the Ramada Chicago Hyde Park because of our reasonable rates and free parking which can save them up to $30.00 or more dollars a day. I believe theirs only two hotels in downtown Chicago that offers free parking. But I think the Ramada is the only one you want to stay at though.

There maybe another hotel but I would bet there adding it into the rate so your still paying.

If you want to do some great Christmas Shopping in Chicago come stay at the Ramada we will make sure you have room for all the bags.

It’s an exciting day here at the Ramada Chicago! Were reducing our smoking rooms from about 48 down to 24 rooms and moving them from our main building to one of our other buildings! It has just gotten to the point that less and less smokers are staying here now. Which I think is great and I know our other guests will appreciate it.

I know this is a trend that has been building in our industry. I know some hotels are completly non-smoking but for us were not there yet. So the seperation of the smoking rooms to another building is going to improve our product and make everyone happy! So if your a smoker you can still come here and you want here anyone complain! And for you non-smokers come on by and enjoy our fresh smelling rooms and sheets!