While the Democratic National Convention won’t be open to the public when it comes to Chicago, there will be a few ways to get in on the fun.
Here are just a few different options:
The Blackstone Hotel & Grilled Market
The hotel in the center has created a replica of the Oval Office in the middle of the lobby. The Blackstone is actually known as the “hotel of the presidents”, as they have hosted 13 presidents over the years. So they wanted to do something special.
“We invite everyone to come in and join us,” said Pierre Giacotto, general manager. “You don’t have to be a guest at the hotel. If you want to go in and take some pictures with it. The goal is to engage.”
Blackstone’s adjoining restaurant – Mercat a la Planxa – will have food and cocktail specials, including a cocktail called The Smoke Filled Room. The drink is a tribute to the time when Warren G. Harding was nominated at the 1920 Republican National Convention. It happened at The Blackstone Hotel, and when they opened the door, a bunch of smoke came out.
Michael Jordan’s Steak House & Intercontinental Hotel
The steakhouse along the Magnificent Mile also offers specialty cocktails during the DNC. Plus the adjoining Intercontinental Hotel also does everything for guests. During the convention, the hotel will live stream the speeches and have a DNC-centric theme: “vote while you float.”
“We have a junior Olympic pool. It’s going to be dressed up incredible,” says Nabil Moubayed, hotel manager. “We’re going to have a couple of bars up there, and people are going to have a few drinks and watch the convention as they float in the pool .”
Resolution Studios
Over in West Town, against the backdrop of the DNC, you can check out “Into Action 2024“, a large-scale art exhibition and community festival at Resolution Studios.
More than 175 artists are using their creativity to ignite passion in young people and encourage them to participate in the voting process.
“All we care about is that you vote,” said co-producer Yosi Sergant, “At the end of the day, the more people who are engaged in the outcome of our democracy, the more people who use their voice through their vote, the better off we are as society.”
Into Action 2024 is free to attend, but you must register online.