🫘 Week 72: Spilled Beans!
Read the recap of our monthly event!
Good morning, Cool Beans!
We’re still thinking about the best Sunday lunch ever and already counting down to doing it again. And now it’s almost long weekend time — are we ready? Hopefully the weather behaves like it did last weekend so we can spend it outside by a pool, in a backyard, or down at the lake. If not, no stress — we’ve still pulled together a list of things happening around the city this week so you’ve got options either way.
Find Simona’s coolest picks for Chicago, this week:
Tag us on Instagram if you try any of the recommendations below!
🤤 If you are craving something new: Last weekend we wanted to try Gus Dip and Sip, but the three-hour wait made it pretty clear something big was going on. Later we found out it had been nominated—along with three other Chicago bars—for the list of the 50 best bars in the U.S. We’ll report back as soon as we make it in, but if you’ve been sooner, let us know!
🕺🏻 If your feet can’t stop (won’t stop) moving like Michael Jackson: Chicago’s house music scene is getting the love letter it deserves with House Music Is Love Day Party, happening on May 23rd at Le Nocturne Chicago. Bringing together DJs, dancing, and the kind of feel-good energy the city’s nightlife is known for, the event celebrates the deep roots of house music right where it all started. Click here for tickets!
🎤 If live music is your vibe: Tomorrow, May 20th Khalid is bringing his It’s Always Summer Somewhere Tour to Huntington Bank Pavilion on May 20th, and it’s shaping up to be one of those perfect summer concerts by the lake. Known for hits like Location, Talk, and Better, Khalid built his career on smooth vocals, emotional lyrics, and songs that somehow feel both nostalgic and effortless. With special guest Lauv joining the tour, the night is basically guaranteed to turn into one giant sing-along. Click here for tickets.
🛋️ If the couch (or the armchair) is calling your name: Theater of the Mind is running in Chicago through August 30th, offering an immersive, walk-through theatrical experience that blends storytelling, neuroscience, and sensory design. Created by Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar, the production takes audiences through a series of multi-room environments that explore how memory, perception, and emotion shape the way we understand reality. Instead of sitting in a traditional theater setting, guests move through the installation themselves, becoming part of the story as it unfolds around them. It’s a unique experience that feels less like watching a performance and more like stepping directly inside the human mind. Click here for tickets!
🎭 If you feel artsy: The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is currently hosting Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell, an immersive exhibition celebrating the visionary work of the acclaimed costume designer behind productions like Hamilton, Wicked, and West Side Story. The exhibition showcases an extraordinary collection of original costumes, sketches, and behind-the-scenes materials that highlight how fashion, storytelling, and performance come together on stage and screen. Click here for tickets!
🤔 Still not feeling it? Check these others out:
Last Sunday we hosted our monthly event, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather, a perfect day to officially welcome summer in Chicago!
Chef Domenico (@dinnerwithdom) truly outdid himself with an incredible menu. I’m still thinking about that genovese beef, and having the leftover gnocchi today was the highlight of my dinner!
A huge thank you to everyone who came out. Seeing so many new faces in the crowd brings us so much joy. Don’t go anywhere … Sunday Lunch is back in August! 😊
The photos below speak for themselves — enjoy! 💕😋
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All typos are intentional, we are expats ;)
We wrote 3 articles in collaboration with 3 great expats around the world. Read them below!
The story of Cool Beans and our take on Community with Emanuela
We registered a podcast (in Italian) with Americanate on the wedding culture in the US from an Italian point of view. Listen here!
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