What does a local Chicago legendary rock venue and a thriving Texas arts festival have in common? After the Reggies SXSW Throwdown, quite a bit! Started in Austin in 1987 South By Southwest has grown into a week long music, film, and culture festival attended by nearly 20,000 people every year. Their lineup, consisting of musical acts, films, speakers, and others, features a great collection of current hot names but also tons of great up and coming artists.

I really just want a Ducati Monster…like, I’ll give you a vital organ for that bike kind of desire. And I don’t even really ride,  actually… I’ve only ridden once.  But that one time was all it took, and in the grand scheme of things that bike is so cool it doesn’t even matter if you ride it. It would instantly increase my street cred, don’t ya think? So, I don’t ride, and I’m not the biggest Son’s of Anarchy fan,  but I was still pretty intrigued when I heard about this event this weekend. Chicago is hosting the World's Largest Indoor Motorcycle Show, Parts Expo, and Motorcycle Swap Meet at the Tinley Park Convention Center.

Mark your calendars and check the temperature for the upcoming 11^th annual Lakeview Polar Plunge! You may think it’s crazy taking a diving into the lake at Oak Street Beach at the end of January, but it’s to help two families in need and other people will be doing it too! Participants should arrive at the beach by 11am because at Noon you will be running towards the water for you’re plunge!

Cancer doesn’t target an age, gender, or ethnicity- it can happen to anyone. It is one of the most well known diseases in the world and affects not only adults, but children each and every day. On January 29^th you can participate in “Step Up For Kids”, an event benefitting Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and the Family Services Department and help fight the battle against children’s cancers.

Get ready to start your engines, Brides-to-be! The Hilton Rosemont is hosting a bridal expo on Sunday, January 22. The Bridal Sampler Wedding Expo is guaranteed to be an intimate affair that will bring you seats away from the hem of your perfect gown. Hosted by TBS Bridal, the Expo will feature a fashion show, several beautiful exhibits, tastings, live performances, and exciting prizes. This year’s Grand Prize winner will walk away with a trip to Mexico for two.

If your anything like me, you can find yourself in the liquor store on any given night spending as long as ten Chicago minutes to decide what the heck you actually want. You walk in, look around for something appealing in the front first, you’re feeling adventurous so you wander over to the import beers, no sales, and you quickly talk yourself out of to drinking a beer you can’t pronounce all night. You shift to the domestics where you start calculating ounces to dollars, looking for that hidden sixer of tall boys that saves you a buck from the 12 pack… college budget. Then, next thing you know, you’re sitting on your couch watching a game with the usual Budweiser in hand… real adventurous.

On January 21^st from 12 pm to 6 pm the 4^th Annual Winter Block Party for Chicago’s Hip-Hop Arts is going down for FREE at the Metro! Thousands of people attended WBEZ 91.5’s Off Air Events Series last year and 2012 will be no different. This free party will feature graffiti galleries, breakdancing performances, a film screening of “The People Speak”, and the best music by some of Chicago’s BEST DJ’s. The list of fun & free things to do goes on and on but what caught my eye was the Emcee Olympics hosted by Urban Music & Hip-Hop Barbershop!!

The Beatles were an astounding British group that brought fans to their knees as soon as they came on stage. John, Paul, George and Ringo made the front page several times for their outrageous following and funky tunes. This Saturday and Sunday Jan. 21 & 22 the Old Town School of Folk Music will give you the chance to sing along to your entire collection of Beatles tunes from 1963-1970. Every album being sung will have a different set of teachers and students, and will be under the supervision of resident guitar guru Steve Levitt. Saturday at 7pm will cover all of Beatles for Sale, and Sunday at 5pm will cover Magical Mystery Tour. It’s guaranteed to be a great two days, and you’ll even get to hang out with tons of Beatles ensemble members from the past few decades! The event will be a grand scale sing-a-long inside of the beautiful Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall located at 4545 North Lincoln Ave from 3pm to 11pm both nights. There’s a suggested donation of $10 at the door, and you’re encouraged to bring your own instruments, voice and love.

I found the perfect lunchtime getaway! Most of us have less than an hour to chow down on whatever Chicago grub we set our eyes on but with this good find you can literally “Eat to the Beat”. On...

Having a hard time dealing with the absence of All My Children on ABC? Then buy your ticket to A Tribute to Pine Valley and ask the cast of your favorite soap opera all the questions you’ve been waiting to ask for years! All My Children was an amazing and ground breaking soup opera that was filled with as many characters as there are people on the streets of Chicago, and now's your chance to meet the cast.