About the show
What: The 9th annual indoor exhibition of live and growing gardens, gardening ideas and products, with workshops, seminars, demonstrations and children’s activities
Where: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave.
When: March 8-16
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Cost: $10 weekdays, $12 Saturdays and Sundays; children ages 4 to 12, $4 weekdays, $5 Saturdays and Sundays. Discount coupons available at participating Ace Hardware stores.
Highlights:
– Preview: Mayor Richard M. Daley and his wife, Maggie, will co-host “Mayor’s Preview Night” from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday. The event will benefit the Chicago Urban Horticultural Foundation, a newly formed non-profit organization.
Tickets: $150 per person, includes a buffet supper and awards presentation for the best exhibits. Call 312-321-0077.
– Cooking demonstrations: At the “Garden Gourmet” stage, chefs including Bill Reynolds of Washburne Culinary Institute and John Coletta of Carlucci’s, will demonstrate recipes and share tips (see schedule on page 9).
– Gardening demonstrations: At the Gardening Live! stage, experts from nurseries, botanic gardens and academic institutions will give brief talks and demonstrate techniques. See schedule on page 9)
Call: 312-321-0077 or see www.chicagoflower.com for a schedule of events.
How to get there
For general information, call 312-595-PIER (312-595-7437) or go online to www.navypier.com.
For more information on public transportation, call 312-836-7000 or see www.rtachicago.com.
BUS SERVICE VIA CTA RAPID TRANSIT STATIONS
These routes access Navy Pier.
A. Chicago Avenue subway stop: Howard-Dan Ryan (Red) line stops here–use bus route #66
B. State/Grand subway stop: Howard-Dan Ryan (Red) line stops here–walk a block south to Illinois Street, use bus route #29 or #65
C. State/Lake elevated stop: Evanston Express (Purple, rush hour weekdays only), Lake Green), Midway (Orange) and Ravenswood (Brown) lines stop here–use bus route #29
#124 runs during show hours Saturdays and Sundays
Free trolley bus service: Runs every 20 minutes from alternate parking locations. It runs west on Grand Avenue to State Street, south on State Street to Illinois Street, east on Illinois to Navy Pier.
PACE EXPRESS BUS SERVICE:
During weekends only, express buses to Navy Pier depart at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. from both the Northwest Transportation Center in Schaumburg and the corner of Palmer Drive and Schiller Street in downtown Elmhurst. Return trips depart Navy Pier at 2 and 6 p.m. The round-trip fare is $7.50. Exact fare required on the bus ($5 each if buying six or more tickets). For more information, call 847-228- 2416 or see www.pacebus.com.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS:
(Limited parking available at Navy Pier for $9.50 to $19.50, depending on number of hours; reduced parking validation rate available at some Navy Pier restaurants.)
– From the north: East on Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) to Ohio Street, east to Fairbanks Court/Columbus Drive, south to Illinois Street and east to Navy Pier. Or south on Lake Shore Drive to Grand Avenue/Illinois Street exit, west on Grand, south on Fairbanks and east on Illinois.
– From the south: North on Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) to Ohio Street and follow the north directions. Or north on Lake Shore Drive to Grand Avenue/Illinois Street exit and east on Illinois.
– From the west: East on Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) and Congress Parkway to Columbus Drive, north to Illinois Street and east to Navy Pier.
Sources: CTA, Navy Pier
Chicago Tribune
