Mural Competition Celebrates Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hostelling International Chicago and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago recently announced the opening of the "Until Justice Rolls Down Like Waters" exhibition as part of the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Mural Competition. The opening reception at which awards were announced took place on January 18, 2010 from 5 – 7pm at the hostel.


As participants in the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Mural Competition, twelve student artists were challenged to create temporary works of art on the second floor windows of the hostel that not only commemorate the life and work of Dr. King, but also explore the continuing struggle for social justice today.

The exhibition was a juried competition, with judges from Hostelling International Chicago, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and previous Competition winners conferring awards. The 1st Place Prize was three-nights’ accommodation courtesy of Hostelling International – San Francisco, Downtown with an airfare voucher. 2nd Place Prize was two nights’ accommodation courtesy of Hostelling International – Madison with inter-city transportation. 3rd Place Prize was a $50 gift card courtesy of Utrecht Art Supplies.

The exhibition also featurs the "Our World – People, Places and Culture" photography collection from Winnipeg-based photographer Keith Levit. The collection features 25 portraits and landscapes captured during Levit’s travels, from the sand dunes of Namibia to the mountaintops of Peru, and speak to human connections across cultures and continents.

The twelve muralists were current students at or recent graduates from the Columbia College, Harold Washington College, Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago, Malcom X College, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Southampton Solent University: Katie Armentrout, Zebadiah Arrington, Alex Cohen, Alyssa Doren, Jazmin Giron, Antonia Gurkovska, Alice Jingxuan Hu, Rocky Loera, Mary Catherine Quinn, Cordarice Mark Thomas, Sho Tsunoda, Daniel Williams.

1st place winner was Antonia Gurkovska (see photo). To see photos of all the reception and all the murals, check out HI-Chicago's flickr set to the right.

The exhibition will be on display from January 18 – March 31, 2010, at Hostelling International Chicago, 24 East Congress Parkway. The exhibition is free and open to the public 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, seven days a week. The artists’ reception will take place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 18, 2010, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Mural Competition is part of the ongoing collaboration between Hostelling International Chicago and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Marilyn Williams: Passionate Traveler, Artist, and Hostel Volunteer

I have been working at the info desk on Friday afternoons since last June ('09). As a retired French and Spanish Teacher, I find many opportunities to use my language skills! I also love helping people and sharing my enthusiasm about travel. I started using hostels in 1970 when I was studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. I traveled all over Europe during school vacations and the summer of 1970. I have been passionately in love with travel ever since.

This is a perfect "job" for me because I feel travel has made me who I am.

After retiring from teaching French and Spanish, I went to a 4-year art school. I now paint from my travel photos (51 countries and counting). My art website is www.artismypassion.com.

I currently have 5 small paintings hanging in the dining room of the HI-Chicago hostel. How great it is to combine my passion for art and travel!

-Marilyn Williams, hostel volunteer

The Far Reaches of Hostelling International Chicago

Ilha Grande, Brazil



As I sit in HI-Chicago typing this, it’s hard to believe that only a week ago I was at another Hostelling International hostel in a very different part of the world, living in a very different way. Imagine a 45-minute hike to a white-sand beach as opposed to a 45-minute commute to work as white snow falls outside. Imagine hanging in a hammock under the open-air lobby of the hostel, waiting for a tropical storm to pass with your fellow travelers from Brazil, Argentina, and Australia. Imagine drinking fresh water out of a coconut instead of a latte in a paper cup. Imagine snorkeling, kayaking, and surfing as the day’s activities. This is life on Ilha Grande, an idyllic island off the coast of the Rio de Janeiro region of Brazil.

Ilha Grande (pronounced EEL-yah GRAHN-gee, literal translation: Big Island) is only 40 minutes off the mainland city of Angra dos Reis, but it feels like worlds away. Between 1940 and 1994, this 193 square kilometer island was a high-security prison and closed off from the public. The lack of human presence for all those years has allowed the island to preserve its wildlife and retain a sense of being a true paradise. Since 1994 tourism has grown rapidly, but the island is still an official ecological reservation and vehicles of any sort are forbidden. The only way to travel to different parts of the island is by boat or walking. Out of the 100 or so beaches on the island, we visited Praia Preta, a small black sand beach, and Lopes Mendes, known as the largest and prettiest beach on the island. Many people choose to take a ferry or taxi boat to get to Lopes Mendes, which is on the opposite side of the island from the center, but we opted to hike. The laborious 2.5 hour route takes you up and down the thickly vegetated jungle trails, but it’s entirely worth the effort upon arrival when you are greeted with the fine, white sand and the unbelievably transparent water. It is supposedly a great beach to spot turtles and go surfing, although we were just as content with our experience of wading in the shallow, lukewarm water and lying in the shade of the almond trees that line the interior side of the beach.




HI-Holandês, the 30-bed hostel that we called home in Ilha Grande, is a quaint compound of common areas, dormitories, and bungalows perched on the slope of a plush mountain. It is owned by a Brazilian woman and a Dutch man, who are assisted by their 22-year-old multi-lingual daughter Marcela. Thanks to the small size and comfortable common spaces, all the hostellers interacted naturally and freely. Every evening, the hostel cooks a big meal of typical Brazilian food for roughly $8.50, which is a good alternative to pricier restaurants in town. Most of the guests partake and everyone sits down to exchange stories of the day and decide which beach to venture to next. As dinner winds down, the hostel bar opens and guests enjoy Caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil, and cold-as-it-gets beer, a staple during hot Brazilian summers.

I highly recommend visiting Ilha Grande while it is still the untouched paradise that it is today (and put your HI membership to good use at HI-Holandês when you do!).

-Jessica Smith

The Great Chicago Fire

It was hot and dry evening in early October 1871 when Chicago burst into flames. Although the origin of the fire is forever lost in urban legend, the destruction was very real with the wooden shops and hotels of downtown being reduced to ashes. Even City Hall burned down. The raging fire crossed the Chicago River and jumped from roof to roof as citizen ran toward safety of the Lake Michigan. In the end, a third of the city's worth had burned down.

The map below shows the area of the damage.


Yet as traumatic as the Great Fire was, the event turned out to be an incredible opportunity for Chicago as businessmen and land speculators eagerly set out to rebuilding the city beyond its former glory. Like a phoenix, Chicago emerged as a thriving metropolis once again. The event lives on in the life of Chicago and its citizens who view any challenge as an opportunity.

The Interview

We caught up to this traveler at breakfast, the last one in the dining room.


HI: Hey, Whats your name?
Huw Ambrosio

HI: Whoa, that’s a pretty interesting name, where are you from?
Australia.

HI: Yeah, the accent gave you away. What brings you to Chicago?
I dunno, just traveling, I have some family here that I’m visiting for the holidays.

HI: Not staying with your family then?
I’ve actually never met them before, We’ve only spoken on the phone.

HI: Are you nervous about meeting them?
Yeah, a bit. laughs

HI: How long have you been in Chicago, have you had a chance to explore?
I’ve been here 2 nights, got lost in the way to Lincoln Park Zoo Did make It to the Chirstkindlesmart and some pub though.

HI: And your plans for tonight?
Some chick said she was having a birthday party and I think I’m tagging along-

HI: Well that sounds fun. Anything stand out to you about Chicago?
Yeah, the buildings have a lot of character, beautiful facades and all. In Australia
All the buildings are rather dull. The cold is pretty intense here too.

HI: Yes, you’re right, Chicago does have great architecture and a bitter winter. What do you do in Australia?
I’m studying to become a primary school teacher.

HI: That’s awesome man! Good Luck and thanks for the interview!
No problem.

December: A Month of Powerful Programming

Hostelling International Chicago's powerful cultural awareness programs were in full swing this month. Between the hostel's Cultural Kitchen program, which exposes Chicago high school students to the world and its people, Exchange Neighborhoods program, which brings together high school students of different ethnicities to promote understanding and peace, and Culture Quest program, which introduces younger students to the concepts of hostelling and the value of diversity, over 150 students graced the halls of our beautiful hostel. The hostel will reach over 1,000 students with our educational programs this school year.

Travelers are invited to join students for free meals associated with these programs, and volunteers are always needed for our Cultural Kitchen program to help students cook ethnic meals.

For more information about the hostel's educational programs, please visit:
http://www.hichicago.org/community.shtml

Megabus

Megabus is an discount intercity bus service that began in 2006. Fares start at a mere 1.00 dollar and a 50 cent booking fee although these are primarily promotions. A more typical fare like from Chicago to Minneapolis, MN is still only 20 bucks. Megabus manages to have such incredibly low fares by having very little infrastructure. For example, there is no Megabus station, with Chicago departures leaving from Union Station at a designated bus stop. Also, all purchases are done over the internet and riders must print out their reservation. Despite the low fares, Megabus manages to provide free wi-fi for its riders and its fleet of buses is soon to have electric outlets as well. It's also considered to be a more comfortable ride than Greyhound. Megabus looks like it is laying the ground work for country wide bus service but it is still only servicing three regions: Midwest, Northeast and Southwest. Below are the maps and routes:





To take advantage of the cheapest deals you have to make a reservation in advance although there usually are seats available in the last minute at highly affordable rates. Consider Megabus for your travels!

Special Offer:
100,000 seats are available for free for travel between the dates of Jan. 6, 2010 and March 20, 2010.
Use the promo code GETAWAY today to access sale seats that are available.
FREE seats are subject to availability and the $0.50 booking fee applies to all purchases. Promotion ends when all free seats are reserved.