Here at Ray's we are lucky enough to be about a 90 second walk from one of our favorite places to hang out in the City -Holstein Park.
Hostein boasts one of the most impressive field houses in the city architecturally, especially for being tucked into our little neighborhood. If you are a fan of brickwork you should definitely check it out. They also have a playground, free pool, and several community programs. You can find the pool schedule and rules of conduct on their website.
Last night Holstein was the host of Movies in the Parks, a popular summer program here where you can park it on the lawn of your neighborhood park and watch a movie outside, and if you're lucky it'll be a night like last night, cool breeze, no bugs, and no screaming babies (a couple barking dogs but, we think they're cuter than babies anyway). It's a pretty low-maintenance way to spend your evening but here are a few tips to help enjoy yourself:
B-DON'T be that person who sits on an elevated camping chair, unless you are clear at the back, or enjoy daggers in the back of your head from all the more conscientious folk.
-DO bring a snack or two - no loud wrappers please (a nicely curated meat and cheese plate is always nice, just beware of sitting next to a pup with such a spread)
-IF you can't forgo your favorite bottle of pino, (It's unclear whether alcohol is permitted) do so discretely and without any keg stands please.
-ALWAYS recycle, and toss your trash, this is not a frat party and Holstein holds daycamps every morning - stepping on a broken beer bottle can definitely ruin a 7 year old's soccer game.
Get there early if you want a prime seat, but the screen is large enough to see from anywhere, it's more the sound level that improves with closer seating.
Our first movie of the summer was Labyrinth, a "film" in which David Bowie plays a Gremlin King (see exhibit A to your right, featuring a tightly-knickered Bowie dancing with his Gremlin minions) who has abducted a baby and lures a 15 year old girl into his Castle Labyrinth. It's weird, it's got songs, it's got gremlins, it's got a bog of eternal stench, and when you watch it with subtitles some more creepy nuances come out that you may have otherwise missed. Definitely something worth checking out.
Holstein is a small park and therefore we only get 2 movies a year, the next one is Zootopia on August 29th - if you are staying at Ray's you should seriously consider going - it's a great way to feel like you're a part of the neighborhood.
Also, here is a full list of the Movies in the Parks dates and locations: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/movies/