Lont-time Chicagoan Nadia Oehlsen reveals her secrets for living the
good life free and cheaply in the Windy City, including how to enjoy
free concerts, movies, comedy acts, and magic shows, where to get free
food and wine (including Sunday brunch on the house), information on
free days at museums and the Shedd Aquarium, the lowdown on Chicago's
TV tapings and live shows, and much more.
Nadia Oehlsen
was born in Chicago but raised in a Central Illinois hamlet. She
returned to the big city as a young writer eager to make a name for
herself. As a freelancer, she soon developed the essential career
skills of touring museums on their free-admission days, finding
no-cover concerts at local music venues, ushering to see plays for
free, finding free cheese samples, and living in stylish comfort by
acquiring other people’s trash. She even got around to writing
sometimes. As a journalist for general interest and trade publications,
Nadia has churned out a lot of how-to articles over the years,
including how to process chemicals, how to fix bicycles, how to remove
body parts from crime scenes, and the various methods one may employ to
pay for goods and services. She prefers explaining how not to pay. As
an English-as-a-second-language teacher, Nadia has explained the crazy
rules of her native grammar to adults and youth from all over the
world. In return, they’ve given her friendships and cultural insights
she’ll always cherish. She lives and works in Chicago and da ‘burbs.
“Your role as a cheap bastard is not to try to cheat people out of
the services or wares they're trying to make a living selling. It's not
to try to grab more than your share or to confine yourself to some sad,
stingy existence either. It's to graciously take people up on their
offers of generosity and to give back some of your talents and
resources in return. In doing so, you'll find yourself more connected
to the community of talented Chicagoans and great Chicago institutions
around you: locally produced arts, locally organized education, local
public institutions, conversations with your neighbors, used
possessions that carry fun stories of their acquisitions or mysteries
of why they and their previous owners were parted.”
From Page 153 - Shopping: If You Must
“To be fair, I have a pretty high standard for what counts as
reasonably priced apparel: Costs more to clean it than it did to buy
it. ... Don't judge Chicago's thrift stores by those you've known in
other cities. While most local shops stock the requisite rainbow leg
warmers, sad clown paintings, and plaid couches for fans of ironic
vintage, the city has a steady supply of donors to keep the thrift
stores listed here also stocked with high-end and trendy fashions and
household goods from this very decade.”
From Page 147 – Scavenging: Reclaiming Chic
“When the uninitiated see someone rifling through garbage, their
reaction is often pity. When I encounter a "Dumpster diver," I'm more
likely to think Dang, he found my favorite spot! Chicago is lucky to
have an extensive system of alleys that keep most Dumpsters off of
front sidewalks and yards and -- more importantly -- that serve as a
citywide strip mall of free used stuff.”
From Page 173 – Bicycling: Free Wheeling
“Sure, Chicago gets bitterly cold in the winter and oppressively
hot in the summer. Even then, you'll see bicyclists--and not just the
crazy death-wish kind--whizzizng around the busiest streets, looking
happier and healthier than average. If you feel timid, stick to empty
side streets and uncrowded trails until you build more confidence, and
attend classes and easy rides sponsored by the organizations and clubs
listed here.”
From Page 198 – Art Galleries: Show Me The Monet
“Opening receptions of new art installations at galleries usually
serve free wine to attendees. It may be served in Dixie cups, but that
free fermented nectar of the gods helps make even the most obtuse art
make perfect sense. Some receptions throw in free food, too, but noshes
are hit or miss, so don't show up in a remote gallery district on an
empty stomach expecting free appetizers to keep the free wine from
going straight to your head.”
More Than 1000 Free Listings in The Cheap Bastard’s Guide™ to Chicago!
