Nothing’s more frightening than a deadly dull love life, so why not parlay a Halloween-themed rendezvous into a spine-tingling night out with your sweetie?
If your love life is:
rife with mind games
Try: an evening with a psychic
The trickiest thing about a date is knowing how it will end. Does he like you? Will she invite you up? If you’ve ever wished you knew what your date was thinking, Sidney Friedman may be able to help. Head to Davenport’s Piano Bar and Cabaret for The Great Sidini’s Sixth Annual Halloween Psychic Soiree, an interactive Halloween-weekend performance in which Friedman reads minds, senses (and plays) audience members’ piano requests, and levitates a randomly selected volunteer 3 feet off the ground. Now that’s what we call sweeping your date off her feet. 8 p.m. Oct. 29-30. $13-$18; two-drink minimum. 1383 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-278-1830.
If your love life is: lifeless
Try: a vivacious art exhibit
Resuscitate your next date with a shot of culture. Eerie exhibit “Exquisite Corpse” at the Art House features works inspired by a Surrealist technique, cadavre exquis (or “exquisite corpse”), in which a poem or drawing is completed by several different people, each of whom isn’t allowed to see the work of the previous artists. After an evening of bizarre art offerings, any glimpse your date gets of your wacky inner workings will seem downright tame. Check metromix.com for times. Through Nov. 20. Free. 43 Harrison St., Oak Park. 708-763-9533.
If your love life is: stone cold
Try: a cemetery tour
The view from the street gives only a hint of the scenic 120 acres that lie beyond the gates of Graceland Cemetery. Pick up a free map at the office to help find notable tenants and stroll through headstones that read like a veritable “Who’s Who” of the city’s history. Don’t miss Marshall Field’s final resting place; if you listen closely, you’re sure to hear him doing a name change-inspired rollover. 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. 4001 N. Clark St. 773-525-1105.
Bonus: Not up for navigating as just a twosome? Take a two-hour Chicago Architecture Foundation tour. 2 p.m. Sunday. $5-$10. 312-922-3432. Need a sipper to warm your soul after a tiptoe through the tombstones? Try the the Global Spiced Cider ($8) at The Globe Pub, just a short jaunt away. 1934 W. Irving Park Rd. 773-871-3757.
If your love life is:
a sinking ship
Try: a riverside rendezvous
New steak-and-seafood joint Fulton’s on the River may feature a familiar menu, but its view from the Reid Murdoch building is more than just another waterfront vista. The eatery looks out on the stretch of the Chicago River that was the site of one of the country’s most devastating marine tragedies. Back in 1915, the Eastland excursion steamer was loaded with employees of the Western Electric Co. when the boat rolled over and sank, killing more than 800. Keep your eye out for their ghosts, rumored to haunt the area. 315 N. LaSalle St. 312-822-0100.
If your love life:
could use a little magic
Try: front row seats
Yeah, we know “Wicked” has been in town for a while, but we’re still enchanted by this glitzy, pre-Dorothy Oz spectacle. Though dinner plus primo seats could haunt your credit card statement for months, you can make the night a little less gruesome and enter the day-of-performance ticket drawing for a chance to purchase one or two of 20 seats in the front two rows for only $25 each (see metromix.com for drawing details and showtimes). $27.50-$82.50. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. 312-977-1700.
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metromix@tribune.com
