Chicago is Shaping Up!

Winifred Creamer

Plans for the Chicago SAA Annual Meeting are taking shape. In addition to the many poster and paper sessions, roundtables, workshops, and other special events will add to our enjoyment. A reception at the Field Museum will be one of the highlights. Open to the first 300 people who sign up, the reception is being sponsored by the Field Museum Anthropology Department and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), highlighting recent archaeological projects at both institutions.

The Field Museum has been cataloguing the archaeological collections of the late Paul Martin, Southwest archaeologist extraordinaire. Martin worked at a number of sites that yielded fundamental data on the American Southwest, including Cordova Cave and the SU site. Faculty members at UIC have been engaged in a variety of research, including projects that involve Field Museum collections and collaboration with Field Museum curators. Poster displays of these projects will share research results. Information on the joint UIC-Field Museum Ph.D. Program in Anthropology will be available.

For those who do not plan to stray far from the friendly confines of the Sheraton, there are a number of places to visit within walking distance. Navy Pier includes an IMAX show and the Chicago Children's Museum. From there you can see the lakeshore waterfront. In the opposite direction, crossing the Chicago River on the Michigan Avenue bridge, you can visit the Daley Center, where cultural events are scheduled daily. From the Hancock Building observation deck you can get a great view of the city. These are all in addition to the shopping district along North Michigan Avenue. To experience the night life in the neighborhood, try the House of Blues, Blue Chicago, or Excalibur. Look for the restaurant guide in your registration packet for places to eat that (1) are located near the meeting hotels, (2) have great ethnic cuisine, or (3) have some special quality not already mentioned. We look forward to seeing you!

Winifred Creamer, chair of the Local Arrangements Committee for the Annual Meeting in Chicago, is in the Department of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.