Jayne Cooperman

Jayne's love of travel began the summer she turned 4, when she was part of a caravan of neighbors who motored from their steamy apartments in Washington Heights to the relative coolness of Alan Jay's bungalow colony in Peekskill, NY. Memorable trips followed: Pennsylvania Dutch Country with her parents and little brother; Colonial Williamsburg and Washington, DC with her 6th and 8th grade classes, respectively; Mount Rushmore and Bryce Canyon on a cross-country teen tour; junior year spent living with a local family in the Pyrenees and "studying" at the Sorbonne in Paris; a 20-something summer with friends in Israel; a languid cruise through Costa Rica and Panama... These journeys fed her love of culture, as she observed each place’s unique character expressed through the performing arts. Back home in New York, she's cried her way through "Burn This" and "Carousel," been rained out at multiple performances of Shakespeare in the Park, sung and swayed to Paul Simon in Central Park, and learned about dance from atop the 4th ring of the New York City Ballet. "Performance Space," Jayne’s column for Travel Squire, seeks to share the joy she feels from a mesmerizing monologue, an electrifying rendition of a favorite song, or a perfectly executed jeté.

Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago

The Music of Something Beginning The Regeneration of Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre Renaissance.  It’s a term one hears a lot lately on the subject of the Drury Lane Theatre, along with Legacy and, perhaps most especially, Family.  At a time when theater in general, and regional theater in particular, faces … Read more

Performance Space Talks To: Rachel Rockwell, Director

  Complete creative control. That’s the mouth-watering carrot Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre is dangling before its directors this season.  Each will get to choose not only the show they want to do, but the design team they need to help them realize their vision, the cast they feel can best … Read more

Mercadito, Chicago

Chicago takes its Mexican food very seriously.  Expectations are high, and justifiably so in the city that has arguably done more to put authentic Mexican cuisine on the U.S. map than just about any other. Mercadito (“little market”) definitely has the proper pedigree to play in this culinary sandbox. Chef-owner … Read more

Palmer House, Chicago

  There are those hotels that meet the needs of the typical traveler. They’re conveniently located, reasonably priced, and offer comfy rooms with cushy mattresses, flat screens and Wi-Fi. Then there are those that do that, of course, and something more. They provide a sense of elegance, of romance, of … Read more