South Loop Rising

After languishing for decades as a bleak landscape of warehouses and rail yards, Chicago's South Loop is afire. Condo sales are booming, big-box stores are blossoming, and chic restaurants are...

Dennis Rodkin

Say Cheese!

In verdant southwestern Wisconsin, independent-minded dairymen and women (and their pampered cows) more than hold their own against mass-produced Cheddar

Joanne Trestrail

The Wendy City

If you don't know her already, you will soon. Wendy Abrams eco-advocate, political insider, philanthropist, mother of four unveils Chicago's new public sculpture project this summer. And it's no...

Debra Pickett

The Speech

When Barack Obama launched into his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he was still an obscure state senator from Illinois. By the time he finished 17 minutes later, he had...

David Bernstein

AKA Chainsaw Babydoll

Ann Wiens

One, Two, Cha-Cha-Cha

Dancing with the Stars is so May sweeps. Just put down that remote and catch the interactive alfresco version: dancing under the stars. Here are a few—mostly free—places to perfect your samba...

Jennifer Wehunt

Waters' Mark

Having learned their lessons from California, two Chicago treasures face off with two Bay Area icons

Dennis Ray Wheaton

Know Thyself

What can Internet quizzes teach you about yourself? Everything—and then some. The Closer selflessly self-inspects.

Jeff Ruby

High Art

Just off the Magnificent Mile, two collectors transform a space formerly occupied by the French restaurant Ciel Bleu into a duplex penthouse with views from every room—home is where the art is.

Christine Newman

How We Compare: Green Space

The results are in—Chicago may have a reputation for being “green,” but when it comes to actual park space, the city has fewer parkland acres per resident than does any of the nine other...

Nadine Kenney

Price Watch: Summer Camp

“Choosing a camp is kind of like pricing a car,” says Gordie Kaplan, executive director of the American Camp Association, Illinois. “There are a lot of factors to consider.” No kidding....

Karin Horgan Sullivan

Evil Genius?

Who knew wordplay could be chic? Wicker Park gets its first bar with a palindrome for a name. PLUS: Two more new spots

Sarah Preston

The Memory Catcher

Stuart Dybek’s acclaimed short stories draw heavily on his experiences growing up in Little Village. Now his vivid characters are finding new life onstage at Victory Gardens Theater

Mara Tapp

Brian Duncan

This summer, the most spirited man in town takes his private label wines beyond Bin 36.

Liz Grossman

Well Heeled

Straight from Europe to the North Side: handmade, limited-edition shoes from the likes of Missoni. At MARKY, a boutique devoted almost entirely to shoes, footwear doesn’t merely complement the...

Rebecca Little

The Short List

Yo-Yo Ma reflects; around the world with Shel; fore! a tip from a golf pro; guerrilla design; and more for June

Buster, not Bozo

Talk about “wild and nuts.” The performers behind 500 Clown just quit their day jobs.

Kevin Mckeough

The Shake-Up Artist

Chicago speaks to new alderman Sandi Jackson—Jesse Jackson Jr.’s wife—about her aspirations, why Jesse Jr. shouldn’t shop, and Obama versus Hillary.

Debra Pickett

Fashion? OK, Go!

Trolling Milwaukee Avenue with pop's most stylish quartet

Kevin McKeough

Writers on the Record with Victoria Lautman - Nathan Englander

When Nathan Englander published his first collection of short stories (For the Relief of Unbearable Urges), in 1999, he drew comparisons to Roth, Bellow, and Joyce. Here was a young (age: 29)...

Victoria Lautman

Direct Hit

What inspires Wicker Park filmmaker Malik Bader's neo-noir movies? Chicago's gritty underbelly.

Veronica Hinke

Psst! There's Art in #4A

In turning their living rooms into exhibition spaces, some young entrepreneurs are bridging the gap between elite West Loop galleries and the emerging art scene. “It forces me to mop more,”...

Joanna Topor MacKenzie and Carrie Napolilli

Anatomy of a $995 Clutch

Meet "Vivian," the debut offering from Chicago's Phoenix Rising.

Carrie Napolilli

Style Sheet

Talk about post cards from the edge: right now our favorite design finds are from museum and hotel gift shops.

Barri Leiner

Touching the Void

When police said they had finally solved the 1981 murder of a young Lincoln Park woman, it brought a terrible crime closer to resolution, and stirred agonizing memories for her loved ones.

Dirk Johnson

Deal Estate

A Winnetka house with a historic precedent, an urban hideaway in Wicker Park, and slim pickings for low-paid public servants

Dennis Rodkin

Deal Estate Condos

Condo News

Dennis Rodkin

Dining Tidbits

Budget Beat, Italian, East African, Big Opening

Recipe File

Milk & Honey's Carrot Cake

Jennifer Tanaka