Here Are Some Great Summer Road Trips You Can Take From Chicago

With drive times under a couple of hours, these are the staff's favorite out-and-back excursions from the city.

Five Great Food Vacations for Chicago Travelers with an Appetite

The best summer getaways for the city's foodies are on the west coast, around our region, and in Canada. Be there (and be hungry) in 4 hours or less.

By Elaine Glusac, Nina Kokotas Hahn, and Lauren Viera

Here Are Five Summer Vacations for Chicago's Culture Lovers

New Orleans. Nashville. East Lansing, Michigan? Driving or flying, great cultural destinations are only a few hours away.

By Elaine Glusac, Nina Kokotas Hahn, and Lauren Viera

Five Summer Trips for Adventure Seekers in Chicago

Montana wilderness, Utah mountain biking, and Wisconsin rock climbing—it's all just a few hours' drive or flight away.

By Elaine Glusac, Nina Kokotas Hahn, and Lauren Viera

Four Reasons Chicago’s Design Scene Is So Important Right Now

These trendsetting stores, people, and products are shaping the city's good taste.

By Gina Bazer and Jessica Nikolich

How to Build a Perfect Picnic This Summer

You can’t control the weather, but you can make sure the food is amazing. Here’s how—with a little help from some of Chicago’s best chefs.

By Carly Boers, Penny Pollack, and Jeff Ruby

Check Out This Rad House With a Silo

This Wisconsin vacation home is about as fun as it gets for two kids, and the classic aesthetic fits the style of the grown-ups.

By Tate Gunnerson

This Beautiful Wisconsin Vacation Retreat Is a Modern Home Disguised as a Barn

How do you build a modern structure that fits in with its rural setting? Just put the new systems in a familiar silhouette.

By Gina Bazer

This Secret Garden in Lake View Looks Like an Extra-Large Slice of Heaven

High walls hide away the leafy, romantic oasis behind a graystone on Barry Avenue.

By Joanne Trestrail

Why the Smartest People in the Midwest All Move To Chicago

Edward McClelland explains how Chicago rose above the Rust Belt cities to become the undisputed star of the Midwest, in an excerpt from his new book, Nothin' But Blue Skies.

By Edward McClelland

Theaster Gates: The Rise of an Unconventional Art Star

Theaster Gates believes that good art can rescue bad neighborhoods. Here’s how he has convinced the international art world to buy into his vision.

By Cassie Walker Burke and Elly Fishman

How Michael Shannon Will Be a Bad Guy in the New Superman Movie

The Chicago actor's past roles offer a clue as to how he'll play the Man of Steel's nemesis, the dastardly General Zod.

By Emmet Sullivan

Here Are the Five Best Things to Do in Chicago This June

With Twin Shadow, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Gordon Matta-Clark, the local June culture calendar is packed.

By Amanda Sims

These Could Be Chicago's Next Breakout Artists

As the indispensable West Loop art incubator Threewalls turns 10 (with a birthday bash on June 15), here's a look at the artists executive director Shannon Stratton sees as its rising stars.

By Jason Foumberg

Having a Beer with Smith Westerns on a Monday Afternoon

On their third album, 'Soft Will,' the local rockers debut a more grown-up sound.

By Dan Hyman

Here’s How Mary Zimmerman Created Goodman Theatre’s ‘The Jungle Book’

It took the Disney film, Kipling's text, and two trips to India to get the story right.

Someone Paid $829,900 in Cash on the First Day This Ukrainian Village Home Went Up For Sale

A buyer ponied up the money in a flash once this immaculate, 4,000 square foot, 11-year-old home hit the market.

By Dennis Rodkin

Has Spiaggia Sold Out?

Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia are two Italian legends under one Mag Mile roof. Great food. Ridiculous prices. They're tourist traps—but maybe you should go anyway.

By Jeff Ruby

Go to the 10 Hottest Restaurants in Chicago This June

Homeslice and Brindille are two of the newest additions to the places everyone in Chicago wants to dine at this month.

By Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby

The 15 Best Things to Do in Oak Park

Here's how to experience the character and craftsmanship in the western suburb that Ernest Hemingway and Frank Lloyd Wright once called home.

By Kevin McKeough

Here Are Six Horrible Chicago Summer Festivals You've Never Heard Of

It’s high season for outdoor jamborees in Chicago. Some of them might be the worst day of your life.

By Paul Hornschemeier

Ten Things a Fearless Interior Designer Has in Her Home

The Le Corbusier boxes, Izumi sculpture, and classic Barcelona chairs at home in Highland Park with Anne Kaplan, cofounder of Insight Environmental Design.

By Heiji Choy Black

Now Is the Time to Get Some Delicious Ripe Strawberries

They're in season, and this recipe to serve them with ricotta, balsamic, and basil is one way to make the berries even better.

By Penny Pollack

The 5 Best Lobster Rolls in Chicago

Find your inner New Englander with a few lumps of lobster stuffed inside a bun.

By Peter Gianopulos

Homestyle Taste Is a Great Budget Spot for Northern Chinese in Bridgeport

It's a good pick, whether you're up for braised beef tendons with sea cucumber, or you just want to stick to garlicky deep-fried string beans. But you and a friend may fight for the leftovers.

By Joanne Trestrail

The Neighborhood Already Loves Fountainhead's New Executive Chef

Cleetus Friedman is back in business at the beercentric gastropub with the excellent rooftop bar.

By Carly Boers

Here Are Three Great New Chicago Pizza Places

These new parlors prove that Chicago's pizza can go beyond the deep dish.

By Carly Boers

These Are the Best Store Openings and Shopping Deals in June

This month's Sales Check has a Wicker Park Street Fest, the Old Town Art Fair, cosmetics, swimwear, and more.

By Lynn Okura Bey

A Former Walgreens Exec Sold This Gold Coast Condo for $3.875 Million

The 36th-floor unit in the Waldorf Astoria went for 27 percent more than Joe Magnacca paid for it in 2011.

By Dennis Rodkin

Five Reasons a Casino in Chicago Is Such a Gamble

There's no road map. The market is saturated. And that's just the start of the possible problems.

By William Spain

Deal of the Month: An Oak Park Home for $340,000

With three bedrooms, a finished basement, and plenty of outdoor space, this 2,200-square-foot property is a lot of house for the marked-down price.

By Dennis Rodkin

What Chris Kennedy Is Doing With the New Wolf Point Project

How the former head of the Merchandise Mart plans to redevelop riverfront land that's been in his family since the 1940s.

The Kennedys Are From Chicago, Too

Chris Kennedy is not the only member of the prominent family to show an interest in Chicago.

By Dennis Rodkin and Jessica Nikolich

Chi-Slam Table Tennis Club Is Chicago’s Ping-Pong Headquarters

Here's a look inside the city's suddenly resurgent Ping-Pong scene.

By Adam Doster