Features

Overrated/Underrated Chicago, edited by Jan Parr
From San Giancana and the ’69 Cubs, to Howard Van Doren Shaw and Eleventh Dream Day, we identify the overhyped and the unsung of our city.

A Matter of Trusts, by Robert Sharoff
At stake in the battle between the Searle family and the Chicago Community Trust is about $20 million annually-as well as the future of hundreds of civic and cultural groups.

Showdown, by David Zivan
Accompanied by his alter egos-the risk-taking card player and the professional family man-the writer James McManus headed for the World Series of Poker. As his new book details, a good time was had by all.

The Hundred Years’ War, by Cassie Walker
For more than a century, Northwestern University and the city of Evanston have been uneasy neighbors. Now the long simmering tensions-which have revolved around issues of money between the cash-strapped town and the cash cow university-have reached the boiling point.

At Home: Lighten Up, by Christine Newman
After years on the Gold Coast, it was time to strike out and tame the West Loop with modern and contemporary classics.

Departments

Letters

Contributors

Frontlines
Cakes as art form; a new boutique for show lovers; kosher wines; more

Style Sheet, by Stacy Wallace-Albert
Get smart-some T-tops can make a difference that counts.

Arts Beat
Mary Zimmerman shapes a Greek tragedy into a modern antiwar parable; Estrogen Fest celebrates the sisterhood; the musical documentary America 1941 is reprised for a benefit that stars John Mahoney and Jackie Allen; meanwhile, corporate art dollars hold at par, sort of.

How We Spend | Auto Focus, by Clare La Plante
Chicago households spend less than the national average on cars. Aversion to pickups and affinity for domestic makers also drive the local market.

Dining Out | Dining Inn Style, by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Gifted new chefs, same stunning rooms: At a pair of ambitious upscale hotels, all is well in the world of fine dining.

Real Lives | Photo Finish, by Marcia Froelke Coburn
Stylist Patric Chauvez brings photo finish to the mysterious highs of high fashion-he believes in magic.

Deal Estate, by Dennis Rodkin
Stratospheric price tags rival San Francisco’s and New York’s; a revamped Palmolive Building; new condos in Evanston and the South Loop

Nightspotting, by Sarah Preston
Marie’s Riptide Lounge in Bucktown is a shot-and-a-beer stalwart-and maybe the perfect neighborhood bar.

The Closer, by Jeff Ruby
From jalapeno poppers to pesky bathroom attendants, Chicago’s taverns have problems far more worrisome than cigarette smoke.