Features
The Day Clout Struck Out
by Steve Rhodes
With its powerful principals, political backing, and good location, a casino in Rosemont should have had smooth sailing. But despite the favorable odds, so far everyone is still losing.
No Regrets
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
Sixties radical Bill Ayers’s group used bombs and white-hot rhetoric to rage against war and bourgeois society. Now a husband, father, and respected professor, Ayers has written a memoir that offers perspective – but no apologies.
The Art of Summer
by Christine Newman
After this couple decided to adopt children, they renovated their house in Michigan. Now heaven is a playground.
The Best of Chicago
Our annual search for the area’s best people, places, and things focuses on nine Chicago neighborhoods, five suburbs, and the 11,000-acre Palos Division of the Cook County Forest Preserves – and yields more than 120 peerless picks for eating, shopping, and playing in our incomparable metropolis.
Departments
Letters
Contributors
Frontlines
Dining in discomfort: the city’s least inviting restaurant chairs; a gourmet food store to rival Dean & DeLuca; more
Style Sheet
by Stacy Wallace-Albert
Heavy metal makes a comeback in decorative accessories. Roll the dice.
Stage & Screen
by Penelope Mesic
Famous Door Theatre is taking things up a level with the U.S. premiere of Jonathan Harvey’s dazzling, cosmic Hushabye Mountain.
Consumer Retorts
by Terry Sullivan
Which bar offers the most deftly mixed sidecar in town? Hint: Look up – about 96 stories high.
Deal Estate
by Dennis Rodkin
Black Jack McDowell, the former Sox pitcher, strikes out for California, and an oil executive regretfully sells his North Shore Tudor mansion.
Reporter
by Dennis Rodkin
Welcome to the stingiest town around, a homey, working-class
Adult Ed
by Libby Morse
We found eight great classes for fall, offering instruction ranging from drawing to hula, from starting a business to landing that dream job.
Dining Out
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
We track a pair of high-profile upscale spots to find that one is pushing full speed ahead, while the other is running in place.
Expert Witness
by Carrie Sager
Hip designer Suhail just put the finishing touches on MTV’s Real World house. Now he has tips – on color, trends, and inspiration – for your place.
Chicago Guides
Prime Time
They’re off! Catch the running of the Arlington Million, the only U.S. even that is a stop on the Emirates World Series of Racing, this month at Arlington Park.
Restaurants
Ravinia
The music sounds sweeter with a basket from Lake Forest Food and Wine.
Listings
Streeterville’s Les Nomades breaks into four-star territory.