Nothing But Net: 171 Great Chicago Web Sites

Lost in front of the Web address bar? Search engines letting you down? We scoured the Web to find the sites that make the lives of Chicagoans better in the real world, winnowing the chaff from the...

Stuart Luman, Graham Meyer, and Dawn Reiss

Suite Dreams

With the Trump opening and more luxury spots on the way, the competition in the city among high-end hotels for big-spending travelers—VIPs, celebrities, the garden-variety rich—is hotter than...

Noah Isackson

Net Pix

Since the photo-sharing Web site Flickr went online four years ago, it has amassed more than 2 billion photographic images—and nearly 1.9 million of them have a Chicago connection. From an...

Brittney Blair

Mr. Un-Popularity

Rod Blagojevich was something of a golden boy when he became the governor of Illinois—a young, charismatic champion of change with powerful backers and presidential aspirations. Now he may be the...

David Bernstein

February 2008 Table of Contents

E-Tail Wagging

More Americans than ever are clicking "Add to Cart." Check this out: how much Chicago spends online and what all that cash buys.

Dawn Reiss

Changing Channels

Local TV stations are investing heavily in high-definition technology and reaching out to viewers via the Web. Can the new strategy save their shrinking ratings—or are they just jumping the shark?

Robert Reed

Sure-Fire Sparks

The pressure's on for the perfect date, particularly around Valentine's Day. Here are some foolproof, out-of-the-ordinary ideas to make your crush fall head over heels.

Kim Conte

Dining Tidbits

Magic oven, fusion, new, and budget beat

Dining Out: Head of the Brass

Dennis Ray Wheaton

The Best Steaks in Chicago?

The rib eye at David Burke's Primehouse is astounding in texture and flavor

Dennis Ray Wheaton

Duck Duck Goose

Upscale restaurants are frying fries in duck fat. Which are the best?

Dennis Ray Wheaton

Chefs on the Grill - Carol Wallack

Carol Wallack reminisces about how a bad beach day changed her life from surfer girl to carrot peeler to restaurant doyenne of Sola. 3868 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-327-3868

Michael Nagrant

Ode-errific

I think that I shall ne'er behold / a poem, lovely as the ode / on suburbs that will here unfold.

Jeff Ruby

Building a Better Ballot

How fonts, type size, and shading improve our democracy

Ted McClelland

Board Stiff

The only thing missing from this crop of fashionable snowboarding accessories: a lift ticket for Park City

Barri Leiner

Beyond the Bar Scene

Sometimes Cupid needs a little help. Meet a few singles who were looking for love, and the matchmakers—both old-fashioned and newfangled—that brought them together.

Dawn Reiss & Cassie Walker

Bad Medicine

How a Midwest con man swindled a pre-Viagra nation

Cassie Walker

Shopper: Amazing Cosmetics

Two moms befriend each other and open an international cosmetic storefront in Libertyville

Rebecca Little

Writers on the Record

Victoria Lautman chats with Russell Banks.

Victoria Lautman

The Buzz Bin

Kathryn Kerrigan launches a line of separates and eveningwear for tall women

Rebecca Little

Sales Check

A roundup of sales, store openings, and shopping news in February 2008

Rebecca Little

Lifesavers

Elmhurst-based nutritionist David Grotto writes a book about foods that do the body good. Here are five of his smartest finds, plus a recipe for the book's elderberry ice cream pie

Mark Byrne

You Should Know... Nora Dunn

In between Entourage and Judd Apatow's latest flick, the Saturday Night Live vet tackles something gag-free: Off-Loop theatre.

Claire Zulkey

Arc Moderne

IIT's Crown Hall is transformed into a "rolling landscape" for an intimate Hubbard Street Dance Chicago series.

Cassie Walker

Long Time Coming

We chat with director Brett Morgen, whose film Chicago 10 finally hits area movie theatres February 29th.

Graham Meyer

The Noble One Speaks

The two sides of Joakim Noah: the pedigreed Frenchman and the scrappy Bulls rookie

Josh Schollmeyer

The Blip - February 2008

Developer Waves the Red Flag

Crimson highlights help Mod stand out from other new neighborhood construction

Dennis Rodkin

A Family Affair

Yale Prof designed house for his sister and brother-in-law

Dennis Rodkin

Not The QB

The other Jim McMahon scores with pricey, elegant residences

Dennis Rodkin

Paper Tiger

Bucking current trends, Nuestra Casa plans a nationwide expansion

Dennis Rodkin

At the Alter

Another round of new housing means more change at CHA site

Dennis Rodkin

Holding All The Cards

Siblings' teamwork powers Ace Development

Dennis Rodkin

A Second Wave

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg's book about the 1995 Chicago heat wave moves into the theatre with a script by local playwright Steven Simoncic.

Nora O'Donnell

Beauty and the Beat

Jade Simmons Part of Ravinia's Rising Stars series. February 29th at 8 p.m.

Katherine Millett

Don't Miss: Model Citizen

James Blunt, Citizen Cope come to town

Kevin McKeough

Don't Miss: A Walk in the Clouds

Visitors wade through helium-filled "pillows" that float, floor to ceiling, through a 2,000-square-foot gallery in the Loyola University Museum of Art.

Working for the Man—and the Woman

Philipp Posch, the food and beverage director for the Trump International Hotel and Tower, gives us the scoop on Rebar

Sarah Preston

And They're Off!

A new sportsbook-slash-sports bar plays the odds in River North

Sarah Preston