Features
A Special Report: Money In Chicago
A comprehensive look at who’s earning how much, who’s hit it big, how some struggle with it, and how you could do better with yours.
Who Makes What
From A-list celebrities to street musicians, and CEOs to wage slaves, we reveal how much some Chicagoans earn for a living. Does your paycheck measure up?
The Money Makers
By Margaret Littman
Ten Chicago entrepreneurs who have recently found success-and, in some cases, extreme personal wealth-talk about how they did it.
The Annotated Forbes 400
By David Bernstein
Meet the 19 Chicagoans on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the richest people in the United States.
The Richest Chicagoans of All Time
By Dennis Rodkin
Our inflation-equalizing machine compares the fortunes of the city’s wealthiest citizens, past and present.
Getting By
By Bryan Smith
When, if ever, does uneasiness about money go away? Three Chicago families-one well-off, one middle class, and one working poor-tell their stories.
The Geography of Money
A color-coded map of 77 Chicago neighborhoods and 199 suburbs reveals the habitats of the haves and the have-nots-and everybody in between.
What Financial Pros Know (that you may not)
By Shane Tritsch
It’s never too early to start saving your pennies. But then what? Free advice from money experts.
At Home: Curtain Call
By Christine Newman
The design for the architect Rodrigo del Canto’s house in Old Town was simple; the results are visually sensational.
Departments
Letters
Contributors
Arena
Artist Casey Gunschel decks the walls with 1940s flair; Chicago-trained comics lend their “truthiness” to Stephen Colbert; tour Angels in America behind the scenes with director Sean Graney; Bridgeport sports baseball, edgy art, and a mean Bloody Mary brunch; bridge-bashing with the Italian architect Renzo Piano; Victoria Lautman chats up reformed 1980s bad boy Jay McInerney; Break Up art, breakout design, more
Plus: The Shopper, Style Sheet, and Sales Check
How We Spend
By Clare La Plante
Aspiring parents seeking fertility treatments in Chicago are paying more than couples on the coasts.
Plus: How our fast-food eating habits compare
Reporter | Is Separate Better?
By Kevin McKeough
The son of a high-profile African American couple, Tim King has devoted most of his professional life to educating less privileged young black men. His next challenge: a new all-male high school
History | Old Glory
By Sarah Downey
After decades as a playground for Chicago’s social register set, the South Shore Country Club was reinvented as a cultural center-but only after community leaders fought a 30-year battle to keep the place from being torn down.
Deal Estate
By Dennis Rodkin
Three real-estate agents make their best (hypothetical) offers on an Old Town penthouse.
Plus: Other housing news from the city and suburbs
Nightspotting
By Sarah Preston
The Four Corners Tavern Group enhances the Loop’s nightlife scene with Sidebar Grille, which has fast become a haven for legal eagles.
Classifieds
The Closer | Dogma
By Jeff Ruby
Dog lovers are known to grow to resemble their domestic charges. This month, The Closer determines what owning a specific breed says about you.
Events
Chicago Guide®
During April: Even in periods of precarious existence, the Joffrey Ballet has seldom put a foot wrong. Peerless in performance, the company is celebrating 50 years of excellence with nine concerts that headline pop culture idioms and the music that sustains them. So this month at the Auditorium Theatre, audiences can see the music of the Beach Boys, Prince, and Motown in motion.
Marquee: A preview of coming attractions
Food and Drink
Dining Out | High Steaks
By Dennis Ray Wheaton
The gloves are off: when Chicago’s best independent steak houses go head-to-head with New York’s finest, one city wins by a TKO.
Restaurants
The definitive guide to Chicago’s top restaurants
This Month: Eightnew and updated listings, including La Tasca and Boka
Dish: The hottest restaurants right now; gossip; a candid Q & A with Jason Miller, who reveals the secrets of Himalayan rock salt