My daughter Gemma didn’t talk much until she turned 4. Now we can’t get her to shut up. Her stories are rambling and nonsensical and adorable, but the best thing about her newfound verbosity? She speaks with a Chicago accent: Daddy, can you get me some of dose jelly beans over dare? It’s like she’s … Read more
City rivals: Simeon vs. Bogan PHoto: Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune Three years ago, I would wander into the gym at Whitney Young high school on a Monday or Wednesday evening, plunk down $5, and take a (literal) front-row seat to watch a 6-foot-11 dunking-and-shot-blocking machine by the name of
In January, the Service Club of Chicago, one of the oldest and most exclusive women’s charity organizations in the city, made Simona Garcia its new president. Born Simona Groza, she had come to the United States from Romania 16 years earlier with $100 to her name. Her first job was as a hotel housekeeper and … Read more
We’re tired of our city getting knocked around. So we decided
to punch back with this tribute, bursting with heartfelt and humorous contributions—67 in all—by our best writers, artists, poets, scholars, and entertainers. How do we love thee, Chicago? Let us count the ways.
Members of Becoming a Man at Hyde Park Academy Photo: ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE With whole neighborhoods mired in violence, inequality, and poverty, Chicago can sometimes seem to be at war with itself. Yet amid these battles—and perhaps precisely because of them—the city has become a font of scholarship and hands-on innovation that is transforming social … Read more
Twice a year, around the spring and fall equinoxes, the sun’s rays and the city’s grid come into divine alignment.
Bruce Elliot at the Old Town Ale House, Photo: E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune Bruce Elliott started drinking at the Old Town Ale House in 1961, three years after it opened. Back then, the place was hoity-toity and played classical music. After it burned down and reopened across the street, the crowd got rougher, but Elliott … Read more
Streetwise vendors sometimes go to great lengths to attract customers.Photo: Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune 1. Columbia College in the ’90s had its share of StreetWise vendors. For me, the most notable was a gentleman who spoke in the most regal of English dialects to ply his wares. It wasn’t uncommon to hear “Forsooth, my fine lad!” … Read more
