You may have seen that map, “A New Yorker’s Guide to Chicago.” It attempts to superimpose the five boroughs of New York City onto their analogues here in our city. Manhattan is the lakefront, Brooklyn is the Northwest Side, Queens is the Bungalow Belt, the Bronx is the South Side, and Staten Island is the … Read more
Here are 30 of the city’s top things to taste, see, hear, and experience, featuring buzzy artists, croissant-wrapped hot dogs (yes, you read that right), and a certain bat-shaped beverage holder.
Myesha McCaskill Sure, Myesha McCaskill is an amazing roller skater (her nickname isn’t SmoothGoddess for nothing) and an expert instructor, whether teaching freestyle or JB, the Chicago variety named for the James Brown music that accompanies its dips, slides, and fancy footwork. But those labels sell short both her and the classes she offers through … Read more
Joiners Curious how Rick Bayless spends his Christmas in Oaxaca? Or how Frontier chef Brian Jupiter cooks whole animals, from pigs to llamas? Then start each Monday the way I do — with the latest episode of Joiners. Hosts Danny Shapiro, co-owner of Scofflaw, the Heavy Feather, and other Logan Square bars, and Tim Tierney, cofounder of … Read more
Umbrella Vintage Come for the music, stay for the … shopping? As it turns out, the Salt Shed isn’t just for concerts. In the spring, three resellers teamed up to launch Umbrella Vintage on the grounds of the performance venue that opened last year in the former Morton Salt factory. Offering vintage clothing (1930s to … Read more
Bobcat Goldthwait Here’s one of the first things comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait learned when he moved to the western suburbs in 2020 after living in Los Angeles for 35 years: “I’m thin in the Midwest.” Or so he jokes at the beginning of his very funny new comedy album, Soldier for Christ, which he … Read more
Go Brewing This Naperville brewery has already shown it knows how to make a great-tasting nonalcoholic beer — it took gold and silver medals at the Best of Craft Beer Awards. (If you need more proof, just try the mango-peach deliciousness of the Sunshine State Tropical IPA.) Now it’s out to establish another truth: You can have … Read more
Perceptions Theatre While taking a theater business course as an undergrad at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, Myesha-Tiara had an epiphany: “I realized there was a deficit for the students of color in the classroom in getting needed training.” The Baton Rouge native, who moved to Chicago six years ago, founded Perceptions in 2020 with … Read more
Cook County Hospital Museum It was known as Chicago’s palace of medicine, as well as its Ellis Island, for the way it accepted immigrants and others with no alternate means for care. The building that once housed Cook County Hospital was reopened as a Hyatt hotel in 2020, but inside the stunning Beaux-Arts structure, which … Read more
