Features The 25 Greatest Chicago Movies of All Time by Penelope MesicFrom hootchy-kootchy dancers, gangsters, cops, and newshounds to bringing up baby – even before the current boom caught on, Hollywood was hip to the fact that the real America was right here. Motorola’s Long-Distance Callby Michael AbramowitzHaving taken on the Japanese and thrived, the … Read more
Features Secret City What good is a secret if nobody knows about it? Here are 75 of our favorite people, places, and things – tunnels under Uptown, prisms at the planetarium, a bowling poet. They’re all underexposed, and all urban classics. Power Playby Lisa Twyman BessoneHis father was a legendary tyrant and tightwad. His team … Read more
Features Mongo in Love by Marcia Froelke CoburnBears defensive tackle Steve McMichael and his bombshell wife, Debra, are the reigning Beauty and Beast of Chicago – she’s a glamour puss and he’s a good ol’ boy who’s got to be bad. Presents Perfectby Deborah NewmarkChristmas gifts with a future are distinctive standouts from the start … Read more
Features Critic’s Choiceby Dennis Ray WheatonThe verdict is in: New blood enlivens our critics’ picks for the city’s best restaurants. And in these times of change, many of the restaurants that are perennially on the list have themselves changed a lot. Power Driveby Iris KrasnowHis tenacity, smarts, and no-apologies operating style have made him a … Read more
Features City Livingby Judith Neisser and Deborah NewmarkA weekend house in the wild with a sense of history, humor, and Dante’s Inferno. Plus, naturalism comes home in new fall accessories based on sticks and stones and leaf motifs. And the design revolution that’s making modern bathroom more than just a room with a loo Sweet … Read more
Features The Prize Pritzkerby Marcia Froelke CoburnShe may be married to one of the city’s richest tycoons, but Cindy Pritzker has a “velvet first of clout” all her own. And she’s using it full force to make the new public library a celebrated cause of Chicago society. Book Heavenby Dan SantowAt long last, the library … Read more
Features Wet Summer See that lake over there? This summer, take the plunge – swim in it, surf in it, scoot across it in a sailboat, plow through it in a ferry, or maybe just bike alongside it. What’s a great lake for, anyway, if not to refresh on a sultry day? Beauty and the … Read more
Features The Wreckerby David Jackson Behind a veil of blind trusts, Chicago’s worst landlord controls an astonishing collection of property. Here’s how he works, how it hurts, and how, perhaps, he can be stopped. Star Searchby Carla and Allen KelsonWhen it comes to giving four stars to a restaurant, our dining critics want it all: … Read more
Features Touring Chicago There’s a whole city out there beyond your block – ethnic enclaves, jazz and blues haunts, literary landmarks. Here are 12 plans of action for urban discovery to take you there. The King of Stony Islandby James Ylisela, Jr. and Tom BruneEverybody knew David Ray McCoy, the man in the wheelchair. Everybody … Read more
Features Lake Shore Drive Confidentialby Robert Sharoff Some Gold Coast addresses are hot; some are just so-so. A guide to what’s prime and pricey and who’s sitting on top of the world Go Straight to Jailby Laurence GonzalesCook County Jail is a city-within-a-city, occupied by nearly 6,000 inmates. About 80 percent are connected with street … Read more
