Features The Player by Gretchen ReynoldsRaising money for Richard M. Daley is the hottest game in town, and for more than a decade, Paul Stepan had been top man in it. Then his luck started to turn. A Rahm for the Moneyby Mark JannotBill Clinton’s chief fund-raiser, Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel, may be too good for … Read more
Features Rx for a Troubled City The Great Flood and the Los Angeles riots were harsh reminders of the fragility of city life. Though Chicago seems to be soldiering forward with considerable aplomb, the problems ahead are enormous. We asked 20 prominent thinkers for advice on keeping the city on track. The Scapegoatby Dennis RodkinActing … Read more
Features Wish You Were HereIf crowds of people get you down, consider these alternatives to the season’s main events – for the best in against-the-flow summer fun. The Far Shoreby Gretchen ReynoldsHow Harbor Country, Michigan, is grappling with its sudden success One-day Wondersby Gale Kappe and Jeanne RattenburyRiding the South Shore line to the Indiana … Read more
Features Managing Clinton by Joseph CrumpBehind every successful man there’s often another one: In Bill Clinton’s case it’s David Wilhelm, the Chicagoan running his rollercoaster Presidential campaign. Sugar! Baby!by Marcia Froelke CoburnThe blond bombshell of high society is all set to prove that she’s got a brain. That’s why Sugar Rautbord’s new novel is called … Read more
Features Design Disasters by Joseph CrumpIn a city full of architectural treasures, the clinkers really stand out. Here are one observer’s picks of Chicago’s ten worst planning mistakes. A Moveable Feastby Henry HansonFor 75 years, the Arts Club of Chicago has been the place where the elite meet to greet the avant-garde. Now, with a … Read more
Features Crowded Skies by Gretchen ReynoldsChicago has the busiest, most efficient airspace in the world. But delayed flights and a rash of “near misses” and radar failures have raised troubling questions. Are our skies safe? Why are so many flights late? Will a third airport help? An inside look at how the city’s airports work … Read more
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
