Features

The New Rich
by Ted Shen and Lucinda Hahn
Presenting 12 Chicagoans who made $100 million or more in the 1990s, from a software mogul to the inventor of Beanie Babies – and what they’re doing with their millions today.

The Last Reel
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
It was a very private final year for movie critic Gene Siskel, a very public personality. To his friends, his quietly stoic behavior was both heroic and puzzling.

Code of a Killer
by Jonathan Eig
Since DNA evidence proved that seven New City women were victims of the same killer, the cops have tested hundreds of local men. But the so-called Pattern A killer has continued to elude them.

Looking Good, Feeling Great
by Stacy Wallace-Albert
Our guide to high performance pampering and wellness features the best beauty practitioners, the latest treatments, the leading spas and salons. Also, experts pick the top must-have products.

Departments

Letters

Contributors

Frontlines
The Art Institute wheels and deals with Italy; ex-Smashing Pumpkins bassist D’arcy takes on Hollywood; the Bears’ Shane Matthews goes cold; more
Style Sheet
by Stacy Wallace-Albert
A stainless steel trike, a new Tiffany bauble, Kate Spade sandals

Stage & Screen
by Penelope Mesic
Confronting chaos – and psychoanalysis – John Malkovich directs Hysteria at Steppenwolf.

Real Lives
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
At neighborhood workshops, ordinary people are learning to produce the write stuff.

Sullivan’s Travels
by Terry Sullivan
The city’s only trailer park gives new meaning to the term “lakefront property.”

Reporter
by Steve Rhodes
In the court battle between Michael Jordan and his old friends the Silverbergs, everyone feels betrayed. And everyone is playing defense.

Education
by Andrew Santella
Loyola University’s budget is ailing and its teachers are restive. Can the school’s controversial president restore faith?

Sports
by Jeff Davis
A high-profile 1955 horserace in the south suburbs marked the beginning of a lucrative new era for televised sports.

Dining Out
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
A local chef lets both sides of her personality come out in her two restaurants – one mild, the other wild. New this month: Dining editor Penny Pollack solves food quandaries in “Ask Penny.”

Expert Witness
by Tara Croft
Bar owner Mi Ae Lim tells us where to go, when to go, and what to order.

Chicago Guides

Prime Time

Don’t Miss in December
Photographs of India at the Chicago Cultural Center; Lyric Opera’s fizzy Fledermaus; and the pluperfect piano jazz of Willie Pickens

Restaurants
Just Opened
The theatre district gets sophisticated comfort food – Atwood Café’s rib eye steak with onion rings is in the spotlight at the new Hotel Burnham.