Features

Federal Judge Prentice H. Marshall
by Jack Star
First of a series: A noted jurist comments on his lifelong love affair with the law.

Valentine Vittles
by Carla and Allen Kelson
In salute to the 14^th – a sampler of the most romantic restaurants in town

The Outsider
by Alfredo S. Lanier
South Side Republican Susan Catania has made a career of alienating party officials. Can her unorthodox ways get her elected mayor?

Guess Who’s Setting the Table
by Judith Neisser
From towers to teacups, architects can’t stop designing.

The Defanged Watchdog
by Zay N. Smith
The BGA, Chicago’s premier reform organization, got rich and went national. That’s when things began to fall apart.

Departments

Letters

Upfront
by Henry Hanson
We lose a big one,  but Soldier Field is still Payton Place; Paul Simon marks his capital move with Champagne and caviar; Huckleberry Finn appreciation time, courtesy of Norman Mailer.

On the Aisle: A Shifting Theatre Wind
by Claudia Cassidy
A midseason return to the classics in resident theatre

Movies: The Lean Side of India
by Dave Kehr

Cutting shots of E.M. Forster’s masterwork

Chicago As It Was: Hans Balatka’s Unfinished Symphony
by Perry R. Duis
Chicago’s first classical conductor played Salieri to Theodore Thomas’s Mozart.
Travel: Get High in Switzerland
by Jane Samuelson
…where the only thing more beautiful than the mountains is the spaces between them.
Theatre: Oracles and Odds Makers
by Lenny Kleinfeld
Critics tell you why plays are important; reviewers tell whether they’re important enough to cough up the price of a ticket.

Roger Simon: Last Laugh
Who needs jokes when you get to live in Chicago?
The Goods
by Jamie Gilson
In this month, when Cupids reign and Aeolus knocks us cold, we offer something for free, Lu-Ray dinnerware at bargain prices, affordable African art, and the last word in frogs

Books: Life Without Secrets
True facts and fictions from E.L. Doctorow

Audio: Turning the Spotlight on Speakers
by Rich Warren
If you’re thinking of buying speakers, here are two of totally new design to consider.

Dining on a Budget: New Kids on the Block
by Jill and Ron Rohde
Swedish Andersonville gets a taste of the Middle East

The Best of Chicago: Music of Merit
by Judith Neisser
A not-for-profit program gives young talent discipline, instruction, and hope.

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