Features

The New Alcatraz
by Laurence Gonzales

Once you arrive at the United States Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, peculiar things begin to happen, and they happen fast and all the time.

The Glittering City of Helmut Jahn
by Brenda Shapiro
From the tips of his toes to the tops of his buildings, Chicago’s most controversial architect dares to be different.

On the Couch
by Judith Neisser
If Freud were in the furniture business today, he would approve.

The Icy Agony
by Alan Steinberg
You have to wonder what goalies think about during a hockey game, and how they tune their psyches to survive it.

Richard Franke
by Dan Brown
A spectacularly successful Chicago businessman gives his views on the bond market and the meaning of life.

Departments

Letters

Upfront
by Henry Hanson
Purple-carpet premiere for our Oprah’s film debut; a Valentine’s Day opening for a “Peanuts” show; Ed Paschke and Upfront judge floral painting among the flowers

On the Aisle: Falstaff, Faust, Boulez, Lairds
by Claudia Cassidy
In performance, looking for full splendor, for the real thing

Theatre: In the Belly of the Actor
by Lenny Kleinfeld

Fun-lovin’, free-floatin’ William Petersen ponders his life in art.

Movies: The Romantic and the Rural
by Dave Kehr
Tales of a fantastic future and of a sentimental past
Books: Lens Lady Shoots Flasher

A conceptual artist bares all in public places.
The Goods
by Jamie Gilson
A shopper’s salmagundi to warm up a short, cold month: Ingredients include a crafter of christening gowns, shops devoted to things Gallic and Italian, and a beguiling bestiary created from a folk artist’s dreams.

Art: NU Professors Show at Block Gallery
by Henry Hanson
Elsewhere, Richard Hunt’s sculpture for outsiders, and a fashionable gift for the Art Institute

Travel: Visiting the Fabled City of Florence
by J.E. Morpurgo
The Ponte Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, the Uffizi, the Convent of St. Mark – an extravagant feast for a day, for a lifetime

M.W. Newman: The Billboard Blues
Hucksterism gone rampant is a sad sign of the times.

Dining on a Budget: Try Some Dim Sum
by Anne Spiselman and David Novick
Wondering how to celebrate the Year of the Tiger? Well, we’ve got just the thing.

Dining on the Town: Sweet-And-Sour Experiences
by Carla and Allen Kelson
Our Chinese restaurants are getting oh, so fancy – and not so good.

The Best of Chicago: A Good Yarn
by Jamie Gilson
Keeping warm in a Bruce Woods creation nearly makes winter’s wrath a pleasure.

Chicago Guides
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