Features
Trying on the Senate for Size
by Paul Simon
A long-time member of the Illinois legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives takes a hard look at his first six months as senator.
A Prairie Revival
by Jerry Sullivan
With a little help from axes, brush loppers, and forest fires, volunteers are seeking to restore a small part of our native landscape.
A Woman of Fiber
by Christopher Lyon
For Claire Zeisler, collecting art led to making art, and the two passions are unalterably intertwined.
Critics’ Choice
by Carla and Allen Kelson
Where do Chicago‘s dining reviewers choose to dine when they’ve got the night off?
Children of the System
by Rick Soll and Gene Mustain
In the Juvenile Court of Cook County, a portion of Chicago’s most important resource is rescued or written off.
A Passion for Packaged Excellence
by Dan Rottenberg
The Levy brothers are building the city’s newest empire by catering to middlebrow tastes and needs.
Big Things to be Done
by Louis H. Sullivan
A father of the modern skyscraper, in excerpts from his autobiography, describes the city of Jenney, Adler, Root, and Burnham, the city of “See it through.”
John McKnight
by Christopher Chandler
An urban philosopher discusses the lessons of Chicago’s recent past, and its future in the postindustrial era.
Victim
by John Fink
Suspicion, fear, and memories that won’t go away – the painful aftermath of violent street crime
Star Food
fiction by Ethan Canin
Reasons to live: to catch a thief or to become a man of limited fame
The Goods: The Gadget
by Jamie Gilson
Homo sapien’s relentless pursuit of the better life produces 27 ingenious holiday presents.
City in the Half-Light
by Michael Goss and Joanne Trestrail
The urban landscape, bright and dark
Departments
Letters
Upfront
by Henry Hanson
A Democratic taffy pull for Adlai and Neil; our Oprah’s heading for the big time; Upfront, still a country boy, covers the Farm Aid concert
On the Aisle: How Would the Audience Vote?
by Claudia Cassidy
Can opera recover its radiant realm as an intimate and living art?
Movies: Ten Days in Toronto
by Dave Kehr
News from the north: breakthroughs, broad melodrama, bumptious slapstick
Theatre: Revenge of the Satirists
by Lenny Kleinfeld
Second City’s new improv training program gives a critic the shivers.
Books: The Science of Short Takes
All the best from the big boys of journalism
Travel: Triptips
by Jane Samuelson
Some expert advice to pack along with your toothbrush and traveler’s checks
Art: Rhapsody in Blue, White, and Gold
by Henry Hanson
Dazzling Venetian booty at the Art Institute; fragile fragments at the Smart Gallery
M.W. Newman: Have a Helping of Deepdish Chicago
One neighborhood that offers a slice of life
Dining on a Budget: Vietnamese Journey
by Anne Spiselman and David Novick
If you want to explore the culinary riches of Southeast Asia, head for the North Side.
The Best of Chicago: Flower Power
by Alan Gross
For 150 years, the Kennicott family has known the sweet smell of success.
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