Features

On the Road, by Matthew Gilson, Geoffrey Johnson, Jeff Ruby, Cassie Walker, and Deborah Wilk
Time to hit the highway for five fun summer road trips. Sample the cuisine of Indianapolis and Cincinnati; scour the antiques shops of Iowa and Wisconsin; catch a movie at one of the Midwest’s last drive-in theatres; visit Louis Sullivan’s “jewel box” banks; and track Milwaukee Avenue across space and time.

House of Cards, by Bryan Smith
Nine bright kids, two harried parents, and a table a few sizes too small made for a raucous dinnertime at the Murray home in Wilmette. Turns out, growing up amid the wisecracks provided the best training a comedian could hope for.

The Last Mission of U-505, by Robert Kurson
The Museum of Science and Industry’s most popular exhibit narrowly survived numerous attacks and decades of brutal Chicago weather. Now the vessel is docked in a stunning new display space. Getting it there may have been its most perilous journey of all.

Plucked from Oblivion, by Katherine Millett
Ken Olsen spent 18 months looking for a job that would pay him a living wage to play the cello. When he finally found one, it was a plum position offered by Daniel Barenboim of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

At Home: Out of the Box, by Christine Newman
The mysterious facade of this house on the Near Northwest Side conceals a light-filled setting with sweeping views and three outdoor spaces.

Departments

Letters

Contributors

Arena
Softball star Jennie Finch arrives; local techies get wired at a Navy Pier expo; Gregg Parker’s Chicago Blues Museum finally puts down some roots; dishing alfresco dining in the city; more. Plus: Style Sheet, The Shopper and Sales Check

How We Spend, by Clare La Plante
Inflation at the pump leaving you deflated? See how Chicago gasoline bills compare with those of other cities. PLUS: How Chicago ranks in milk money.

Business | Mall Player, by Robert Reed
After a daring acquisition, Chicago-based General Growth Properties is the country’s second largest owner-operator of shopping malls. Its empire-building CEO likes to keep his profile as low as that of his company.

Reporter | Agent Zero, by Steve Rhodes
A streetwise kid who later became a Baptist prison minister, Mark Rizzo made a name for himself as a former FBI agent who could lecture authoritatively on crime. That is, until his recent arrest uncovered a web of deception.

People | Sontag’s U. of C., by David Bernstein
As a precocious and brilliant teen at the University of Chicago, Susan Sontag, the future writer and intellectual, picked up not only the ideas that would engage her all her life, but also a husband ten years her senior.

Deal Estate, by Dennis Rodkin
MoMo heads for State Street; Edward Humrich plays the angles; the pricey cost of an urban lot; housing news from Uptown, Lake Forest, and Hinsdale

Nightspotting, by Sarah Preston
After seven years, Rednofive is still going strong with the late-night club faithful. PLUS: Volo, Butter, and Hard Drive make this month’s It list.

Classifieds

The Closer, by Jeff Ruby
The Trib vs. the Sun-Times. The Cubs vs. the Sox. And just as important, O’Hare vs. Midway. Our columnist takes an on-the-ground look at the air war.

On the Town

Events

Calendar
During June: Modern dance is nothing to be afraid of, so don’t let fear keep you from seeing the Paul Taylor Dance Company, here for a rare, too-short concert series at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Taylor, a world-class choreographer of prodigious gifts, makes dances that brim with intelligence, seriousness, humor, wit, and invention.
Marquee: A preview of coming attractions

Food & Drink

Dining Out | Breezy Does It, by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Two uncomplicated, Med-inspired spots have got the casual thing down pat-one is a quickie reconcept of a North Shore standby; the other, a fresh new face in Lake View.

Restaurants
The city’s definitive guide to Chicago’s top restaurants| This month: Five new and updated listings, including Scylla and Tsuki
Dish: The ten hottest restaurants right now; three incredible cheese programs; openings, closings, gossip, and more