Amalie Drury

Every day I wonder why I feel like I need a nap at 11 a.m., and then I remember: last night. Over the past week alone, I've visited (all in the name of research) the following Chicago bars: Quenchers Saloon, Stanley's Kitchen & Tap, Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar, The California Clipper, Simon's Tavern, Hopleaf, Uncle Fatty's Rum Resort, Cuna, The Signature Lounge at the 96th, and, on the agenda for tonight, The Tasting Room (for a... Read more

Remember that sweet, soaring flute solo in the 1992 Guns N' Roses heartbreaker "November Rain?" I do. "November Rain" was released at the beginning of my estimable high-school flute-playing career. I watched the wedding-themed video and the subsequent MTV Video Music Awards performance on VHS at least once a day, and I always wished I had the sheet music and my own cover band so I could recreate the song's... read more » Read more

Just when I was gearing up for winter hibernation, the bait nightspots are dangling to lure drinkers in from the cold got the best of me. I’d be on liver-failure alert if I tried to make it to every opening, promotion, special event, and unveiling, but here—in no particular order—are my picks for the five most tempting reasons to leave the house this week. Well, these and the fact that it’s not really that bleak out. You know, for January. Read more

UPDATE: All appearances by Jersey Shore cast members in Chicago this weekend have been canceled, according to reports

I had a disturbing phone conversation yesterday with my uncle Jack. “My mission this week is to get my picture taken with as many Jersey Shore cast members as possible,” I told him.

“What’s Jersey Shore?” he replied... Read more

The good news for the just-opened Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theatre in the South Loop is that plenty of Chicagoans think the concept lends a much-needed air of civility to moviegoing: free parking, no preshow advertising (other than trailers), no shrieking video games in the lobby, no kids without a guardian after... Read more