March 11, 2011 -- The Chicago Architecture Foundation, in partnership with Capital Properties and Metro / SmartBar, hosted an evening full of midcentury modern design at Chicago's storied Inland Steel Building. Guests sipped on midcentury-inspired cocktails (neat or on the rocks?), relaxed in iconic Eames lounge chairs, and mingled with local artists, fashionistas, furniture designers, and architects. Deejays Kid Color, Nate Manic, and Bald Eicon set the mood throughout the night as guests danced against the backdrop of a downtown skyline. ICON was sponsored by Chicago Home + Garden, Herman Miller, Bacardi, and Hangar One. Proceeds benefited the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Read more
Danny Solis, 61, and a grandfather, is running in his fifth—and least fun—election for alderman. Appointed in the 25th Ward on the Near West Side by Mayor Daley in 1996, Solis finds himself in his first runoff—against a tenacious, much younger opponent, Cuahutémoc “Témoc” Morfin, 39. (For details on the race, see my interview with Morfin. Solis is a machine stalwart... Read more
We’ve always admired the work of Designs for Dignity (you might remember our Chairs for Charity benefit last November)... Read more
Canis latrans remains a fascination as sightings and rescues continue in the city. After years of unsuccessfully trying to rid ourselves of coyotes, we're learning to live with them, and them with us. Read more
Private Label Goes Public
Though its pieces are found all over the country—sold under fashion brands such as J. Mendel, Douglas Hannant, and Ralph Lauren, and carried at major department stores, such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s— Sequin, the company behind the jewelry, isn’t very well known... Read more
The Queen of Media was social media before Facebook ever existed, giving us permission to be our authentic selves before we had even realized we weren't being either authentic or ourselves. But as her show ends after 27 years, we have to ask: will we ever know who Oprah Winfrey is? Read more
Dustin Byfuglien, a key player on the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup–winning squad who now skates for the Atlanta Thrashers, on Monday closed on the sale of his former Roscoe Village home. The sale price was $1.08 million—14 percent less than the $1.265 million Byfuglien paid for the newly built 12-room house in December 2008... Read more
The Belgium-based beer giant took over the beloved Chicago beer institution today. Lots of people are skeptical that it spells the end of a local company that balanced quality and quantity, but there's reason to hope. And if that doesn't work out, there are plenty of other craft bottles in the cooler. Read more