Author: michael austin
Suburban dinner coupons!
Go to the suburbs for dinner on a Thursday, come home with Andrew Jackson. Sort of. If you dine on a Thursday at Carlucci (1801 Butterfield Road, Down [...]
Antique market in West Loop
The Chicago Antique Market returns to Randolph Street in the West Loop on June 25, and on the last Sunday of every month through October 29.
An indoo [...]
Old Town hole, vacant lot
There is a hole at the corner of Lincoln, Lincoln Park West, and Wisconsin in Old Town. Stay tuned for what goes up there, but what came down in the l [...]
Yet another Old Town festival
Sure, there are two "art fairs" happening in the Old Town neighborhood today--sometimes I think they should call them "craft fairs"--but there's also [...]
Old Town bus fare
A woman standing outside the Walgreen's at North and Wells today was shouting repeatedly, "Does anyone have change for the bus?," "Excuse me, do you h [...]
Life, Libertyville and the pursuit of housing
"Country" town now a booming 'burb where new homes pass $1 million
Years ago, before everyone had 150 channels to flip through, a television commer [...]
Millennium Park "Bean" encounter
Walking through Millennium Park on Saturday I concluded that Cloud Gate, or "the Bean," as it's known colloquially--a fact we passed on to some Polish [...]
Talking urban planning in Garfield Park
The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Neghborhood Writing Alliance are hosting a discussion Saturday, May 20 on how urban plan [...]
Frank Lloyd Wright housewalk in OP-RF
That's right, it's time again for the Wright Plus benefit housewalk in Oak Park and River Forest. The 32nd annual walk is May 20, and features rare in [...]
As Joliet develops, is Nine Eleven Avenue next?
Don't quote me on this, but I've read that according to area, Joliet is the second-largest city in Illinois. In the population race Joliet lands somew [...]
Mommy and Daddy are at work in Skokie
While seeking out interesting photo opportunities recently for New Homes' Skokie profile, I walked into Chuck E. Cheese's at Village Crossing, and ask [...]
Dinner with Frida in Wicker Park
Adobo Grill in Wicker Park (2005 W. Division St., 773-252-9990) is hosting dinner and a showing of the movie Frida manana at 5 p.m. That's tomorrow fo [...]
Save the date for Cloud Gate
It's official -- the ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony for Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park is set for 11 a.m. on Monday, May 1 [...]
Wine dinner at Evanston's Stained Glass
The Stained Glass restaurant in Evanston (1735 Benson Ave., 847-864-8600) is hosting a unique wine dinner on Tuesday, May 16, featuring the wines of C [...]
Skokie's swift new homes
New housing shakes up a 'burb famous for its stability, diversity
I was a little confused last December when the guy I bought my Christmas tree fro [...]
Your mom at Le Lan
The elegant River North restaurant Le Lan (749 N. Clark St., 312-280-9100) is offering a three-course Mother's Day lunch menu featuring items such as [...]
The popularity of Potbelly
If you thought Potbelly sandwich shops would fly only in Lincoln Park and the suburbs, think again; the new store in Hyde Park (5428 S. Lake Park Ave. [...]
Lucky Ralph live in Wrigleyville
The Lucky Ralph Show is billed as a concert experience with a variety show edge. Organizers are urging potential audience members to picture "vintage [...]
Fat Tire fills Chicago neighborhoods
A few years ago there were only a few bars in Chicago that sold Fat Tire, the amber ale microbrew from Fort Collins, Colo. Today the beer is widely av [...]
Happy birthday, Alinea restaurant
The Chicago home of the international molecular gastronomy movement, Alinea restaurant (1723 N. Halsted St., 312-867-0110) in Lincoln Park, celebrates [...]