Back in the early days of this-little-website-that-could we used to make it a practice of actually trying to meet our readers at a pre-arranged location to have some drinks, have a good time away from the flat-screen glow, get to know each other and (most important) thank you for choosing to spend a portion of your day reading Chicagoist. As you can see from this Flickr set, these "Reader Happy Hours" were very fun.

The famous Sesame Street aliens meet Busta Rhymes. Awesomness ensues. [via]

It's about to be one of - if not the - busiest travel weeks of the year, so it must also be time for a news station to ring the alarm on holes in security at our local airports. This time Fox 32 found they were able to fly out several employees to destinations around the country without any of them having to show a government-issued photo ID. Instead, they were able to get through by showing the name on their boarding pass matched that of the name on a credit card. Of course, there's nothing technically illegal about such a maneuver. As Fox itself explains:

The long-awaited French market planned for the Metra station at 131 N. Clinton now has an opening date: December 3. If you've been like an ostrich and had your head in the sand, please catch up by reading our previous coverage of the MetraMarket:

An area man accused of stalking and illegally videotaping ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews has pleaded not guilty on one count of interstate stalking. The plea was entered in a federal court in Los Angeles earlier today. The man, insurance executive Michael Barrett, is free on $100,000 bond, an amount that's much higher than the original bond imposed. Barrett was already free on $4,500 bond and U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Turchin was set to raise that to $20,000 but raised it higher after hearing arguments from attorneys in the case. Per the AP:

             

While we prefer both Peaches and Amanda Blank's recorded output in bite-sized chunks we consider both women to be formidable life performers to be wholly appreciated. We've seen Blank perform with Spank Rock a number of times and her spirited presence often stole the stage from her band mates. Friday night's show at The Metro had Blank performing with only a DJ and a live drummer, but her diminutive figure grew to envelop the entire room as she spat out gleeful sing-song raps and danced around the stage with abandon. Songs we found weak on her debut came to life on the stage, their worth inflated by her delivery. While Blank's performance was a pop pleasure, Peaches' set was a tour de force, a theatrical overdose that came across that even though it was centered on DIY stage sets put extravaganzas by Cher or any given stadium rock flavor of the month to shame. Multiple costume changes, energetic song delivery that only increased in intensity as the set moved forward, and a brutal command of mesmerizing sexuality came together to create one of the most compelling live shows we've seen all year. Also, there's nothing more rewarding than realizing her reach is growing with time as we noticed we were surrounded by yuppies happily singing along to her most popular track, "Fuck The Pain Away." Awesome.

As members of our staff scatter to the winds for the holiday week, we hope their (and your) trips go much more smoothly than this one. (Beware if you're still in the office, use your headphones; the language gets salty)

Via Art of Drink we discovered Beverages De Luxe, a wonderful bar book dating from 1914. Digitized from a copy in the collection of the Library of Congress, it's an utterly fascinating glimpse into the world of alcohol just before Prohibition. It features a number of pieces written by various distillers and brewers, including chapters entitled "New England Rum" and "Making 'Hand-made' Sour Mash." The entire second half of the book is made up of cocktail recipes from clubs and hotels across the country, and that's where we found the Auditorium Cocktail.

              

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If you’re like us and always on the prowl for up and coming local music, then don’t miss Magical Musical Showcase. Every fourth Tuesday at 6 p.m., notable Chicago organizations present their favorite local musicians at MCA’s Puck’s Café. We think this program is aces. It not only offer patrons a no-dough performance in a comfortable and classy setting, but it gives emerging local musicians an intimate, non-commercial outlet for their original work and post-performance time to wander the crowd and join in on discussions.

    

We prefer to make our salad dressing at home. It's easy, it tastes better than many store bought options, and we know exactly what's in it. Here's one of our favorites. Instructions are in the captions.