Axl Rose turns 50 today, so here are a few videos of the Indiana native taking on the world. more ›

Tomorrow, starting at 4:30 PM, the Palomar Chicago will briefly morph into a sea of icing and gluttony. To celebrate their first birthday, the Palomar (home of Sable Kitchen and Bar) will be hosting the Sweet Ride cupcake truck and giving away four free flavors of cupcakes. According to the Palomar, the supply is "limited" - so be sure to get their early. Anyone who works in River North should be sure to stop by on their way home for a quick sugar rush, and stopping in for a drink at Sable wouldn't be a terrible idea either. The Sweet Ride truck will be parked in front of the hotel and waiting for your appetite. more ›

October marks the second birthday of Chicago's Downtown Farmstand, one of our favorite under-appreciated gems. The farmstand is dedicated to selling only food produced within 250 miles of Chicago and stocks a great selection of goodies. This month, there will be tons of different local food events, tastings, conversations with local producers and special exclusive products only available in October. more ›

You're the President of the United States. It's your birthday, your wife and daughters are across the ocean and you swing into your hometown for a whirlwind frenzy of rest, relaxation, photo opportunities, fundraising and gift suggestions from smart-aleck bloggers. But you have a small window of opportunity for a quick birthday dinner and you have a reputation for knowing the hip restaurants in town. Where do you go? more ›

Wars, oil spill, and Tea Partiers. 2010 has been pretty rough on our Commander-in-Chief which is why we can't begrudge him a little cake and even a quick cat nap in his own bed when he returns to Chicago today for a whirlwind trip (look for him to fly over Chicago around 5 p.m.) involving a trio of fundraisers and a visit to the South Side's Ford plant. He's also doing it alone as the Obama ladies are all off on other business. And while Obama will apparently have Rahmbo by his side, that's still no way to spend your birthday. So we've compiled a list of gifts we're getting him in the hopes that material things will cheer him up when Sarah Palin posts an admonishment on her Facebook page for him not eating apple pie for his birthday instead. more ›

It's President Obama's birthday week - he turns 49 on Wednesday, August 4 - and he'll celebrate it at home in Chicago, mixing business with pleasure. While in town, Obama will celebrate his birthday with the much-gabbed-about private dinner thrown by Neil Bluhm that will cost attendees a $30,000 donation to the DNC. Besides that, the President will also be raising money for U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias at a separate fundraiser as he hopes to help Alexi catch up to GOP opponent Mark Kirk in funding. While in town, Obama will also visit the South Side Ford plant where just last week the company unveiled the new Explorer that will be produced here. The President is also expected to attend a $250-per-ticket event at the Chicago Cultural Center and Lynn Sweet says expect Obama to be accompanied by Rahmbo. One note: it seems the President will be travelling alone as the ladies of the Obama family are off on other business. No word yet on specific traffic plans or shutdowns in advance of his visit. more ›

Today is Tankboy's birthday so we took him out dancing last night. Enjoy and Happy Birthday, Tanks! [via] more ›

Today is one heck of a big day: the City of Chicago's 173rd birthday! We've been so busy lately we almost forgot but thankfully Facebook reminded us of the big day. Our pals at Gapers Block have a terrific recap of some special birthday deals surrounding the City's big 1-7-3. But we got thinking here in the Chicagoist office: what would we get the City for it's birthday? You know the kind of gift: the kind that the recipient will be happy to receive but you get to enjoy as well. Like when you buy your wife a 42-inch HDTV for your anniversary. It's quite a list, so check it out after the jump and be sure to add your own gifts for the City. more ›

While we already have a new favorite video to send friends for their birthday, there's no beating this hip-hop tribute [some language NSFW] to today's birthday boy, Dr. Seuss aka Theodor Geisel who would be 106 years old today. more ›

The State of Illinois is celebrating Abraham Lincoln's 201st birthday in a somewhat odd fashion: by collecting memorabilia from his 200th birthday celebration and making a time capsule to open at his 300th birthday celebration. A bit unconventional but, hey, who are we to judge? Abe, we'll pour one out for you tonight, big guy. Happy birthday! more ›

Today, funny man Bill Murray, native son of Wilmette, turns 59. Make one good movie, and you might be remembered. Make several, you're a "great." Make Where The Buffalo Roam, Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Little Shop Of Horrors, Scrooged, Groundhog Day, Kingpin, Rushmore, and Lost in Translation - not to mention his legendary stint on Saturday Night Live - and you're Bill Murray. Sure, lately he's done more forgettable projects like voicing the lazy feline in those bad Garfield movies, but the man can make whatever he wants for the rest of his life as far as we're concerned. He's more than earned it. And, hey, Fantastic Mr. Fox looks promising. So to you, Mr. Murray, one of the great comedic actors - and die-hard, tortured Cubs fan - in history, we salute you and offer you best wishes and any assistance you may need in blowing out the candles on your cake. more ›

Today's weather is gonna feel like late August. Sunny skies, brisk south winds, rising humidities...too bad this could be summer's last hurrah? Well, probably not as we typically see plenty of warm spells but a glance at the rest of the week shows cloudy and cool in the forecast. ANYWAY. Today. Yes. It will be nice and warm with highs in the upper 80s. Overnight, lows drop into the upper 60s and a chance of storms as the night wears on, especially towards the north burbs. more ›

In case you somehow missed the news, yesterday was President Obama's birthday. But it seems someone played a joke on him. We're pretty sure he asked for a Transformers ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins but instead he was presented with the above, a cake that's destined to show up on Cake Wrecks. more ›

It's his birthday, after all, so the President debunks myths that he wasn't born in the U.S., that he's a vampire, and that he's a Cylon. All other evidence need not be taken seriously. more ›

Today is President Barack Obama's 48th birthday (that is, if you believe that birth certificate). We know the man has everything he could probably want, but we put our heads together and came up with a list of other things we thought he could use. more ›

We can't believe it's already here, but TOMORROW is our anniversary party at The Whistler! Grammar and The Interiors have been putting in long hours at the practice space to kick out some outstanding musical sets, and Chicagoist DJs Pocket Taco, SuperBird, and Tankboy have been diligently working at holding one headphone over their ears while simultaneously bobbing their heads. Prepare yourself for terrific music all night long. more ›

Alright, folks, I have to make this quick before my editors get back from their coffee run. Here's the deal: By now you probably know about our fifth anniversary party this Saturday night at The Whistler. I want to tell you about a great concert going on that night, but if my editors find out I plugged something other than our party, they'll make Gitmo look like a Mancow stunt. They are not fucking around on this one. more ›

Yeah, can you believe it? This month marks Chicagoist's fifth year of keeping you abreast of the happenings in Chicago. In blog years that makes us, what? Ten? Fifteen? more ›

Love him or loathe him, there's no denying he's one of the most well known media moguls in the world. And he's a local kid! Today, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner turns a young 83. Born in Chicago on April 9, 1926, Heff attended Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School and, after a stint in the U.S. Army, took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he graduated in less than three years. He also took some graduate courses at Northwestern where he met his first wife. Playboy's first issue saw the light of the world in 1953, produced locally and - according to legend - in Hef's kitchen; it featured Marilyn Monroe. He put on the first Playboy Jazz Festival at the Chicago Stadium and opened the first Playboy Club here. In 1975, after four years of a second residence in California, Hef officially relocated to Los Angeles, but Playboy Enterprises has maintained its headquarters here in Chicago. Happy 83rd, Hef! [Playboy Enterprises - the page is SFW, but the URL probably isn't] more ›

Man, do we love surprises. Especially on our birthday. Stuff like a surprise party or a gift of something we didn't expect like a brand new ten-speed bike in the driveway. So we can only imagine the joy and excitement that G-Rod had at 6am yesterday when the knock on his door led him to a free SUV ride from the Federal Government, a free stay in some new and interesting governmental offices, some time with an actual judge and then a ride back home with helicopters and media trucks a-trailin'. Sur-prise! Happy birthday! more ›

Today is the birthday of one Louis Terkel. Parroting Michael Sneed, "Studs" would be ageless and priceless. Actually, he's 96 today, but still priceless. more ›

On March 4, 1837, Chicago officially became a city, first mayor William B. Ogden presiding. more ›