Several people around the Chicagoist offices have seen this video and remarked "that would be a lot easier." A few others have pointed out that this sort of transaction could be classified as "prostitution." Me? Let's just say I'm glad I'm off the market. (Discretion advised for language.) more ›

The weekend's coming up, so let's try and help you get a hot date to spend some time with! more ›

The Second Annual Cougar Convention hit Chicago this weekend, bringing single young men (or 'cubs') and eligible older ladies (cougars, ahem) together for one night of anticipation and potential romance in the ballroom of the Embassy Suites O'Hare. more ›

We thought we’d seen every possible “best of” list out there: best hamburgers, best romantic restaurant, best light fixtures. You name it, someone has made a list of it - nothing could surprise us anymore. Humbly, we stand corrected. A couple of weeks back UrbanDaddy posted a list of the five best restaurants for breakups, or, as they put it “Five Spots to Let them Down Gently.” And by them, they mean the weeping, devoted people whose hearts you are about to crush and smother with soy sauce. more ›

The Men of Chicagoist are always on the lookout for love, so we present to you this video for your consideration. Choose wisely, ladies. (Look for Marcus at the 3:45 mark) [via] more ›

No one has shown up to a Nerds at Heart gathering wearing taped glasses or elf ears just yet, but many self-identified nerds that attend these monthly events are less like the stereotypical nerd and more like the Tina Fey-type of nerd. They’re smart, single, and they’re likely the kind of nerds that watch the Discovery Channel, occasionally edit an erroneous Wikipedia article, and have been known to interrupt a warm cuddle session to look something up. more ›

Who's pickier: men or women? How does evolution play into speed-dating? So many questions and now a new study by a pair of scientists at Northwestern sheds a bit more light on it and claims that men and women are equally picky when selecting a mate. Eli J. Finkel and Paul W. Eastwick from Northwestern University ran the study and even the NY Times noticed. more ›

They say that the key to a man's heart is through his stomach. In our case, it's the stomach and a possible diseased liver. If you're looking for love in all the wrong places, Time Out Chicago wants to set you up with a chef, bartender or restaurateur. This is the second time TOC has tried to play matchmaker and the results from that first experience must have been so good that they're nocking an arrow in Cupid's quiver again. So if you've caught yourself stealing a quick glance at the Breakfast Queen, Wondering if that bartender at Frontera makes a good margarita at home, wanted to compare your wine knowledge with a sommelier or want to know who is the brains behind Billy Dec, now's your chance. more ›

How big an age difference is too big an age difference when it comes to dating? At what point does it go from "hey, he/she's responsible and mature!" to "hey...if he/she's so responsible and mature...why are they pursuing someone, say, eleven years younger?" more ›

I had no intention of ever going through with the Dating Game idea, once I got off the air and had the chance to think it through. Besides, Drew is still legally married, so he’s not really allowed to date yet. I’m very old school. What can I say?

8:30 So plan on Dating Game with Drew tomorrow at 8 unless they change their mind. If they were smart they would. If there is a date Steve's going to chaperone. He'd love to get the film rights to something like that. more ›

Listen up all you single residents of Chicago: Andy Eliason, of The Canadian, "Canada's new socially progressive and cross-cultural national newspaper," has some dating advice for you in his piece, "Things to do when you are single in Chicago." He says if you are single in Chicago, the first thing you need to do is "find someone else who happens to be single in Chicago, and you have to be willing to take the steps... more ›

Just when we thought we were going to run out of reality shows to cover, the powers that be keep shoving them upon us. The Amazing Race This Sunday saw the return of the Energizer Bunny of reality series, The Amazing Race. The 12th season premiere had the highest ratings of any other program on Sunday, as 13.8 million viewers tuned in to see 11 teams of globetrotters being shipped off to lovely Shannon, Ireland.... more ›

Unless you’ve been dating one person your entire postpubescent life (don’t laugh, we know people like that … suckers), you know what being single is all about. We’ve been there. Whether it’s Match.com or the darker side of craigslist, most of us are just trying to find that special someone. Or his brother, if he’s younger and wears glasses. Rawr. Er, we digress. Such situations make ripe environments in which dating education courses flourish like... more ›

A jury of science professionals unveiled their picks for the top ten most important scientific achievements in Chicago history. The list, from most to least important: The first controlled nuclear reaction The invention of the first portable cell phone The development of hormone treatment of prostate and breast cancer The invention of magnetic recording The discovery of malaria treatment The creation of the modern skyscraper The proof of the existence of the top quark The... more ›

Oh, pornography. It holds a strange power over people. It can cause priests to debate porn stars, the incarceration of R&B singers, and even become a code name in the biggest scandal in American history. Or it can cause a woman to kill her boyfriend. Wait, what? Kill her boyfriend? Jeanette Strowder, 58, had been dating her boyfriend, Jesse Martin, 54, for sixteen years. For the past two years they lived together in Fuller Park.... more ›

Good news, women of Illinois: We're in good company! Four of the top ten most powerful women in business are based here (or run companies that are). Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods, comes in at number 5, thanks to acquiring a $7.2 billion "global biscuit business." Pat Woertz, chairman, CEO, and president of Decatur–based agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland, follows her at 6 because she brought in $44 billion in revenue. Number... more ›

Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods. Bostonist got a crash course in what not... more ›

Here’s a question for you: If politicians can use the “I didn’t inhale” line when asked about past drug use and the military can hide behind its “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” slogan, can localvores get away with eating non-local foods if they don’t swallow? OK, mind out of the gutter, please, and Chicagoist isn’t referring to the chew-and-spit diet featured on a Sex in the City episode. Instead, what we were hoping was to get... more ›

First person to name the song those lyrics in the headline came from gets a no-prize. Own some of Billy Corgan. Really. It's not a good idea to e-mail a Playboy playmate via Myspace, especially when said playmate is dating the Bears' Adam Archuleta, you're from Aurora, and type in bold threatening capital letters. Some Wisconsinites have a unique take on the designated driver. What did you do on your summer vacation? (via) Give... more ›

This clip from The Simpsons is as good a place to jump off this week, as we're leaving to see the film after we file this, and the beginning setting is at a fair. Which makes a nice segue for us. Last week, we went to the South Side Arts & Music Fest we profiled in last week's installment and were confronted with the sticker shock of seeing a funnel cake sell for nine... more ›

It looks as thought the Amy Jacobson story continues to have legs (this might be the first in a series of unintentional puns, so bear with us). First, the Plainfield police department finally announced yesterday that they're considering Craig Stebic as a "person of interest", and not just because he throws a memorable pool party. It turns out that Stebic has refused requests by police to take a polygraph test and to let the cops... more ›

All Arthur Friedman wanted to do was liven things up in the bedroom. He and his wife, Natalie, had been married for ten years, and things were getting a bit, ahem, stale. Instead of the usual suspects — lingerie, porn, toys, weekend get-a-ways — Arthur had one tiny request: he wanted to watch his wife engaging in sexual acts with other men and women. (We imagine her response was something along the lines of, "oh honey, how romantic!") more ›

We want to like Vocalo, we really do. But we’re finding it hard to put their broadcast stream ahead of WBEZ podcasts, our iTunes playlist, and Radio David Byrne. more ›

We realize here at Chicagoist that we haven't said much about the Brown's Chicken murder trial. It may be considered "out of our jurisdiction" in a way, a tragic, heart-wrenching happenstance that mostly affected a quiet, middle-class suburb, but not the city as a whole. Or perhaps it was all too much to take in; we certainly don't relish rehashing the gruesome details day after day of two young men slaughtering seven people. But we're in a reflective mood lately, so forgive us for pontificating on these events and the impact they will — or won't — have. more ›

Author Audrey Niffenegger more ›

"I have one criteria, this is my one litmus test for guys and I could not marry someone if they didn’t pass this test. They can’t like Dave Matthews Band." more ›

"Metro" via Mark Dawursk. more ›

It's tax week, everyone. It's also a busy weekend for food and drink events in the city, between WhiskyFest and the IACP Cookbook Expo. Some of you are probably shedding tears in your beer after writing yet another check to the Man. In the spirit of empathy, we have a wine-and-spirits intensive edition of "YFFB" to take your mind off things. It's Still Alright to "Head For the Mountains of Busch": Sometimes it pays... more ›

Labeling young, successful artists as The Next [insert name of popular artist] is as common a practice as it is unfair. Few up-and-coming writers, directors or actors mind the attention and praise, but many hope to succeed on their own terms. Theatre Seven of Chicago’s Is Chicago, which presents Marisa Wegrzyn’s latest play alongside one of David Mamet’s earliest and most talked about scripts, prompts two reactions. It takes some chutzpah to invite comparisons to... more ›