New job. New town. We’ve all been there. No doubt it is tough to figure out where to live and eat when starting anew far from home. But, some of Illinois’ newest representatives in Congress sound a lot more like new college grads than high-powered politicos as they struggle to figure out housing in DC. more ›

The Chicago Sun-Times brings us Dick Durbin's take on the massive snowfall in the nation's capitol this month:

"I never could get over how people in this town reacted to snow," he said. "I am convinced that infants born in Washington, D.C., are taken from the arms of their loving mothers right when they are born into a room where someone shows a film of a snowstorm with shrieking and screaming so that those children come to believe snow is a mortal enemy, like a nuclear attack, because I have seen, for over 40 years here, people in this town go into a full-scale panic at the thought of a snowfall."

It's not just Chicago that's in the grips of a cold winter; the rest of the United States has had a rough winter as well, including the Mid-Atlantic which has seen its fair share of snow so far. And while our intern has been moping about like the rest of us, it seems the First Pooch down in D.C. is having a far better time with all the ice and snow. more ›

As the sun sets on another year, it's a time for reflection and appreciation. We've had a blast covering the news, arts, events, food, drink, and everything in between of Chicago this year and we thank our readers for coming along for the ride. From Obama's campaign to Blago's arrest, this year has given us all sorts of ups and downs, and we're looking forward to another unpredictable and amazing year. Thanks for a fantastic 2008 and we'll see you back here tomorrow morning to get a jump on what promises to be an exciting 2009. more ›

Courtesy of our sister site DCist comes the news that D.C.'s mass transit system, Metro, is issuing special commemorative SmarTrip passes (similar to CTA's Chicago Card) for Obama's upcoming inauguration. This has us wondering if the CTA can think of a way to one up D.C. Maybe relabeling all Orange lines with the signature Obama "O"? more ›