This week, we're taking another visit back to our childhood stomping grounds on the Northwest side. But we're going way back, waaayyy back to 1917. Our father's side of the family immigrated to America from Greece four years earlier, settling in Greektown. Our mother's side of the family was at least a decade away from moving to the East Village from Virginia. The photo you're looking at at the top of this entry is... more ›

Chicago blogs were all abuzz last week with news about recently-opened East Village coffee shop bLENd. The simplest version of the story (as we read on The Food Chain) is that bLENd is owned by a founder of the abstinence-only education group Project Reality. We thought this was pretty interesting on a number of levels (not insignificantly the amount of media it has received) so we decided to get in touch with bLENd part-owner and... more ›

For the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, the answer is simple: put down the blowtorch. This year, two high-profile historic buildings have been destroyed by torch-related accidents. The Pilgrim Baptist Church, a centenarian Adler and Sullivan beauty, smoldered in January, and just a few weeks ago, scrap workers accidentally torched the Wirt Dexter Building using the same tool. The LPC calls for new laws restricting such cutting and welding operations at historic sites. Beyond these... more ›

Celebrate Ben Franklin's 300th birthday with the Bikini Bandits and Phillyist! (NSFW). Speaking of Mr. Franklin, send in a picture of Ben (or Ed Rendell) with a red tongue and win a free t-shirt. And they might have the next YearlyKos in Philly. more ›

Chicagoist has shit luck when it comes to discovering things just as we're moving. Like years ago when we did a short stint in California and discovered the best burrito house on the beach just a week before we were to move across the country. So it was no surprise, given that we'll be moving out of the East Village in a couple weeks, that we just now discovered how fabulous El Barco Mariscos... more ›

This time of year, it seems you’re either on vacation or thinking about it. For those of you lucky enough to be in the first category and lucky enough to Wake Up in the City That Never Sleeps, consider taking in a show at The New York International Fringe Fest. Chicago companies are once again well represented, and you might be the lucky first to see another offbeat hit. Chicago at FringeNYC: The Last Two... more ›

Pilsen is a neighborhood currently battling the winds of change from the neighborhoods surrounding it. With the gigantic University Village development project reaching its northern edge businesses throughout the neighborhood are undertaking minor repairs or full-on overhauls in the hope of courting new homeowners down to spend their money in the galleries, storefronts, and taquerias, while still maintaining the working-class family feeling that draws so many Mexican immigrants to settle down there and the... more ›

The Dark Side of Softee more ›

Our friends at Rotofugi reminded us that this weekend is West Fest and the East Village Arts Walk in, you guessed it, West Town and the East Village. The Arts Walk features over 50 East Village artists, many of whom have opened their studio spaces to let in the hobos like you. Grace Montemar, better known as Spasmodica, is showing a full retrospective of her plush line at Rotofugi, so get your cute on and stop by. West Fest is on Chicago between Damen and Wood. more ›

Chicagoist Happy Hour is officially upon us! Friday, August 27 is only a few days away. We're going to be at the Happy Village bar, the self-proclaimed "Happiest Place in the East Village," at 1059 North Wolcott. Cheap beers, huge back patio, close to public transportation—we are so there. more ›

to the stars, is taking a lot of flak for his renovations to 1034 North Wolcott, a property he owns in East Village. Rancic purchased the two-flat and coach house back in 2002 for $435,000, according to the Sun-Times, but the coach house burned down about a year later. When he began rebuilding it, neighbors got extremely pissed. New construction of coach houses is illegal, though it’s not illegal to rebuild them. Hello? That’s like a hipster’s natural habitat, the rehabbed coach house. Neighbor Christy Webber claims that not only does Rancic lack the appropriate permits for his job, but also that such a lack contributed to the fire. more ›