Pencil This In
Pack an umbrella, bring your galoshes, and dress in layers. It's been that kind of week. Here are some events to brave any extreme in weather.
Restaurant Review: Azteca
To say that it isn't hard to stumble into a taqueria in Pilsen is an understatement. Focus on the Blue Island corridor, however. and the question becomes trying to avoid one. We took advantage of yesterday's thaw to walk around, enjoy the weather buy some pirated movies (you should see our copy of "Untraceable"). Then, after we worked up an appetite, we headed into the first taqueria we saw for a quick bite, which wound up being an old favorite.
Focus, People, Focus
When we happened on a few of Flickr user Travis Kniffin's street portraits, we just knew we had to share. Shot on a roll of Tri-X with a Nikon N80 SLR, Kniffin's poignant shots illustrate why, even in the digital age, you still can't beat the look of film.
Focus, People, Focus
Just in time for the AIBA World Boxing Championship matches, only-connect offers up this photo featuring some boxers who are clearly lovers, not fighters. It's not every day we get photos with a more fashion/editorial bent in the Flickr pool, and this shot -- with it's strong framing, timely subject matter and excellent visual tension -- is a prime example of why we love to see them.
Focus, People, Focus
A few tourists have swung through town over the past few weeks, and they've taken some pretty killer bean shots to prove it. Brooklynite Bao Nguyen shot this photograph while breezing through town on a road trip to Minnesota, creating a photoset called Manifest Destiny. Although a number of cool shots exist in the set, this one, despite the dirty sensor spots, gets our top vote for reminding us that the silver tourist trap has some genuine artistic merit.
Focus, People, Focus
The McDonald's at Chicago and State always seems to be hopping with activity. Flickr user Joe Thorn, who has a number of great city shots, shot this gem of a street portrait. Perfectly framed up by the three people in the background, Joe has artfully captured what we would consider to be the epitome of an older Chicago gentleman.
Scarf it Up
This week's Free Shit column in the Reader points us to what sounds like a really fun event: Head over to Blick (42 S. State) today between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and they'll give you a free scarf to decorate. It's part of the Fashion Focus festivities, and students from the International Academy of Design & Technology will be on-hand to help you with your embellishment endeavors. Sounds like a good lunch hour to...
Turn To the Left, Turn to the Right, Fashion!
It's Fashion Focus time again! Now in its third year, the six-day event will feature Chicago designers, shopping tours, fashion business seminars and will generally kick ass. The success of the event in the past few years has caught the attention of high-profile designers and attracted the industry to a city that has often been regarded as pretty low on the fashion totem pole. A quick survey of the streets on an average day might...
Focus, People, Focus
Oh, how we like this photo by Flickr user jvoves. It's nice to see the CTA looking so zen, with the strong symmetry of the platform architecture and rails mixing well with the almost vintage-esque tones of the shot. A lovely photo, to be sure, and a good reminder of how an open photography policy on the CTA can result in some much-needed good PR.
Focus, People, Focus
At first glance, this shot by only-connect had us wondering what sort of cultish activities were taking place. But after a quick search of the tags, we realized yoga fanatics had taken to the shore as part of the Global Mala Project's worldwide activities to support UN International Peace Day.
Focus, People, Focus
Oh, how we love this photo by ten-nine. Great black and white tones, interesting textures, a nice dose of urban grit, and an interesting angle make for an alluring photograph. It also reminds us of one of the downsides of city life — the rather frequent need to find a decent apartment. We're always a bit intrigued to know where people live, and why they chose to live there. So, dear readers, spill the...
Focus, People, Focus
Growing up in the big, bad metropolis of Kankakee, we became very good at bowling. After all, in a town where the yearly opening of the Dairy Queen was a significant event, entertainment options were a bit few and far between. Now that we are bonafide "city folk," however, bowling has become one of our standard "gonna do"s, one of those activities we say we want to do almost weekly, but in which we...
Focus, People, Focus
Take caution, Chicago. Summer is nearly over. We’re not entirely sure what happened to June, July or August, but with Labor Day just a few days away, we’re suddenly feeling a lot of pressure to cram a slew of summer activities into the holiday weekend. We’re planning a few days filled with an evening at the Jazz Fest, a party or two, and perhaps an impromptu trip to the lake. Although we’re a bit...
Focus, People, Focus
With the high levels of heat and humidity this week, we might as well have been on fire, especially when strolling around on Sunday during a little festival. This shot, by Mr. p2wy, reminds us of these hot, sultry, dog days of summer, and reminds us with panache. Perfectly echoing the words on the call box with the gold, pink and red bokeh in the background, p2wy has deftly created a fantastic image. Focus,...
Lollapalooza Weekend in Photos
This writer-photographer had never been to Lollapalooza and came with mixed expectations. Fortunately, we seemed to choose our acts correctly, and between the tight sets from The Hold Steady and Muse on Saturday and the intense energy offered up by Iggy and the Stooges and Cafe Tacuba on Sunday, we left the weekend without any disappointments. Chicagoist was fortunate enough to secure a few coveted photo passes, allowing us access to the photo pits...
Focus, People, Focus
Focus, People, Focus is a weekly photography feature that features a photograph taken by a reader of the site. If you'd like a chance to have your photo featured on Friday as part of Focus, People, Focus, upload your photo to Flickr and tag it with "Chicagoist".
Chicago Style: More than Pizza
You know why we love Chicago? Sometimes it feels as though we are living in one of those undiscovered destinations where only locals know the amazing surprises that await. We’ve had friends come into town, fully believing that Chicago is a city where people spend the day chomping on pizza and beef and going to sports games (and requisite crappy sports bars) while wearing grubby clothes. However, after a visit to the parts of the...
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