Write a check to The Human Fund, and here's to a happy Festivus for the rest of us. more ›

Throughout the month of September, you are cordially invited to spend your weekends touring fancy homes (the $900,000–$4,000,000 kind of fancy homes) during the fifth annual Chicago Luxury Home Tour. Presented by Midwest Home Chicago, 22 homes will be on display throughout the Chicagoland area. Think Hindsdale, Naperville, Glenview, not Gold Coast, Bucktown, Lincoln Park. It's a bit of driving around but after perusing the photo gallery (Hello, George Costanza-worthy Weilert Custom Homes bathroom, above) it might be worth devoting an entire day navigating around the suburbs. But if you're like us, you'll probably just get tired and end up hanging out at the refreshment stop, snacking on catered food and raspberry watermelon lemonade from the Viking Cooking School and Culinary Shop instead. more ›

Chicago police have issued a warning about a string of strong-arm robberies in the Lakeview area. Apparently groups of two to four men are targeting men walking home alone in the wee hours on weekends, stealing wallets and demanding ATM card PINs. The robberies are all the more sinister because the alleged assailants are black guys(!) robbing white guys(!) in their own neighborhood(!) Chicagoist will be sure to pass along headlining news stories about robberies... more ›