And you thought the view from The Ledges was good. Check out this view from the top of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. [via] more ›

Margaret noted briefly in her post on St. Patrick's Day rescheduling last week that this is also Shamrock Shake time. Finding it is an altogether different matter. more ›

It wasn't all about roasting pigs out in the 'burbs this week: more ›

On a weekend where gratefulness is foremost on our minds, it’s unfortunate that crime keeps moving forward. We’ll lead off with one story for which we can be thankful is not all bad news:Remember Nicolas Orbovich, the concert violist whose 1892 instrument worth $100,000 was stolen from the back seat of his unlocked car in a Michigan City, Indiana, Wal-Mart parking lot? It’s been found, with the help of Lake Station, Indiana, pawn shop, Orbovich’s... more ›

Is it just us, or does it seem like there's been a huge increase in the number of missing persons stories? This can't all be the Sun-Times' doing, right? A Chicago Heights woman has been missing since Sunday afternoon. Alma Mendez went jogging in the forest preserve in South Chicago Heights and hasn't been heard from since. The Southtown says Mendez is 5 foot 4, but the Trib says she's 4 foot 11. If you've... more ›

Everyone expects to be shuffled through several waiting rooms without any pants on during a regular doctor visit, but it can be very frustrating to wait when you have to go to the emergency room. Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in the western suburb of Glendale Heights has embraced the idea that time is crucial in emergency situations, spending $7 million on an emergency room with no waiting rooms. more ›

As we posted earlier this summer there's quite a hidden history of tiki in the Chicagoland area that's been all but forgotten, which is why local author James Teitelbaum's research is so valuable. His book Tiki Road Trip chronicled his coast-to-coast quest for the best in tiki, both modern and vintage. It was so successful that earlier this year he published a new edition. This Thursday he'll be in town for a reading and... more ›

As part of the old Brach's legacy was being blown up for Batman, intentionally causing a blaze, there have been several other fire related bits in the news as well. The police Bomb and Arson Section and Chicago Fire Department are conducting an ongoing investigation of a warehouse fire that started Thursday night in Bridgeport. Just before 10 p.m., a fire was reported at a building near Halsted and 36th Streets in the 3600 block... more ›

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked... more ›

Before we teleported up into the great nightclub in outer space, Chicagoist took a few hours to walk around Grant Park this weekend and have a friendly chit-chat with some of the many fine folks who came to Lolla this weekend. Some of them came from nearby - North Side, South Side and the suburbs. Others came from farther away, places like New Jersey. Still others came to visit us from other countries, like Ireland.... more ›

A couple years back we had a Chicagoist alum who chronicled his attempts to grow his own tomatoes from seeds. If you click those links, you'll notice that he wasn't very successful. Now, we have something of a green thumb. Our apartment is full of various ficuses, cacti, African violets, rhododendron, split leaf philodendron and other plants we've been tending for a friend for so long, they now qualify as ours. Still, we were hesitant... more ›

Saturday the sun and heat agreed with Chicagoist. So we saddled up on our seven-year-old Schwinn Mesa GS and beat a straight line north on Halsted to the Lincoln Park farmers market. We just had some chicken butchered for us at Chicago Live Poultry House in Little Village, and had some ideas of how we wanted to prepare the cuts. more ›

Techies and geeks, rejoice: goddesses walk among you. These aren’t high-maintenance, untouchable fantasy goddesses. Nor are they freaky tentacle-fresh hentai maidens, either, you otaku junkies. They’re gearheads just like you, only made from softer parts. At least, they will be with enough guidance and teaching at a young age. Enter the Geek Squad. That’s right, Best Buy’s computer repair mavens are making young girls’ dreams come true by introducing them to technology. It all started... more ›

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried... more ›

Chicagoist: Peeking into the minds of the mad, the dangerous and the just plain stupid. more ›

The Trib has launched a new local portal for suburban news that will rely on "citizen journalism." Huh? Oh, you mean blogging? Abbot Labs is being sued over its arthritis drug, Humira. NYU and Johnson & Johnson have a competing drug and is accusing them of patent infringement. The 2007 World Boxing Championships will probably happen in Chicago. A woman walking her dog found the body of a dead 15-year-old boy in Chicago Heights.... more ›

After months of speculation that the Cubs might be put up for sale as part of a restructuring or sale of Tribune Co., almost immediately after the board's approval of Chicago billionaire Sam Zell's offer, news came that the team would in fact be sold. Now the handicapping can begin on who the new owner will be. There has certainly been no shortage of potential bidders mentioned. Of course, that was before the Cubs went... more ›

Ok, let's get the story straight ... or at least we'll try. more ›

Surprisingly little St. Patty's related fare for the blotter this weekend. Hooray! more ›

Our newest indoor football team, the Chicago Slaughter, was just sold to Chisla LLC, an investment group headed by a northwest suburban luxury home developer. At least we're not in the hands of New Yorkers any more! Palos Heights wants to hold a half marathon next year. Three graduates of Northwestern were placed in Supreme Court clerkships. As if the snow wasn't enough trouble for O'Hare, then there were those pesky coyotes. A couple... more ›

Fat Tuesday, Shmat Tuesday. As far as we are concerned, today is about one thing only, eating delicious deep-fried, fruit-filled, often-frosted paczkis. For the non-Polish, non-native Chicagoans, paczkis are traditional Polish donuts, often served on Fat Thursday, except in Chicago and Detroit where they are served today — today being Paczkis Day. more ›

We've got it relatively good in the winter, us Chicagoist folk. The last two apartments we've lived in, the radiator heat's been jacked up so high in the winter that we could literally walk around in our shorts. But before that, we were in a place that only had one centrally-located gas heater, and that thing gobbled up resources like nobody's business. Our heretofore unknown gas bill shot into the sky like Wile E. Coyote. So it is with a certain amount of sympathy that we read about the case of Mary Gray, a senior citizen on dialysis whose 18-month-old Nicor gas bill had crept up to a whopping $3,500. more ›

Pat yourselves on the back Chicagoland, most of you managed to keep yourselves out of trouble this week. Usually by Friday, we can count on a whole heap of news stories about the stupid and depraved acts you manage to commit, but not so this week. Whatever the reason, you were on your best behavior. Maybe you're too excited about the Bears game. Maybe Barack Obama's almost presidential announcement still has you all a twitter,... more ›

After taking time out to witness the Bears' crushing defeat intense victory, we bring you this weekend's blotter: Two more workers were slain at a Burger King downstate. Pam Branka, 46, and Paul "P.J." Jones, 50, were found dead early Saturday morning in Momence, IL, both victims of an apparent armed robbery. No cash was taken from the registers, but blood was found near the safe. The murders call to mind Mary Hutchison's homicide in... more ›

There's been a lot of food news that crossed our radar this week. Here are a few of the stories we didn't snark on, until today. Kraft Foods, You've Been Served: The legal team at Kraft Foods is going to be mighty busy in the upcoming year, if they keep getting sued at this rate. Earlier this week, a Florida woman sued Kraft for claiming that their "all natural" Capri Sun juice drinks are really... more ›

We here at Chicagoist have been focusing a little too much on the “new”; new Christmas toys, new TV shows and new books. We’ve been burned lately by the newness, and we decided we want to go back to the standard, something we can count on. more ›

Chicagoist is one of those proud, transit-taking people who don't own a car. For the slight inconvenience of not being able to go where we want at all times, we avoid road rage, trying to find parking, the eternal driver vs. bicyclist debate, and being rammed by inattentive motorists. Friday, an Arlington Heights woman was awarded $4.1 million as a result of being hit by a man who blew a red light. The reason? He was lost and trying to look for directions on his BlackBerry. more ›

Between resting from the family and finishing off the leftover turkey we figure you won’t have too much time for action this weekend. We are bringing you a special Thanksgiving weekend jaunts together for your viewing and doing pleasure. As always, feel free to add additional events in the comments section. As the ignoble comments your family made wear off, we suggest laughing at their expense. Second City presents the Dysfunctional Holiday Revue at the... more ›

In a story that seems like the most dark and twisted Seinfeld episode ever, a Palos Heights family is trying to figure out what to do after someone stole their 4-year-old son's walker, pediatric stroller, and a backpack with a turkey sandwich from his driveway. Stephen Sichak and his mother were waiting for the schoolbus last week, when they left the stuff at the end of the driveway and went inside to escape from the cold. When the bus came shortly thereafter, the things were gone. Stephen's mother Erin thought the bus driver had already put them on the bus, but it turns out that they were stolen. more ›

Fishing Derby 02 via phule, who notes: Impromptu fishing derby along the Chicago River during lunch. Lasted 30 minutes and 1 fish was caught before security from Boeing threw everyone out. more ›