One of our favorite comic strips makes a weather prediction for Illinois. more ›

In a press conference earlier this morning, Daley announced that Cortez Trotter has resigned. The first and only disaster chief has been in place for just 14 months, but is now leaving for a job in the private sector. The position was created as a response to a lot of things, including the fatal 2003 fire at 69 W. Washington St., the abominable response to Hurricane Katrina and the threat of biological warfare or an... more ›

Thank the Lord. Six Flags Great America is going to expand its sales of hard liquor this summer. Man, we were worried that not enough people were getting sick, acting the fool and being generally lame at Great America. Now they will have plenty more ammunition to fuel their fire. more ›

When you think of cities you might like to get out of, which ones come to mind? New Orleans, still suffering from hurricane damage? Sure. Detroit, where the floundering auto industry is creating unrest? Of course. But Chicago? We know the CTA has some huge issues, that the job market isn’t the greatest, and that our sweltering summers and frigid winters can create feelings of ill will, but surely it’s a worthwhile place to reside,... more ›

Come on, Chicago -- we know you're better than this. While your signs and banner should show support for your team, and maybe strike some fear in the opponent there are certainly limits to how far to go. You don't insult their mother. You don't question their sexuality. And you most certainly don't compare the game to a natural disaster that nearly wiped their city off the Earth. Yet one Bears fan's thought it would... more ›

We wonder whether Bill Swerski's head exploded trying to ponder the winner of this Sunday's NFC title game, pitting the Chicago Bears against the New Orleans Saints — both teams formerly coached by Da Coach Known as Ditka. Would the final be 642-637? Would it be 1-0? Or did Ditka bestow some special greatness on Da Bears, that will allow them to pound the Saints 710-3? In reality, most of the media seems to be... more ›

Forgive us, we just watched Snatch again the other night (the movie, you pervs). To tell the truth, we're not too crazy about the creatures. People have been killed in our bar brawls for taking their side and insinuating that cats are anything less than little gods that happen to chase snotrags. But, we have let our guard down sometimes concerning cats' mortal enemies. Now, just in time for that fuzzy-wuzzy überholiday known as Christmas,... more ›

If you need further holiday gift recommendations after perusing our infamous Gift Guide, no one is a better authority on what your friends and family will like than a good old-fashioned stereotype. more ›

Minute Maid successfully got us to believe that orange juice, no matter how much sugar it has, keeps us from getting sick and makes us stronger. We were at the grocery store recently and to our surprise a gallon was $5.99. At a glass a day, this can get pretty pricey and the future isn't looking so hot. more ›

Artist Benny Andrews died of cancer on Friday in his New York home. Andrews, who served in the air force, used his G.I. bill to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has permanent collections in the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Hirshbom Museum in Washington, D.C. more ›

Exhibit A: Pilgrim Baptist Church Location: 3301 S. Indiana Avenue Built: 1890-91 Notable facts: Originally built by Louis Sullivan and his partner, Dankmar Adler, as the Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv synagogue. Became the Pilgrim Baptist Church in 1922. Often called the birthplace of gospel music, due to musical director Thomas Dorsey. Designated as a Chicago landmark: Dec. 18, 1981 Fate: Destroyed by fire, Jan. 6, 2006. Caused by workers doing roof restoration. Future: Possible rebuilding. Exterior... more ›

How would you like to have delicious gourmet meals delivered to your home several times a week? And even better, how would you like to know that the money you pay for the food isn’t going to some huge corporation, but instead towards feeding the hungry in Chicago? Meet First Slice, an innovative, self-funded, non-profit organization started by Mary Ellen Diaz, former chef at the acclaimed North Pond restaurant. The organization, which is profiled in... more ›

Phewww, gas prices are finally starting to go down after another summer of paying way to much to fill the tank. Chicago peaked at an average price of $3.29 per gallon of gasoline in 2006 and is expected to make it all the way down to below $2.30 by mid-winter. The average price of gas in the city is currently $2.59. Does anyone else find that number a bit low? It's got to have something to do with the neighborhoods that we at Chicagoist are driving through, but an average of $2.59? That means there is lots of gas being sold for less than that price. more ›

While the first day of September marked the first day of meteorological fall, today is the autumnal equinox, which kicks off autumn for real. If the chilly weather hasn't brought them out already, it's official. The sweaters and boots can come out of the closet. Perhaps even a light, jaunty scarf. more ›

Chicagoist is pet friendly and nothing breaks our heart more than to see homeless dogs and cats. We firmly believe in adopting pets and if you’re thinking about welcoming a new member into your home, check out the latest Chicago arrivals. more ›

Wishing to extend our summer fun by one more weekend, Chicagoist headed down to the Live Music Capital of the World for the 5th Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. The lineup was similar to that of Lollapalooza and gave us a chance to see a couple of bands we missed there, as well as enough new ones to keep us running from stage to stage. The ACL Music Fest is set up in Austin's... more ›

The CTA needs themselves a James Koh: Mistakes on the new CTA maps cost one guy his job and will cost the agency $75,000 to correct. Topinka unveiled her new education plan. The U of C jumped up to 9th place in a national college ranking. Traffic aides in the green vests get no respect. No, it's not OK to sleep on the job, even if you work for the city. Diarrhea Harbor (a.k.a.... more ›

Even as the stores sport back to school sales (which depress us, even now), summer lingers on your friends the -ists. This week's collection of links provides some of the best, worst, and oddest bits of summer fun. So, bring your laptop up onto the roof, make yourself an umbrella drink or ten, and enjoy this week's choice posts from across the Gothamist network. Torontoist (where it's 75 degrees F as of this writing)... more ›

DCist is screwed in the event of an oil crisis. Not that we're not all screwed in the event of an oil crisis, just D.C. is more screwed. Don't sell your car yet, District resident, a cabbie can kick you to the curb if he doesn't like your address. Not even Metro can save you now. Londonist experiences the London of the future through the wonders of 3D modeling, but while the 3D guys are... more ›

"We're all in this TOGETHER" via 54cermak. more ›

Chicagoist hasn't been to Six Flags Great America for years, but we used to love to go and remember the last time we went (1999?) we thought it was really expensive. Great America opened for the season on Saturday, and we were shocked to read that the price for a single adult admission (anyone over 54 inches) is now $54.99. For one day! Holy shit! And that doesn't include the cost of gas to get up there or soda or anything to eat or a wacky souvenir Bugs Bunny tshirt. Not to mention that the price of parking also went up this season. It's now $15 to park for the day. more ›

Oh, Chicagoist readers: we’re mighty conflicted this morning. On the one hand, we want to tell you about these two amusing video clips posted on the Tribune’s site. Critic Robert Elder gives a brief tour of some famous Chicago movie locations while other Trib staffers re-create—with mixed results—scenes from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We’re wondering where they managed to find a white fringed jacket for “Sloane.” (Confidential to Trib web geeks: It’d be nice if... more ›

Just an interesting bit of business news on a Monday: When Allstate recently got their financial asses kicked by the likes of Katrina and other hurricanes last summer, they decided to trim costs and improve operations. (They lost $1.55 billion in the third quarter -- their biggest quarterly loss as a publicly traded company. ) They offered 6,800 workers a voluntary buyout offer at the Northbrook office and expected about 700 to take the deal,... more ›

Hurricanes be damned, the spirit of Mardi Gras is alive and well in New Orleans. This weekend, give it up Chicago style with several fundraising events happening around the city. more ›

Five months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, the future of New Orleans remains mired in doubt and bureaucracy. When the mainstream media shelves substantive debate over the city’s rebuilding to decipher Mayor Nagin’s “Chocolate City” speech, the art world picks up the slack. Two local exhibits and a new play examine The Big Easy, the city and the idea. more ›

Yesterday, as the snow poured down on Chicago for the first substantial time in a while, it was a great time to cuddle up by the fire with a new book. Oh, wait, that wasn't a book—it was your horrifying energy bill. 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 ›

chocolate New Orleans” (a vision we wholly support. Hell, Chicagoist sometimes feels like we could stand for some flavor around here). more ›

A few months back, A Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics was discussed. Chicagoist whole heartedly endorsed the idea. Da Mere also came out in favor of such a bid. It was pointed out, however, that the newly renovated Soldier Field wasn't large enough to accomodate the opening & closing ceremonies or track & field events. So, while we already have many of the necessary venues we'd have to build an Olympic Stadium in... more ›

Chicagoist nearly sprayed our coffee all over the living room this morning when we heard on the news that televangelist and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson is suing Governor Blagojevich. We were hoping the paler version of Alan Keyes would stay out of our state. And we’re surprised he has time to get involved here when he is so busy thanking Hurricane Katrina, anointing President Bush as God’s choice, calling for the assassination of... more ›