In the eternal battle of Ninjas v. Pirates, the dark-horse winner is always Vikings.* They've got huge ships, their funerals are awesome, they love mead and ravage Scotswomen. What's not to like? And, perhaps in recognition of the accomplishments of Vikings through the ages (cough*discoveringAmerica*cough), the Geneva-based Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley are re-assembling an ancient Viking vessel replica that debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition. more ›

The Museum of Science and Industry announced today that a fully-functional, three-story "green" home will be built just east of the museum on its Jackson Park grounds in Hyde Park this spring. The foundation is currently being laid, and it will be open to the public from May 8, 2008 through January 4, 2009. The 2,500-square-foot home will exhibit some of the latest environmentally-friendly technologies and offer a primer on incorporating these innovations into our homes. more ›

What? You didn't think you'd go a day without reading something from us, did you? Anyway, we were cleaning up our inbox when we came across a press release trumpeting the Monday opening of Uncommon Ground's new eco-friendly Edgewater location. The space at 1401 W. Devon will feature rooftop solar thermal panels, wood table tops made using reclaimed wood from Jackson Park, a 100-year-old art deco bar and eventually a rooftop will be utilized as... more ›

- BREAKING: The Tribune and Sun-Times agree to a historic distribution deal where the Bright One contracts the Tribune to handle most of its delivery. More on this tomorrow after we've had time to let this one sink in. - A Dallas real estate investment firm is thisclose to signing off on an $850 million deal for four downtown office buildings, including 440 S. LaSalle, aka One Financial Place. - United Airlines files lawsuits... more ›

September must be the month to run profiles of Chicago. On Friday we found an eclectic weekend itinerary for the Windy City in the New York Times, and just last night while flipping through Dwell, we came across this profile called "The Real Chicago." The folks from the flagship of the modern design porn interviewed architect Brad Lynch of the Chicago-based firm Brininstool + Lynch about some of his favorite spots in the city. Just... more ›

Over a hundred people who ate at the Drake last weekend got sick from food contaminated with a norovirus that caused both technicolor yawning and Hershey squirting. Double whammy! The Shubert Theater is getting redone and then it will become the LaSalle Bank Theater. Wonder who's footing the bill for that makeover. Did you know that the firefighter sliding pole was invented in Chicago? And also that the snorkel was invented here? A group... more ›

Richard Doherty more ›

Have you ever sat in a tangle of tollbooth-induced gridlock, silently (or loudly) cursing the I-pass holders that whiz through the turnstyles with nary a wait and nary a care? Unless you have one of the CTA's Chicago Cards or Chicago Cards Plus, you may be resigned to a similar fate the next time you board a train or bus. more ›

And then there are the photos that make us freak out. The ones we want to print out and get tattooed on ourselves, hang up in our houses, use as our wedding invitations, and just never stop looking at. more ›