Results tagged “laborday”

Most of us are off to the beach (except Marcus - that hack is chained to the desk for the weekend) so we wish the rest of of you a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the (unofficially) last weekend of summer!

The accolades keep rolling in. Not only are we Forbes' most stressful American city, but now the National Motorists Association have named Chicago as the worst city to drive through on Labor Day weekend. We...don't have much to argue with there. Seems like there are other cities that probably give us a run for the money (L.A., Atlanta) but the NMA has two specific reasons they outline: shady red light cameras and the parking meter fiasco.

Whether it’s gas prices that are too high, our salaries that are too low, or our general inability to plan, for one reason or another some of us are skipping the road trip this weekend and opting for a Labor Day “staycation.” But staying home doesn’t have to mean staying in, so we've rounded up a short list of hot happenings this weekend that will keep you entertained:

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren't many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and...

Poor Didier Durand. The chef/owner of Cyrano's Bistrot was visited by the Health Department Wednesday on suspicion of selling foie gras, only to be shut down with a cockroach infestation. A Health Department spokesperson told Crain's that the infestation was "pretty severe," encompassing both the kitchen and a basement food prep area. Durand said the pest control company he uses thinks the roaches were a result of ongoing condo renovations above the restaurant. Unless he...

Around the virtual Chicagoist "offices" we're known as "Grandpa" because we're one of the older members of the staff. We also have a penchant for telling "back in my day" stories, so sit back and strap in as we take the Chicagoist Wayback Machine on a trip to the spring of 1987. Back then, Harold Washington was re-elected as mayor and he had the votes in City Council to fully implement his agenda; Andre Dawson...

September is one of our favorite months of the year, in that there are so many things still happening for the benefit of those of us who refuse to accept our parents' notion that summer in Chicago ends on Labor Day. September brings us the Hideout Block Party, World Music Festival, and the beginning of many Oktoberfest celebrations.

Happy Labor Day Chicago! Although for many this is a day of picnics and playing, Labor Day has a bit more history behind it, and a significant role in its creation was played by people right here in Chicago. In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, with workers putting in 12 hour days and seven day weeks and child labor rampant, a small slice of our city lived in relative labor peace for a good...

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston's firefighters bent over backwards all week long - first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else - like Tom...

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...

This one is an easy one to celebrate. Step away from your computer, grab some grub, and head into the sunny outdoors, because today is National Eat Outside Day — a holiday we're pretty sure everyone can take part in. This holiday couldn't come at better time because today looks to be gorgeous, as does the rest of the Labor Day weekend. With the temperatures being warm but not unreasonably so, this weekend is...

Chicagoist is a big fan of alternative sports. No we are not talking about underwater hockey but sports that are popular around the world that have just-under-the-mainstream-radar following here in Chicago. We're talking Gaelic Football, Rugby, and Australian Football. Chicagoist was excited to see there are some great alternative sporting events heading to town in the coming month. This weekend, Chicago United Australian Football Club is hosting the Nashville Kangaroos in a Mid-America Australian Football...

Is that a goat we hear bleating? Because no sooner do the Cubs climb into a tie with the Brewers for the NL Central lead, they lose one of their top sluggers to injury. Alfonso Soriano landed on the disabled list on Monday, after tearing his right quadriceps in Sunday night's game against the New York Mets. Attempting to run from first to third on a Ryan Theriot single in the third inning, he came...

We received the press release about State and Rush Street mainstay Melvin B's getting ready to close down a few days ago and were going to write about it, but it looked like the Sun-Times beat us to it. The site on which Melvin B's and the Cedar Hotel - a single room occupancy hotel we're surprised is still in business - now stand is being earmarked for a new 200-room boutique hotel. While some...

What we are writing right now probably isn't going to be read by half of our readers. Or that is the conclusion we have come to after reading this article in today's Sun-Times, which tracks the evolution of "summer Fridays." If you don't know what "summer Fridays" are, then you probably don't have them. And if you do, then Chicagoist is insanely jealous of you, you lucky bastard. Essentially, companies are realizing that during the...

Professional film critics usually like to pretend that, at the end of the year, they've seen it all. But let's be honest. Even if you watched movies nonstop, you'd miss a few (and probably become a little bug-eyed). And if you're like us, attempting to cover everything from Chicago politics to food to sports to Macy's discontent to the CTA, there'll be a few holes in your cinematic vocabulary. It doesn't help matters that all...

Chicagoist better than to expect to win when betting on football, especially when the Bears are involved. The last time we were in Vegas, we saw the Bears lose and miss covering the spread by 1 damn point after a Grossman endzone interception with 0:18 left in the game. Rather than a celebratory cocktail before heading to the airport, we left town with our wallet somewhat lighter.

For myriad and sundry of reasons, Chicagoist is leery to touch this one but we can't help ourselves.

Chicagoist hopes you’re busy celebrating Labor Day the way most folks do: by sitting around on your fat ass and drinking some beer (BBQ called on account of rain). Admit it: you deserve a break. Even though Federal, state, city and county offices will be closed along with banks and the post office, many people are spending the day working in our fair city, so it’s only right that we take a brief look at...

Labor Day weekend usually finds Chicagoist dashing on our bike between Jazz Fest and the African Festival of the Arts. So we have to pick between Charlie Hunter at Grant Park or Slick Rick at Washington Park tonight; or Jason Moran and the Bandwagon versus Rhymefest tomorrow. At both festivals we're guaranteed of some good living, whether it's a picnic with friends at Jazz Fest, or sampling the best delicacies of the African diaspora at...

This week, three Chicago museums who have taken flack for their high ticket prices and inaccessibility to regular working folks are expanding their free days. Just when you thought you should get outside more, museum officials are urging you to get back in the shark tank, descend into a submarine, or see some impressionist masterpieces. General admission to the Shedd Aquarium is free through Friday. Visiting the marine mammals and sharks in The Oceanarium and...

Facing Jury Duty

Labor Day is traditionally the symbolic end of summer in Chicago, but for the local art scene it marks a major transition. Chicagoist missed a rash of summer exhibition closings last weekend but, as much as we procrastinate, don’t plan to make the same mistake this weekend. Schneider Gallery’s Portrait closes Saturday. The exhibit brings together seven photographers who capture their subjects unconventionally but in deeply affecting and sometimes freaky ways. Down the block, Saslow...

Along with everyone else, Chicagoist has been watching as Katrina formed, advanced, and finally plowed over New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Our hearts go out to everyone who was there and who lost family and friends, their homes and possessions. In some ways, this storm was reminiscent of Hurricane Andrew, a Category 4 hurricane that immobilized Miami-Dade County (and one Chicagoist staffer) in 1992. Both storms crept slowly towards their target, leaving Miami and...

Yowsas. Show of hands, anybody ever imagine publishing a novel that's been written in the span of only 3 days? Considering our difficulty in imagining writing a publishable novel, like, ever (though, y'know, who knows?), the prospect is terrifying. But that's just what Meghan Austin and Shannon Mullally did with their recently published novel Love Block, and they'll be sharing the craziness tonight at Quimby's.

Wowowowow. The weekends are filling up like crazy and our summer is already running out of control. If you're like us you're already planning into August and booking flights for Labor Day weekend and watching your summer fly by! If you, by some miracle, don't have anything for this weekend check out these local fests:

Summer brings with it the need to barbecue as much as possible…to get in all the cooking by fire you can before winter sets back in, usually the Wednesday following Labor Day. Chicagoist knows barbecues can be tough for vegetarians, as they are left making a meal of potato salad, macaroni salad, and Jello salads, while others tear through their grilled meats as though they just brought the mastodon home themselves. Well, have no fear, my veggie friends! Chicagoist has the perfect dish for you, and it doesn’t involve tofu. Except that it does, and it is delicious! Meat eaters please keep reading, there is no reason to fear the Tofutabeast. You must have had it in a Thai dish somewhere along the way…soy milk is very cool now, and tofu does not turn you into a granola bar, Chicagoist promises you that much. Besides, you should try everything once, except polka dancing. This is a tasty recipe we found and one you can actually improvise on, depending on your vegetable likes/dislikes. It can also be made in advance, which is nice, and for those of you without kick-ass Weber grills, yes, this recipe can be made under the broiler.

Chicagoist thinks pre-season delusion among Cubs supporters must be at an all-time high this year. In part as an attempt to break the Cubs' curse, the Chicago City Council's Finance Committee authorized a "one-time exception" that will allow for two Jimmy Buffet concerts at Wrigley Field over the Labor Day weekend. Buffet played a pair of shows at Fenway last season, which ended with the Red Sox breaking their curse by winning the World Series....

As Chicagoist mentioned here a while back, there had been some discussions about holding concerts at Wrigley Field this summer. It's now sounding like it's a likely to happen. Having received an OK from the stadium grounds crew and having worked out a deal with the neighbors, Jimmy Buffet could be playing two Labor Day weekend at Wrigley. The city still needs to approve the plan and the contract with Buffet needs to be finalized,...

Holiday shopping season is upon us, and who doesn't need a little extra cash this time of year? Seems even the Cubs do, maybe in hopes of being able to give their fans a shiny new free agent for the holidays. Or maybe they're just trying to pay off some debt from all that repair work over the summer. Whatever the reasons, the Cubs have unveiled a number of money-generating proposals in recent days. The...