The Chicago City Council held off on voting on a controversial ban on urban chickens yesterday. Since urban chickens are all the rage, it seems like a perfect time to ban them, right? Southwest Side Alderman Lona Lane (18th), who proposed the ban, said she didn't know why the vote on the ban was held up. Maybe it is, as the Sun-TImes suggests, because Mayor Daley has a thing for urban poultry: "Let's be realistic,"... more ›

In our experience, Angelina Jolie is pretty much on everyone's if-I-meet-this-person-in-real-life-I-have-a-free-pass-to-hit-it list, and is even the most popular person we've heard women say they'd "cross over" for. As in, "I'm not gay, but if I had the chance I'd be all over Angelina." Where are we going with this? The Chicago Film Office has provided information about a ton of streets being closed because Angelina Jolie's new movie Wanted is in town, and we're trying... more ›

We're gonna keep it real. We are not young or thin or rich enough to go to all of those clubs on Lake Street or anywhere else they are — we don't know where they are 'cause we just don't do that sort of thing. Our days of the potential for crazy sex and good blow in the bathroom are LOONNG over, and we never were cool enough to swing bottle service, anyway. So, the... more ›

Chicagoist has been watching Geoffrey Baer’s tours on Channel 11 for a while now, but when we sat down to preview his latest tour of the Fox River Valley and Chain O’ Lakes, we weren’t sure what to expect. We haven’t spent much time in this area, and we weren’t sure we cared much about it. But, true to form, Baer kept us interested all the way from the rowdy Blarney Island bar to Mies... more ›

What's Halloween without a few pranks? In the city, it's a little harder to find enough trees to support an impressive TP-ing job, and the ol' soaping windows trick just might get your ass kicked. But one cabbie played a trick on the city yesterday that looks like it won't be forgotten. Local blogger Luke Pickard was riding in a cab yesterday when he noticed a tow truck towing another cab in front of them.... more ›

The Bad At Sports Podcast, an informed and often irreverent take on the Chicago art scene, celebrates its birthday next week. Over the last 50 episodes, hosts Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie and frequent co-host Amanda Browder have discussed everything from the merits of outsider art to the merits of campy, low-budget viral videos, sliding effortlessly between serious debate and hilarious schoolyard asides. As the acclaim piled on, they amassed a stable of correspondents from across the country and overseas while making lots of friends in the arts biz. more ›

Chicagoist has been a little worried about whipsmart Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert even since he gave three stars to the new Garfield sequel. Clearly, the Great One had been working too hard and a June 16th surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his salivary gland can’t have helped matters. Then this weekend a blood vessel near the site of the surgery burst and Ebert was back in the hospital again. We’re not sure... more ›

Karen Hanson, Author of Today's Chicago Blues more ›

Here at the Chicagoist offices we’re counting down the days to Ash Wednesday and one of our favorite times of the year- pointing out all the hungover Catholics with dirty foreheads and shag carpeting for tongues eating pepper and egg sandwiches. This weekend finds a literal smorgasbord of events leading up to Fat Tuesday itself: - Starting Friday Carnivale (702 W. Fulton) will feature a Mardi Gras–themed menu featuring dishes like Moqueqa --seafood stew with... more ›

Who Cares What Time it is in Elgin? more ›

Headed into this past weekend, Chicagoist was thinking about laying low and maybe going to see a movie. However, we were invited to attend the Lexus Press Preview event on Saturday, and our attitude changed. Sort of. When we heard that we had to get up at 7 am on a Saturday, we weren't sure we wanted to go. Really. Besides, did they know we drive a 1990 Honda Accord? Not only did Lexus not... more ›

Focus on Lake and Wabash more ›

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... more ›

Focus on Lake and Wood more ›

Chicagoist was looking for something literary to do this week, and stumbled upon a couple of readings of Colleen Curran's first novel, Whores on the Hill. We read the blurb at Women & Children First--young women at the last all-girls high school in Milwaukee in the 80's: the sex, the drinking, the drugs--and have to admit that we were a little turned off. We were super nerds in high school (and, yes, beyond) and lacked... more ›