There’s nothing we love more than a quiet, cloudy afternoon and a leisurely stroll through a bookstore. The best place we’ve found to do that is Unabridged Books. more ›

A smorgasbord for the mind, the 2005 Chicago Humanities Festival has rolled into town. This year’s theme is Home and Away, concerning “the role that ‘place’ serves in the creation of our sense of rootedness and belonging.” Sounds like Pretentious-English-Major-speak, but an impressive slate of writers, musicians and performers are addressing such hot button issues as globalization, mobility, national identity, and bridging regional differences. Most tickets are $5, a bargain that ensures many sold out... more ›

Hey, do you have a passport? If so, you're in the minority here in the U.S. Only 23% of Americans have a passport. If you're one of the other 77%, then travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet wants your attention. They recently put together a fun little book called Don't Let the World Pass You By!: 52 Reasons to Have a Passport. To be completely honest, it's a little didactic for our tastes (especially the "Be An Ambassador" admonition-cloaked-in-a-compliment not to be an "ugly American"), but it makes for good bathroom reading and sure does make us want to, uh, shit or get off the pot, so to speak. (Let's just keep that expression to ourselves when, say, waiting in line at the ufficio postale in Italy.) It would also make a great gift for a quarter- or mid-life crisis experincee or graduate of something, especially if accompanied by some plane tickets. more ›