Good spots are still available. more ›

Chicagoist and Chicago Elevated are teaming up to host a walking tour of a new Bridgeport park. more ›

Chicago has long been regarded as an epicenter for improv comedy and, starting tonight, 95 ensembles from 32 cities and 8 countries will put their best audience suggestions forward with the start of Chicago Improv Festival 2011. more ›

With the return of the cold weather comes the return of another, newer, local favorite - Pedway tours! Hosted by former Chicagoista Margaret Hicks, these tours are a great opportunity to become familiar with a part of the city that many people don't know exist or have misconceptions as to how the pedway works. “I think a lot of locals really fear the Pedway, but they shouldn’t, it’s awesome, and now it’s very holiday-ish.” The writer and local comedienne normally gives a guided walking tour of the Pedway Monday and Thursday at 10:30 a.m, but for Thanksgiving Hicks is adding tours on November 24th and November 26th, both at 10:30 a.m. “I added the tours for Thanksgiving because there are so many great holiday things to see from the Pedway, like the tree in Macy’s, the beautiful Cultural Center with all of its decorations, heck, even Lane Bryant has done up their windows down there. It’s a great thing to do with your office too, learn something and have a great time” more ›

It's quite possible that the fat lady will sing for Hillary Clinton tomorrow. Or not. Sometimes politics is like baseball: you never know what's going to happen. Voters in four states will make some pretty important decisions tomorrow: Will Clinton go on to Pennsylvania? Or will her campaign end tomorrow night in a series of defeats in big, critical states? Will Barack Obama assume the mantle of the presumptive Democratic nominee, and will the GOP get the fight they have been both anxious to begin and cautiously planning for? more ›

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Time to buy presents! Which means it's time for Chicagoist's annual gift guide. For 2007, we're looking at lots of Chicago-centric gifts (plus a few random goodies thrown in for fun). Tickets, memberships, art, decoration, kits, classes, clothes — we've got you covered.... more ›

Joining Current Conditions in its "new regular feature" designation is Quick Bites, a weekly wrap-up of some of the interesting topics debated and discussed in Chicago's food media. The Time Out Chicago blog scooped Dish on Marcus Samuelsson news; the Ethiopian-born chef will be opening a new restaurant, C-House, in the Affinia Chicago Hotel in early 2008. Samuelsson is known for his work at New York's Riingo and Aquavit. If you've been feeling a little... more ›

March madness is six long, cold months away. Thanks to The Burrito Bracket things aren't looking so bleak. The blog combines two of Chicagoist's favorite things — eating Mexican food and bracketology — into one, excellent idea; a 19-contender tournament-style competition to determine the best burrito in the Wicker Park area. Burrito Bracket's top three seeds won't surprise a seasoned consumer of Wicker Park burritos; La Pasadita, Tecalitlan and El Taco Veloz earned the top... more ›

After eight long weeks, we’ll all get the chance to see who will be taking home the big prize (a staggering $250!) in the final performance of this season of the talent/variety show, Impress These Apes. Each week of the show is dedicated to a different talent challenge, ranging from puppet skits to songwriting; from creating a music video to coming up with a sideshow character. Judged weekly by a panel of three Apes —... more ›

Here's what happened while a punk rock choir distracted us from Doomsday: Fall arts season preview season is here. If you didn’t pick up a Reader over the weekend, you can still bookmark their A & E preview online. The Trib’s writers chose their 10 most promising in theater, art, dance, music (rock and otherwise), comedy and architecture. The Bright One previews Broadway in Chicago and upcoming rock concerts and CDs (remember those?). New City... more ›

Here’s what you missed while you were gawking at fallen trees and the troubled lives of Michael Vick and Owen Wilson: The first signs that fall’s on the way: cooler temps, fading leaves and university gallery art openings. Two shows open today at Columbia College’s Glass Curtain Gallery and C33, and a new exhibit of Carol Jackson’s ‘signatureless’ work opens at UIC’s Gallery 400 tomorrow. When Thursday’s storms cut power to Belmont Avenue businesses, Bailiwick... more ›

"'Cause it's Friday, you ain't got no job ... and you ain't got shit to do." Well, you can go check out the New Orleans Social Club at Millennium Park. If you aren't, here's some stuff in the news. Buckingham Fountain is slated to undergo a complete overhaul in autumn 2008. Near West Side businesses get $1.5 million in TIF money intended for keeping manufacturing jobs in the area. Does Manny Flores have the... more ›

Here's what happened while you were chasing The King: The Trib’s Chris Jones profiles local playwright Marisa Wegryzn, whose latest show Killing Women opens Friday night, and addresses larger concerns about whether young talent is being properly nurtured and how the economics of Chicago theater tend to drive talented playwrights to the coasts. A booth filled with Jack Nixon’s “super-realist” penciled renderings of Chicago landmarks was the most unexpected sight at Northhalsted Market Days (and... more ›

Note: This post has nothing to do with Lollapalooza. Tonight marks the return of Impress These Apes, the comedy octathalon demanding creativity, versatility and a wicked sense of humor. Eight contestants face eight different performance challenges over eight weeks. We missed last year's competition but, thanks to YouTube, are still getting a good chuckle from the dance routines, videos, and goofy spectacles it produced. Now eight new contestants are vying for the most impressive crown.... more ›

Chicagoist has said before (and will probably say again) that we love television. But it’s not often that we get to be on the other side of the box. Last night we got the chance to be the guest on “Talkin’ Funny,” the brainchild of Steve Gadlin, Paul Luikart and Blewt Productions. We’ve talked about these guys before; they produce one of the best comedy shows in town, Don’t Spit The Water, a show much... more ›

A provocative new piece by Devin Gordon in Newsweek sets out to explain why, in his view, TV is better than movies. The way he sees it, TV programming is now "bigger and bolder" than what's on display at the local theater; Hollywood has gotten lazier and more predictable, while TV has become sharper and more agile. Ira Glass claims, "The people working in television right now are the Shakespeares of the medium." (Is he... more ›

You've probably noticed a lot of new faces around here lately. When we get into the Chicaogist office in the morning these days, we pause for a second, thinking we're at the wrong place! But the site has been great lately - lots of quality posts and we're really enjoying our new additions. Hope you are too! Please welcome: Todd McClamroch, who will be helping write about Chicago sports. Thales Exoo who will answer all... more ›