The Bronzeville Children’s Museum is growing so much it's relocated to a bigger space. The only children’s museum in the country devoted to African-American history, it has outgrown its former space in a shopping mall in Evergreen Park, re-opening yesterday at its new location at 9301 S. Stony Island Ave. in the far South Side. The new building has nearly ten times the space as the old museum, and room for three times as many......

Softballs in a bucket by Teeny! Organizers are rolling out today renderings for the 16-Inch Softball Hall of Fame -- in a bricks and mortar format. Currently, the Hall of Fame only exists on the web. But board members hope to raise enough money to build a museum in Forest Park. They will unveil the plans at 12:30 today at Harrison Street and Des Plaines Avenue, next to the softball fields that will host......

This Thursday, The Glass Experience opens at the Museum of Science and Industry. We are super excited to see work by artisans like Dale Chihuly and Tiffany, among others, and maybe Benjy can go pant at the pieces by Frank Lloyd Wright. Glass pieces from renowned schools and studios from around the world will also be on display. Admittedly, all we really know about glass is that they use special glass for stunts in movies,......

On March 4, 1837, Chicago officially became a city, first mayor William B. Ogden presiding. Fast forward 171 years later, and we're still kicking. In honor of our fine city's birthday, the Chicago History Museum is throwing a party tomorrow complete with Eli's cheesecake, Chicago style hot dogs, the Chicago Children's Choir, and "historical re-enactors". Admission to the museum is free between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Also if tomorrow happens to be your birthday,......

Oh man, we almost forgot about the Children's Museum debate! Luckily, Alderman Brendan Reilly wants to keep it front and center, which is why he sent the Museum a list of 24 possible places it could relocate that aren't Grant Park: + Museum Campus + Northerly Island + Logan Square + Garfield Park Conservatory + Pritzker Park + Washington Park + Bronzeville + Calumet Park + Englewood + State and Van Buren + McCormick Place......

We read somewhere that the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (formerly the Chicago Academy of Sciences) is one of the least visited of the Chicago museums, but it’s one of our favorite places in the city to bring our toddler. Unlike the MSI, the Notebaert’s exhibits are accessible to those under three feet tall. The taller displays have low interactive panels and those that don’t have stools nearby. And the bugs! What kid doesn’t like bugs?......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Food and Wine Meet one of Santa Barbara’s hottest winemakers as Joey Tensley of Tensley Wines personally showcases his current vintages this evening at Custom House. Guests can savor six of Tensley's favorite selections and enjoy small bites from Chef de Cuisine Richard Camarota in the restaurant’s beautifully appointed private dining room. 500 S. Dearborn,......

We love to read and write, and not just our own posts here on the World Wide Webs. We’ve been working on our first novel for years. It’s a love story involving time-traveling unicorns and so far we have about 850 pages of it written, but we don’t know when we’ll get it published (fingers crossed!). As such, we have a soft spot in our heart for local writers who have been a tad more......

It should be a lighter than normal traffic day tomorrow, President’s Day. No mail delivery. Most banks, federal offices, city offices and state offices will be closed. School will be out. Courts will not be in session, and you won’t be able to pick up something to read at the library. The third Monday of February is the day we recognize the men (and hopefully one day, women) who have served our country as president.......

We're celebrating by making you a list of things that are awesome. What's the difference between MySpace blue, Facebook blue and Twitter blue? Better consult the Web 2.0 Colours of 2007. Can this really be the first half-goat, half-sheep? The SciTech Hands-On Museum in Aurora has a new director, 1999 genius grant winner Shawn Carlson. Carlson created the Labrats program to encourage and nurture kids' interest in science. Mr. Landocalrissian Butler led police in a......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Food/Drink: Get an early start to Valentine's Day with a champagne dinner at Café Matou this evening. Chef Charlie Socher will prepare a five-course dinner featuring dishes from the Champagne region, paired with Champagne wines selected by Wine Director James Rahn. 1846 N. Milwaukee, 7 p.m. Cost is $95 (all inclusive); RSVP at 773.384.8911. Art:......

Pack an umbrella, bring your galoshes, and dress in layers. It's been that kind of week. Here are some events to brave any extreme in weather. Movies/Music: DeRo and the Other Guy , as part of Sound Opinions' "At the Movies" series, will be hosting a rare screening of the Who's 1979 concert biopic The Kids Are Alright. The screening will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Derogatis and Kot. Music Box Theater, 7......

Love him or hate him, you can't deny Kanye West has a certain flare. Proving himself to a more prolific blogger than Steve Johnson (and more entertaining, too), Kanye has dropped a few details about an upcoming tour. He'll be touring with fellow Chicago MC Lupe Fiasco, supporting his recently released (and excellent record The Cool), along with Rihanna, and Neptunes side project N.E.R.D. Whatever you think of Mr. West, that lineup is nothing to......

We loved the Museum of Science and Industry even prior to having our kid (the submarine! the Omnimax! Clarence Darrow’s ghost!), but MSI’s "Idea Factory" is, arguably, the best kid-centered exhibit in Chicago. Since the museum has closed this exhibit for repairs until the end of March, we wondered how toddler-friendly the rest of the museum would be. In short, not much. Let’s start with what we loved. Bring four quarters to purchase a “Net......

Here are some things to do this evening to consider bringing your voter receipt. Politics: The local chapter of Drinking Liberally is hosting a Super Fat Tuesday party at Sheffield's this evening starting at 7 p.m. Stop in, order a pint or two and watch the results roll in from throughout the country. Seriously, it's politics and alcohol. What could go wrong? Art: Chuck Walker's latest exhibit "Through a Glass Darkly" just opened a run......

Behold "The Popsicle." The massive ice sculpture that's being billed as "Paintings Below Zero," which is part of the "Museum of Modern Ice", was officially unveiled in Millenium Park Friday. Canadian artist Gordon Halloran, who started as an abstract painter, created the work out of large pieces of colorful ice, and according to the Sun-Times, "he and a team of six have been working 12 to 14 hours a day since mid-December to ensure the......

Preservation Chicago announced its 7 most endangered buildings today, and on the list are surprise entries Grant Park and the Landmarks Ordinance. Also cited are Norwood Park, the American Book Company Building, the Devon Ave commercial district, the Booker Building and the Daily News building. Photo by WVAllen According to Preservation Chicago's report, Grant Park is endangered because of the plans to relocate the Children's Museum. [That plan[ would impose more than 100,000 square feet......

Photo by Joshua Mellin We just pissed away, oh, an hour perusing the Chicago Postcard Museum. Howdy, The City Beautiful, Hi, Hi There Toots and the Aragon are our faves. Wait....Hydrox cookies are gone?! Not awesome. Not awesome at all. [via] Hey, it's the cutest Mad Men Christmas card in the whole world. Turns out tourists like Chicago in the winter. Hotels are cheap, attractions are empty, etc. More than 1,800 Chicago high school......

Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King would have been 79 this year. In 1984 an act of Congress made the third Monday of this month Martin Luther King Day. With most government offices closed today, there are a plethora of events honoring his memory. The Chicago Park District is holding a series of events dedicated to his legacy. The University of Chicago is hosting panels and speakers all week, with a series of......

DN-0085338, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum The weather forecast calls for a lot of "brass bra cold" this weekend. It won't stop people from going out and enjoying their weekend, although some serious consideration should be given to hibernating on the couch with movies, a bottle of wine, and a comforter. Take, for example, these two men who thought it was a great idea to dress in Native American dress and......

The Museum of Science and Industry is raising its prices. Adult Chicago residents will now pay $12 (up from $10), adult non-Chicagoans $13 (from $11), Chicago children $8.50 ($6.25), non-Chicago children $9 ($7), Chicago seniors $11 ($8.75), and non-Chicago seniors $12 ($9.50). But fear not, oh ye of little funds. The MSI is free the rest of January, as well as February 29 (Hotcha! Leap year! Ahem, celebratory performance of the Pirates of Penzance...); June......

Mattell will make a collectible Barbie based on locally-based sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha (Barbie Dream Gamekeepers not included). For the curious: the man whom the Bishop Ford Freeway is named after. Mayor Daley open to the idea of closing half-empty schools. Gary, Indiana's "punk fucking rock" potato chip factory. 'Tis the season for catching Norovirus. Owls are nesting in a South side park. The Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup is screening at the Siskel......

There are sixty bridges spanning the Chicago River throughout the city, as we found out last month at the annual B News neighborhood pub quiz. We know about the larger bridges downtown, and we stop to stare at them when the spans are raised to allow boats to pass. However, the majority of bridges spanning the river are smaller ones allowing traffic to pass between neighborhoods. We tend to overlook those bridges. This is......

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......

In a day packed with college football bowl games, the coolest televised sporting event on New Year's Day had to be watching the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins play an NHL game outside in Buffalo, in front of over 71,000 fans. It brought the game back to its roots, played outside on frozen ponds and lakes throughout the Midwest and Canada. Now imagine that same game outside, only featuring two of the NHL's "Original......

The biggest cultural stories of 2008 are likely less predictable than this week’s Rose Bowl. Every year we see our share of breakout artists and surprising storefront gems, and 2008 promises to be no different. But 2007 left some unfinished business and we’re eager to see how these stories play out: Stingy in Springfield Blago’s veto of the FY08 State budget reduced Illinois Arts Council funding by 30%. And a trickle-down economics of pain proceeds:......

This was a good year to be a large cultural institution. If cuts in state arts funding and unstable financial markets made a dent in Chicago’s largest museums, they sure weren’t letting on. The Art Institute remained one of the city’s prime attractions, attracting hordes of frugal visitors on free Thursday nights to piece together Richard Misrach’s disorienting beach photography and William Pope.L’s naïvely charming travelogue, or to enjoy Jeff Wall’s mind-bending photography — his......

Alas, Hansel, the 53-year-old male hippo at the Brookfield Zoo was euthanized yesterday after his caretakers decided his arthritis was so severe that it was ruining his quality of life. Hansel had been at the zoo for 51 years, after moving here with his sidekick Gretel--really--from Denmark. The two had six hippo kids, and one of their daughters, 39-year-old Wicket, is still at Brookfield. Now that Hansel is no longer hungry hungry, his skull......

Now that we have a day job and commute to work every morning, we have ample opportunity to sit on the train and get our fifty cents worth reading the Sun-Times. We're huge fans of Tom McNamee's "The Chicago Way" column, as it's one of the few regular features in any of the city's newspapers that successfully reflects on the city's rich past in a way that engages present-day readers. McNamee's most recent column, on......

During last week’s sleet storm we ducked into the South Loop Wine Cellar on the walk home from the Museum Campus. Half-frozen, soaked and more concerned with warming up than with finding a new shopping destination, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found inside. Warm, welcoming and filled with wine bins, exposed bricks and a beautiful Christmas tree, the store was the perfect place for us to stop. With all of the hype surrounding......