It was a rough week for Macy’s, people. 2,500 jobs cut. January same-store sales down 7.1%. Let’s just put that into perspective: sales are nowhere near expectations across the board. A survey of 43 retailers by the UBS-International Council of Shopping Centers indicated that January sales were only up 0.5%, a percentage point below the anticipated 1.5%. Macy’s, on the other hand, anticipated their sales were going to be down 4 to 6%. more ›

There's a new absinthe on the market called Lucid that's catching on at places like the Violet Hour, Lumen, and Delilah's, namely because Lucid is the first Grande wormwood-based absinthe available in the States since before Prohibition. Now, we've tried the "green fairy" and it was an experience we'll never forget, so we researched Lucid for details on how much thujone (the active ingredient from wormwood) it carries. Turns out, not much at all: under... more ›

Although the cover story to yesterday's Sun-Times said that diners shouldn't be alarmed, it's hard to not be after reading the sensationalized cover story which listed 21 restaurants whose ice had more bacteria than a toilet in the Sun-Times men's room. A note for downtown workers looking for lunch this afternoon: you may want to buy a bottled drink. The testing of ice cubes from 49 area restaurants found that the unlucky 21 tested for... more ›

Number one place not to smoke weed/hash: work. A longtime Cook County employee was busted in the stairwell of the County Building on Wednesday for allegedly smoking hash. New allegations of brutality by Chicago police have surfaced. In his lawsuit, one man claims he was beaten during a traffic stop. In that vein, two hundred people attended a town hall meeting on the city's West Side Wednesday night to complain about police misconduct and... more ›

First person to name the song those lyrics in the headline came from gets a no-prize. Own some of Billy Corgan. Really. It's not a good idea to e-mail a Playboy playmate via Myspace, especially when said playmate is dating the Bears' Adam Archuleta, you're from Aurora, and type in bold threatening capital letters. Some Wisconsinites have a unique take on the designated driver. What did you do on your summer vacation? (via) Give... more ›

Last evening at the Park West, Chicagoist attended the Mason Jennings show. Mason Jennings has stated that he is interested in the experience of life and his songs relate those experiences in an extremely personal way. In fact, it’s a little shocking at just how vulnerable he allows himself to be in his songwriting. more ›

A woman from the Southwest Side of Chicago filed suit in federal court yesterday charging that she and her family were the victims of a "campaign of terror" carried out by Chicago police officers. Laura Ramirez says the campaign started when she testified against a number of officers involved in an altercation in 2002 with her neighbor, a Chicago police officer off-duty at the time of the incident. An internal police investigation said the officers were not to blame. more ›

The Microphones (a.k.a. Mount Eerie [a.k.a. one-man music machine Phil Elvrum]) plays what will surely be an intimate show tonight at Buddy. Phil has a knack for strange concerts: he has been known to even play in park trees. And Chicagoist will never forget the amazing set he performed in the basement of a non-air-conditioned Mexican restaurant last summer, where the ingenious staff offered all the hipsters free nachos and beans and rice, but charged far too much for glasses of water. The prolific Elvrum, meanwhile, made up characteristically ethereal songs on the spot. He’s a sweet, shy, nature-loving eccentric who happens to record some amazing music, and he’ll be supporting his newest release Live in Japan, February 19th, 21st, and 22nd, 2003. Also check out his other albums like The Glow Pt. 2, Mount Eerie, It Was Hot We Stayed in the Water, and C'Mon Miracle, the latest effort by his frequent collaborator Mirah.
more ›