Chicago Transit Authority We woke up this morning to another fresh coat of snow on the ground. While we're certainly among the ranks of those who just wished this winter would end already we have to concede that we have lived through worse. When the words "blizzard" and "Chicago" are uttered in the same breath two years immediately come to mind. We weren't born in 1967, but we sure as hell remember 1979 and......

Ludwika Szynalik was run over by a CTA bus on New Year's Eve, and now her family is suing the transit authority, saying the bus driver behind the wheel of the 152 was negligent. Szynalik was getting her bike off the bus's front-mounted rack when the driver ran her over. She was dragged for 80 feet before the driver noticed, and she died later that day. The whole thing was caught on CTA surveillance video,......

It's the end of the line in our pre-coverage of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival, which can only mean one thing: you're well-prepared for the weekend rockness. The Walkmen keep throwing it back to the original foundations of rock music: gravel-coated riffs, fuzzy ballads, and lots and lots of sweat on stage. While they have yet to come up with anything as strutting, ballsy, and soul shaking as 2004's Bows and Arrows (and especially first......

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......

Who's ready to bid 2007 adieu? Well, ready or not, here it comes. But people get so worked up over New Year's Eve, and it never winds up being as big a deal as you think. Smooched, not smooched, party, no party, fancy dress or sweat pants--this shit does not matter. Just have a good time. Here are few things we've learned along the way: Eat dinner. Opt for the comfier shoes. Remember that the......

If you’re lucky, your toddler will be asleep, blissfully unaware when the last minutes of 2007 tick by. An earlier bed time doesn’t mean that he or she has to miss out on the festivities, though; a handful of places in and around Chicago are hosting New Year’s Eve parties for the little ones, with dancing, snacks and party favors at an earlier countdown. Rosedale Park on the northwest side is hosting their third annual......

Restaurants aren’t the only ones offering festive, price-enhanced New Year’s Eve fun. Local theaters are throwing open their doors (or their box office) for soused shows and sober, happy celebrations. The Neo Futurists’ New Years Benefit returns, featuring Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, 30 plays performed in the last 60 minutes of 2007. The non-alcoholic, Whole Foods-catered reception starts at 9:30. Tickets are $40 and proceeds help the company present hundreds of......

For many, going out New Year's Eve can be like going to junior prom over and over again; it's lots of fussy build-up with little payoff, leaving you with nasty hangovers, tacky swag, and, possibly, an awkward goodbye come morning. If swanky soirées aren't your thing, head to The Old Town School of Folk Music for The Punch Brothers for a refreshing alternative. This group of lanky, indie folk boys is lead by Chris Thile,......

We were one of the few lucky enough to catch Jon Brion when he stopped by The Hideout earlier this year. His one-man band is truly an awesome spectacle top behold, and will seriously leave anyone withing earshot slack jawed. When we heard he was coming back to Chicago to play a New Year's Eve show at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park we immediately thought, "This is the show to beat." So far, no......

Moving forward in our quest to give you readers some options for going out on New Year's Eve so you aren't procrastinating. Fat Cat: The theme of the evening is a "Roaring 20's anti-Prohibition" party. Guests are encouraged to dress in zoot suits, feather boas, and flapper dresses. The $75 cover ($100 on NYE) includes top-shelf liquor, a champagne fountain, hors d'ouevres, fondue stations, and 1000 balloons (emphasis Fat Cat's). RSVP at 773-506-3100. Bin 36:......

Today we continue our series of letting you know about the New Year's Eve packages being offered by local restaurants so that you have enough information to make a decision and not wait until the last minute to grab a table. In case you missed yesterday's installment, we've linked to it here for your review. Vegetarians rejoice! Green Zebra will offer an all vegetarian, 5 course tasting menu priced at $75 per person, with an......

If you plan on braving the idiocy that is New Year's Eve on the town, you have made your dinner reservations already, haven't you? After all, if you plan on going out on New Year's Eve and aren't heading to a friend's or a family party, you're already committed to spending money. Why not go all out, dress to the nines, and try out some place you normally wouldn't think of dining? Leave it to......

We HATE the term Black Wednesday. We hold it in the same regard as other made-up holidays like Sweetest Day and Bosses Day. Growing up, we always knew it as "the weekend everyone is in town at the same time and gets fall-down drunk." Kind of like New Year's Eve, with longer legs and slightly less puking. Here are five spots with terrific musical happenings where we think the displaced weekend warriors will be few......

The Empty Bottle just announced that Black Kids will be playing the club's New Year's Eve show this year. The band walked away from this year's CMJ as the clear winner of the "Most Breathlessly Admired by Bloggers and Mainstream Press Alike." However there's still no word on whether Black Kids will be this year's Arcade Fire (massive!), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (petered out!), or Voxtrot (fizzled before anyone actually saw them!). We've heard......

"100 Days, 100 Nights", the new album from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, has been getting a serious workout from us since its release last month. We're guessing the Dap-Kings are happy to be back supporting the sassy Jones after a summer backing up the Amy Winehouse trainwreck. Seeing Jones and the Dap-Kings live was the sole redeeming factor of our last New Year's Eve on the town. They're playing Park West Thursday night,......

Who gives last rites to the priest? Who installs a new crown in the dentist's mouth? Who buries the gravedigger? Or, more importantly, who gives the eulogy when a funeral home dies? If you're the family that has held sway over Griffin Funeral Home for 60 years, you give it yourself. The historic, African-American-owned parlor at 32nd and King Drive is closing its doors come New Year's Eve. Griffin has played host to such final......

Greg Kot drops two scoops in today's Tribune. The Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Chicago's Union Park July 14th and 15th. In addition, Girl Talk will be on the bill. As someone on the Sound Opinions message board said: "Finally, a Girl Talk show I can get into." Girl Talk last appeared in Chicago for a much-anticipated, much-talked about New Year's Eve show at Empty Bottle. Last year's Pitchfork Music Festival was a first......

Chicagoist likes our white wines near-bone dry. We like that prominent bite of acidity, especially when it complements a fruit plate, fish dishes, or lighter desserts. If we want to add fruit flavor to our wine, we prefer to do it the old-fashioned way, as a kir. This provides another conundrum for us, as we're not fans of the added alcohol content brought by cassis. In addition, since removing high-fructose corn syrup from our diet,......

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend......

Chicagoist is more uneasy about the Bears' chances in the playoffs than ever after the Packers gave them a thumping on New Year's Eve. It was another chapter in the Jekyll & Hyde performance of Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. A look at Grossman's quarterback rating throughout the 2006 season has more ups and downs than an amusement park ride. Unfortunately, the Bears don't seem to have a method of determining which Grossman will show up......

How Do I Get Lucky in the New Year?...

New Year's Eve is always a huge night for dinners out. For diners and foodies, it's a chance to don some clean togs and expect nothing less than being pampered and fed like Romans. For restaurateurs, it's the motivation of profit, and the pride in preparing a good spread. And, if you're the type of person who waited until the last moment to make dinner reservations, well, throw some of that money our way, would......

The Tribune has reserved 100 tables (and seven hotel rooms) on New Year's Eve at fancy places. They're available on a first-come, first-serve basis to whomever writes in and asks for one (they're not giving away free dinner, just the reservation). There are some new laws in the New Year. All homes must have carbon monoxide detectors and all sex offenders will have to wear electronic monitoring devices. Read on for more. Tank Johnson's......

There are lots of ways to process the news that the NFL moved the Bears-Packers game from the afternoon to the evening. For those who had tickets and party plans for NYE, and angered the gods by celebrating their good fortune a bit too early (including yours truly), it’s like an end-of-the-year George Constanza moment. We’re up! Then we’re down! For those who are Soldier Field employees, members of the Chicago Police Department and toiling......

We can understand if the Bears were more focused on their Christmas plans than their game against the lowly Lions. Especially since there was nothing to play for, with a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs locked up already. But we figured they'd still have little difficulty beating the Lions. While they did end up winning the game 26-21, they had to work a little harder than expected. The Bears took......

This week it seems almost impossible, but we're looking ahead to even more holidays for the shows that went on sale today. First of all, and also on the 1st, The Hold Steady just aren't playing New Year's Eve at the House of Blues, they're gonna stay around for the first day of the year and do it all over again. Boys and Girls in America made 2006 a lot of fun. We think this......

We're always looking for ways to max out that credit card. This week it seems that this plan may be a little more difficult than usual. We've picked a few events that go on sale Saturday that will help ease the obesity of our pocketbooks. We skipped the John Mayer set at ACL, but heard of all the Lance/Jake/Matthew sightings over the entire weekend. We don't think the power trio will be at John's shows......

Well, it’s that time of year again. We’re done with Halloween costumes and on to the more pressing question, “How are we ringing in the New Year?” We know our readers aren’t chumps and bought their Raconteurs tickets for the 30th at the much cheaper rate than the New Year's Eve show. Here are a few more choices for that evening that holds so much promise, but usually just ends up being expensive with someone......

We’re busy people, and you probably are, too. So if you’re not getting out to the clubs to see enough live music, this edition of Friday Afternoon Diversion is for you. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah haters will want to skip this clip of the band's recent appearance at the Vic. Turn down your speakers a little for this Wolf Parade clip from Metro back in August, when they peformed a new song called......

Let's say you come from a family that enjoys good conversation while sharing a bottle of wine on the holidays. Or maybe you come from a family where you need a stiff shot of Glenrothes in order to get through the unwrapping of presents. But you live in Chicago, both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on a Sunday this year, and you can't buy liquor until 11 a.m. Let's take solace in......