Marina Café on Jackson Harbor is one of many restaurants on the South side we'd love to recommend to readers without hesitation, but can't. We're convinced that tables without a reservation would be hard to come by if this restaurant was located at Monroe Harbor or North Avenue Beach. We also suspect that, if it were in one of those locations, Marina Café's owners and management would place a bigger emphasis on restaurant basics. As......

The most popular museum in the world is the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., which sees nearly 9 million visitors come through its doors each year. So it is no surprise that Chicago's Annual Air & Water Show is the largest two-day spectator event in the United States, with audience numbers reaching nearly 2.5 million. The free annual event is back for its 49th edition and has a great line-up ready to......

The Association of Volleyball Professionals return to the Chicago lakefront this week for the sponsorship-heavy McDonald's AVP Chicago Open by Nautica. Play begins tomorrow morning at 8 with the tournament qualifier matches, which are free for spectators. The main draw begins on Friday morning at 9. The competition runs on through the weekend with the Men's final slated for 3pm on Saturday and the Women's final at 3pm on Sunday. Both finals will also be......

Hundreds of Chicagoans rang in the New Year with a polar plunge into Lake Michigan. Safely on the shore of North Avenue Beach, the swimmers were supported by hundreds of camera and towel toting friends and family. All it took to get the party started was one loud kamakazee-esque run into the 39 degree waters of Lake Michigan. The lone swimmer started a chain reaction that resulted in a full-out assault of the lake. Most......

Anyone working downtown realized today that the 48th Annual Air & Water Show is this weekend. Aircraft participating in this year's event started roaring up and down the lakeshore today in preparation for this weekend's show. Chicagoist had the opportunity fly with the AeroShell Aerobatic Team this morning to check out the pilots to ensure they were ready for the show. The AeroShell Team is comprised of four T-6 Texans and four planes used to......

The AVP McDonald's Chicago Open Volleyball tour is in Chicago this weekend. Action started on Thursday and continued with preliminary rounds today. The tournament features some of the best men and women beach volleyball players in the world. Chicagoist decided to head down to North Avenue Beach to check out the action. We were impressed immediately with the quality of play. On every court Chicagoist visited there was hotly contested match with a ton of......

With Memorial Day behind us and a streak of days breaking 80 degrees, we think we can say summer is on its way. And, nothing says summer in Chicago quite like drinking a $6 margarita overlooking the lake. That’s right, we’re talking about Castaways Bar & Grill, and as crowded and cliché as it might be, it’s a Chicago summertime landmark. If you’ve lived in Chicago for more than a minute, then you undoubtedly......

Not to tread on Will and Kit's territory, but Michael Sneed made a mistake in today's column that could leave some Sneedlings all wet, and cold, for nothing. In her column she reports: Brrrrrr... Police Supt. Phil Cline, whose success at lowering crime stats is being reported nationally, will take a polar plunge this weekend. *Translation: Cline and fellow top cop, Cook County Sheriff Mike Sheahan, will plunge into the frozen waters of Lake Michigan......

The 46th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show takes place this weekend at North Avenue Beach. Saturday and Sunday, the water show portion of the event runs from 9:30am - 10:30am and the air show runs from 11:00am - 4:00pm. Longtime announcer Herb Hunter delivers play-by-play coverage from North Avenue Beach. For those who don't want to fight the throngs of people, Metromix lists some alternate viewing locations. Be warned, however that many of......

Another [Friday] night and you ain’t got nobody? You got some money cause you just got paid? Grab a special pal who likes burgers or chicken sandwiches and head on over to Soldier Field tonight for movie night. For $10, you get a afore mentioned chow, chips, a drink, and the opportunity to chillax at your favorite football stadium while watching Meet the Parents. (Next week is Jerry Maguire). Chicagoist loves Ben Stiller (oooh, controversy),......