We love bikes. We love movies. So it stands to reason that combining the two is a win-win situation. And Bike-In Cinema has done just that. Every Wednesday night though the end of the month, they'll be showing double features at dusk (9 o'clockish) via DVD projection. Just bike (or walk or CTA-it) to Reba Rar Rar's Side Yard at 1441 W. Cullerton (near Blue Island/Cullerton in Pilsen). What interesting pairings they are! This......

Five people were injured while two Chicago Police officers are being hailed as heroes after a three-alarm fire consumed multiple buildings in the Pilsen neighborhood early this morning. The fire started at 1508 W. 18th St. and spread to both adjacent buildings: 1510 and 1504 W. 18th St. Five people were taken to area hospitals for smoke inhalation, but none of the cases were life-threatening. Chicago Police Officers Laura Agin and Michael Daliege saw the......

The city Health Department shut down El Paraiso Bakery (1158 W. 18th St.) today when inspectors discovered "mouse feces 'too numerous to count' throughout the premises." Our heart skipped a beat when we read the e-mail subject line "City Health Department Shuts Bakery in Pilsen;" the first one to pop in our mind was Bom Bon. Whew!......

A visit to the East Coast isn't complete without lifting a pint or four of selections from the Boston and Vermont-based Harpoon Brewery. Harpoon's UFO hefeweisen is probably my favorite American weiss beer. But that's like saying that the girl you're dating is the best looking one at an all-girl college. The focus this week, however, is on Harpoon's India Pale Ale, which is a lighter version of the style. That lightness can be attributed......

The Chicago Art Department has a new group show debuting tonight. Seven artists contributed to "Nature Calls: Art Inspired by Nature," which explores the relationship between nature and cities. The kick-off party is this evening from 6–10pm at 1837 S Halsted, part of this month's 2nd Fridays Gallery Night in Pilsen. If you're more about verbal cues, though, check out this month's Interview Show at the Hideout. FotS Mark Bazer sits down with Jon......

An article in today's New York Times travel section focuses on our city's thriving Hispanic culture, Pilsen in particular, calling it "Chicago's fashionable Latino neighborhood." It's no secret that we here at Chicagoist are fans of the plentiful eats there. But, as the article points out, Pilsen is more than just food -- it is where the epicenter of Mexican culture and energy is in Chicago. “It’s happening so fast,” said Carlos Tortolero, who came......

Five public enemies have been nabbed and one charged with unlawful use of a weapon in association with a drive-by shooting that took place near the set of Johnny Depp’s “Public Enemies” movie. The incident occurred about 12:30 a.m. Friday in the 1600 Block of South Blue Island in the Pilsen Neighborhood. The incident happened about 30 minutes before Depp arrived in set. No one was injured. [Trib, S-T]......

There are more places to eat on 18th Street besides carnitas shops and taquerias. Honky Tonk BBQ and Mundial have their fans and there are more than enough pizza joints and hot dog stands for the lunch pail crowd to feel sated during the week. Then there's Take Me Out, a basic Chinese restaurant located a block east of Ashland, across the street from the offices for Thrill Jockey Records. If you don't stop......

To say that it isn't hard to stumble into a taqueria in Pilsen is an understatement. Focus on the Blue Island corridor, however. and the question becomes trying to avoid one. We took advantage of yesterday's thaw to walk around, enjoy the weather buy some pirated movies (you should see our copy of "Untraceable"). Then, after we worked up an appetite, we headed into the first taqueria we saw for a quick bite, which wound......