It's a good day outside and with the combination of springing forward the clocks, the South Side Irish Parade Sunday, and warmer temps next week there are plenty of weeks to go out. Start the weekend off by leaving work early and heading to the Artisan Cellar at the Merchandise Mart, where they'll be having a tasting of the new-to-the area Graham Beck wines from South Africa. The free tasting runs from 3:30-6 p.m.,......

The South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day parade will be held a week earlier than usual this year. Typically, the parade is held the Sunday before March 17, but this year, that's Palm Sunday, a major day on the Catholic calendar. So parade organizers moved the festivities up to March 9 to avoid any conflicts. We're not sure how much local St. Patrick's revelry will actually be affected by the Catholic calendar, since the ways......

The crowd at Bernice's Tavern was separated into smaller groups. They were huddled together, studying a board containing ten photographs of church steeples and facades. The goal was to correctly identify each church from a corresponding list at the side of the board. We were with fellow Chicagoist-o Kevin Robinson and his significant other, who were of little help in this round, since these churches were all located in Bridgeport. As much as we walk......

The FBI's Chicago office is one of the places where agents abused power of the Patriot Act. Our aldermen have advanced a plan to back the city's Olympic bid with a $500 million financial guarantee. Michelle Obama is cutting her hours at her regular job at the University of Chicago so that she can participate more in Barack's campaign. People are still debating about Chief Illiniwek. Elementary schools may be posting record high gains......

There isn't much more we can say about the South Side Irish parade, which rolls out en masse along South Western this Sunday. We know that for some of you it'll be your first — and possibly only — time heading out south to Beverly. We just want to assure you that you needn't be afraid. A dollar is still a dollar, Miller Lite dyed green is still Miller Lite, and there will be more......

South Side Irish rocker Tony Duggins...

It's been reported elsewhere, including our own labs section, but it bears mentioning. Time Out Chicago is hosting their 2007 "Eat Out" Awards. Voting is online here and runs through Sunday. This means that you folks staggering home from the South Side Irish parade can hop online and vote while drunk, and without any fear of electing Todd Stroger as "best small plates" restaurant. "Eat Out" awards. That makes our inner Quagmire go all......

Platteville, WI is planning a Chicago Bears training-camp museum. Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the NFL Grassroots field program, the grass football field at Lane Tech will be replaced with a synthetic playing service. People are loving this idea: For $150 you can get a customized South Side Irish St. Patrick's day parade street banner. They're green and have shamrocks and white lettering and you can put family names and memorial tributes on......

Last week, as the first major snowfall melted just in time for Christmukkah, questions were raised and points were argued on the nature of dibs, what really constitutes journalism, and the evergreen topic of smoking. Like mayors named Daley, the bleachers at Wrigley and drunks at the South Side Irish parade, dibs is a uniquely Chicago tradition that infuriates as many people as it comforts. Whether the solution is “dibsarchy” as some have suggested or......

Dear Alderman Rugai, Let's begin by stating that while Chicagoist would find it flattering that a member of the City Council took time out of his or her busy schedule to read this weblog (or "blog", in the parlance of our time) we also would find it a bit presumptuous. So we hope that this somehow gets to you, possibly by a staff member in your office killing time. This particular member of the......

While it's true that this weekend boasts two St. Patrick's Day parades, one on the north side and one on the south, experienced St. Patrick's Day celebrants know that the only one worth mentioning is that of the parade taking place in the neighborhood of Beverly. We at Chicagoist have been accused of having a north side-bias, but when it comes to where one should celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the south side rules and we......

Under a relaxed liquor law advanced Wednesday over the objections of police and inner-city aldermen, alcohol sales may begin at 10am instead of the current 11am. Michael McCotter, the Chicago Police Department's commander of special events, said he's concerned that the extra hour will fuel more drunkenness at events like the Gay Pride, South Side Irish parades and Cubs games. Like Cubs fans haven't already mastered getting hammered? And while Ald. Shirley Coleman (16th)......