This was a good year to be a large cultural institution. If cuts in state arts funding and unstable financial markets made a dent in Chicago’s largest museums, they sure weren’t letting on. The Art Institute remained one of the city’s prime attractions, attracting hordes of frugal visitors on free Thursday nights to piece together Richard Misrach’s disorienting beach photography and William Pope.L’s naïvely charming travelogue, or to enjoy Jeff Wall’s mind-bending photography — his mid-career retrospective was the year’s most breathtaking exhibit. more ›

Chicagoist can’t decide whether hosting the 2016 Olympics would be a boon or boondoggle. But this morning’s Trib article about the latest obstacle to Chicago’s bid nearly had us choking on our Lucky Charms. Apparently, our image is still stuck in the past: more ›

Back in Chicago by popular demand are two shows everyone raved about the first time around. Or more accurately, a show inspiring lots of people to geek out and a show perfect for sociology geeks. more ›

On Saturday, crowds gathered along the Chicago River to watch as a speedboat dumped green food coloring into the water in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The History Channel tells us that the tradition started in 1962 when some city plumbers used dyes to trace illegal substances that were polluting the river. They then realized that the green dye might make for a cool way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. That year they dumped 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river. It was so much that the river stayed green for a week. more ›

Author John Leland is going to be at the W Hotel on Adams tonight from 6pm - 8pm talking about his new book, Hip: The History. Leland is an award-winning reporter and his new book delves into the annals of history to bring us the lowdown on hip as we know it. more ›