While Thursday was the Chinese New Year, today was the annual Chinese New Year parade. With the temperature near zero and wind chill making it feel like 20-below, the crowd was very light. Nevertheless, the Year of the Rat, known by its formal name Wu Zi, year 4705, has begun. In ancient times, the rat was welcomed as a protector and bringer of material prosperity. According to Wikipedia, the rat is “associated with aggression, wealth, charm, and order, yet also associated with death, war, the occult, pestilence, and atrocities.” more ›

Crazy weather continues today. We’re normally hovering around 60 degrees this time of year, but today’s forecast is calling for temperatures near 80, up from yesterday’s O’Hare high of 73 degrees, which was 13 degrees above normal. And if things go as the meteorologists are anticipating, we’ll be an entire climate zone above normal. That's fountain playing weather, people. But this craziness won’t last for long. They’re calling for strong southerly winds, sustained at 30... more ›

At Pie Hole, Roscoe & Halsted, 1:29 a.m. more ›

So in 2000 a dude gets hit by a New York City Bus (Bear with us; the story has roots in New York, and eventually makes its way to our city) and decides he’s going to make something positive out of the experience. What does Brendt Barbur do? He creates a Bicycle Film Festival (BFF), featuring films celebrating the bike. And all forms of bikes: Tall-Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Cycling to Recumbents--if it’s a bike, BFF has probably screened a movie about it. more ›

The saucy singing puppets of the Tony Award-Winning Avenue Q will finally be coming to Chicago, but not for a long run. And it’s going to be a while before they call Chicago home. As part of their national tour, which began this July, the puppets will spend two weeks from May 27 to June 7, 2008 at Cadillac Palace Theatre as part of the Broadway in Chicago series. Inspired by Sesame Street, the show’s... more ›