Results tagged “vegas”

This Thursday, The Glass Experience opens at the Museum of Science and Industry. We are super excited to see work by artisans like Dale Chihuly and Tiffany, among others, and maybe Benjy can go pant at the pieces by Frank Lloyd Wright. Glass pieces from renowned schools and studios from around the world will also be on display.

The American Apparel on Armitage reopened today after being closed for two weeks for operating without a business license. Weirdly, none of the four Chicago locations had local business licenses--just Illinois ones. But the Lincoln Park store had been warned, whereas the others had not. Anyway, you can go back to your regularly scheduled programming of buying high-waisted Vegas leggings. (Pictured are the taffeta swim trunks, if you're planning for warmer weather.)

If you were wondering what happened to Oprama, you don't have to worry anymore: They're back. Even though Obama will be in St. Louis and Illinois, he's sending Oprah, Caroline Kennedy and his wife, Michelle, to California. That's quite a trifecta of women....watch out, Hillary. In more hilarious news, we learned from our friends at SFist that the sculptor, Daniel Edwards -- the artist best known for making the "Britney giving birth" sculpture -- has sculpted the Oprah Sarcophagus. Ebay, here we come.

Miss Michigan Kristen Haglund from Farmington Hills, Michigan, was crowned the 87th Miss America last night during the live pageant telecast, and First Runner-Up was Miss Indiana Nicole Elizabeth Rash.

Now that the Michigan primary is safely behind us, all eyes are focused on Nevada and South Carolina. For Democrats, who need at least 2,025 delegates to win the presidential nomination, Nevada's caucuses this Saturday offer 33 delegates. Not only is the nation looking at the Silver State, where early voting is a new experience for a mix of Latino, rural and urban voters, but so are the federal courts. Hillary Clinton has been polling well there, but Barack Obama has been endorsed by the state's largest union, the Culinary Workers. This endorsement is significant not only because it is the largest union in the state, but also because the state's Democratic party has opted to hold nine "at-large" caucuses, open to anyone within 2.5 miles of the Las Vegas strip, where the bulk of CWU members work. Intended to make voting easier for shift-workers in Nevada's casino industry, the move prompted a lawsuit by the Nevada Teachers Union. The lawsuit claimed that those voting in at-large precincts being held on the Strip would have too much weight compared with those voting at their polling places, infringes on the right to equal protection guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and violate state statute in the way they were drawn.

One of the more anticipated restaurant openings in recent weeks has been Takashi, which opened its doors December 30th at 1952 N. Damen in Bucktown.

The Bears have their bye week this weekend, which means a weekend off for Lovie Smith's players. We imagine Kyle Orton will end up in some embarrassing photos taken in some college-town bar. We suspect that Brian Urlacher will stay home to rest his aching back... unless some starlet want to hang with him in Vegas. And perhaps Lance Briggs will use the free time to finally test drive some new rides. It also means...

Translation: Kobayashi was defeated again! (We couldn't resist busting out the Japanese for the headline.) Chicago's very own Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti managed to out-chew not only the reigning chicken-wing-eating champ Joey Chestnut, he also licked the hot-dog legend Takeru Kobayashi. Bertoletti inhaled a whopping 4.1 pounds of chicken wings in eight minutes during the "Wedges & Wings" eating competition held in Las Vegas yesterday. Chestnut downed an equally impressive 4.05 pounds, while Kobayashi wolfed...

Naming the best bartender in Chicago is like trying to find an identical pair of snowflakes. Everybody has a favorite bartender and ours, a gruff, lovable fellow who told stories of Old Town's grittier days and always had a dram of bourbon at the ready when we walked through the door of our local watering hole, was recently fired from his job for refusing to serve Jaeger bombs to a group of Captain Awesomes who...

March madness is six long, cold months away. Thanks to The Burrito Bracket things aren't looking so bleak. The blog combines two of Chicagoist's favorite things — eating Mexican food and bracketology — into one, excellent idea; a 19-contender tournament-style competition to determine the best burrito in the Wicker Park area. Burrito Bracket's top three seeds won't surprise a seasoned consumer of Wicker Park burritos; La Pasadita, Tecalitlan and El Taco Veloz earned the top...

With the optimism of a glass half-full, the American Gladiator LIVES! And the spirit of the American Gladiator can now live within you. But we can’t grab the Funions and park on the sofa in front of the TV just yet. In 2008, NBC will bring back the weekly series, originally aired from 1989 to 1996. Episodes still run in syndication on ESPN Classic. If you want to channel a Gladiator, NBC will host a...

It's been confirmed. Orlando Jones, John Stroger's godson who avoided being interviewed by the FBI in conjunction with a hosptial shakedown in Las Vegas, committed suicide on a Michigan beach. Not only is this a tragedy for the people involved, but we're really disappointed with the Jesuits, as well -- The Rev. Donald McGuire has been convicted of molesting two boys in Wisconsin, faces a new accusation of sexual abuse, and his Jesuit religious...

SHOOTING: Two homeless men shot in a 24 hour span in Uptown -- they appear to be unrelated. In more shooting news (why is there so much?!): Police have two "persons of interest" in custody Sunday morning after two teenagers were shot in a playlot on the South Side in the Woodlawn neighborhood, blocks from the University of Chicago campus. TRAINS: Our dear friend warns us: This is why you NEVER put headphones in...

Is one out of four people you know obese? A new study out by the Trust for America's Health found that 24.4 percent of Illinoisans are obese, putting us squarely in the middle of the country (we are 25th). What is more troubling is that we have the the 14th highest rate of overweight youths (ages 10-17) at 15.8 percent. If you like to make comparisons, Colorado is the skinniest state and Mississippi was the most overweight, as measured by the percent of the population that is obese.

When you think of the nation’s top tourist destinations, family favorite Orlando, Fla., and adult playground Las Vegas, Nev., might spring to mind. But our own Windy City? Depends on who you ask…. In June, tourism officials from the city and state proclaimed that the number of domestic visitors journeying to our fair city had increased by nearly ten percent, from 40.2 million in 2005 to 44.6 million in 2006 — a significant achievement, to...

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...

It's only July, one year out, and already it feels like there is a presidential race going on, doesn't it? Maybe it's too soon to declare Bush a lame duck, but we're inclined to think he is. In this most early of seasons, much has been made of fund raising, often at the expense of real discussions of the issues. Obama is setting records, regularly pulling in millions of dollars in small sums, Hillary is...

We didn't get a lot of suggestions this go around, which is okay because as soon as we saw Stiff by Mary Roach recommended, we were sold. We remembered seeing it in the bokstore and being grossed out/intrigued by the dead feet and wanting to read it, so we're glad you guys reminded us about it. Hopefully the insides will be as interesting as the outside. We were very tempted to reread Hunter S. Thompson's...

You may have read or heard that the Midwest kicks the rest of the country's ace in the volunteerism sector. That doesn't necessarily mean Chicago does, though.

As music writers, we get the opportunity to hear a lot of stuff that flies under the radar for the average fan. There’s a little sense of pride in having a friend stop cold in the middle of a sentence, point to our car stereo, and ask “Who is this? This is really cool!” Never have we had that happen more often than when playing Jim Bianco’s 2004 release, Handsome Devil. Recorded with a 19-piece big band, including members of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, it’s a brainy, wildly creepy concept album about the disturbing power of the male libido. Weird, right? But it works, and if Elvis Costello and Serge Gainsbourg had a “what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas” kind of weekend with Tom Waits, Handsome Devil would undoubtedly be the soundtrack. It’s full of boozy, New Orleans-jazz tinged ballads and rollicking ragtime pop numbers, each one dripping with a come-hither sarcasm that makes you feel like Bianco’s got a few riverboat gambler’s tricks up his sleeve.

Thanks for your help, Rod. Blagojevich wants to get rid of the "gift card grinch." It's a loophole that lets your gift card lose its value over time. Police on the Northwest Side have issued a community alert for a suspect in two attempted sexual assaults -- One on a 16-year-old girl, in the 3100 block of north Sawyer about 11 p.m. Sunday; the other a 23-year-old woman near the 3000 block of north...

Maybe Charlie Trotter is having a change of heart as he reaches middle age, or maybe he sees how successful all the other celebrity chefs are with their multiple ventures. Either way, Trotter is inching ever closer to having "18 projects like (his) colleagues" by taking a chance on Las Vegas again, with plans to open two new restaurant concepts in the chi-chi Venetian Hotel come November.

CSI: The Experience, a new exhibit based on the phenomenally successful crime drama, opens this weekend at the Museum of Science & Industry and is slated for seven other cities through 2010. It’s sure to be a big hit. Now that blockbuster exhibitions barely raise an eyebrow and TV shows are more complex and intellectually stimulating than ever, we’re hardly surprised that the MSI would turn to CBS for family-friendly summer fun.

If they haven't already done so, Chicagoist would suggest that the Bears' coaching staff might want to do some more scouting of defensive tackles prior to the April 28-29 NFL Draft. And why is that? They might be a bit shorthanded at the position once the NFL deals with Tank Johnson. On Tuesday, the NFL handed down two suspensions for players who have "brought embarrassment and ridicule upon [themselves, their clubs] and the NFL, and...

Another Friday, another edition of "Your Friday Food Buffet." This week, we'll try to avoid outright mentioning St. Patrick's Day. We will talk about corn (dogs) and green (as in sustainability). So let's cut the crap and hook up right now. "Eighty? You Don't Look a Day Over 72.": Italian Village turns 80 this year, and the Sun-Times ran an article Monday trying to uncover the secrets behind the Loop mainstay's longevity. It also suggests...

Chicago-based AlibiNetwork is your backstory for hire. For a fee, they will set up a charade of limitless scale. One client had a group of actors show up at his house for a sham fishing trip. While the actors caught fish for evidence of a legitimate trip, the client was able to further an affair. Wow.

We all know that gambling and the Super Bowl go hand in hand. The Vegas line on the game is available even before the clock expires in the conference championship games. There hasn't been a single Super Bowl party without "squares" since 1974. Even the opposing cities' mayors get into the fray with their wagers of local delicacies. But maybe it's not the best idea to go making your Super Bowl bets in bars. A...

The media elite and tenured intelligentsia are making you feel like an unwashed plebian if you aren’t fawning over Fermilab or Millennium Park. And you’re sick of your relatives braying on about thrilling tourist traps like Medieval Times and Six Flags. You know better, don’t you? For the rest of the month, the Illinois Tourism Bureau gives you the chance to make your alternative views heard… and then promptly drowned out by the voters who...

There is no reason to beat around the bush: Ilan kicked the foie gras out of Marcel in last night's "Top Chef" finale. Ilan, who works in Mario Batali's Spanish outpost Casa Mono had help from former contenders Elia and Betty, while Marcel, who works with Joel Robuchon at the Mansion in Las Vegas, worked with Sam and Mikey (the "manimal").

Chicagoist enjoys getting inverted so when the opportunity came about to check out an advance screening of the award-winning IMAX Film, Fighter Pilot Operation Red Flag, that debuts in Chicago this Friday, we jumped on it. The movie follows Captain John "Otter Stratton", pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-15, through his experience at the Red Flag Training program at Nellis Air Force Base outside of Las Vegas. Red Flag is a two-week, realistic combat...