Via Art of Drink we discovered Beverages De Luxe, a wonderful bar book dating from 1914. Digitized from a copy in the collection of the Library of Congress, it's an utterly fascinating glimpse into the world of alcohol just before Prohibition. It features a number of pieces written by various distillers and brewers, including chapters entitled "New England Rum" and "Making 'Hand-made' Sour Mash." The entire second half of the book is made up of cocktail recipes from clubs and hotels across the country, and that's where we found the Auditorium Cocktail. more ›

Summertime: living is easy, the fish are jumping, and it's time to sit back with a long cool one and get pleasantly hammered. We have just the thing. more ›

Did anyone else watch The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo? It followed the oh-so-theatrical daily life of the celebrity stylist and her two oil-and-water assistants as they weathered the storm of dressing stars for Hollywood red carpet moments. Sounds pretty shallow, right? Well, it was. And we were grotesquely enamored with it. It wasn’t so much Rachel’s glamorama lifestyle of rubbing elbows with celebs that kept us glued. It was her 1) her turns of phrase wrought with end-of-the world drama. (Examples: “You are my life. I die. Killing it on a whole 'nother level. Shut it down.”) And 2) her over-the-top boho style that we actually kind of dug. more ›

This simulated vintage poster, inspired by the Shedd Aqarium, is an original design by the artist and is the first in a planned series that will include the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium. Created here in Chicago, elements of the piece are hand-applied on canvas panel board, fashioned and textured with layered strips of antique paper to give it its old-timey feel. Want it? Buy it! more ›

Mister Buckets Serious Time recently posted a bunch of old found (and some family) photos, mostly collected from local flea markets. These are some of our favorites. You can see the whole set here. more ›

The Illinois Railway Musuem in Union has all kinds of vintage treasures, including dozens of old rail cars and street cars, some of which sport amazing vintage ads. more ›

These photos of the abandoned Michael Reese Hospital are haunting, occasionally creepy ("vintage gynecology"), and all imbued with an intense sense of loss. Beyond the pictures of the building itself, though, we were drawn to these before and after photos of the pool. more ›

Happy is the morning when there's an e-mail with the subject line "you guys like vintage Chicago stuff, right?" sitting in our inbox. more ›

These vintage Stereoviews from the 1933 World's Fair are mesmerizing. more ›

Local photographer Paul Octavious bought , published in 1947, for 50 cents at the Lincoln Park library. more ›

Forget cars vs. bikes. I want a Scootacar. Like this one. Here it is in action.
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But if terrifying vintage dolls aren't your bag, maybe you'll enjoy some old Cubs gum. Never opened! [eBay]
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I can’t really figure out what’s going on in the picture, to the best of my abilities it seems like somebody is falling while water skiing. more ›

We love weird old Chicago stuff: the "frightful effects of dope addiction," a 70s White Sox radio, Marina City charm. more ›

"Climb aboard Chicago's only restaurant in an airplane." Oh, that we still could.... more ›

The Shore Drive Motel used to be on 56th and South Shore in Hyde Park, apparently one of a few motels on that stretch back in the day. We're all over this postcard like a bum on a baloney sandwich. more ›

Our obsession with vintage Chicago posters continues... more ›

What a great vintage poster. [via] more ›