Features

Why We Love Chicago In The Summer
It’s not that we don’t love the city during the winter, spring, and fall. But during the warmest months-from June through August-people open up, clothing comes off, and Chicago turns into one of the best destinations on earth. Here we catalog the reasons why right now there’s nowhere else we’d rather be.

Shore Patrol
by Meghan McEwen; photography by Lisa Predko
While scouring the long stretch from Jackson Park to Hollywood Beach, we discovered some of the lakefront’s native dwellers. Meet the characters, photographed in their natural habitat, who make our shore more than just a pretty place.

The Nightmare
by Bryan Smith
Until DNA evidence led to his release, Kevin Fox stood accused of murdering his three-year-old daughter. Today troubling questions abound. The biggest: Who really killed Riley Fox?

Everybody Loves Bruce Norris
by Tony Adler
Except Bruce Norris. His growing notoriety as a playwright has surpassed his accomplishments as an actor, but he remains convinced that he is ridiculous and we are all swine.

Lone Stars
by Noah Isackson
They’re successful, beautiful, and available. It’s our annual showcase of 20 of the city’s most desirable singles. Find out which ones have gone skinny-dipping and which ones haven’t.

Departments

Letters

Contributors

Arena
Madrid St. Angelo injects a little drama into the morning commute; the essential guide to Chicago music festivals; our critic judges the ultimate pastrami smackdown!; we pit bestseller Jenny McCarthy against professional self-help writers; Team Chicago preps for the Gay Games; an American Girl-for boys?; the argument you never hear about global warming; summer picnic style, summer sales, more.
Plus: The Shopper, Style Sheet, and Sales Check

Books | Hello, Goodbye
In writing about friendship, this author came to realize that it should be treated as an art. Without it, we are lost, but sometimes it’s no picnic on the grass, either. An excerpt from a new book by Joseph Epstein

Four | One | One
Ah, summer-time for fun in the sun at the 52 public beaches around Chicago. But, beachgoers, beware: beach closings have more than doubled in recent years. We take a look at the area’s most polluted beaches.
Plus: How do Chicago’s taxicabs and subway system stack up against those of other cities? And another view of the Adler Planetarium

Deal Estate | The $11-Million Bargain
by Dennis Rodkin
A David Adler–designed house, originally priced at $26 million, finally sells for $11 million; a record sale-and a contender in the wings-at a Mies lakeshore tower; and a rental update.
Plus: Condo news from the city and suburbs

Nightspotting | Rock On
by Sarah Preston
Taking a break from the bar scene at the Lincoln Park Young Professionals’ Rock the Warehouse.
Plus: The skinny on Minnie’s

Classifieds

The Closer
by Jeff Ruby
The 1960 Nixon-Kennedy presidential election proved that a successful candidacy cannot be had without photogenic appeal. But in the coming gubernatorial race, both major-party candidates seem equally challenged when it comes to having a bad hair day.

Events

Chicago Guide®
During July: If walls could talk, they might complain of neglect like those of the aggrieved apartment in Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake). This is Sheila Callaghan’s play in which a mother and daughter are so steeped in grief and dysfunction that even the walls of their home teeter on madness. This month, Dog & Pony Theatre Company reprises its smart and funny production at the Chicago Park District’s Theater on the Lake.
Marquee: A preview of coming attractions

Food & Drink

Dining Out | Raging Bulls
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Three focused new spots go back to Chicago’s roots: red meat, stiff drinks, and guilt-free good times.

Restaurants
The definitive guide to Chicago’s top restaurants
This month: Nine new and updated listings, including Butter and One Sixtyblue
Dish: The hottest restaurants right now; gossip; a big-shot chef drops anchor in River East