Features

Chicagoans of the Year
by Dale Eastman, Gretchen Reynolds, and Geoffrey Johnson
Whether holding out a hand in service or serving up a new way of looking at life, music, or art, these seven extraordinary people took the time to make Chicago a better, more exciting place to live.

Field’s of Dreams
by Scott McMurray
Efficiency moves by out-of-town owner Dayton Hudson are drawing complaints from Marshall Field’s loyalists – about everything from the service and the merchandise to the environmentally correct shopping bags.

The Other Health Care Reform
by Jeanne Rattenbury
Viewed with skepticism by the medical establishment for years, alternative medicine is gaining converts and new consideration. Here’s a guide to everything from acupuncture to homeopathy to massage therapy.

Star-Spangled Guy
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
Thanks to a talent for self-promotion – and some help from his friends – Alex Dana’s Italian restaurants are hot spots for celebrities and the fashionable fans who flock after them.

Breaking the Vows of Tradition
by Rennie Sparks and Peter Han
Women are rethinking the notion of a white wedding. The question is, how bold must you be to walk down the aisle in black?

The Late Show
by Mark Jannot, Todd Savage, and Liza Schoenfein

Our sixth annual bar and club guide – nearly 150 reasons to venture out into the night to dance, have a drink and a light meal, or just hang out with friends

Departments

Letters

Frontlines
A lawyer bills airtime; local folks receive recognition; and John Andersen resurfaces.

The Goods
by Leah Eskin
What’s old is new again in recycled art and objects.

Metro
by Greg Hinz
Derailing the Ravenswood line; plus, a baited pol bites back.

Modern Times
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
Jennifer Berman lets loose with more cutting edge bash cartoons.

Stage & Screen
by Penelope Mesic
Director Ed Zwick rises to Legends of the Fall, Jim Harrison’s novella about the Lost Generation of the West.

First Person
by Corinda Luchetta
The paralegal for “Team El Rukn” relives her nightmare: the notorious taped phone call.

Prime Time

Hot dates around town this month

Dining
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Wear loose clothes and don’t skip the cream sauce at three veteran Loop restaurants that all prove hearty Italian food is definitely here to stay.

Going Places
by Anne Spiselman
Madison, Wisconsin: A cosmopolitan little city revels in its hip coffee-house culture while retaining a small-town feel.

Back Talk
by Henry Hanson
Abner Mikva, Scott Turow, Alan Lomax. Barbara Gaines, Susan Grant Lewin, Maureen Smith, and Marilyn Alsdorf