Cover Story

The Green Awards
edited by Nora O’Donnell and Cassie Walker
We asked, and your nominations poured in. Meet our 2010 class of honorees, five eco-minded innovators who aren’t afraid to shake up the system.

20 Great Towns and Neighborhoods
by Dennis Rodkin
With the real-estate market in turmoil and the economic future uncertain, our in-house housing (and schools) expert names a score of top places to live now.

Stephanie Izard, Inc.
by Cassie Walker
In the two years since the curly-haired Chicago chef won a TV reality show, she has managed to turn her 15 minutes of fame into the launching pad for a celebrity brand. Her $1.5-million, 120-seat restaurant in the West Loop is racing to open next month. Will the crowds come?

Flood Stage
by Christopher Piatt
Rebecca Gilman, who received national notice ten years ago for her play Spinning into Butter, is back with a new drama—about a long-ago disaster that resonates today.

Departments

Arena
ARTS & CULTURE Meet Andriana Chuchman, opera’s equivalent of a supernova; Pocket Guide defies gravity; a new documentary captures the story of one Lost Boy’s return to Sudan; the dark tale behind Orange Is the New Black. Plus: The captains of the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Red Stars face off in a soccer challenge. WHAT I WAS THINKING Madison Dearborn’s John Canning Jr. on not buying the Cubs, the causes of the financial crisis, and more STYLE For those bold enough to go off registry, 13 stylish ideas for brides and grooms. Plus: A furniture store in Oak Park blossoms in the down economy; Sales Check

Events
by Geoffrey Johnson
Six bright lights shone at the Chicagoans of the Year lunch.

Table
Getting to the heart of the bone marrow trend; side by side at the Elysian Hotel; the ten hottest restaurants

Cheers
by Amalie Drury
The revolution will be liquefied: Craft beer comes to Logan Square.

Top 40
by Jeff Ruby
As this magazine’s 40th anniversary approaches, we name the 40 greatest albums of all time by Chicago artists.

Politics
by David Bernstein
In one of the strangest primary elections in recent memory, Scott Lee Cohen’s saga stands out as the strangest. And he’s got a lot to say about it.

Deal Estate®
by Dennis Rodkin
A $4.43-million condo sale at the Elysian; an old mansion for a new professor; and Chicago still stands tall.

Outer Drive
by Jeff Ruby
“We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Pizzeria Uno.”

Chicago Guide®
Spoon, Lang Lang, Sonny Rollins—and more pitch-perfect picks for April

Restaurants
From Chinatown to Streamwood and cool ’hoods in between, we add six new restaurants.

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