11 You Can Layer Up in Style

Five Ways to Layer This Winter (as demonstrated by the Blackhawks’ Connor Murphy)   Go bold in the cold ’Tis the season for a statement-making outer layer. Isabel Marant faux-shearling coat, $1,190, Nordstrom, 55 E. Grand Ave. Moncler wool beanie, $355, Moncler, 59 E. Oak St. Elevate a winter staple This plaid shirt is a … Read more

12 The Vulnerability of Swimming (Yes, Swimming) in an Icy Lake Michigan

Chicagoans approach winter as a combat sport, something to muscle through. Heading out, we assume a stance of both fight and flight. Our shoulders press into our ears, our foreheads scrunch, our bodies curl around themselves in tight formation, armadillo-style. We get small and go fast. Winter swimming in the lake has helped me to … Read more

13 It’s the Ideal Time to Take a Staycation

Why travel far in bad weather for R&R? These winter hotel packages prove the coziest (and bubbliest) getaways are right here.  For Camelot vibesA Kennedy Christmas package at the Blackstone Sip hot cocoa as you listen to Bing Crosby records on a vintage Victrola. Mood-setting decorations inspired by the Kennedy White House will have you … Read more

14 Soups That Will Warm Your Soul

For whatever reason — perhaps it’s my nomadic Jewish ancestors — I have a seasonal constitution. In the summertime I’m Tavern-Style Tal, light and crisp, and from December to March I’m in full hibernatory deep-dish mode. My wife’s appetite isn’t as dictated by climate; her blood type is broth. She will eat a meat-and-potato stew just as eagerly on … Read more

15 The Joy of Running on an Empty Lakefront

Chicago in the winter is a reminder that love, for all its heart-pounding, soul-stirring, head-spinning magic, also requires some suffering. Anyone can relish the lakefront path in the summer. The breeze! The beaches! The joyful packs of fellow joggers! The dudes bumping Morgan Wallen’s “Sunrise” at … sunrise! It takes commitment to love it when … Read more

16 It’s the Best Time to Look for Animal Tracks

When snow falls overnight, the footprints of Chicago’s wild critters are unusually visible, especially in nature parks or cemeteries early in the morning, before people (and their dogs) show up. If the snow’s a bit wet — not too fluffy — you can make out the distinctive impressions left by a variety of paws and hooves. I’ve seen coyote … Read more

20 Jewish and Chinese Chicagoans Eat Well on Christmas —Thanks to Each Other

Christmas bustles like few other days in Chinatown. With restaurants closed elsewhere, it’s almost become a cliché: we Chinese sitting shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brethren, shoveling lo mein into our maws.  Several years ago, perhaps out of irony to score Instagram points, I thought it’d be funny if my Chinese family ate at a … Read more