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April 2010
Lakeshore East—20 Best Towns and Neighborhoods in Chicago and the Suburbs
By Dennis Rodkin
Where rail yards, and later a golf course, once lay, a high-rise neighborhood has sprouted in the past decade, and it has quickly become a model of 21st-century urban life. Lakeshore East, the master-planned area just south of the Chicago River and west of Lake Shore Drive, counts among its distinctions the new Aqua tower—the 82-story Jeanne Gang–designed apartment-and-condo building that appears to be eroded from water running down its sides—direct access to the lakefront, and, immediately south of the neighborhood, a little place called Millennium Park. Read more
Rockwell Crossing—20 Best Towns and Neighborhoods in Chicago and the Suburbs
By Dennis Rodkin
Whenever I get off the Brown Line at Rockwell, I think I should be carrying a lunch pail instead of a laptop. That’s because the neighborhood known as Rockwell Crossing feels like a quaint throwback to a time when a tired blue-collar worker would have happily returned home to this cozy community where the CTA trains clatter along at ground level. Read more
Festa Ravinia 2010
April 25, 2010 – The Ravinia Associates raised a record of over $220,000 at its annual fundraiser “Festa” on Saturday, April 25. This black-tie event benefits the not-for-profit Ravinia Festival and its REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs, which provide students throughout the Chicago region with free music education. This year the event also honored Ravinia Trustee and Ravinia Women’s Board member Lucy Minor, who has helped expand the scope and depth of the festival’s education programs. Held at the Ravenswood Billboard Factory, the benefit featured the theme “Shaken Not Stirred.” Festa 2010 was co-chaired by John Martin and Steve Rappin. The Ravinia Associates president is Kathryn Ingraham. The event attracted more than 350 guests. Read more
25th Annual Parenthesis Kitchen Walk
April 24, 2010 – The 25th annual Parenthesis Kitchen Walk featured ten newly remodeled kitchens in Oak Park and River Forest. A committee of professional designers and architects selected each kitchen from dozens of nominees based on innovation, attractiveness, and purposeful design. All proceeds from the walk benefitted the Parenthesis Family Center, a non-profit that seeks to build strong families through parenting education, counseling, respite, and case management services. Read more
Dish Flash: In a Tizi
By Penny Pollack & Graham Meyer
Adding to the string of good restaurants closing lately, Tizi Melloul (531 N. Wells St.; 312-670-4338) will shut its doors May 15th after 11 years of business. One of Tizi’s owners, Steven Ford, says it was sold to as-yet-undisclosed parties for another restaurant concept. Read more
6th Annual DreamHome Preview Party
April 15, 2010--The Merchandise Mart unveiled the 6th annual DreamHome at an exclusive preview gala Thursday, April 15th, which benefited the UCCRF Women's Board, which raises funds to support basic cancer biology research at the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center. Gala attendees were the first to see this year’s DreamHome. Nine designers contributed to the “Cool Elegance” home that blended luxury furnishings from The Design Center showrooms with modern, clean lines. Read more
Think You Know Al Capone? Not So Fast, Says Jonathan Eig
By Esther Kang
The May issue of Chicago magazine features a long excerpt about the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the gruesome 1929 murders of seven gangsters in a Chicago garage, from a new book about Al Capone. That book, Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster ($28; Simon & Schuster) by the journalist and best-selling author Jonathan Eig, went on sale this past Tuesday... Read more
And They're Off!: Where to Watch the Kentucky Derby in Chicago
By Amalie Drury
Yes, the Kentucky Derby still bills itself as "the fastest two minutes in sports," despite the fact that the not-so-recent invention of motorized vehicles left the poor ponies in the dust a good while ago. And with the Louisville forecast calling for an 80 percent chance of "strong storms" all day tomorrow, the bound-to-be-muddy 136th Kentucky Derby isn't likely to break any land speed records... Read more
Forrest Claypool to the Rescue?
By Carol Felsenthal
Editorial boards and earnest columnists have exhorted readers to sign those petitions for Forrest Claypool—the one man, in their words, standing between fair property tax bills and Joseph Berrios, a machine pol who won the Democratic nomination for assessor in February.

The signatures are flowing in, and the 52-year-old Cook County commissioner will almost certainly claim a spot on the November... Read more