If the somewhat disturbing Target commercials blanketing the airwaves during the Christmas shopping season are the price we have to pay for Maria Bamford, it's worth it. Read more
The incumbent's race against 22nd Ward Alderman Rick Muñoz is the juiciest contest in the March 20 primary. Here, Brown talks about Muñoz, working for Arthur Andersen in the 1970s, her unsuccessful bid for Cook County Board president, and more... Read more
Chicagoans long ago got used to being snubbed by New York, but one thing that’s hard for New York to overlook is our enviable array of skyscrapers. In addition to having two of the world’s 15 tallest buildings, Chicago has five buildings over 1,000 feet tall—one more than New York. What’s more, three of the world’s 20 tallest buildings completed in 2009 were residential towers in Chicago... Read more
Sometimes Christmas is best spent in tranquil isolation. If you want to spend Christmas Day and the sixth day of Hanukkah amid utter peacefulness and the sort of pampering you can’t get when you’re basting turkeys all day, consider Irish Inn in southern Illinois, run by Belfast-born Brian Marshall and his wife, Lynn Moore McCreery... Read more
Readers ask questions, and our real estate expert answers. This week, a reader named James from Buffalo Grove asks why no one he knows has been affected by foreclosure, despite the grim reports. Read more
Girl Power
Watch out, Abercrombie, Hollister, and Aéropostale: There’s a recently opened, independently owned shop in Roscoe Village that caters to tweens and teens. Crush (2138 W. Roscoe St.; 773-661-9481, crushonroscoe.com) features clothing and accessories from more than 20 established and up-and-coming brands for girls (as well as a few for women)... Read more
Jonathan Mahler, Mick Dumke, and Alex Kotlowitz: three writers on Benton Harbor, Michigan, its economic and social challenges, and the many attempts to address them. Read more
Croats, Lithuanians, Belarusians, and Koreans talk about their holiday traditions as part of the MSI's seven-decade Christmas Around the World tradition. Read more
