Our top five picks for things to do this week: M is for . . . Mary, the MacArthur genius . . . Michele, the voice of All Things Considered . . . Mitchell, Nicole, our guest weekend planner . . . and, of course, Muppet Read more
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By Dennis Rodkin
WINNING COMBINATIONS: We crunched data from more than 1,700 public elementary, middle, and junior high schools in the Chicago area and picked the 121 best. PLUS: how to get into the best of the best and a look at education’s financial crisis Read more
By Penny Pollack and Kaitlin Petersen with Denise Peñacerrada
Just Like Mama Used to Make
After Aldino’s fizzled within four months, the owner, Scott Harris, flirted with the idea of a college bar, The CooKoo Room. Now, he’s determined to bring tradition back to Little Italy, teaming up with Mary Jo Gennaro... Read more
By Geoffrey Johnson
EDIFICE REX: Chicago reigns as the country’s architectural king, as our top 40 buildings proudly attest Read more
By Dennis Rodkin
List Price: $1.625 million
The Property: After Anne and Jan Maitland bought this Queen Anne house in 2003, they set about restoring the interior. The foyer, living room, and stairs still retained much of their original detail—nice stained glass, pretty fretwork on the door, and intricate wooden lace on the staircase—so they kept that... Read more
The Property: After Anne and Jan Maitland bought this Queen Anne house in 2003, they set about restoring the interior. The foyer, living room, and stairs still retained much of their original detail—nice stained glass, pretty fretwork on the door, and intricate wooden lace on the staircase—so they kept that... Read more
By Lisa Cregan
PLAYING THE ANGLES: A light-filled family home in a former warehouse in Bucktown makes the most of its surprising footprint Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby with Denise Peñacerrada & Kaitlin Petersen
Our top five picks for things to do this week: Hop on, hop off, get down . . . bouncy castles for big kids . . . a pocket guide to Jazz Fest . . . what the lovely Lilli Carré is up to . . . and more Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
Since Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz took over the Tizi space, everyone’s been wondering what the boys would do there. We had heard it would be a steak house, but now comes word that 531 North Wells Street will be a “chef-driven oyster bar...” Read more
By David Bernstein
THE INSIDER: With a background as a Democratic Party boss, a lobbyist, and a powerful commissioner of a property tax appeals board, Joseph Berrios now wants to be Cook County assessor, a role that will give him even more sway in picking winners and losers among local taxpayers. Chicago magazine’s political editor—working with the Better Government Association—argues that Berrios shines as a vivid example of the clout-infested politics for which Illinois is famous Read more