As the annual roll call for summer music festivals continues to balloon, a select few set themselves apart from the pack. Below are our festival picks for the summer, including both the local neighborhood bookings and the familiar blowouts like Pitchfork, Blues Fest, and Lollapalooza. HoZac Blackout Fest The infamous festival returns in a big […]
Tag: Vol. 40 No. 35
Issue of May. 19 – 25, 2011
Posted inNews & Politics
In Chicago City Council, aldermen sweat the small stuff
Newly sworn-in Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a deal with aldermen last week that he said would bring much-needed reform and efficiency to the Chicago City Council: The number of legislative committees would be cut from 19 to 16, trimming about $500,000 from the council’s $20 million annual budget. “The people of Chicago were loud and […]
Posted inFilm
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu: seeing red
Romanian expatriate Andrei Ujica spent four years combing through the national film and television archives of his homeland to assemble this epic documentary, which uses official images of communist political pageantry to revisit Nicolae Ceausescu’s quarter century of misrule. Like the slow-moving but hypnotic dramas of the Romanian new wave (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, […]
Posted inCity Life
Get on the water: Kayak, swim, jet-ski, surf, or sail – even if you’re the aquatically challenged
So you’ve always wanted to kayak, swim, jet-ski, surf, or sail. Chicago water sports are for the aquatically adept as well as those who wouldn’t know a paddle from a poodle—plenty of options let you sit back, sip a cocktail, and let someone else do all the work. Canoeing and Kayaking Chicago River Canoe and […]
Posted inMusic
Gossip Wolf: Chris Connelly gets back to rock
The industrial legend recruits some hard hitters for his new album. Plus: J2K racks up some credits outside Flosstradamus, Alex White quits her day job, and Royal Pines shuffle their lineup
Posted inFood & Drink
Scraps: The chemistry of foodstuffs, openings and closings, a locavore dinner, and more
In honor of the International Year of Chemistry, the Illinois Science Council has organized a series of workshops on the chemistry of foodstuffs. On Tuesday, June 7, from 7 to 9 PM at Metropolitan Brewing (5121 N. Ravenswood), NU chem professor Shelby Hatch will “celebrate beer,” explaining the factors that determine alcohol content, among other […]
Posted inCity Life
This isn’t heaven. It’s Wisconsin.
The Virgin Mary once visited, and now so do throngs of the faithful
Posted inFood & Drink
The new Bite Cafe, the Original Five BBQ, Bivona Ristorante, and other recent openings
Recent Openings Search the Reader’s online database of more than 4,300 Chicago-area restaurants—and add your own review—at chicagoreader.com/food. Antico | Wicker Park/Bucktown | $$$ Tucked into what used to be an antique store just off Armitage in Bucktown, the aptly named Antico is by all appearances a typical neighborhood restaurant. Yet the unassuming facade masks […]
Posted inCity Life
Southwest Michigan’s naturally beautiful beaches
ADJACENT TO BENTON HARBOR: Just north of Benton Harbor’s Jean Klock Beach is Berrien County’s quiet Rocky Gap Beach, with an overlook and 1,100 feet of lake frontage. Directly south of Jean Klock is St. Joe’s Tiscornia Park, with sand dunes, a 16-acre park, and the North Pier Lighthouse, authorized at the same time Chicago’s […]
Posted inCity Life
On two wheels: Bike rides and races
From Lake Shore Drive to the North Shore, from earliest morning to the middle of the night, from clothed to fully naked—in the summer, Chicago bike enthusiasts take their pick of roads, rides, and races. Bike the Drive The city closes Lake Shore Drive to cars and opens it to bikes for this annual event […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Summer book fairs
Little City Book Fair Billed as the largest used book sale in the midwest, this annual sale also offers CDs, DVDs, comic books, and collectibles. Proceeds benefit the Little City Foundation, which supports children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. 8/19-8/21: Fri 5-10 PM, Sat 10 AM-9 PM, Sun 10 AM-5 PM, Harper […]
Posted inArts & Culture
That ticking sound? In Marisa Wegrzyn’s new play, Hickorydickory, it’s time running out.
Want to know the day of your death, so you won’t be caught off guard or make unnecessary dinner reservations? The Internet has the answer, as usual. Simply visit the Death Clock (deathclock.com)—the Web’s “friendly reminder that life is slipping away”—and enter your date of birth, gender, estimated body mass index, and whether or not […]
Posted inMusic
In Rotation: Current musical obsessions of a Reader staffer and two notable Chicagoans
Peter Margasak, Reader music critic Swedish Azz’s Azz Appeal: Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson leads an excellent quintet through sincere but freewheeling interpretations of tunes from his homeland’s golden era of mainstream jazz in the 50s and 60s. Stickmen’s Insatiable: Once every year or two I pull out this CD, which collects every recording by Philadelphia’s […]
Posted inCity Life
Farmers’ Markets: where to go for your greens
This year there are more farmers’ markets to choose from than ever, from Green City Market and the large city-sponsored one in Federal Plaza to markets in so-called food deserts like Pullman and Lawndale. Our annual guide follows. MONDAY Loyola 3:30-6 PM, 6/6-10/17, 6542 N. Sheridan TUESDAY City Farm Market Stand 3-6:30 PM Tue-Fri, 7/12-9/30, […]
