The world may think of Chicago as a deep-dish pizza town, but those of us who love the oven-baked cheesy pies, we know that thin is in — and Chicago has plenty of delicious places to choose from.
So, while tourists might line up at Uno’s or Gino’s East, the rest of us flock to these local spots serving up tasty ‘za with thin crispy crusts. Continue reading
You know when you see someone jogging and it’s less than 20 degrees outside and you think: “that man must be insane?”
Then you think how much fun it would be to bundle up, lace up a pair of skates and hit the ice — yeah, not so crazy anymore is it?
Once you get moving, do a few laps around the rink, maybe fall a couple (or five) times and your body starts heating up, you realize just how great playing and exercising in the cold really is.
Get those skates, grab the kids or call some friends, and hit one of these great outdoor ice skating rinks in and around Chicago. Continue reading
People have loved going to the movies ever since silent movies premiered, at a time when Chicago was Hollywood…before there was a Hollywood.
Essanay studios dominated the industry, in part due to its relationship with actor Charlie Chaplin. It was located in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood on Argyle Street, west of Broadway.
Once talkies entered the fray, ornate movie palaces sprouted up all over the city, many of them grand like the Uptown, the Tivoli, the Paradise, the Lawndale and the Ramova.
Some of these old classic movie houses still exist. Some have been modernized and renovated, some still show actual film (versus digital) movies and some show cult classics and do a variety of events and film festivals.
Since the mid 1800s, some of Chicago’s most prominent families have escaped to tony Lake Geneva for summer vacation. Back then the train connected the city and the bucolic lakeside town, where barons of the day — Wrigley, Sears, Schwinn, Smyth, Maytag, Swift — erected Gilded Era mansions along the shore of Geneva Lake giving the town the nickname “Newport of the West.”
Today, many of the stately homes still reign over the lake, and a beautiful 21-mile-long path that runs along the lakefront allows you a peek into the lives of the rich – if not always famous. Continue reading
