Playlist Chicago
Chicago
The Black- and Woman-Led Success of a Chicago Ice Cream Company
Daniel HautzingerBaldwin Ice Cream began as a parlor opened by seven African American postal workers on the South Side and eventually grew to offering ice cream in major Midwestern grocery stores and at O'Hare, thanks in part to Jolyn Robichaux, its president for more than two decades.
The Century-Long Clash Between Chicago's Temperance Advocates and Beer Lovers
Daniel HautzingerThe year Chicago was incorporated also saw the founding of the city’s first temperance group and first brewery, and the two factions grew and clashed for the following decades, leaving their mark on the city and suburbs, until temperance briefly won out with the ratification of Prohibition 100 years ago.
Best Chicago Cookbooks for Your Chicago-Loving Chef
Chicago is a great food city, and, over the years, we've produced a bounty of cookbooks. Local chefs, restaurants, organizations – even baseball teams and politicians – have gotten in on the action. Behold, the cream of the Chicago-made cookbook crop.
250 Years of the Encyclopaedia Britannica – And Chicago's Role in Its Success
Daniel HautzingerThe Encyclopaedia Britannica, which was first published 250 years ago, became a proud emblem of the American middle class during the 20th century in large part thanks to the efforts of Chicago institutions and people.
Angels Too Soon: The Tragic Our Lady of the Angels School Fire
Daniel Hautzinger60 years ago, 92 children and three nuns died in a fire at the Our Lady of the Angels school on Chicago's West Side. The tragedy could easily have been prevented, and had a wide-reaching effect on fire safety measures across the country.
The CTA Holiday Train and Bus Are Returning!
Daniel HautzingerStarting the day after Thanksgiving, the CTA Holiday Train will begin bringing joy to "L" riders, and the Holiday Bus starts service the next week. Find their schedules here so that you can get a chance to enjoy the lights and take a photo with Santa!
13 (And More!) Things to Do In Chicago For the Holidays
Daniel HautzingerThe holiday season is upon us, as going into any store and hearing the music will inform you. If you want to make sure that the most wonderful time of the year is truly full of wonder, Chicagoland offers plenty of magical opportunities, from tree lightings to markets to parades.
"We're Still Here": Chicago's Native American Community
Daniel HautzingerAfter their removal from the region around Chicago in the early nineteenth century, Native Americans began returning to the city in the 1950s under the federal government's ill-planned relocation policy. Chicago has the oldest urban Indian center, and the third largest urban population of Native Americans.
A Chance to Ride (or See) a Historic CTA Train Car
Daniel HautzingerIn celebration of the opening of Chicago's first subway transit line 75 years ago, the CTA is sending out two vintage train cars that ran from 1923 to 1973 and are the same model of car that was among the first to run on the State Street subway line.
Happy 90th Birthday to the Queen of the Blues
Daniel HautzingerKoko Taylor would have turned 90 today. The daughter of poor Tennessee sharecroppers, she eventually came to Chicago and cleaned North Shore homes before signing with Chess Records and becoming the Queen of the Blues in a male-dominated genre.
Chicago's Newest (and Biggest) Piece of Public Art
Daniel HautzingerWhat was once the world’s largest building will soon be the site of the world’s largest permanent digital art projection, when the Merchandise Mart's 2.5-acre facade becomes the screen for an enormous piece of public art called Art on theMART.
Where to Go During Open House Chicago
Daniel HautzingerDuring Open House Chicago, which is October 13 and 14, you can see things you've never seen before as more than 250 sites across Chicagoland open to the public for free. So many choices are overwhelming, so we've chosen a few highlights.
Working Towards a Fully Literate Society
Daniel HautzingerOne in six adults, or 35 million people, read below a fourth-grade level in the United States. The Chicago Literacy Alliance is working to change that, by bringing together organizations with similar goals and fostering collaboration amongst them.
Fascism in Chicago
Daniel HautzingerFrom the feted arrival of an Italian Fascist in Chicago during the Century of Progress World's Fair (commemorated with the renaming of a street and a monument donated by Mussolini) to the infamous controversy where neo-Nazis tried to march in Skokie, learn about fascist flare-ups in Chicago.
Tour the New Chicago Architecture Center
Daniel HautzingerTake a tour of the new Chicago Architecture Center and discover its new features, including an expanded and newly interactive Chicago model and a skyscraper gallery. The Center is located inside a Mies van der Rohe building with a vantage of some of Chicago's most famous buildings.
