Category archive for ‘CHICAGO’ 
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Transformer Ire
This summer, downtown Chicago has been handed over to the Transformers 3 movie shoot–to film scenes glorifying Loop devastation and the the deaths of rank-and-file Chicagoans. As citywide media goes ga-ga for gargantuan robots, I’m wondering whether $20 million is the going rate for ceding civic pride?
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Meet Me in St. Louis, Not Milwaukee: How Not to Oversell Your Urban Tourism Campaign
The urbanist in me loves that St. Louis and Milwaukee are vying for Chicago visitors with cheeky local tourism ads. Here’s why the St. Louis campaign has me yearning to visit, while the Milwaukee campaign has me yawning and staying home.
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Exploring Chicago with Foursquare: An Unexpectedly Amazing Experience
For months I dismissed Foursquare, the popular GPS check-in game, as a marketing gimmick. But a whirlwind day chasing down Chicago’s official tourism badges showed a friend and me how addictive it can be–and taught us a lot about our own city that we never knew before.
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A Cautionary Tale Told in Feet
There are many ways to enjoy an open-air concert date in Grant Park. Spending two hours trying to avoid being eaten by a surprise third wheel’s life-threatening lizard feet is not one of them.
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Moving on from Marina City
I am no longer a resident of Marina City. At the verge of 40, my life goals when I moved downtown five years ago just don’t match up with who I want to be in the next chapter of my life. So I’ve given up my high-rise home in order to get my feet back on the ground. In every way possible.
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What Is Your Oath of Chicagoanship?
Maybe it would help native and newcomer Chicagoans get along better if we had a civic creed to help us tell real Chicagoans from mere Midwestern posers. If you had to raise your right hand and swear your loyalty to Chicago in order to be considered a Chicagoan, what would your oath be?
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Why New Yorkers Shouldn’t Look for Sweet Home in Chicago
A recent discussion thread in the popular, urbanist City-Data Forum asked for reasons why some people shouldn’t move to Chicago. Speaking as an ex-New Yorker who very annoyingly used to measure every city by the standard of the five boroughs, I can think of eight million people who might want to consider a reason to stay home.
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The Hypocrisy of Gays Chanting at Churchgoers
Last weekend, LGBT activists crashed Valentine’s Day services at Holy Name Cathedral to protest Rome’s stance on gay marriage. Is it right to demand religious tolerance by disrupting someone else’s right to worship? And why do my fellow queers care so much about a single religion’s definition of God anyway?
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In Defense of CTA “Doomsday”
Today, at long last, comes the day Chicagoans have dreaded in one guise or another since the bad old era of the Blagojevich regime: CTA ‘Doomsday’. You might be surprised to learn I welcome it with open arms. Here’s why.
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Antigone Goes West: A Man, A Dog, A Bike…and 2,000 Miles Towards A New Life
Know this first: this is the most emotionally compelling blog I’ve ever read, and perhaps the best. A Chicago writer and pet lover loses his job, gets fed up with the economy, and decides to bike to the Pacific Ocean to promote pet adoption, with his favorite Basset Hound, Antigone, blogging the trip from her doggie trailer. But it’s the candid bravery of the human author that shines best as Antigone Goes West.
