Hotels By City: Cheap Hotels, Hotel Guides & Hotel Blogs

It's deceptively easy to get around Chicago without a car.  Heck, I live here and I don't own one.  But if you're touring the city, the idea of public transit can be daunting if you are unfamiliar with it.  I've put together a few tips for those of you willing to plunge into the world of buses and trains.

1.  Know the lingo.  The subway here is called the "El" because ...

When I first moved to Chicago, I thought the Taste of Chicago, held every summer at the end of June and the beginning of July, was such a cool event. After all, one of the best things about living in this town is trying out new restaurants. To have so many vendors (over 70 this year) available all in one place with delicious samples wherever you look--well, my only problem ...

When you live in Chicago, you hear a lot about pizza.  Mostly, Chicagoans have debates about where the best deep dish is, and which type of crust they prefer.  One place all of us agree on, however, is Piece.

Piece has two great things going for it: 1) award-winning craft beer, and 2) awesome pizza.  First of all, the brewmaster at Piece, Jonathan Coulter, is a genius.  If you ...

If you're coming to Chicago between June 29 and July 8, you'd better be going to the Taste of Chicago. How could you miss a sampling of foods from more than 70 restaurants, dancing the calories away at a variety of concerts with free admission, the entire Chicago Country Music Festival and a crazy long list of performances, demonstrations and events at the Taste's various stages?

If you're a health nut, you ...

All this week, the Gen Art Chicago Film Festival will bring to Chicago a series of independent films - and some of their stars, too.

If you're in it for the celebrity elbow-rubbing, come see Heather Graham on Tuesday, June 26; Alan Cumming on Friday, June 29, or a number of other actors and filmmakers during the festival.  

If you're in it for the films, you can catch Broken, a film about a haunted L.A. waitress; ...

The other day I stumbled upon Slithers, located at 2549 Clark Street. Slithers distributes for Manas, so all of the sometimes quirky, often goregous heels stacked up beneath a row of colorful handbags are Italian. Not to worry, the store's well-travelled owner, Mirek Hajduk, can translate your size into the Italian scale.

I've read that their return policy leaves something to be desired, so be careful. But I bought a ...

If you were in town for the Gay and Lesbian Pride parade last weekend, you were in striking distance of my very favorite breakfast place in Chicago.

Ann Sather, home of warm gooey cinnamon rolls, huge omelets, and a dozen different kinds of eggs benedict awaits at four Chicago locations (Broadway, Belmont, Andersonville, and Southport).  My home location is the one in Lakeview, at 3411 ...

What: Teatro Luna presents the play Lunatica, a series of skits about being Latina and the everyday craziness of being a woman - performed by six Latina women.

When: June 1st, 2007-July 15; Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3 pm 

Where: 1105 W Chicago Ave Chicago, Il 60622

For showtimes and information, call 773-878-LUNA
or email info@teatroluna.org.

ArtMattan Productions and The Facets Cinémathèque present The 5th Annual Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival

What: 13 foreign, independent, classic and urban films representing the black experience

When: June 22-28

Where: 1517 W. Fullerton; for directions, click here

How Much: $5.00-9.00 per film; for tickets, click here

I fell in love with Andersonville tonight.

I heard about the Onion City Experimental Film Festival on Chicago Public Radio on my way home from work the other day, so tonight I headed over to Andersonville to catch the 8:00 showings. I didn't remember the exact address, just parked in the general area and hoped the venue would stand out.

It didn't. I was looking for a movie theater, but all I ...