Curious City

That Time Chicago Sent a Trainload of Snow to Florida 15.01.2016 8:30 ↓

How one girl’s dream for a snow day came true during the infamous blizzard of 1967.

The Fall of Chicago's 'Porkopolis' and the Rise of Niche Meat 23.12.2015 ↓

The city was once the nation’s meatpacking powerhouse. What, if anything, is left?

Curious City: The Mystery Collection 18.12.2015 ↓

Answers to listeners' questions about the mysterious side of Chicago that lies beyond the soaring skyscrapers and the sheen of the Bean.

Ferry-tale: Could a Chicago-to-Michigan Ferry Return from Extinction? 11.12.2015 ↓

Lake Michigan was once a passenger steamer superhighway. Could a Chicago-to-Michigan route make a comeback?

The Swinging Times of Chicago's Revolving Doors 04.12.2015 ↓

Tempted to ignore the revolving door? Here are the revolutions that made the city a magnet for this seemingly simple device.

Half Day Road and the Origins of a Semantic Slip-up 03.12.2015 12:44 ↓

A half day from ... what? Why this suburban myth is not even half true, and why the same mistake was made again 600 miles away.

Fare Game: When do CTA Buses Break Even? 20.11.2015 ↓

A look at how many riders it takes to make a bus profitable.

Mold-A-Rama-Rama! The Secrets Behind Chicago's Plastic Souvenir Empire 13.11.2015 ↓

How a Chicago-area famiHow a Chicago-area family turned cheap plastic souvenirs into a nostalgia empire.ly turned cheap plastic souvenirs into a nostalgia empire.

Blacksmiths: The 'Plastic Surgeons' on Chicago's Payroll 06.11.2015 ↓

The City of Chicago employs 20 full-time blacksmiths. But what do they do? And what's with the ancient job title?

'Poland elsewhere': Why So Many Poles Came to Chicago 30.10.2015 ↓

How generation after generation of Polish families made the city into a 'Poland elsewhere.'  

Can Chicago Brag about the Size of its Polish Population? 26.10.2015 ↓

A Grabowski team of demographA Grabowski team of demographers help us test the city’s claim of having the most Poles outside Poland.ers help us test the city’s claim of having the most Poles outside Poland. A Grabowski team of demographers help us test the city’s claim of having the most Poles outside Poland.

Don't Believe the Height! Why Chicago Suburb Names Flat Out Lie about their Elevation 16.10.2015 ↓

From Chicago Heights to Mount Prospect, here’s why Chicago suburb names flat out lie about their elevation.

Shadow City: How Chicago Became the Country's Alley Capital 10.10.2015 ↓

How Chicago became the alley capital of the country and why so much of the rest of the region is conspicuously alley-free.

Nice Pipes: The Inner Workings of Buckingham Fountain 04.09.2015 ↓

The lowdown on how the fountain shoots water so high, and why it was built to impress in the first place.

Beyond Deep-Dish: Exploring Chicago's Other Native Foods 02.09.2015 ↓

A list of meaty, messy and often obscure city originals that's meant to get you out of your comfort zone.

Mystery Boat: Alone and Idle in a Waterlogged Corner of Chicago 26.08.2015 ↓

Ever see this rusty old freighter off the Bishop Ford Expressway? Its backstory says a lot about the Great Lakes shipping industry.

Are there fallout shelters left in Chicago? 19.08.2015 ↓

There are plenty, but let’s just say they’re not ready for a nuclear apocalypse.

Where are Chicago's Poor White Neighborhoods? 12.08.2015 ↓

Poverty touches all races in Chicago, but it's more visible among blacks and Latinos. Here's why that happens and why it matters.

Shoes on a Wire: Untangling an Urban Myth 05.08.2015 ↓

From teenage mischief to possible drug markets, a search for the real reasons sneakers end up on power lines.

Chicago's Best Stargazing Spots 22.07.2015 ↓

Chicago’s notorious light pollution hides the stars, but here’s where you have a fighting chance to peek at the heavens.

Here's Harold! (The Robot Edition) 15.07.2015 ↓

The DuSable Museum says — creepy or not — its Harold Washington robot will teach you a thing or two about the city’s first African-American mayor.

What Really Happens to Chicago's Blue Cart Recycling? 01.07.2015 ↓

The program is no sham, but a good number of recyclables still head to landfills.

In Chicago, Eternal Rest Ain't So Eternal 18.06.2015 ↓

How often do the dead make way for planes, parks and other local development? More than you'd think.

Beyond The Rattle And Clatter: When The CTA 'L' Is Your Neighbor 10.06.2015 ↓

Living near the CTA means life in a rattling fishbowl, but some Chicagoans adapt.

The unsung hero of urban planning who made it easy to get around Chicago 20.05.2015 ↓

Unsung urban planning hero Edward Brennan tamed a chaotic 19th-century street-numbering system.