Curious City

We start an era-by-era search for the district’s ‘golden age’ and wonder: Could it be right now?

The city rode high when ‘His Airness’ played for the Bulls. But what did he leave behind?

Camp Douglas’ deadly reputation was kept in shadows but now there’s a surprising movement to bring it to light .

Engineers once compared Chicago’s soggy soil to jelly cake. How did they build a forest of skyscrapers on it?  

How Chicago’s Polish community won a Revolutionary War hero a holiday ... in a state he never stepped in.

Sure, the timing’s awful for campaigning and voting, but it wasn’t some trick concocted by the Democratic Machine. In fact, it was meant to empower voters.

A Chinese developer wants to alter the city skyline and break a dry spell in a field we once dominated.

Let our info about the Let our info about the worst hours, days and seasons for road congestion steer you clear from a traffic-induced personal hell. 

The Chicago suburbs of Romeoville and Joliet were once named Romeo and Juliet. We explored why.

What associations do you make with Chicago? Da Bears? Shady politics? Wacky weather? If you feel that list is getting stale, here’s a list of new ones to consider!

A state task force likes the idea, but one former officer says the proposed job description could be a bit too much.

Our case study: The U of C, where a private force polices 65,000 Chicagoans on and off campus.

What makes these notable ghost stories tick? Even if you don’t believe them, you’ll never forget them.

How a modest congregation at Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist built and maintained an improbably cool concrete oasis in such an improbable location.   

Historians consider our “what-if” scenario about a city that escaped the 1871 blaze. Would the Loop be a livable neighborhood? Would the skyline be so strident? And would there be such a thing as the Chicago spirit?

As Chicago's former grand movie palace turns 90, the question remains: What can be done to restore it? 

Illinois struggles with debt and unpaid bills, while Indiana is sitting pretty with a surplus topping $2 billion. What’s behind the fiscal gap between these two neighbors?

The faux speakeasy is popping up everywhere these days, but what made the original Prohibition saloon work?

It took decades for Chicago's first and only female mayor to land an official honor from City Council. Is there a reason it took so long? 

A concerned citizen poses questions about violence and the state’s new law allowing people to carry concealed guns. We find a surprising lack of consensus among the candidates and researchers, too.  

Now that our wicked winter’s ending, we look at whether there’s any fallout from flinging so much salt around.

This winter has felt like one for the ages, but is it really one of Chicago’s worst?  

Our animated map shows how Chicago grew from lakeside outpost to booming metropolis over the course of a century.

Daring escapes, unexpected romance and more true stories from German prisoners held in our area.

Here’s the evolution of the Lincoln Avenue motels, from sensible to seedy to retro spectacle.