Chicagoland multi-instrumentalist Liam Fagan is 18: young enough to treat emo bands who are still establishing themselves (particularly critical darlings Oso Oso) as aesthetic polestars, but also old enough to legally get the name of one of his favorite albums (the Hotelier’s Goodness) tattooed on his arm. As the mastermind and sole musician behind Park National, Fagan has figured out how to cut his own path in emo. The project’s recent debut, The Big Glad (self-released via Fagan’s P Natty Records), relies on pop-punk propulsion, glistening loop-the-loop guitars, and enough hyperactive hooks to enrapture the most distractible listener–in other words, it ticks all the boxes for the emo subcategory known as sparklepunk. Though Fagan leans heavily on the subgenre’s basic components, even his sloppiest melodies and quietest passages get an extra bump of personality from his youthful debonair streak–which also intensifies the feeling that he’s onto something new. On “The Key,” Fagan sings about interpersonal friction in terms vague enough that virtually everyone has wrestled with something similar, and his unvarnished, aggrieved vocals might speak straight to you if you’ve ever had a falling out with a confidant. v
Heidi Zheng never had plans to run a bookstore. In fact, neither she nor her husband, Peter Hopkins, had any retail experience when they were approached to take over the Dial Bookshop. But still, it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. “What a story!” Zheng says. “That’s the thing about people who grow up reading too many books, I simply cannot refuse because it’s such a good story.”
And there’s much more to the story: Zheng and Hopkins had their first date at the Dial in the Fine Arts Building in the Loop in December 2018. When deciding where to go Zheng dropped the name of her favorite bookstore with a casual yet trying-to-be-cool “Have you heard of it?” Hopkins had not only heard of it, he built it. A woodworker and friend of the owners, he constructed the bookshelves when the space opened as the Dial in 2017. Six months after their first date, the couple got married and had a party at the bookstore. One month after that, store owners Mary Gibbons and Aaron Lippelt decided to get married themselves and move to Michigan, and they asked Zheng and Hopkins to take over. The two signed an agreement to take on the lease and the business starting on April 1, 2020.
“It’s sort of hard to separate all the nervousness and excitement I feel around owning a bookstore from all that’s attached to the current moment,” Hopkins says.
Navigating the choppy and uncertain waters of doing business during a pandemic is daunting enough for a seasoned shop owner, and for a pair with no experience it could easily be enough to call it quits. But Zheng and Hopkins are keeping the Dial afloat thanks to support from Chicago’s independent bookstore community, loyal Dial devotees, and the couple’s love for books and the store that brought them together.
“They met and married in a bookstore, so I don’t need to tell you that they love books,” Gibbons says. “But their personalities really compliment each other in a way that I think makes them good business partners in addition to good life partners. Peter is more precise, methodical, and analytical and really has a handle on the business end of things in a way that Aaron nor I never did. Heidi has a real passion and creativity that will draw readers into the store and towards books they might not find on their own. I can’t wait to see how they improve on the shop in the years to come.”
Zheng grew up in China where she started reading around the age of four. Books became her entire identity, the way she understood society and learned about the world around her. When she was 14, her family moved to the United States. Self-conscious about her accent and nervous about interacting with other students or teachers, she used books to learn and perfect English. “The last book I ever read in Chinese before I left the country was Lolita,” Zheng says. “It was very inappropriate, I don’t know why my parents let me read it, at Lolita’s age no less. But I just kind of cross-referenced the Chinese edition and English edition side-by-side with words I didn’t know.” Soon after, when Zheng was a junior in high school, Jeffrey Eugenides’s novel The Marriage Plot came out, and she took that and ran. The book takes place at Brown University in the 80s, and Zheng wrote down every reference to an author or a book and created her own reading list of works related to continental philosophy–Nietzsche and Heidegger among them.
“It’s not lost on me that these are all dead white men,” Zheng says. “But I think that’s also the function of being a first-generation immigrant myself is that a lot of the information I consciously absorbed was to help me assimilate and have the cultural currency to be able to hold a conversation in the institution that is the university.”
In the years since, Zheng has diversified her own reading list, and now as the person in charge of the Dial she is working to do the same for her customers. A lot of attention has been given to Instagram, where every Saturday she posts five weekend picks, providing a range of books. “I pay a lot of attention to the genre split and the gender and the national origin of the authors and try to squeeze in at least one translated work or work based in non-Western settings just to kind of diversify what our readers can see,” Zheng says. “And it’s not like checking off a box, like we gotta have one Black female, we gotta have one Indigenous person. I also pay attention to the content, too, because I know that not everyone wants to keep reading autofiction or autobiographical work. I know there are a lot of good scholars of Asian descent who don’t write about Asian stuff at all, and I want to feature those as well to show just another way that diversity is not just about amplifying voices talking about themselves, those voices are able to tell other stories as well.”
Another online initiative has been the monthly book club in which subscribers receive a mystery book and then talk about it via Zoom. The surprise aspect, Zheng says, really allows her to give readers something they would not normally read on their own. And the results have been overwhelmingly positive–not only were there more subscribers than books originally ordered, but it’s also become clear from the discussions that readers have loved the books and sought out more works by those authors or similar stories.
The two books Zheng recommends to customers now are The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio and Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, both works that offer a multidimensional and very redeeming depiction of the immigrant experience. Similarly, Hopkins recommends reading the play Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi, about a Korean family who opens a convenience store in Canada and the tension that develops between the parents, who fondly remember Korea, and their children, who are ready for a new life. And former Dial owner Gibbons, who started her first garden in quarantine, recommends Fermented Vegetables by Christopher and Kirsten Shockey, an intro to the art of fermentation.
As the Dial has worked to find its footing, the support from other shops in the city has been instrumental. “Here in Chicago the indie bookstore community is extremely supportive and helpful,” Zheng says. “There’s a lot of resource sharing and guidance and a lot of warmth, too. People would approach us first and be like, you’re obviously new and this is a weird time, so this is what you’re supposed to do.”
The Dial opened its doors for in-person business on July 6, and despite a power outage on the first, very hot day, things have been running fairly smoothly. Zheng and Hopkins are working hard to ensure all social distancing regulations are being observed, but have still had as many customers as they can in at a time. Future plans for the store include an initiative to support local authors and cultivate that community, as well as expanding the book club program and eventually selling more custom library furniture like the shelves Hopkins built for the store. For now, they are finding delight in being able to share their love of books and return to a sense of relative normalcy.
“It’s really nice to have those interactions,” Zheng says. “It’s really nice to our regulars and put faces to the names, but it’s also nice to kind of see that like surprise and joy on people’s faces when they walk in and realize it’s a bookstore.” v
All Hack by Dmitry Samarov (self-published) The Reader contributor’s illustrated memoir about driving a cab in Boston and Chicago
The Beauty of Your Faceby Sahar Mustafah (W. W. Norton & Company) This debut novel looks at the aftermath of a violent attack on a Muslim school in the Chicago suburbs and the principal who must pick up the pieces.
Between Everything and Nothingby Joe Meno (Counterpoint Press) The author’s first nonfiction book, following two young men from Ghana and their quest for asylum
Everywhere You Don’t Belongby Gabriel Bump (Algonquin Books) A novel following a young man growing up in South Shore and coming to terms with the idea of home
The Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price by Rae Linda Brown (University of Illinois Press) About Florence B. Price, who lived in Chicago and was the first Black woman composer in the U.S. to have her music played by a major orchestra
Hood Feminismby Mikki Kendall (Viking) A collection of essays asking readers to reconsider what feminism is and how they’ve shown up for women of color
The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarchby Miles Harvey (Little, Brown and Company) This nonfiction work digs deep into the legacy of 19th-century Mormon leader and charlatan James Strang.
The Lost Book of Adana Moreauby Michael Zapata (Hanover Square Press) This author’s debut, a mystery novel about a lost science-fiction manuscript
Pewby Catherine Lacey (Macmillian) A small town takes in a mysterious, silent, androgynous person and tries to uncover their true identity.
Prison by Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law (The New Press) An examination of the consequences of prison reform
Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago’s LGBTQ Archives by John D’Emilio (University of Chicago Press) A deep dive into Gerber/Hart Library’s records related to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified people and organizations in the city
Recipe for Persuasionby Sonali Dev (HarperCollins) The second in a series of rom-com novels putting a unique, modern twist on Jane Austen classics
Saving Ruby Kingby Catherine Adel West (Park Row) West’s debut novel follows one young woman’s life in the aftermath of her mother being killed in her home on Chicago’s south side.
So Forthby Rosanna Warren (W. W. Norton & Company) A new collection from the renowned poet
The Taste of Sugarby Marisel Vera (Liveright) A novel based in 1898 Puerto Rico on the eve of the Spanish-American War
Troublemakers: Chicago Freedom Struggles Through the Lens of Art Shayby Erik Gelman (University of Chicago Press) A close look at Chicago’s social movements from the 1940s to the ’60s through the work of the legendary photographer
Wow, No Thank Youby Samantha Irby (Vintage) Laugh-out-loud essays about getting older and being a “cheese fry-eating slightly damp Midwest person” outside of the midwest
COMING SOON
JULY 28
Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (Harper Collins) In this memoir the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet reflects on her mother’s life and how she grieved when her mother was killed by her stepfather.
AUGUST 4
The Living Deadby Daniel Kraus and George A. Romero (Macmillan) A new zombie tale started by Romero and finished after his death by Kraus
AUGUST 11
Cher Ami and Major Whittleseyby Kathleen Rooney (Penguin Books) A novel based on the true story of the relationship between a WWI messenger pigeon and a soldier
Finnaby Nate Marshall (One World) Poetry celebrating the Black voice
AUGUST 25
The Sprawlby Jason Diamond (Coffee House Press) Essays reconsidering the suburbs as cultural hotspots
SEPTEMBER 8
The Seventh Mansion by Maryse Meijer (Macmillian) A coming-of-age fantasy novel about humanity’s relationship with nature
SEPTEMBER 22
Maya and the Rising Darkby Rena Barron (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Twelve-year-old Maya must fight dark forces that only she sees in her south-side Chicago neighborhood to bring her father home in this YA fantasy novel.
OCTOBER 6
Golem Girlby Riva Lehrer (One World) A memoir about living with spina bifida and using art to change the way the world sees people with disabilities v
I wonder if one day we’ll be able to correlate a second surge in Chicago COVID-19 cases to the fact that five months into the pandemic, Lincoln Park got sick of its own cooking. If it turns out June’s reopening of bars and restaurants is even partly to blame for another wave of tragedy, I’m gonna blame the sourdough bros who traded their boules for Corona buckets this summer.
Of course cooking isn’t the problem. Cooking has been one of the few reliable sources of comfort in this malignant mess. Cooking is an easily solitary activity, but it’s inevitable second act, eating, is inherently communal. There’s nothing more lonely than eating alone (except drinking alone).
That’s why the recent release of two books from Belt Publishing about the inextricable bonds of cooking and community seem like bittersweet timing. But I’m biased.
The Belt Cookie Table Cookbook by local food writer Bonnie Tawse studies a unique wedding tradition native to Pittsburgh (my hometown), nearby Youngstown, Ohio, and all the hills and hollows in between. For new immigrants in the early 20th century, wedding cakes were “dear” (as my Gram would say), and so friends and family would mobilize to produce a kind of pastry potluck: a dessert table laden with a bonanza of cookies and sweets, the surplus usually collected by each guest at the end of the party as a wedding favor.
This tradition hasn’t died. Recipes, some more than a century old, have been handed down over generations, even today perpetuating in Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members. Tawse tapped into this culture–just in the nick of real time–on a road trip to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Cookie Table and Cocktail Gala at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Youngstown in February, just before everything went off the rails.
Therein she was confronted with a massive spread of some 8,000 donated cookies, guarded by the Youngstown State University football team’s defensive line (to ensure an equal distribution of the wealth). From this single event, Tawse made connections and collected 41 recipes and their family backstories, tested them at home under lockdown, and produced this extraordinary collection of cookies. Buckeyes, Clothespin Cookies, Pecan Tassies, Pizelles, Snowballs–you may know them by different names, depending on where you’re from–but even without photos you can visualize their collective majesty and the labor that makes it possible; e pluribus unum.
click to enlarge
The same principle underlies the Soup & Bread Cookbook by former Reader editor Martha Bayne, in a second edition published under Belt’s Parafine Press side hustle. OK, really it’s a third incarnation, born out of the Hideout’s 12-year-old Soup & Bread event series, founded by Bayne in 2009 and interrupted in March–when everything went off the rails. That first year, Bayne collected recipes from professional and amateur cooks alike (Tawse and myself included), who’d dish their home-cooked soups out of crockpots in front of the stage each Wednesday night, over the years collecting nearly $100,000 in donations toward Chicago hunger relief efforts. That first spiral-bound collection, designed by former Reader art director Sheila Sachs, was released by Surrey/Agate in 2011 in expanded form, filled out with similar stories of the power of soup to build community. Celebrity soups like Doug Sohn’s Sausage Chili and Stephanie Izard’s Pear, Parsnip, and Pistachio Soup shared equal billing with equally extraordinary potages like artist Derek Erdman’s Pizza Soup and radio producer Robin Linn’s 40-Watt Garlic Soup. Besides all that, Soup and Bread was–is–always a reliably, mellow good time.
Born in a recession, and now reborn in a pandemic, the pages are likely to inspire pangs of longing in anyone who showed up at the Hideout on a cold Wednesday night with a couple of bucks or a crockpot of liquid gold. I have to believe Soup & Bread will come back (just as I have to believe I haven’t plundered my last cookie table), but for now the rerelease of the cookbook can do some good: half the royalties from its sale go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The other half will go to grassroots hunger-relief and mutual aid organizations.
Right now, I don’t need better reasons to stay inside and make soup and cookies.
Stained Glass Cookies Sage Benchwick
The Benchwick family could possibly be the eastern Ohio version of the Von Trapp Family Singers, except the Benchwick talents are apparently in the kitchen, whipping up baked goods. Their skills are best demonstrated each year with their participation and success in the annual Cookie Table and Cocktails baking contest. In 2020, three generations of Benchwicks had platters of cookies displayed on the enormous cookie table: Rachelle Benchwick, her son Ryan, daughters Carissa and Stephanie, and Ryan Benchwick’s daughter, Sage, who baked these cookies and was awarded the title of 2020 Youngest Baker.
2 cups flour
3/4 cup butter (one and a half sticks), softened
1/2 cup Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
Optional: food coloring for the dough
Unwrap and separate the candies (Life Savers or Jolly Ranchers) by color then place in separate small resealable bags. Crush into bits using a meat mallet; set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy; add vanilla. If you would like to create a colored dough, add food coloring now and stir until completely blended. Add flour and salt, then mix by hand until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2-inch thick. Use any shaped cookie cutters desired, but you will need the cutters in two sizes: one for the cookie and one smaller to cut out the center “window” where the crushed hard candy will go to make the “glass.” (Sage used heart-shaped cookie cutters, and the cookies were dyed in a variety of colors.)
Cut as many of the cookies as you can from the rolled-out dough; place these on an ungreased cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Using the smaller cookie cutter, cut out the inside shape, carefully peel away the cut piece of dough. You can bake these as mini cookies, without the candy, or set aside and reuse this dough.
Bake the cookies at 350 F for five minutes. Remove from the oven and using a demitasse spoon, carefully fill the hole in the middle of each cookie with the crushed candy, about 2/3 of the way full. (If you overfill, the candy will bleed out on top of the dough.) Return to the oven and bake for about seven to ten more minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Do not transfer cookies yet! Allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheet so that the liquified candy in the center of each cookie can cool and harden. Once candy has hardened, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. v
The Chicago dining scene has changed drastically in the past decade. Each neighborhood has developed a distinctive culture, and the West Loop is no exception. From Michelin-starred restaurants to classics, the West Loop has some truly delicious options to pick from. Regardless of whether you decide to dine in or out, here are our top 15 restaurants in the West Loop, ranked.
1140 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60607 | Google Rating: 4.5
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Mad Social — a New American eatery — has global-influenced dishes on its menu, including a chicken and churro waffle, tuna poke tacos, and lentil cashew hummus.
1350 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607 | Google Rating: 4.6
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With Danish influences, this New American restaurant — which was awarded a Michelin star for the third year in a row — offers an a la carte and a tasting menu with set dishes like grilled hamachi or fried soft shell crab.
857 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607 | Google Rating: 4.6
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If you are in the mood for creative Chinese food, Duck Duck Goat should be your go-to spot. You can either pick from set menu options or go a la carte. Some options include bone marrow potstickers, beef short rib, and goat slap noodles.
1000 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607 | Google Rating: 4.6
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For a delicious steak, stop by Swift & Sons. Also on the menu is raw and cured seafood, shellfish, and non-steak entrees like salmon or a Nashville hot chicken sandwich.
112 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607 | Google Rating: 4.7
As you might have guessed from the name, Green Street Smoked Meats focuses on meats, and some of their most popular items are brisket, pork ribs, and elote style corn.
661 W Walnut St, Chicago, IL 60661 | Google Rating: 4.9
With a near-perfect rating on Google and two Michelin stars, Oriole is one of the hottest spots in Chicago. The New American tasting menu changes to keep things fresh.
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
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Just because young teens are staying home this summer doesn’t mean that their creative juices have to become stagnant! High school students currently in the Chicago area can get back on the creative track from the safety of their homes with virtual art classes, thanks to Today at Apple and a whole host of Chicago creatives they’ve teamed up with through Sentrock Studio and Young Chicago Authors.
Photo Credit: Today at Apple
The free virtual art sessions begin next week, running from July 27th to July 31st, through Webex, and will be available to students ages 14 through 18. Five creators will each take a day of the Sentrock’s Summer Studio sessions. The sessions will run from 1 pm to 4 pm each day and will be an in-depth, behind the scenes look at how Chicago creators find inspiration, as well as tips and techniques to give attendees a sense of how the artists achieve their unique and individual artistic styles.
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Photo Credit: Today at Apple
Sentrock, the artist behind the sessions as a whole, is an iconic street artist whose brand is centered around empowerment and community growth. A now unmistakable style and a staple of Chicago street art, his workshop will open the sessions on July 27th. Following him on July 28th, Hailey M Losselyong, muralist, digital artist, and designer, will run her session. Her work delves into the intricacies and strengths of the feminine form in all its complex facets.
Photo Credit: Today at Apple
July 29th brings on Norma Ojeda. Born and based in Chicago, Mexican American artist Norma Ojeda’s style sits at the crossroads of bold and symbolic, drawing on both her culture and her lived experiences. Following her on July 30th, Hyde Park’s Nikko Washington brings his perspective on gentrification and displacement through pieces rippling with vibrance and energy. He is also the artistic director for the hip-hop collective Savemoney, Chicago music group that includes rappers such as Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa.
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Photo Credit: Today at Apple
The final day of the session closes with Lizz Ortiz on July 31st. Ortiz hails from the Southwest Side of the city and is an interdisciplinary artist whose illustrations share stories of love, existentialism, trauma, and healing. In addition to the art on her page, she also makes comics on a separate page.
Photo Credit: Today at Apple
After the initial first week of virtual sessions, 20 students will be selected to continue a 2-week program in August led by the Sentrock crew. The crew will offer students creative advice and take deep dives into art skills and techniques of storytelling through visual mediums. To wrap up that program, a Secret Walls Tournament will take place.
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Photo credit: Chance the Rapper Instagram
View Outstanding Black Artists in Chicago
You aren’t already spinning these records? View our list of outstanding Black artists in the city you need to be listening to right now.
For those looking for other ways to keep the kids busy at home, Apple Camp at Home sessions are available until July 31st and, for any-time-inspiration, Today at Apple at Home is a great resource for anyone looking to keep up with their skills and practices.
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At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!
Movie theaters have been one of the many industries hit hard by the coronavirus. In an attempt to stay afloat, some cinemas have been offering a virtual theater experience or a popcorn delivery service. Smaller, independent movie theaters have been hit especially hard, as the owners have had to make tough decisions on whether or not it is safe to reopen now that Chicago has entered into Phase 4 of the reopening plan.
For people who have been starved for entertainment, the new phase is a welcome change, even though movie theaters do have to follow strict guidelines in order to be allowed to reopen. However, many of the cinemas aren’t showing new releases but instead will be featuring releases from earlier this year like Invisible Man or Trolls World Tour, while others are bringing back favorites like Space Jam or Batman Begins. While not every Chicago movie theater has decided to reopen, here are a few that are already open or are planning on reopening in July.
Starting back on July 3rd, the Music Box Theatre reopened its doors. Masks are required, and tickets must be purchased online in advance. You are also not allowed to enter the theater if you have any COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms. To help keep their patrons safe, the Music Box Theatre will be implementing the following safety procedures: No self-service stations, plexiglass dividers at all points of sale, reduced capacity (50 patrons in the main theater, and 18 patrons in the Screening Room), frequent cleaning of bathrooms and other high-touch surfaces, seats, and armrests to be cleaned between each movie showing and having social distancing guidelines implemented.
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Some of the movies currently available to watch are Interstellar, Relic, and The Babadook. If you aren’t quite ready to go back to the cinema, you can watch movies at home while supporting the theater. Check out House of Hummingbird, John Lewis: Good Trouble, and others.
Photo Credit: Noah’s Ark Waterpark
View the Best Waterparks Near Chicago
Trying to beat the heat? View our list of the best waterparks near the city.
Classic Cinemas is still currently closed, but they have plans to open at the end of the month, starting on July 31st. Stay tuned on their website to discover what the movie times will be, and the safety procedures will be in place when they do resume business.
Glen Art Theatre is open once again and is playing older movies like La La Land, Chicago, The Goonies, and Ghostbusters. The theatre is hoping to play new releases like Tenet, Mulan, and A Quiet Place Part II in the upcoming weeks and months.
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On the theater’s website, there is no information on what their safety precautions are, including if a mask is required to enter the premises. Before coming to the theater, call them to see what the restrictions are and what sanitation measures they have in place.
Owner Dino Vlakahkis reported that he had hoped to reopen the theatre on July 11th, but as of now, the doors are still closed. They are now aiming to be open by July 24th, in time for the opening weekend of Mulan.
One thing that is pushing the opening day back is that the 50-person limit will make it difficult for the Pickwick Theatre, which can seat 900 people in the theatre. Vlakahkis hopes that these restrictions can be less strict to allow Pickwick Theatre to practice social distancing, but still have more patrons in the building.
Currently, Pickwick’s page doesn’t have any upcoming showtimes or any guidelines.
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit: Classic Cinemas Facebook Page
Books read long ago still have a message for today.
Remember the bestselling book from the 1990’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten”? It was filled with truisms like “Don’t hit anybody” and “Be nice.” Good stuff, but in talking with an old friend recently I realized we didn’t learn it all in kindergarten. We also learned some important life lessons in Mr. Wohlberg’s 8th-grade class at the Eugene Field School in Rogers Park.
Our class featured a daily hour for “Reading Club.” This was the first year in which we were assigned short novels and works of non-fiction for reading and analysis. The book list was carefully curated, and in looking back I recognize that each had a lesson, one that we can also apply in our current time.
The Eighth Grade Book List 1971-1972
Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther. This green covered paperback was a series of sketches about a family in England just before the onset of World War II. I remember it as a warm look at the nation, just before immense tragedy and great changes were about to take place. Knowing that England survived can bring hope and optimism to us who are now at the precipice of another world-altering event.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton. Another warm-hearted tale set in England, following the long career of a sweet, under-assuming teacher in a boy’s boarding school. Sort of a pre-Dead Poet’s Society. The take-away to remember? Kind and gentle can have more effect than bluster and braggadocio.
The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. A family saga of early 20th century China. Not every character is a champion, but by studying this novel of other people and other cultures, we can learn not to demonize the unfamiliar in our world.
Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy. Yes, JFK wrote (or had ghost-written) this book while he was a Senator from Massachusetts. Life episodes from 8 U.S. Senators who took actions considered by Kennedy to be heroic. Current re-imaging of history may have cast some of his assessments of heroism in doubt, but the concept that our elected representatives should be courageous–hey, what a wonderful, novel, idea!
Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif. Probably the least known of these books, it tells the tale of 11 men (sorry, no women in the bunch–or in the group of Senators in Kennedy’s book) who were instrumental in advancing science, in introducing and promoting the concept that many diseases were caused by minute organisms, and in discovering ways to fight those bugs. Imagine that, science advancing mankind! Think that could have any relevance in our era of anti-vaxers and COVID deniers?
Great lessons, though hopefully, my education didn’t end in 8th grade. Now more than ever, we need to be life-long learners. It’s the only way to survive.
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Hi! I am Les, a practicing pathologist living in the North Suburbs and commuting every day to the Western ones. I have lived my entire life in the Chicago area, and have a pretty good feel for the place, its attractions, culture, restaurants and teams. My wife and I are empty-nesters with two adult children and a grandchild. We recently decided to downsize, but just a bit! I will be telling the story of the construction of our new home, but also writing about whatever gets me going on a particular day. Be sure to check out the “About” page to learn more about where we plan to go with this blog!
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
It was supposed to be over by now. It was supposed to be a done deal. The search for all fifty states should have been history. Then came the 2020 pandemic.
Over the last few years, I’ve been working hard at trying to see at least a portion of all fifty states. I started taking it seriously when I went to the Carolinas in 2017. Last year I picked five new states. Arkansas, Idaho, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. There were only four to go starting 2020. The first week of March I spent a couple of days in Utah. Pretty scenery Zion National Park. Nicer than I imagined. The magic number was three. Nebraska, North Dakota and Alaska.
Here’s how it was supposed to go: A trip to Omaha, Nebraska at the beginning of April. Next came a day trip to Fargo, North Dakota sometime in May. I was going to check out the Roger Maris museum. The finale was going on a week-long Alaskan cruise that was scheduled to leave on Father’s Day.
Fifty states complete! Victory was going to be mine!
But all that changed a week after getting home from Utah. Coronavirus. Pandemic. No flights to Nebraska. No flights to North Dakota. No flights anywhere! As for going on a cruise…yeah, right! That may never happen for anyone….ever.
So at this point, the magic number remains at three and is likely to stay that way for quite some time. I don’t really see the purpose of going to Nebraska or especially North Dakota if I can’t ever get to Alaska. Let’s just say that the search for fifty is on an indefinite hold…and to be honest, with more than 140,000 dead Americans, there are things to deal with that are more serious and important.
However, just because you can’t get on an airplane or a cruise ship doesn’t mean you can’t go anywhere, does it? Your car still works, right? Even in a pandemic, right? How about taking a good old fashioned road trip! You just need to be extra careful and avoid places where coronavirus is peaking. That means no driving through the south to get to Disneyworld or South Beach, in Florida. Ehhhh…it’s too hot there in the summer anyway. No heading west to get to Arizona….and talk about hot. I don’t really need to go somewhere if the temperature is 100 degrees at night.
So where oh where can a guy go to get away for a day or two?
A few weeks ago, I was checking out the travel section in the Chicago Tribune. Their page one article was about the cheeses of Wisconsin. I love cheese and I love Wisconsin, too. This might be my kind of trip! The city is called Dodgeville. They have a yearly grilled cheese festival there, so you know they take their cheese seriously.
It’s one of those one stoplight towns that makes you think of Mayberry. The population is 4,689. Cool! A small population gives you a better chance to keep away from people. Social distancing is a way of life there. It sounds a little romantic, doesn’t it?
One restaurant was featured. Their specialty is grilled cheese. On Monday’s they make a sandwich with three types of cheese melted together, on whole wheat bread, with fruit jam. YUM!!! I know, it’s not an Alaskan cruise, where you could probably request multiple grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, but we’re in the middle of a pandemic and this is the best we got!
I checked Google and from Chicago to Dodgeville is about 180 miles…even less since we were leaving from the north burbs. Three hours of driving time. It’s off to the land of the grilled cheese.
At first we planned to drive up in a Sunday, check into a hotel, spend one night and then check out the world of cheese. It would break up the driving into two three hour rides. We go online, find this hotel that had lovely photos of the room and booked it for under $100/night! Score! However….plans change, especially during a pandemic.
To be honest, we got scared…okay, maybe it was me. I’m a little leary of staying in a hotel, especially one that isn’t a chain, when the virus is still prevalent. Yeah, I know, you can bring your own sheets, pillows and towels. Yeah, I know, you can bring disinfectant, bleach and whatever cleaner you want and wipe down all the surfaces. I did call the hotel to see what their procedures were for keeping their rooms clean. Even after their speech, I wasn’t all that convinced.
So….the hotel was cancelled. It’s a day trip to Dodgeville. We leave at 10 and we’re there in time for a lunch of grilled cheese!!
It’s Monday morning. We hit the road to Wisconsin. About an hour in we need a bathroom stop and some drinks. Here comes a McDonald’s. That’s got to be safe, right? The bathroom is clean…phew! I stop at the counter to buy some cokes. There’s a woman in front of me and she’s having a discussion with the server about getting free french fries. It turns out it was national french fry day in America. The server didn’t have a clue about this. It turned into a louder discussion and a call to the manager. OY! All over a dollar bag of fries. OY! I gave up on the drinks. We can get something in Dodgeville. OY!
About an hour later, I see the first road signs to Dodgeville. Fifty miles away. I can taste that grilled cheese! Forty mile….thirty…twenty…mmmmm my mouth is watering with anticipation….ten…five…..there’s the sign…WELCOME TO DODGEVILLE!! Not bad…we’re there in under three hours.
Now it’s time to find the restaurant. Hmmm…in a town of less than five thousand, it can’t be that hard. We drive around for a few minutes, then find someone who for sure would know where it is…a mail carrier. She knew the place and in less than five minutes, we are parked in front. Ummm…this can’t be the place. It looks like a bar where the specialty is a shot and a beer, not the greatest grilled cheese in the midwest! We drove three hours for this? Well, it’s not like we’re going to turn around and head home. It’s grilled cheese time!
We get inside and it really is more of a bar than a restaurant. It has a pool table in the middle of the room. “Go grab a seat wherever you want and I’ll get you a menu.”
There’s plenty of available seating because there’s only one other couple in a booth and a dude at the bar. Good for social distancing. The menu comes and I’m expecting it to be filled with exotic cheese dishes. Nada. Nothing. Zip! I don’t even see grilled cheese on the menu. The significant other sees it in small print at the bottom. Oh man, this can not be a good sign!
The waitress comes over and I start talking to her about the Tribune article. Yeah, she saw it…the whole town did. All 4,689 of them! I mention the grilled cheese and she asks what type I’d like. They have swiss, american and cheddar. Sigh….three hours of driving and no exotic cheese. Not even the three melted cheese combo. SIGH! But, how about the jelly? She brought out a small container of raspberry jam. SCORE…I guess! We also got some french fries to go with the sandwiches. They weren’t free. I guess no one in Wisconsin was aware of national french fry day.
The meal is over and it’s time to head out. Let’s take a quick peek around town before heading back home. Hey, there’s the hotel where we were going stay. WOW. A dump would be a nice way of describing the place. SCORE! Finally, one for the good guys.
We head back and as we get close to Kenosha I say, “Hey honey, can we stop at the outlet mall?” I did find a new watch at the Fossil store for about $60!!! There’s the real score of the day!!!!!
Another hour and we’re back home in time for dinner. I don’t remember what we had, but I’m positive there was nothing cheese related in the meal.
So what’s the moral of this diatribe?
Never drive six hours for a grilled cheese? Nah…that can’t be it, can it?
Don’t try to take a vacation, even a one day vaca, in a pandemic? Nah…that’s not it either, is it?
Maybe there is no moral, it is what it is! Yeah, works for me!
In the meantime, I still need those three states. Do you think I can get a good grilled cheese in North Dakota?
My so called friends think it’s time to edit this section. After four years, they may be right, but don’t tell them that. I’ll deny it until they die!
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for four years.
It started as a health/wellness thing and over the years has morphed to include so many things that I don’t know how to describe it anymore.
I really thought this was going to be the final year of the blog but then Donald Trump came along. It looks like we’re good for four more years..God help us all!
Oh yeah…the biographical stuff. I’m not 60 anymore. The rest you can read about in the blog.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
lesraff
January 17, 2020 at 12:00 am