Barbara Brotman: Snowbirding spares me the torturous trials of Chicago traffic
As a newbie snowbirder in southern Arizona, I have discovered an amazing phenomenon: life without traffic.
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Barbara Brotman: Chicago ice in winter, in its many sneaky forms, is my sworn enemy
Let's talk ice. I think about ice constantly. Ice is my mortal enemy. And I do mean mortal. Last winter, the dog yanked on her leash and made me slip...
Circus Tents in the Middle of the Lake!
When I first moved to Chicago and looked out over Lake Michigan, I had the same thought as many people: What are those big round buildings out there in the...
Op-ed: Father’s Day, and the difference 24 years can make
The LinkedIn message had a subject line to warm the heart of a sometimes-tardy correspondent: "Follow up 24 years later." Now, there's an impressive lag time, I thought. This person...
Op-ed: Chatting with strangers, and other things I’ve missed during the pandemic
I did the most amazing thing the other day: I had a conversation with strangers. Not just a quick murmured "good morning," like I've been allowing myself at distance on...
How true Chicagoans just got dissed
I just have one thing to say about the installation of beacons that will let GPS work on Lower Wacker Drive. The sound you just heard was a slap in...
Yes, there really are people who aren’t on Facebook. But are they normal?
There walk among us people who greet every new piece of bad news about Facebook with a yawn. They don’t worry about who is doing what with their personal information....
Comparing Javier Baez and Joan Baez
By happy coincidence, Chicagoans can choose between two Baezes playing Tuesday night. As a service to readers, we present this comparison. Javier Baez during the Cubs-Dodgers series. (Brian Cassella /...
Adults are coloring again, and sales of coloring books for grownups soar
Inside a North Side play gym, the scene was one of quiet bliss. Women sat at a long table, quietly coloring in pictures in coloring books. It could have been...
Barbara Brotman bids farewell: Moving forward, looking back with gratitude
After a few decades of writing columns, you'd think a person could breeze through them. But some columns are harder to write than others, depending on what you're trying to...