Why Trader Joe’s parking lots are the way they are: We ranked every one in Illinois
As Trader Joe’s expands throughout the region, it's time to explain why parking lots are the way they are. And to visit all 22.
All Stories
The first performance by a Beatle in America was in Illinois: Benton keeps its historical footnote alive
Months before Beatlemania in America, George Harrison visited his sister in Benton, Illinois, for two weeks in September 1963. The town remembers.
Review: Olivia Rodrigo, in a sea of flowers, kicking her way towards what’s next
In Chicago at the United Center on her "Unraveled Tour," Olivia Rodrigo leans into the theatrical, performing her concert on a stage full of faux flowers.
Scaring up a new generation of regional horror at the Chicago Horror Film Festival
Some indie horror movies look like they were made for a few dollars in an afternoon in someone's backyard, far away from Hollywood. But when a good indie horror movie...
Review: Laurie Anderson, at 79, is still alien, still Midwestern
It's a shame that Laurie Anderson is so associated with New York and the avant-garde. Tuesday night at the Riviera, amid the clamor of soundscapes, she was warm, casual and...
‘Big dumb lines’ everywhere: TikTok account chronicles the daily queue at Michelin-starred Kasama
Sophie Frere is the person behind @kasamahowwefeelin, a TikTok account dedicated to documenting the daily queue outside Kasama.
Books for fall 2026: Award-hungry novels, celeb memoirs and romantasy
Welcome to the Super Bowl of Reading, a.k.a. fall, autumn, spooky season, curl-up-with-a-pumpkin-spice-anything-and-read-a-book season.
A stadium unveiled, a neon sign lit, Día de Muertos: Our walking tour through the fall season
From architectural highlights to cultural happenings to Chicago's spooky season, a look ahead at the next few months.
At the annual Socialism Conference in Chicago, signs of promise, protest and disagreement
On the heels of Zohran Mamdani's election in New York, it's an unprecedented time for the Democratic Socialists of America. Where do socialists go from here?
For a last summer escape, take the overnight ferry across Lake Michigan
The SS Badger soon concludes its seasonal overnight passages between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. Out on the water at night, it can feel like a summer trip worth experiencing.