Tag Archive
Jobs or Else: An unlikely alliance works to bring Walmart to the 21st Ward
On July 29, 2009, dozens of pro-Walmart protesters filled Chicago’s City Council meeting, and hundreds in matching “Jobs or Else!” T-shirts gathered outside City Hall. After months of delays, it finally seemed that the Council would hold a definitive vote on Alderman Howard Brookins’ (21st) ordinance permitting the construction of a Walmart at 83rd... »
Best of the South Side 2009: Grand Crossing and Chatham
In the early 1850s, the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway was one of several connecting Chicago to parts south, and competition was fierce. When the Illinois Central Railroad lost a court battle to cross the LS&MSR tracks with its own, it responded in true Chicago style, kidnapping a guard and laying an intersecting... »
Masters of the Pit: In search of Chicago-style barbecue
Anybody can tell you about Chicago’s culinary specialties. Some cities might stop at a single dish, but between the pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef, our broad-shouldered town has a rock-solid reputation. Alas, it doesn’t extend so much to barbecue, for which Chicago has a distinctly lackluster reputation. Frankly, it’s deserved. Even though barbecue... »
24/7: The best of the South Side’s all-night dining destinations
There are any number of guides to Chicago’s culinary wonders. From the North Side’s Alinea to the North Side’s Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago is littered with four-star wonderlands. But these gourmet eateries share one weakness: they all close. And once they do, the South Side may have the upper hand. Some of the city’s tastiest—and... »
Best of the South Side 2008: Grand Crossing & Chatham
In some ways, Grand Crossing and adjacent Chatham are like a case study in urban history. Both were originally settled by European immigrants working on the railroads and, later on, in factories. Both neighborhoods prospered during the first half of the 20th century. And starting in the 1950s, both were integrated; but here is... »
Eating the Big One
Size matters. And at Dat Old Fashion Hand-Cut Donuts, this adage is beyond a matter of measure; it’s a company fundamental. The proof is in the donut. Located at the corner of South Cottage Grove Avenue and East 82nd Street, just off the #4 bus route, Dat’s serves a daily crowd of regulars, doling... »
Best of the South Side: Chatham
Chatham is famous for being the stoutest stronghold of Chicago’s African-American middleclass. Peace and quiet dominate the neighborhood’s character as well as its history. Before the Great Migration of the 1950s, Chatham was variously populated by Hungarians, Irish, and Jews. By the 1960s, the townhouses and apartment buildings were occupied by African-Americans. The transition... »
