Mary Wisniewski –

Patti Smith and her band perform at Salt Shed in Chicago on Dec. 27, 2023.

Punk icon Patti Smith is back in Chicago for literary award and Riot Fest. She writes about childhood ‘because I never left it.’

August 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Patti Smith is the recipient of this year's Harold Washington Literary Award and, while nearing age 80, is also performing at Riot Fest.

What’s at Stake in the School Board Races

August 10, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.

With Chicago schools facing daunting challenges, the upcoming first-of-its-kind board elections are heating up.

Pedestrians pass the Chicago Picasso in Daley Plaza in the Loop on Aug. 3, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Public art is everywhere in Chicago: Our 10 not to miss

August 7, 2026 at 4:21 p.m.

It’s summer in the city, which means taking every chance to be outside. Fortunately, if you want to see art in Chicago, there’s plenty outdoors.

Best Spot for Judging Tourists

July 2, 2026 at 12:12 p.m.

By the salty sainted ghost of Mike Royko, how the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan has changed! It used to be a newspaper bar, but with both the Tribune...

Best Venue for Sacred Music

July 2, 2026 at 12:12 p.m.

Despite hopeful new construction, the area around Jackson and Kedzie in East Garfield Park is still pretty bleak: boarded-up storefronts, weedy vacant lots. So when I wandered into Our Lady...

Immerse Yourself in the Stories of Immigrant Families

July 2, 2026 at 12:25 p.m.

The Northwest Side neighborhood of Albany Park has been the first American home for thousands of immigrants — from Russia, Malaysia, Guatemala, and more. To portray these varied experiences, the Albany Park...

Best New Niche Bookstores

July 2, 2026 at 12:31 p.m.

Best new niche bookstores Can’t decide what to read next? Skip the behemoth that sells everything and visit one of these genre-specific bookstores. For comics lovers Howling Pages Most comic...

Best Storefront Theater on a Mission

July 2, 2026 at 12:35 p.m.

Perceptions Theatre While taking a theater business course as an undergrad at Northwestern State University in Louisiana, Myesha-Tiara had an epiphany: “I realized there was a deficit for the students...

Ride the 606, a.k.a. The Bloomingdale Trail

July 2, 2026 at 12:56 p.m.

You haven’t seen the Northwest Side unless you’ve walked or biked the Bloomingdale Trail, a 2.7-mile elevated path running between Ashland and Ridgeway Avenues. It’s the largest greenway on a...

Look Out for Paderewski’s Ghost at the Polish Museum of America

July 2, 2026 at 1:06 p.m.

A longtime destination for immigrants, Chicago is home to numerous ethnic museums worth a visit, including the Ukrainian National Museum (2249 W. Superior St.), the National Museum of Mexican Art...

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