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Getting Around the Windy City

You know your commute like the back of your hand, but maybe there are some new options for getting around the city you haven’t thought of. Check it out!

  • Kayaking in Chicago: Safe?
  • Metra vs. El
  • Transportation ETA
  • Chicagoans talking about transit today
  • Water taxis can take you where?!
  • Sailing away

    • Food, Arts & Entertainment

    No, we know you haven’t forgotten what a great town Chicago is. Here’s a little reminder. Dive into a Broadway concert in Millennium Park, laugh it up around town, destroy your eardrums at Lollapalooza and then calm down for discount days at the museums. After that, grab a slice, any style, a glass of wine or just a cocktail–what kind? We’ve got a flowchart to help you out.

  • Broadway in the park
  • Sit down, grab a slice
  • Navigating summer cocktails
  • Wine around Chicago
  • July: Time to visit museums (for free)?

    • Beating the heat

    Trying to beat the heat this summer? This issue helps you find ways to stay cool during the summer.

  • Beaches in chicago
  • Surviving the heat
  • 5 bizarre ways to stay cool

    • Chicago Bites Back

    During the winter, it takes more than a few steps through a crowd to reach each cultural dining hub. Loopster is bringing you tips on winter eating as we dream of warm days feasting in Grant Park. Here you’ll find soups to make in the comfort of your own home and grocery delivery services for winter hermits. During the odd-ball warm day when we dare leave the house, we’ve also spotted some hot – and cold – new food trends.

    Summer Safety in Chicago

    A Free Summer in Chicago

    Living in a big city can be expensive. Fortunately there are plenty of free activities in Chicago that won’t break your budget. Chicago Loopster put together a guide to summer activities for every age and interest. The best part is, they’re all FREE!

    Eating Savvy in Chicago: The summer’s best restaurants, bars, and even ice cream

    Summer in Chicago is beautiful but short. If you don’t want to waste your summer hours indoors eating mediocre food, use the Loopster’s guide to summer food. From chasing down food trucks to planning the perfect picnic, from late night rooftop dining to finding the coolest ice cream cone, we explore Chicago’s most exciting, unusual and delicious ways to dine in the sunshine.

    A Chicago-style guide to the Fourth of July

    Have you cinched your plans for the nation’s 235th birthday? Fourth of July weekend in the City of Chicago is booming with things to do, see and eat. Chicago Loopster has provided a guide to the weekend’s most patriotic picks.

    In the Loop: A guide to Chicago colleges and universities

    Considering a move to Chicago for college? Have you already made your decision to spend the next four years in the Windy City? Our college guide will introduce you to the best programs, sites and places to study in addition to providing some helpful tips for Chicago area students.

    Chicago kicks off the summer season

    With Memorial Day (and hopefully great weather) looming on the horizon, the Loopster staff has plenty of ideas for how to make the most of the holiday weekend. Check out next week’s issue for previews of hot summer concerts and movies, ideas for the best summer getaways and even a Memorial Day history lesson.

    Chicago politics: new leaders, same problems?

    Out with the old and in with the new? As Blago’s retrial kicked off and Rahm Emanuel assumed his position as mayor– replacing longstanding Mayor Daley– Chicagoans tell Loopster how they really feel about the city’s government. Why the negativity, you ask? Our timelines of Daley and Emanuel’s careers and Chicago’s political scandals will fill you in.

    Chicago sports in May: Good, bad and ugly

    Whether the games are good, bad or just plain ugly, Chicago sports fans have their pick of events to watch in May. With the Bulls on fire and the Cubs and the White Sox, well, taking the field, the Chicago Loopster dons face paint and jerseys to provide the ultimate fans’ guide.

    Hot fun in the Chicago summer

    Sick of winter? Well, have no fear! You can prepare for all the best in summer fun and festivals with this issue of the Chicago Loopster.

    Cheers to Chicago beer

    Who likes beer? This guy! And so do many others – craft beer, to be exact. This week, Chicago Loopster pours readers a pitcher of everything cold and delicious about Chicago’s craft beer scene. Brewing, smartphone apps, legislation, pub crawls, beer lingo and the acquisition of Goose Island Brewery by Anheuser-Busch are all on tap. Drink up!

    Your 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls

    As the 2011 NBA playoffs tip-off this Saturday, the Chicago Bulls prepare to take their No. 1 record to the test, and hopefully to the top. With MVP candidate Derrick Rose showing shades of MJ in his early days, the city is ready to celebrate another championship. Knockin’ on Seven’s Door?

    Navigating the CTA

    With gas prices on the rise, the CTA has become an alternative for Chicagoans who don’t want to pay more at the pump. In this issue, the Loopster tackles the nation’s second-largest public transportation system, explaining how regular and non-regular riders alike can have a better — and safer — CTA experience.

    Qualities of Life: State of the Economy

    The economy has seen its share of highs and lows over the past couple of years. But many top economists believe we are on the up and up. For this issue, Loopster explores how the economy is affecting Chicagoans, from adults taking internships to the implications of our city’s major industries. We also reported on what the mayoral candidates plan to do for the economy and constructed a cool timeline of the epic economic meltdown.

    Getting around the windy city

    The Windy City was recently named one of the nation’s most congested cities. Commuters spent over 70 hours in their car in 2009, costing them over $1,700. As the debate over O’Hare Airport and possible closing of L stations rage, it is clear, Chicagoans are not skipping steps over their transportation. Loopster looks at how the winter weather affects getting from here to there in Chicagoland.

    Finding a home in the windy city

    The Loopster takes a look at Chicago’s changing face of immigration. We focus on the Latino, Polish and Ethiopian community.

    Staying healthy in the windy city

    The winter months can be a strain on the human body. So it’s important to stay fit and eat right in order to maintain one’s well-being.

    Exploring same-sex marriages

    Loopster examines Chicago’s take on the same-sex marriage debate. While Chicagoans are evenly split on the issue, they are overwhelmingly in support of civil unions for same-sex couples.

    “Transformers 3″ takes its place in Chicago movie history

    “Transformers 3″ started filming July 4 in Chicago and will continue through the end of August, according to the Chicago Film Office. Chicago Loopster takes a closer look at how the filming of major motion pictures impacts the city, from tax breaks and anticipated jobs and revenue, to the simple pleasure of seeing the Windy City as a backdrop for some of the best-known motion pictures out of Hollywood.

     

    Cubs/White Sox rivalry: More than just baseball

    The Cubs and White Sox begin a three game series on Friday at Wrigley Field. While the teams will only play six games this regular season and the results shouldn’t have too much of an effect on each team’s playoff chances, the series means so much to the city of Chicago.

    • The Cubs and White Sox rivalry – more than just baseball
    • The Cubs and White Sox year-by-year records
    • Just how different are the two stadiums?
    • Cubs vs. Sox: the fan perspective
    • Find Chicago’s Cubs and White Sox bars

    The Rod Blagojevich Trial

    The Rod Blagojevich trial is well under way. Chicago Loopster updates you on the former governor’s scandal, his claims that he’s innocent of trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat and the public appearances he has made since his arrest.

    Violence in Chicago

    Chicago’s homicide count continues to grow every day — and in the past couple of months, the rate of shootings has increased drastically. So just how dangerous is Chicago compared to other cities in the U.S.? Chicago Loopster breaks down the rate of violence and the city’s response.

    Alexi Giannoulias

    After a swift rise to the top of Illinois politics, State Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias has found himself mired in a handful of scandals involving his family’s bank and financial ties to convicted felons.

     

    Blackhawks fever!

    Once considered one of the worst franchises in all of American sports, the Chicago Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, ending a nearly half-century championship drought in the National Hockey League. Loopster explains what changed in the organization.

     

    Tale of the Asian Carp

    They’ve become notorious for lurking in the Illinois River and for threatening to take over Lake Michigan, but what’s so fishy about Asian carp?

     

    Chicago’s graffiti problem

    From Wicker Park to the Loop, street artists are tagging Chicago faster than the city’s graffiti-fighting crews can blast the acid-laced spray paint away. Is graffiti getting out of control?

     

    Chicago Public Schools in the news

    As of 2009, 12 Chicago Public Schools were designated turnaround schools. Some are trying to fill multiple positions, while others have been forced to close because of low enrollment or consistently low levels of academic performance. Since 2001, CPS has closed 44 schools.