The biggest casualty of that slice of pizza was my transit pass. » Read the rest of this entry «
#302: Pierogi Heaven
April 2nd, 2014 § permalink
By one of the corners where the Loop train curves, wedged between the “ENTER” and “DO NOT ENTER” of a self-park, across the street from a crêpe bar, a Taco Fresco and a pornography store that is the grandfather of the neighborhood, there is Pierogi Heaven. » Read the rest of this entry «
#301: The Rockers
March 31st, 2014 § permalink
The lead guitarist leaped off the stage, continuing his thrashing among the crowd. Aiming his electric guitar like a machine gun emerging from his crotch, he strafed the crowd with imaginary bullets.
He pumped a fist in the air to the beat. The crowd packed in the deliberately divey Rogers Park bar screamed in approval, pumping their own fists in time.
This. Is. Polka. » Read the rest of this entry «
#300: The Thousand-Foot View
March 28th, 2014 § permalink
A thousand feet in the air, Frank Sinatra sings to tourists. » Read the rest of this entry «
#299: On a Night
March 26th, 2014 § permalink
Cops were scattered throughout the student center.
Some cops sat at the tables where students on endless MacBooks studied, laughed and ate surprisingly decent food from the nearby food court kiosk. Other cops leaned against walls, blocked stairwells, stood in circles chatting and talking shop while casting their eyes around the throng of college kids. » Read the rest of this entry «
#298: The Cabbie’s Tale
March 24th, 2014 § permalink
“Pakistan,” the cabbie said in response to my first question.
“15 years,” he said in response to my second.
“You know, it’s funny,” he said as we pulled around the corner away from the bar and toward my sweet, sweet bed. » Read the rest of this entry «
#297: Pledge Drive
March 21st, 2014 § permalink
The voice curls out from downtown Chicago. It licks out on the airwaves, online. It spreads through homes and churches and through the Jamaican man’s cab where I’m gently dozing in the back (although the story’s not about that) and it joins with voices arising across the nation and spreading, licking, moving to homes, churches and computers around the world to raise one joyous refrain:
Give the Christians $3 million. » Read the rest of this entry «
#296: The Election Judge and the Chin-Up Bar
March 19th, 2014 § permalink
The election judge was dangling from the chin-up bar when I came out from behind the booth. » Read the rest of this entry «
#295: Ravenswood Used Books and the Fortune Cookies
March 17th, 2014 § permalink
If a smoke-belching factory symbolizes the 19th century and the car represents the 20th century, the empty storefront should be the logo, sigil and calling card of the 21st century. » Read the rest of this entry «
#294: 5 Things I Forgot About Riding a Bike Over the Long, Cold Winter but Remembered After Getting on a Divvy Bike Thursday (An SEO-Friendly Clickbait Listicle)
March 14th, 2014 § permalink
“Man, I missed this,” I thought as the firetruck siren wailed behind me and the patch of ice my front tire sniffed out like a bloodhound started skidding me toward a parked Nissan. » Read the rest of this entry «
