The Chicago Traveler

Chicago may be known for its warm and friendly Midwestern ways, but the city has plenty of spooky tales and creepy locations. Here are just a few that have been featured right here on The Chicago Traveler.
• The site of the Eastland Disaster is marked by a historical plaque, but some visitors to the historic location have reported hearing screams and cries for help coming from the Chicago River. In addition, the old armory building where most of the dead bodies were stored is still in use today. Many of its inhabitants have reported unexplained voices, sounds of crying, and …read more

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To all our U.S. readers, Happy Independence Day! I hope you’re out there having fun and being safe.
Photo credit: (c/o SXC) Ben Shafer

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To all you moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day! Here’s hoping you all get exactly what you want and deserve… more sleep!
(Yes, that is a picture of my mother and me, about 25 years ago.)
• The Music Box Theatre hosts a Joan Crawford look-alike contest before a special Mother’s Day screening of Mommie Dearest. Tickets are available at ticketweb.com.
• To celebrate Mother’s Day Rock & Roll, DJ Kelsey spins chick rock songs in honor of Mom at Delilah’s. Arrive early (6:00 p.m.) for a screening of Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides.
• Moms get a complimentary signature maki, dessert, and …read more

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To all those who celebrate, Happy Easter! Spring is coming! I know it may not look like it outside, but it is coming… soon, I hope.
Photo credit: Lotus Head

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The Chicago Traveler wishes everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day. Celebrate love in whatever form it may be: partner, family, friends.
Photo credit: Nick Benjaminsz

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On February 14, 1929, seven men gathered at the SMC Cartage Company garage on Clark Street: Johnny May, Frank and Pete Gusenberg, James Clark, Adam Heyer, Al Weinshank, and Reinhardt Schwimmer, all friends of George “Bugs” Moran. Moran himself was scheduled to be there as well, but he was running late.
Two men in uniform exited a police car out front and entered the garage, declaring they were on an investigation. The mobsters cooperated and lined up against the wall, their backs to the uniformed men. The two “policemen” then opened the front door for two men in plain clothes, and …read more

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you’re lovesick or sick of love, there’s something in town for you.
• All three locations of Adobo Grill in the Chicagoland area will be putting out a menu made for love. Dishes include empanadas con pétalos de rosa (empanadas stuffed with Oaxacan cheese, fresh corn, and chipotle-rose-petal salsa), parrillada de corazón (adobo-marinated lobster tail, grilled lamb chops, sea scallops, beef tenderloin, and homemade chorizo), and corazón de chocolate (Mexican chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse and raspberry-corazón tequila sauce). (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., menu prices) (map) (link)
• You may not …read more

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you’re lovesick or sick of love, there’s something in town for you.
• There are three little words that every woman wants to hear: “wine, cheese, chocolate.” Go all out, and buy your beloved a $96 glass of bubbly. Eno will be serving Dom Perignon Rose 1996 by the glass. If your date is not beloved but “beliked,” try the glasses of 1997 Terra Valentine Cabernet for $25 each. (4:00 p.m. – 12 midnight, menu prices) (map) (link)
• What could be more romantic than a Valentine’s Day cruise? Odyssey Cruises will provide you …read more

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you’re lovesick or sick of love, there’s something in town for you.
• Your date’s a little crabby, but you love him/her nonetheless. Why not go out for a little crabbiness you can both handle? Sam Houston’s Charhouse is offering four celebrated entrées, including a full serving of Alaskan king crab legs. Another option is the Mixed Grill with a 6-oz prime top sirloin, rotisserie chicken breast, and grilled shrimp scampi. (4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., menu prices) (map) (link)
• Oysters are widely known for their aphrodisiac qualities. Shaw’s Crab House has a …read more

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Welcome to 2008! If you’re starting off this New Year with a headache, a stomachache, and a dry mouth, I’m going to guess that you had a very good time last night. But now, you barely have enough energy to read this sentence! Don’t worry; we’re all guilty of a little overindulgence now and then. But before you reach for that hangover-helper myth, here are a few facts:
• Eating greasy food does not help cure a hangover. Eating fatty foods before you start drinking may help slow the absorption of alcohol, giving the liver more time to do its job. …read more

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