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City Cast Chicago

Ava Wojnowski

The people have spoken: It’s come down to paczki 🍩 versus the Chicago hot dog 🌭

Who will win this esteemed championship? 

📣 Cast your vote before 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 15. The winner will be announced in the following day’s newsletter — so stay tuned!

Emily Mack

 through April 25 — which is coincidentally Independent Bookstore Day! There’s an 

However, our recs on where to find and read books in Chicago are timeless.

City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran is on a mission to hit all of Chicago’s public libraries before 

Chicago’s oldest public branch, Blackstone, looks like it could sit on Museum Campus. It's got impressive columns and a dome with 

The modern Chinatown and Northtown branches

Stretching across the building’s entire facade, Edgewater’s mural nicely frames the library sign. 

Murals at the Merlo, Greater Grand Crossing, Bessie Coleman, and Little Village branches.

Legler Regional is a big, busy branch, and the staff is attentive through all the hustle and bustle. Employees walked Jacoby through the library’s public art and food pantry.

Branch manager Valerie Carter of the Bessie Coleman Branch 💕

Da Book Joint boasts plenty of social events every month. This Saturday, cap off Indie Bookstore Day with 

Indie bookstores are undeniably romantic. Take the fantasy one step further at The Book Cellar with a glass of pinot noir. Their cafe (and patio!) is a longstanding Lincoln Square social hub.

Non-profit Open Books recently closed its Logan Square location (RIP), but Chicagoans can still score great deals in Pilsen and West Loop. The stores sell used books, plus like-new books at similarly cheap prices.

Secret World Books celebrates its two-year anniversary, I want to shout out Owner Gayle Brandeis, who has published nine books. I also know she’s a fabulous writing teacher — she was mine!

🚶🏼‍♀️ Best Stretch: Hyde Park to South Shore

 this Saturday. Each sounds fun, but we think their South Side crawl has it all, hitting 

It’s National Library Week through April 25 — which is coincidentally Independent Bookstore Day! There’s an official crawl across Chicagoland.

However, our recs on where to find and read books in Chicago are timeless.

Where to Read in Chicago

Everything to know about Chicago neighborhoods: Where to go, eat, shop, drink, and more.

Chicago Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood Guides

Lincolnwood Town Center shuts down April 30 — depending who you ask. I’ve seen posts about the mall’s impending closure on social media, but no official reports. So I went to check things out for myself.

, and Lincolnwood is no exception. After years of rising vacancy, the mall was sold to Prairie Ridge Development and Xroads Real Estate Advisors late last year.

A redevelopment plan is in the works, but Xroads declined to comment on what that might look like. 

Creating a tax increment financing (TIF) district

In the meantime, the Village of Lincolnwood says it’s 

At Lincolnwood Town Center last week, I found a half-empty mall. The food court was cordoned off, with nowhere to get a bite in the entire place (RIP Coffee Beanery).

But a half-empty mall is still half full. Unlike what I saw on an 

, Lincolnwood had foot traffic. The line at Old Navy was 

. Tween boys biked loops near the defunct food court. There was literally a party at Paint-N-Party!

The perspectives of employees ranged. Some were getting ready to pack up. Mulan, a women’s shoe store, looked ransacked thanks to a BOGO deal. It, along with most other shops, will close by the end of the month. Victoria’s Secret and JD Sports plan to stay in business, though workers don’t know for how long.

Old Navy’s general manager said their lease is through the end of the year, and they’ve received no notice to vacate. However, if teardown on the mall begins, she worries about how shoppers will access the store.

That’s not a problem for exterior store Kohl’s, which says it will stay open, regardless of the rest of the mall's fate.

For me, the fate of Lincolnwood Town Center feels personal.

When I was five years old, I got my picture-day outfit from the Children’s Place there and a Skip-It from the toy store across the way. A few years later, my mom was spoiling me at Claire’s. I eventually graduated to Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal. In eighth grade, my boyfriend and I got matching studded belts at Hot Topic. Our squad used to bum around for hours on the uncomfortable blue ribbed chairs of the food court, 

 (plus fries from Great Steak) and watching All-American Rejects videos on the massive TVs. We were just excited to take the Kimball just past the city limits. We didn’t have anywhere else to go.

I loved hanging out at the mall. I think about it every time I shop online. I’ll think about it every time I take the northbound Kimball bus — I wonder what the last stop will 

 without Lincolnwood Town Center. I wonder where today’s 13-year-olds are supposed to hang out.

Lincolnwood Town Center shuts down April 30 — depending who you ask. I went to the mall to check things out for myself.

The End of an Era for Lincolnwood Town Center

The End of an Era For Lincolnwood Town Center

What Chicagoans have been wondering. We break down why things in Chicago are the way they are and how they work.

Chicago, Explained

City Cast Chicago staff

It’s been a little over 6 years since recreational marijuana was legalized in Illinois. At the time, Gov. JB Pritzker called it 

the “most equity-centric” legal cannabis law in the country

. The idea was to center people who had been harmed by cannabis-related enforcement, especially Chicago’s Black and brown communities.

the rollout of social equity licenses has been rocky

. But you can support these Black-owned and employee-owned dispensaries to meet your 4/20 needs.

The state’s first-ever queer, Black, Latino-owned dispensary opened in 2024. Sway sources many of its products from Black- and women-owned businesses. You can join their rewards program, 

, for what they call “brownie points.” They are planning on opening in 

Grasshopper Club was Chicago’s first Black-owned dispensary. Founded by a South Side family, they later opened another site in South Loop, which is the dispensary I frequent the most. You can join their Cloud Club loyalty program for perks like member-only discounts and birthday benefits. Chat with “cannicierges” if you need some help looking for something in particular.

This Black-owned and social equity dispensary was inspired by a local market shopping experience. Founded by a group of women, the name celebrates the nation’s first state legalization of medical cannabis in 1996. Join the 

This 100% employee-owned dispensary was opened by a social equity cannabis license recipient. Spark’d opened a location in South Loop in 2024. Their locations in Richmond and Winthrop Harbor are also consumption lounges. They have plenty of events at both, like their Garden Party today at 

There are no consumption lounges where you can smoke flower in Chicago, yet. There are a few outside of city limits.

This majority Black-owned dispensary opened its doors in Bucktown in 2022 and its Logan Square location in 2024. Join their 

 for exclusive perks, like cash-back purchases, and a thank you Tuesday discount.

What’s your favorite Chicago dispensary?

It’s been a little over 6 years since recreational marijuana was legalized in Illinois. At the time, Gov. JB Pritzker called it the “most equity-centric” legal cannabis law in the country. The idea was to center people who had been harmed by cannabis-related enforcement, especially Chicago’s Black and brown communities. 

Celebrate 420 at These Chicago Dispensaries

Have you been following the news in Chicago this week? Prove it! Take the City Cast Chicago news quiz.

Looking for a previous Hey Chicago news quiz? Find it here.

How closely were you paying attention to this week's current events? Test yourself in our weekly trivia quiz.

Your Weekly News Trivia Quiz

Take This Week's Chicago News Trivia Quiz

at Humboldt Park! Neighbors, myself included, were crushed to hear the swan boats flew the coop in 2025 due to years of slow business. The paddleboats first came on the lagoon in 2018 and will return April 25.

Besides the swans, there are plenty of water and boat activities to enjoy as the season heats up.

 is officially upon us! Rides run daily through September, and stops include Ogilvie, Michigan Avenue, and Chinatown. It’s $10 for a one-way ticket.

Yes, I drifted down the river in one of those floating hot tubs — 

. Six friends fit into the jacuzzis which coast along the river for 90-minute rides. And although that season is over, rentable party options for the spring and summer include 

The architectural boat tours are not just for tourists. Trust us. 

, which partners with the Chicago Architecture Center, is usually the go-to option. It’s also 

Many different companies offer river kayak rentals throughout Chicago. 

, one of the larger competitors, rents from Goose Island in May, with expanded summer hours beginning later that month.

 offers weekend rentals from Clark Park beginning Memorial Day weekend. 

 also offers rentals and tours from Rockwell on the River. Even further north, Forest Preserves of Cook County offers 

canoe, kayak, and different boat rentals on the Skokie Lagoon

 offers kayak rentals along Bubbly Creek.

 REI no longer offers kayak rentals from Ping Tom Park.

If you want to get wet, Seadog is the way to go. This speedboat ride, which leaves from Navy Pier, offers 30 fast minutes bouncing around Lake Michigan. Part tour, part thrill ride. Real thrill seekers should try 

Jet skis are available to rent at outposts across the city, from 

 but the season hasn't started yet — stay tuned.

👙 Personally, though, I just hang along the ledge, usually near the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, until a passerby jet ski offers me a free ride. Works every time.

Editor's Note: A version of this article was originally published May 13, 2025. 

As we mourn the Humboldt Park swan boats, there are still plenty of Chicago water and boat activities to enjoy as the season heats up. 


Chicago Water Rides and Boat Rentals

Chicago’s Splashiest Water Activities

Find the best of everything that Chicago has to offer.

Chicago’s Best

Chicago's Best

Michelle Navarro

It’s National Poetry Month, and while you can find 

 in April, poets call Chicago home all year round.

 is a poet, artist, and educator born and raised on the South Side. She is also Chicago’s poet laureate who began her two-year tenure in January.

We talked to del Valle to learn more about how her upbringing in Chicago impacts her work and what makes Chicago’s poetry scene special.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

How does your South Side experience inspire your work?

“My earliest experiences as an artist happened in the house I'm in right now, and down the street from here. Even while I was living away from home, when I left for school, and as my career took me to NYC and LA, I always returned to many of the same themes, moments, and memories. I was gone for so long, but was always coming back, physically and metaphorically. It's just cooked into me! … I think a lot about that young woman who was running up and down 63rd St in the 90's and the things she was looking for. The way she wanted to see herself reflected in something. So I think I write for her a lot of the time.”

“I think there's a sense of community and a commitment to activism here in Chicago that you don't find in many other places. There's an underlying sense here that poetry is meant to be written and shared for a greater good, and people who do this work either know each other or know of each other, because of the level of commitment to building a better world that poetry asks of us. It's an art form that demands truth from the audience as well as the writer, and I think Chicago's scene exemplifies that in a way you don't find in many places. … It's done from a place of love for people, for the city, and from a place of "passing it on" and contributing to the lineage of poetry as a truth-telling tool. I love that.”

What is your favorite poem about Chicago, and why?

. It's just amazing to think it was written in 1914, and it remains one of the best portraits of Chicago. It's beautiful to think that what made the city so special and real back then still stands today. It's unapologetically rough, raw, never pretentious, and always defiant.”

🎤 Poetry events all month long

For more poetry events and to learn more about Chicago’s poet laureate program, check out the 

Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)

It’s National Poetry Month, and while you can find a variety of workshops and open mics in April, poets call Chicago home all year round. 

3 Questions With Chicago’s Poet Laureate

What Chicago celebrities, public figures and key citizens have to say about living here.

3 Questions With Chicago Public Figures

3 Questions With

If you are like me, all your family history lives within multiple photo albums and VHS tapes stored in your parents’ living room cabinets. I love the rare occurrences where we pull them out and talk about the day that the photo was captured, who was still around, and how the block used to look.

What if you could share that family history with the city? These three archival projects are keeping Chicago family stories alive through photographs and videos past and present.

Black Film Club Collective’s new archival project, Making Meaning, partnered with photographer Kenn Cook Jr. to take 

beautiful black and white portraits of West Side families

 like photos and home movies that reflect life on the West Side to their collection.

 is dedicated to digitizing and showcasing Chicago’s Latine history. The project, founded in 2024, hosts photo-scanning events where Chicagoans can digitize their memories. They accept submissions of photographs taken before 2008.

📷 This collection makes me so nostalgic of my childhood in Chicago because it showcases backyard parties, kids playing in open fire hydrants, posing outside of storefronts that no longer exist, or the everyday gatherings with family and friends.

This searchable catalog has over 700 digitized home movies shot by South Siders from 1929-1982. The project started over two decades ago with the mission to preserve and celebrate personal histories on the South Side. If you are or were a South Sider, you can 

How are you preserving old family photos and home movies? 

If you are like me, all your family history lives within multiple photo albums and VHS tapes stored in your parents’ living room cabinets.

Who’s Preserving Chicago Family History?

People, places, and scenes from Chicago's past.

Chicago History

. The City of Broad Shoulders is home to the 

, which publishes “Poetry” magazine, plus constant

spoken word events and workshop opportunities. We’re on it year-round. But since April is 

 National Poetry Month, consider diving in deeper.

Some classic and more contemporary lyric odes to the complicated city we love. 

Hog Butcher for the World … City of the Big Shoulders

Chicago who wears her skyscrapers like a necklace ...

Chicago … Like loving a woman with a broken nose, you may well find lovelier lovelies, but never a lovely so real.

✒️ Favorite line: The whole thing! (It’s short.)

“the great stone lions outside monumentally pissed by jumbo wreaths and ribbons”

“whenever i’m at that land is chicago”

underneath my gym shoes. is a trail of salt. that last sentence is a test.

 “i’ll miss crossing guards ushering the grown folks too, like ducklings”

Chicago Public Library and plenty more organizations are hosting readings, workshops, lectures, and performances throughout the month.

 | April 8 | Call & Response Books | Kenwood

 | April 9 | Haymarket House | Uptown | Free

 | April 11 | Archer Heights Branch | Free

 | April 11-12 | Ruth Page Center for the Arts | Near North Side

 | April 13 | Portage Cragin Branch | Free

 | April 15 | Harold Washington Library | Loop | Free

 | April 19 | Offshore Rooftop | Navy Pier

Patricia Smith, Ashley M. Jones, Donika Kelly, Aimee Nezhukumatathil

 | April 23 | Poetry Foundation | River North | Free

Sijo and Sijo-song: Korea’s Poetry Form

 | April 25 | Little Village Branch | Free

Every month is Poetry Month in Chicago. But since April is actually National Poetry Month, consider diving in deeper. 

Celebrate Poetry in Chicago for National Poetry Month

Celebrate Poetry in Chicago

Chicago is famous for its food, but the question is, what’s the dish of Chicago? Tell us what you think!

The Chicago food bracket

The Ultimate Chicago Food Face-Off

The latest on the hottest places to eat, drink, socialize, and talk about in Chicago.

The latest on the best and newest restaurants and bars in Chicago. We'll help you find where to eat, drink, and socialize.

Chicago Food & Drink

Food & Drink

Chicago has no shortage of good bites around town. That’s why we’re highlighting the best new restaurants opening in the city.

You might recognize Schneider Deli as the picturesque, old-fashioned eatery attached to Ohio House Motel. Now, a second location has opened in Lincoln Park. I’m visiting soon to try the giardinera-Russian-dressed reuben and will report back 🫡

, this all-day cafe is open to all. It offers coffee, cocktails, and light bites, including a popular breakfast sandwich.


Indgō Mrktō is a new food hall and event space in Pilsen featuring four restaurant concepts: a coffee shop, a multicultural seafood spot, a street food bistro, and a late-night cocktail bar. They’re all by the same chef. And there’s a chilaquiles torta on premises 👀

Crying Tiger has been generating buzz since it opened in the fall — now there’s a swanky cocktail bar in the basement: Kitty’s. The addition marks another step in 

Unsurprisingly, the food at Chubby Skewers comes on a stick. From the folks behind Chubby Cattle, it’s another cook-it-yourself spot.

Oooh Wee! IT IS! Smothered Potatoes Breakfast Bar

Oooh Wee! IT IS!, a popular soul food restaurant that closed in 2024, has a soft reopening Saturday in a new Chatham location. Formerly located on 83rd Street, this new spot is in the old Reggio’s Pizza space on Cottage Grove Avenue. Although it has 

Award-winning bartender and Speed Rack champion Katie Renshaw has opened her own bar — and it’s buzzy. The interior literally glows. The menu, meanwhile, features send-ups of classic cocktails and elevated bar bites. (I’m actually checking Bar Bambi out tonight, so I’ll keep ya posted.)

I’m skeptical of dive bar overhauls (lookin’ at you, Small Bar) but Belmont Tavern seems truly laid back. That’s a feat considering I visited on a jam-packed Friday night. And while cutesy, 

the interior doesn’t feel overly curated.

 It’s naturally eclectic. Extra points for carrying bison grass vodka!

Hero’s sub shop was an institution, and seeing the shack sit empty since 2017 hurt my soul. Now, new life has sprung in the form of Retro Pizza. The take-out only shops serves square Roman slices of ‘za plus coffee. 

Chicago has no shortage of good places to eat around town. Here are some of the bar, restaurant, and café openings we're watching.

Food & Drink

The Ultimate Chicago Food Face-Off

Ava Wojnowski

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Food & Drink

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The latest in Chicago

Where to Read in Chicago

The End of an Era For Lincolnwood Town Center

Celebrate 420 at These Chicago Dispensaries

Take This Week's Chicago News Trivia Quiz

Chicago’s Splashiest Water Activities

3 Questions With Chicago’s Poet Laureate

Who’s Preserving Chicago Family History?

Celebrate Poetry in Chicago