The expression “bird brained” is supposed to be an insult.  But these pigeons gathered together at the apex of the Saint Matthew Methodist Church roof (1000 North Orleans Street) on a cold winter morning are smart enough to know two things — heat rises, and churches are...

It looks like just another athletic field now, but this was the location of one of the most important events in human history.  Some liken it to the development of speech, or the discovery of fire, or the invention of the wheel. I’m no scientician, so I’ll quote the Manhattan...

With concerns about the environment and the economy, you’d think that gas lamps would have gone the way of the buggy whip.  But there are a number of them alive and burning in Chicago.  I’ve seen a few in the Gold Coast, in the streets behind the Cardinal Francis George’s*...

It’s hard to say who was the first person to describe the mayor’s personal aides as “henchmen.”  But who knew that some of hizzonor’s specialized teams have superhero names like “Graffiti Blasters.”  This city truck was spotted in River North not too...

Two photographs of Chicago taken from the same location in Lincoln Park two months apart.  The frame on the right shows where we are.  The frame on the left shows what we have to look forward to. Of course, if I was smart I would have arranged them in chronological order, but I’m...