The city’s pedestrian safety campaign

The thirty-two ghostly white mannequins installed along Wacker Drive last October weren’t Halloween decorations. They represented the thirty-two pedestrians killed by cars in Chicago last year, part of Chicago’s new shock-and-awe campaign to draw attention to traffic safety. The “It’s Up To You” campaign also includes placard ads with graphic images of the tragic results of dangerous driving, such as a motorist cowering in her vehicle with a body sprawled across the shattered windshield. “Some of it is a little hard-hitting,” says transportation chief Gabe Klein. “But we want to remind people that when you’re frustrated behind the wheel, these are real people and real lives.” The city recently relocated nine of the mannequins to CTA stations and plans to install four in the State Street median between Wacker and Lake Street.

Best of Chicago 2011

West Loop

Although the EPA demanded reduced emissions from the Blommer Chocolate processing plant, its sickly sweet cocoa aroma sugarcoats the West Loop industrial corridor like a welcoming cup of hot chocolate. If you can’t follow your nose to the factory shop during normal business hours, Blommer’s has opened a pop-up shop called The Candy Gallery on the 5400 block of North Clark.

Blommer Chocolate Company
600 West Kinzie
(312)226-7700
blommer.com

Best of Chicago 2011

Paul Konrad

While Chicago has more than its fair share of likeable weather reporters, only one has his own power-polka theme song. Paul Konrad is the seven-time Emmy Award-winning, Polish-American forecaster on WGN Morning News. When local oompah kingpins The Polkaholics appeared on his show they honored him by performing the Paul Konrad Polka: “He is such a happy guy, telling us what’s in the sky / He knows if the rain will come, or if it will be the sun / Hot or cold he’s always right, with degrees in Fahrenheit / He’s our favorite weatherman—who?  Paul Konrad!”

WGN9 Morning News, 5:30am-9am

Audience choice:
Tom Skilling, WGN9

Best of Chicago 2011

Photo: Kristine Sherred

Snowtorious BIG

Snowmaggedon? Snowpocalypse? You decide. All we know is it sure was a Biggie.

Best of Chicago 2011

Father Pfleger Reinstated

In April, Cardinal Francis George attempted to reassign the famed priest and civil rights activist to a lower-profile pulpit. What’s more, he apparently did so by way of a letter. “If that is truly your attitude,” George wrote on the Father’s remarks that he’d leave the Catholic church if assigned anywhere other than Saint Sabina’s, “you have already left the church and are therefore not able to pastor a Catholic parish.” The parish didn’t like that. Michael Pfleger was reinstated less than a month later.

Best of Chicago 2011

 Linda Johnson Rice, Desirée Rogers and Amy DuBois Barnett (the Chairwoman, CEO and Editor-In-Chief of Ebony)

The next season of HBO’s “How to Make It in America“ should really be about these three individuals. Call it a comeback. Call it “catching the vapors.” It doesn’t matter. They’ve returned what at one time was widely considered the most important minority publication in America back to prominence. Something that just a year ago seemed impossible as Cruise. Look at them now. Call it a resurrection.

Best of Chicago 2011

Silvia Rivera, Managing Director of Chicago Public Radio’s Vocalo

Silvia Rivera’s moves up the corporate ladder are meteoric. But this thirty-year old former music and public affairs producer hasn’t lost sight of the role creativity and ingenuity plays in opening the media doors for Hispanics and other minorities.

Vocalo.org
89.5 WBEZ

Best of Chicago 2011

1. Our new mayor-for-life has better comic timing than New York’s mayor-for-life.
2. You can’t afford friends in Los Angeles.
3. Europe is more broke than you are.
4. Our hockey team can kick Canada’s ass. Read the rest of this entry »

Stars Motel sign

The stars no longer twinkle. The neon doesn’t light up anymore. And the motel itself was demolished in 2006. But the Stars Motel sign remains, a faded relic from a bygone era. The dark brown and pale yellow sign towers over North Lincoln Avenue, boasting “Air Conditioning… Switchboard… Free Television.” Apparently the maid service was nothing to write home about.

6100 North Lincoln

Best of Chicago 2011

Connie Nielsen on “Boss”

If Kelsey Grammer’s Tom Kane character is supposed to be some version of Daley, and Jeff Hephner’s Ben Zajac is supposed to be some extremely reckless version of Alexi Giannoulias and James Vincent Meredith’s Ald. Ross character’s afro is supposed to represent part Tim Evans and part Dorothy Tillman’s hats, then who in the hell is Nielsen’s Meredith Kane supposed to be? The screen—and this city!—has never seen or experienced anyone quite like her. If all politicians’ wives were like this, jail time would be considered a vacation for our governors.

Best of Chicago 2011