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Neighborhood divisions laid bare, in the span of a block
For urban dwellers and fans of cliché Hollywood flicks alike, you’ve probably encountered the “wrong side of the tracks” motif.It goes like this: A neighborhood changes for the worse on the “other...
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Dunning's dark past
Curious City is a news-gathering experiment designed to satisfy the public's curiosity. People submit questions, vote for their favorites, and WBEZ reports out the winning questions in real time, on...
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Reporter's Notebook: If Illinois legalizes marijuana, how could that affect...
Curious City is a news-gathering experiment designed to satisfy the public's curiosity. People submit questions, vote for their favorites, and WBEZ reports out the winning questions in real time, on...
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Did a WWII nuclear experiment make the U of C radioactive?
In 1942 Enrico Fermi and a team of physicists at the University of Chicago built a nuclear reactor in a squash court under the South Side university’s football field. Their successful experiment was a...
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The story of Dunning, a 'tomb for the living'
For a long time, Chicagoans were scared of Dunning. The very name “Dunning” gave them chills. People were afraid they would end up in that place.Today, the Chicago neighborhood, out on the city’s Far...
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Afternoon Shift: Violence in Chicago, public art and 10 years of Gapers Block
Niala talks with Natalie Moore and Lance Williams about last night's spike in shootings and architect Richard Tomlinson and AIC assistant curator Alison Fisher discuss bringing world class art to...
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Would legal pot hit Chicago gangs’ pocketbooks?
Elmhurst resident Siva Iyer read Sudhir Venkatesh’s pop academic book Gang Leader for a Day, which got him thinking about the economics and industrial side of marijuana.The culture around weed has...
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The Chicago accent and the Chicago ‘blaccent’
A few months ago, Curious City tackled the enigma known as the “Chicago accent”— its origins, who speaks with it, and how the accent is evolving today. One important qualification? Not all Chicagoans...
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Reporter's Notebook: Life in public housing vs. the fanciest downtown apartment
Curious City is a news-gathering experiment designed to satisfy the public's curiosity. People submit questions, vote for their favorites, and WBEZ reports out the winning questions in real time on...
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Chicago diners, side of extra crispy stories
The Slinger. The Jumpball. The Garbage Plate. The Deuces Wild RIP.If you’re a regular at Chicago-area diners, you may know that these are the names of some legendary signature specials. And if you...
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So, why did it take so long for it to be Mayor Jane Byrne's turn?
Shortly before Chicago's City Council officially honored former Mayor Jane Byrne by naming the Water Tower Plaza after her, her name had been thrown about quite a bit. The political momentum required...
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Where do Chicago's bats hang out?
Rory Keane was ambling around Chicago’s downtown a few years back when he stumbled upon what looked like a piece of fried chicken glistening on the sidewalk. But it didn’t take long for him to be...
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A shot of history: Ingredients of the Chicago speakeasy
Ask people around the world to play word association with “Chicago,” and you’ll hear a few common responses. Modern architecture and bruising politics have nothing, it seems, on our Prohibition-era...
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Cabbage War: West Ridge vs. Rogers Park
We receive a good number of questions about Chicago neighborhoods: Among other things, we’ve learned how their boundaries are formed, how the city’s roster of neighborhoods grew through annexation, and...
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Surf's up in Chicago, but where?
Editor's note: We published a version of this story at the the close of summer 2012, but as curiosity about surfing in Chicago never ends (right?), we recently double-checked whether park district...
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The tale of the two-flat
Editor's note: The podcast version of the story includes an excerpt from a more extensive examination of Chicago-area wooden porches used as a means of egress. To catch every episode, subscribe to our...
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Do us a solid: Help with the Curious City Podcast Survey!
Editor's note: Thanks to everyone who contributed their time to completing our podcast survey. We've closed the survey for now, but if you have comments you'd like to send our way, please write us:...
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Two neighboring states, one big financial gap
George Brown of Valparaiso, Indiana, works for a steel mill these days, but at one time, his main gig was construction — across the state border in Chicago. The commute and that “living in both worlds”...
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After the accident: Metra and pedestrian fatalities
Frequent commuters are all too familiar with the pangs of delays: the groans induced by announcements made over a train intercom, or the confusion created when train or bus operators suggest...
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