Season of Giving at Rockwell Crossing

Come by Rockwell Crossing (located between Montrose and Lawrence on North Rockwell Street, just steps from the brown line) during the month of December for one-stop holiday shopping—and giving.

Rockwell Crossing businesses are accepting donations on behalf of local charities from December 3 through December 23. Lake Claremont Press is collecting new and gently used children's books for a local shelter and an after-school program. Beans and Bagels is collecting toothpaste, toothbrushes, and soap for Ravenswood Community Services; Bloom Yoga Studio is accepting clothing donations for The White Elephant; new toys on behalf of Toys for Tots are being collected by Devrim Cleaners; Rockwell's Neighborhood Grill is accepting canned goods for the Common Food Pantry; Ruff Haus Pets is collecting canned food and non-perishable food items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository; and Scents and Sensibility is collecting new and gently used gloves for men and women for Ravenswood Community Services.

The "Season of Giving" at Rockwell Crossing will begin at noon on Saturday, December 3, with an afternoon celebration of free refreshments, carolers, a free horse-drawn sleigh to whisk you around, and storytelling for kids. Please stop by with your donations and help us stack books to the ceiling for underprivileged kids.

Christmas Market

Visit Lake Claremont Press at this Sunday's (December 4) Christmas Market at Luther Memorial Church (2500 W. Wilson) from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. We'll be selling all of our books at a discount, so swing by for some great deals on great gifts. Most other vendors are artists and crafters, and the church will be serving brunch and selling baked goods, both with fair trade coffee.

Sneak Preview

For me, one of the most exciting and important presevation trends has been the private and community efforts to save and revitalize Chicago's historic theaters--the Gateway, the Davis, the Congress, and the Uptown immediately come to mind. Recently, a mysterious invitation brought me to an open house for the new Portage Theater (4050 N. Milwaukee at on the Northwest Side). It must have been the early 90s when I took the Irving Park bus to Six Corners and saw my last Monday night $1.50 show there. What I saw last week, though, was not a Portage I'd ever seen before. A crew had torn down the wall that had created separate screening rooms and restored the main theater to something like its original state. Then I saw Dennis Wolkowicz, the man behind the Gateway Theater's revival and the resurgence of silent film events around the city--from the Silent Summer festival to special events at the Pickwick and Rockefeller Chapel--and understood. A lover of theater and film and history and Chicago, and big projects, Dennis had simply moved on to the Portage, and I can't wait to see what will be next. He promises regular movies, more special movie events, a new home for the Silent Summer film fest, and live acts. Dennis, when you're done there, will you move on to the Patio? The Nortown?

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superdawg!

What's with all of the Sonic commercials on local television when there isn't a Sonic Drive-In within 150 miles of downtown Chicago? What am I to do when I thirst for a Cherry Limeade in the heat of summer or want a Coney? I found the answer this weekend in the form of a scantily clad hot dog in leopard skin, with red blinking-light eyes, perched on top of a Chicago landmark: Superdawg.

This Milwaukee Ave. drive-in favorite has been serving up Chicago dogs, signature crinkle fries, and delicious shakes since 1948. After sampling their menu, it's obvious this joint has thrived not just on novelty and nostalgia, but because they serve up a peerless all-beef Superdawg with Superfries. I added a double rich chocolate Supershake (slightly thinned) and tried to remember what was so special about Sonic anyway.

City Beats

I may have been born in that other big city, but years of reading, learning, photographing, absorbing, appreciating, visiting, and living in Chicago have made me more than just a transplant. I'm a well-informed transplant who has seen more than other newbies, and I still have a long list of things to do in Chicago (thanks to the fourth edition of A Native's Guide to Chicago I'll be busy for another few years). I get out to experience as much as I can in the city and surrounding area, and I especially enjoy outings that are uniquely "Chicago" in nature (though I am the first to admit I am still learning what that means).

I recently checked out Soundtrack City Chicago and have since recommended it to anyone who will listen (and now to anyone who may read this). Soundtrack City is a one-man show in which human beatbox Yuri Lane leads a trip through Chicago neighborhoods. If you dig beatboxing, then this show is not to be missed because of Lane's obvious talent—laying down beats while singing and playing the harmonica—and energized performance. So if you're bummed you missed the show's run at the Viaduct Theater, you are in luck because Yuri Lane is bringing it to the Crown Center Auditorium at Loyola's Lake Shore campus tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. And, it's free!