The inaugural citywide Curious City Scavenger Hunt: Chicago Eats Edition is coming to an end, so we’re capping off the past month of unlocking clues by revisiting a family mystery. In this episode from 2018, reporter Monica Eng digs into her family’s past to answer a listener’s question about the history of Chinese gangs in Chicago — and make sure to stick around for an update at the end of the story.
Curious City - Why Did So Many Chicago Bars Disappear?
While our recent episodes have been taking you to different neighborhoods throughout the city, this week we’re visiting a Chicago neighborhood institution: the tavern. Recently, there have been a lot of debates surrounding whether to keep bars open during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to do so safely. And some of Chicago’s bars have struggled to stay in business. But even before the pandemic, bars have been disappearing.
Curious City - Displaced: When The Eisenhower Expressway Moved In, Who Was Forced Out?
The Ike was the city’s first superhighway. In this special presentation, people affected open up about how it scattered ethnic neighborhoods and changed many lives forever.
Curious City - Chicago’s Historic Japanese Neighborhood — And Why It Disappeared
While the Curious City Scavenger Hunt: Chicago Eats Edition continues to take you all across the city, we’re pulling stories from our archive that dive into the history of Chicago’s neighborhoods. This week, a story from 2017 takes us to Lake View, which once had a thriving Japanese community — but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: “You had to basically be unseen.”
Curious City - The Chicago-Invented Delicacies That Help Define The City’s Food Scene
With the “Curious City Scavenger Hunt: Chicago Eats Edition” now underway, we’re revisiting a story about foods created right here in Chicago.
Curious City - Was There A Burial Mound In Chicago Shaped Like A Lizard?
A listener noticed an odd detail on an old map. Curious City investigated whether it was the site of an ancient burial mound.
Curious City - Sculpting History: Who Decides What Historical Markers Go Up In Chicago?
As statues are removed in cities across the United States, we revisit a story about what it takes to get one put up in the first place.
Curious City - The Story Behind “Go Cubs Go” And The Man Who Wrote It
Folk singer Steve Goodman grew up going to Cubs games, and this diehard fan had a lifelong goal—to write a hit song about baseball.
Curious City - How Often Should I Wash My Mask? And More Of Your Questions About Face Masks
From office use to wearing them outdoors, we clear up some of your lingering confusions about face masks.
Curious City - Protest Art Has Covered Boarded Up Businesses — Will It Be Preserved?
Plywood boards on storefronts became canvases during the protests over the killing of George Floyd. One Chicagoan wonders what will happen to the art now.