Mitch Dudek

3 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mitch Dudek

When Carole Clancey Cotter retired, she didn’t slow down. She had raised seven kids — all attending Catholic schools — and worked with at-risk kids in Chicago for nearly two decades as a social worker. Then, in retirement, it was as if Mrs. Cotter climbed into a cannon and lit the fuse, according to her family. “My mother was either on a trip or planning a trip for the last 40 years of her life,” said her son Patrick Cotter.

3 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mitch Dudek

It’s the pearl of Chicago tourism. But the Chicago Architecture Center’s River Cruise wasn’t always that way. It had a shaky beginning when Bob Irving — a legend in the city’s architectural docent community, created the journey along the river it in 1983. The maiden voyage was abruptly cut short, forced to dock halfway through, and Mr. Irving took a cab home that summer day, as did all the other passengers aboard that first cruise.

4 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mitch Dudek

In the 1980s, Ray Capitanini increased the number of wine offerings at The Italian Village, his family’s Loop restaurant, from about two dozen to nearly 4,000 wines. “He really treated wine like an investment and put us on the map for a different segment of the population who came in from across the country to dine here because of the wine,” his nephew Al Capitanini said. Mr. Capitanini died April 10 from respiratory issues after heart surgery. He was 89.

1 month ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mitch Dudek

In 1969, folk singer Steve Goodman stepped off stage at Chicago’s famed Earl of Old Town pub and bumped into a cocktail waitress. She was nearly a foot taller. “Would you like to learn to dance?” he asked, doing a little jig amid the melting moment. It was a kismet collision between Steve Goodman and Nancy Tenney (then known as Nancy Pruter).

1 month ago | wbez.org | Mitch Dudek

There are 47 different wands and vomit-flavored jelly beans. And that is just the tip of the wizard’s hat when it comes to the magical stuff (wands start at $39) you’ll encounter at the new Harry Potter Shop Chicago that opens Thursday at 676 N. Michigan Ave. If you saw it in the films or read about it in the books, there’s a good chance you’ll find it on a shelf.