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Visiting the Land of 12,000 Cheesecakes

Eli's Cheesecake Factory Tour

Anyone with a sweet tooth worth its weight in chocolate enamel knows that Chicago is home to the Eli's Cheesecake Company. But did you know that the factory, which pumps out upwards of 12,000 cheesecakes a day is open to the public for tours...and tastes? Located on the Northwest Side, Eli's factory tour is a no-lose proposition: a bit of history, a belly of silky sweet cheesecake and a bevy of trivia bits mean even the most casual fan will find it well worth the trip...

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Originally published November 20, 2006, Centerstage Chicago

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Touring Chicago, Literati-Style

Writers, whether born in Chicago or drawn to it, have been inspired to pick up their pens by everything from the muted beauty of the South Side to the grisly meat-packing district to the "raw-potato odor" of Lake Michigan, as Saul Bellow once wrote. If you're looking for a shot of literary inspiration, the city is full of it...

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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago  

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In Search of Peace and Quiet

Chicago's 50 Best Places to Find Peace and Quiet

Karin Horgan Sullivan stills remember the bike ride she took 18 years ago that led her to Graceland Cemetery. An Ohio-native, Sullivan was living in Boystown at the time and, though in love with Chicago, she hadn't yet found an outdoor space where she could have a moment all to herself...

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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago

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Navy Pier, Please!

Though I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and have lived in the city for the past six years, I'd been to Navy Pier only once, as a nine year old, before last week. My memories of that day don't extend much beyond the thick lines of spazzy kids, the thin line of my mother's mouth as she shelled out more money than she'd planned and my just-under-five-foot grandma clinging to the rail of the Ferris wheel as we were lifted 150 feet into the air...

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Originally published October 16, 2006, Centerstage Chicago

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Take a Tour: Graceland Cemetery

Sure, when most people take a trip to Graceland they're talking about the Tennessee mecca that housed the King, but Chicago's very own Graceland has plenty to boast in its own right: 119 acres of lush landscaping, a who's who roster of Chicago's historical elite, and a staggering mix of architectural designs...

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Originally published September 25, 2006, Centerstage Chicago

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Beyond Boystown

A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago

Working at a bookstore with heavy foot traffic in Lakeview, Robert McDonald and Kathie Bergquist fielded questions from "What's going on in the city tonight?" to "Where can my mom and I go to eat where we'll both feel comfortable?" The duo quickly became advice-toting experts on the gay (and gay-friendly) Chicago scene and debated the idea of writing a gay guide to Chicago for years...

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Originally published September 18, 2006, Centerstage Chicago

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Tea Comes Out of the Bag

All the Tea in Chicago

It's no surprise that Susan Blumberg, author of the guidebook All the Tea in Chicago, grew up drinking tea, mainly tagging along with her mom to afternoon teas while on family vacations. But it was in the five years after college, while studying and working in Hong Kong, that Susan's tea habit really flourished...

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Originailly published August 7, 2006, Centerstage Chicago

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