The April Issue Of Chicago Magazine

I finally started receiving Chicago Magazine again after a 3-month snafu with the subscription. Although I have been living here in Denver for the past 41 years, I still like to keep up with what is happening back in my old hometown. This month's cover story is about the 14 new "must visit" restaurants that are "fueling a dining renaissance" in Chicago. Most if not all of these restaurants are in the Loop or on the North Side (I am, of course, a South Sider), and virtually all of them feature truly weird dishes at very high prices. However, there were also several interesting features in the magazine this month. One was about a major flood in downtown Chicago back in 1992. Evidently, the Loop is filled with abandoned underground tunnels that once were used to move coal through the city. Some of these tunnels run under the Chicago River, and during a renovation project along that river a construction company punched a hole through one, causing a gigantic flood and much embarrassment for the city. The mayor at the time kept insisting that this was no laughing matter, although a lot of people thought it was. There was also an article about a plan to extend the Red Line (the "L") to the far South Side, close to the Calumet River. I myself have very nostalgic memories about the Calumet River. I took a cruise on it twice - once with the Cub Scouts, and once with my grade school class - and boy, is that river ugly. There were large ships to see when we got to Lake Calumet, which is connected to Lake Michigan, but getting there was an eye opener. I think the purpose of the trip was to show where we all might wind up if we didn't study hard. But then again, I was just a kid at the time, and so maybe the river is not so bad after all. Perhaps some of you Chicagoans out there might be willing to book a cruise on the Calumet and let me know what you think. I'm sure you'll love it!