Frigid February is upon us. We Chicagoans “grin and bear it,” but it still is a rough road to travel. Freezing cold temperatures, a little snow and ice thrown in just to keep things interesting, not to mention wind gusts that can cut through you with the pinpoint accuracy of a surgeon’s knife.
I know this new Playboy print magazine has been very hotly anticipated. And I can understand why. When most fans had given up hope of ever seeing another Playboy magazine in print, up pops the Feb. 2025 issue after a five-year hiatus. This major decision to return to print was announced by t…
Depending on your perspective, Super Bowl 59 (sorry, LIX) was either a joyful celebration of the great Philadelphia Eagles team—or a complete thundering dud if you were… well, basically, any fan not from Philadelphia!
Donald Trump is fulfilling his campaign promise to impose tariffs on countries he sees as threats to America's national security and economic stability with targets including China, Canada, and Mexico. While supporters argue these measures protect American jobs, critics warn of economic fall…
The Super Bowl is coming up Sunday, and one of the big stories surrounding the game is the advent of a new football strategy called “The Tush Push.”
For over half a year, I have been single and caught in the endless cycle of dating apps—scrolling, swiping, and second-guessing. While I’ve met some nice people along the way, the overall experience has been exhausting, plagued by superficial connections and lingering insecurities.
Whether seeking a spring getaway, a summer adventure, a scenic fall drive, or a cozy winter retreat, Chicagoans have no shortage of nearby destinations to explore in 2025.
Chicago may be known for its chilly winters, but the season offers an exciting array of outdoor activities that allow you to experience the city in a unique way.
In case any Chicagoans have been buried under the cold and snow and haven’t been on notice—or maybe just covering their eyes from the news and politics these days—we do have a colossal battle brewing in our city.
Valentine’s Day isn’t just for romance—it’s the perfect time to get creative with a little payback. If your ex is still on your mind, why not send them a gift they’ll never forget? From creepy critters to glittery chaos, here are the most delightfully petty gifts to give your ex this Feb. 14.
Columbus, Ohio, celebrates Tuesday, as their beloved Buckeyes won the national championship Monday night with a 34-23 victory over the game, but overmatched, Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
I know it sounds nuts, but ice fishing is far from the crazy, uncomfortable ordeal you think it is.
Maybe never before in our football-infested sports’ fans lives has therebeen an extended period of great football as the five days that have justpassed.
Most Chicago sports fans are well aware that last year was amongst the most brutal, in an already pretty dismal recent years sports scene, in our beautiful city.
Dear Candid Candace: Happy New Year Candid Candace! I have a dilemma that I’m hoping you can help me with. Many folks go to therapy nowadays and while I was brunching with a girlfriend last weekend, she mentioned that during her next session, instead of talking about a horrific break up wit…
Just for the fun of it, Chicago Star imagines what it would be like to talk to the Bears’ next head coach, whoever he is.
Depending on the speed and efficiency of our award-winning Chicago Star editorial team, by the time you read this, you will have already survived the toughest day of the entire calendar year.
No, despite the headline, this is not going to be your typical “it’s a new year, so bring in a new attitude” column. Although nothing is wrong with those, and any kind of motivation to improve one’s outlook on life is not to be minimized. However in this month’s column, we take a slightly di…
Gym managers say setting smaller goals along the way helps by Mat Cohen You’re not alone. According to Strava, a social network for athletes, most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions past Jan. 12. That’s when, just nearly two weeks after the start of the year, lack of motivation…
The assignment seemed quite simple. I was told to investigate the new “spring-loaded gym shoe” that can make you jump higher, especially for basketball players.
Winter in Chicago is a beast all its own. The biting wind, the icy streets, and the bone-chilling temperatures make it nearly impossible to focus on anything other than survival.
As we are all painfully aware, and as the year 2024 winds down in a “way-too-fast-I-can’t-believe-it-went-by-so-quickly” way, we decided to take a closer look at the sad current state of our beloved Chicago sports teams.
I am a proud member of the Pinch and Poke club. I am using Mounjaro to tackle my diabetes and, fingers crossed, shed a few pounds along the way.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more truthful. It’s not like I’m some huge liar, but I do act excited for things I don’t want to go to and sometimes I’ll agree with people just to end conversations. Maybe my resolution isn’t to be more truthful per se, maybe it’s to be more like th…
We’ve all experienced that sinking feeling when the thought hits: one more gift to buy—and no time to buy it.
The DePaul basketball team, under brand-new first-year coach Chris Holt man, is showing that the foundation to this rebuild is solid and “the walls” are going up quickly.
Watching the news while making my morning coffee has left me with a sad, half-brewed cup of cold sludge sitting abandoned on my Keurig and a mood thoroughly trashed.
It’s hard for me to figure out. I am an optimistic, generally happy-go-lucky guy by nature, who as a kid used to absolutely love the Christmas season. So, why now does the beginning of another holiday season hit me with equal parts fear, trepidation, anxiousness and malaise, with a slight do…
While soaking up the season's wonderful holiday spirit, I recently received an email blast listing a suggestion for a holiday gift
Dear Candid Candace: I have a holiday dinner cooking quandary for you. Our family always hosts a big Christmas dinner. I am always amazed at the amount of cooking, shopping, preparation and planning—not to mention time and effort it takes to put it all together—for the relatives and other f…
As the holiday season arrives, I find myself wrapped in a flurry of nostalgia, joy, and a deep sense of gratitude for the magic of Christmas. For me, the holiday isn’t merely about twinkling lights or perfectly wrapped presents (although I love this too), but rather a time to reflect, connec…
A week before Thanksgiving, I was on my way to a Friendsgiving celebration. Friendsgiving, which I’ve also called “Gen-X Thanksgiving”—back in the 1990s — is a gathering of friends for the Thanksgiving holiday that takes place either in lieu of or in addition to regular Thanksgiving festivities.
I am going to go all “adults only” on you with this next comment, so make sure no little kiddies are peering over your shoulder as you read this.
For the first time ever, the college football playoffs will include 12 teams. The pairings and brackets have finally been set—and now off we go.
When I think of winter, I think of hot chocolate, cozy fireplaces and sweater weather. And of course, like so many of us in Chicago, fresh snow falls and winter activities are my favorite! Spending time outdoors in the winter, especially when there is snow, is a rare treat for some, but not …
Truer words were never said. And never are they more relevant than they are during the holidays, when many of us are thrown together with family and friends we may not have seen since last year’s family gathering—and for good reason.
We are just entering the oft-muddled plethora of feel good, sentimental, slightly sappy holiday movies, which seem to come at us this time of year like a herd of army ants marching toward a piece of fallen hamburger.
It will not go down as a literary classic, or any kind of movie-making “Magnificat,” but the now streaming “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” is worth a watch and worth a two thumbs up for just being a feel- good pleasant story—when we needed it the most!
To painfully recall, the Bears have a chance to tie the game and complete a great second-half comeback against the Detroit Lions, but as Caleb Williams drops back to pass with 37 seconds on the clock, he gets sacked! Problem. Now we are out of field goal range.
I have always wondered about the allure of regular fishing (although peace, quiet, and nature while drinking a cold one is not a bad look
It has been many years since the Detroit Lions have been a feared team in the National Football League. They have ranged in recent years from mediocre to really bad, correspondingly ruining many Thanksgiving Day dinners in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs
One of my favorite writers, Michael Sneed at the Sun-Times, writes a gratitude column every year around Thanksgiving. It's touched me so much that I found myself clipping and saving her articles.
In the heart of La Grange Park, Ill., lies a hidden gem where you will find unique treasures and memorabilia for Christmas and year-round – the La Grange Park Antique Mall. This beloved local landmark is more than just a shopping destination; it’s a haven for treasure hunters, collectors, a…
The best female golfer in the world right now, America’s very own Nelly Korda, just recently ripped her fellow LPGA players for their slow play in tournaments.
The best holiday of all is almost upon us! Thanksgiving!This All-American holiday is all about family, friends, food, football, and other wonderful traditions while, thankfully, staying away from some of the overt commercialization of other holidays.
Beaten, bruised and mostly humiliated, the football gang known as “America’s Team” is currently about as divided and disheveled as...well, America is! (Apologies in advance for sneaky political vent.)
We tried to look away. We tried to convince ourselves that this was just a joke and another one of those over-hyped made-up, athletic sort-of-legitimate contests—but we couldn’t.
I am just over halfway through season three of the Netflix show “The Lincoln Lawyer,” and so far, it is getting a solid thumbs up from this particular observer.
Just when you thought the season would be lost, the Miami Dolphins pulled out a crucial victory over the Los Angeles Rams, and they did it under the brightest of lights, on Monday Night Football.
That was not just a slight loss of balance and slip—oh no. That was more like an all-out free fall, like barreling down a steep staircase, hitting each step along the way and feeling the pain of each bounce before arriving at a not-so-soft landing on the bottom floor.
It may not be what our city is most famous for when it comes to food selections, but still, Chicago has a pretty awesome array of places to go when you are in the mood for some delicious fried chicken.
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