Lincoln Park

Like it or not, the countdown to the holidays has begun. Between the family fights, the travel headaches and the present-budget woes, everyone could use a stiff drink. Luckily, there are plenty of new spots popping up in Chicago to accommodate the holiday blues. From comfort food like your mom used to make in Wicker Park to video games with a side of beer in Edgewater and budget-friendly cocktails in Lincoln Park, there's a little something for everyone. The Snuggery 15 W. Division St. 312-337-4349 Finn McCool's is out and The Snuggery is in at this Gold Coast...

Chicagoans planning to use their porch this summer should check out the structure first, city officials advised on Wednesday. The city issued porch safety tips on Wednesday, just before the Memorial Day weekend and the 10 th anniversary next month of the fatal Lincoln Park porch collapse that killed 13 people and injured dozens more. "Like any part of a building that is exposed to the varied weather conditions experienced in Chicago, porches should be checked on an annual basis for any wear and tear," Buildings Commissioner Michael Merchant said in a news release.

Big Ten sports bars packed with recent grads. Pub floors sticky with cheap beer. DePaul students dancing until 3 a.m. before a pizza run on the way back to the dorms. This is Lincoln Park nightlife. Or is it? A recent crop of seriously buzzed-about bars and restaurants opening in Lincoln Park - Morso, 2 Sparrows, The Barrelhouse Flat, Butcher & The Burger among them - is  bringing with it a new kind of energy the neighborhood hasn't felt in a while. With its powder blue walls and vest-wearing bartender, Morso's upstairs cocktail lounge feels more like Logan Square's The Whistler than anything else...

Mini-review: Tommy Knuckles Tavern & Lounge 433 W. Diversey Parkway 773-248-3230 Rating:  !! (out of four): Give it some time No, Tommy Knuckles isn't a dude. According to owners, the name of this less-than-a-month-old Lincoln Park bar refers to a slang term for someone who is "extremely awesome or certifiably nuts. " It's a bold name, and along with the bar's fist logo, it's almost confrontational. But co-owner Tyrrell Tomlin said the bar should be a laid-back place to hang in Lincoln Park, down to the black-and-white portraits on the walls that are meant to add a dose...

Ready to really indulge your sweet tooth? This six-stop quest for Lincoln Park's top treats should quell your cravings. A car will quicken the trip, but a combination of walking and bus-hopping will help work up an appetite for more Start your jaunt with a chocolate croissant at traditional French bakery Vanille Patisserie (2229 N. Clybourn Ave. 773-868-4574). Next, walk a few blocks to Floriole Cafe & Bakery (1220 W. Webster Ave. 773-883-1313), where the pastry case is stocked with sweets ranging from maple-pecan tea cookies to sea salt caramels.

If you thought you saw a deer in Lincoln Park this weekend, it wasn't an illusion brought upon by over indulgence before last call. There's actually a buck that has made itself comfortable in the 43 r d Ward. Libby Prakel, chief of staff for Ald. Michele Smith, said the office has gotten phone calls from residents around the 1900 block of North Halsted, where a sizable buck complete with antlers has been hanging out in a vacant lot. A user on the site everyblock.com also posted a photo of the animal, and others chimed in to note their sightings of the deer.

Sometimes, life imitates art. Other times, art just seems to mirror pop-culture. Though the "Eagle Columns" sculpture has been a fixture in Lincoln Park for more than two decades, one could be forgiven currently for suggesting the abstract birds perched above Jonquil Park seem to bear a resemblance to the iconic "Mockingjay" symbol of "The Hunger Games," opening this week. The fictional, sharp-beaked bird is depicted in metallic clutching an arrow and surrounded by a ring on the book cover of the first installment of the teen adventure trilogy.

Where do cheaters live in Chicago? Apparently, Lincoln Park, according to AshleyMadison.com , the extramarital dating site that has been around for 10 years and counts over nine million members in the U.S. Based on per capita membership using zip codes in the Chicago area of more than 210,000 people, the site on Monday released its list of the top cheating neighborhoods in Chicago: 1. Lincoln Park 2.The Loop 3.Bucktown ...

Nordstrom Rack will open its third Chicago location next spring. The popular offshoot of Nordstrom department stores offers designer items at discounted prices.  The new store will be at 1555 N. Sheffield in Lincoln Park.  There are already two stores just miles from the announced Lincoln Park location--one on Chicago Avenue, just a stone's throw away from the Nordstrom flagship store on Michigan Avenue. The other is in the Loop. The upcoming location will be a part of the Collection Annex, a new retail development that will open in spring of 2014.  ...

R.J. Grunts 2056 N. Lincoln Park West 773-929-5363 Craving a bite of history? This is where Rich Melman's restaurant empire, Lettuce Entertain You, started back in 1971. Fill up on milkshakes, half-pound burgers and platefuls from the massive salad bar. Half Shell 676 W. Diversey Parkway 773-549-1773 This divey basement seafood house started shucking oysters more than 40 years ago, way before trendy hangouts such as The Publican and GT Fish & Oyster made it cool again.

DePaul University students and other Lincoln Park nightowls now have a new way to satisfy their late-night munchies: cookies and milk delivered to your doorstep by Insomnia Cookies, which opened its first Chicago-area location in Lincoln Park Tuesday. "Lincoln Park has everything we look for in a city location: the bars, the nightlife, and with DePaul right here it was kind of just a win," said marketing manager Renee Sarnecky. The shop at 2260 N. Lincoln Ave. is the 32nd location for the company, which was founded in 2003 by a student at the University of Pennsylvania and...

[UPDATED STORY: As of 1 p.m. April 9, hours before Kickstarter's deadline, BikeSpike has reached it's goal of $150,000, allowing the project to launch.  "We are flattered, truely humbled and honored to have this done in Chicago," said Clay Neigher, a member of the BikeSpike team. "We take this responsibility extremely seriously. We want to do everyone that took the lead with us proud, along with our city. "] Read the original BikeSpike story below:  If someone were messing with your bike right now,...

After five years of providing Lincoln Park with sand, indoor bags games and a venue in which to chug an entire fishbowl of brightly colored booze, Uncle Fatty's Rum Resort will close its doors May 4. Co-owner Brian Galati today announced that he and his partners will expand next-door Headquarters Beercade , which they also run, into the space currently occupied by Uncle Fatty's. "It was near and dear to our hearts," Galati said. "[Uncle Fatty's] was a concept everybody counted out in the beginning and here we are five years later.

This has been Lincoln's year. Even though Abraham Lincoln would have turned 204 years old last month, he's still a pretty popular guy. The proof: The "Lincoln" DVD comes out March 26. The movie has grossed more than $180 million in the U.S. since it came out in theaters in November. Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for the lead role in "Lincoln" in February, a month after the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation going into effect. Don't forget how good old Abe was featured as a vampire hunter in yet another movie and fought...

Since Doghouse owner Aaron Wolfson proposed the idea of a mural next to his restaurant, the process of getting it on the wall has taken more than a year, but Thursday, the paint will finally be hitting the wall. The black wall between his restaurant and the McDonald's beside it has regularly been a graffiti target and is generally unattractive, said Wolfson, 29, who lives in the Loop. Located near the six-way intersection of Fullerton, Halsted and Lincoln and right across from DePaul's music school, the area sees heavy foot traffic, and...

UPDATE: The Chicago Doghouse says about 20 people filed in for their free dessert Sunday as the Hawks extended their points streak to 22. Aaron Wolfson, owner of the Lincoln Park shop, said the offer for a free deep fried Oreo dessert will go for any win this season. The Chicago Doghouse even got a shoutout for their offer on ESPN1000 this week, Wolfson said.  Aaron Wolfson realized that when you deep fry an Oreo covered in chocolate cake batter and peanut butter, the confection comes out looking like a hockey puck.

Lincoln Park residents will see improved mobile broadband coverage with AT&T according to a press release issued by the mobile carrier on Wednesday. Residents who live within the area bordered by N. Racine and W. Armitage streets; N. Damen Avenue and W. Diversey Parkway; and Division and Lincoln Avenue can expect faster file downloads and web surfing. "Our goal is for our customers to have an extraordinary experience.  We're always looking for new opportunities to provide enhanced coverage,” AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza said in the press release.

Rocco Ranalli's 1925 N. Lincoln Ave. 312-642-4700 Inside, this eatery is all old-school Italian with brick walls and checked tablecloths. Outside, the massive patio is the perfect place to devour a pizza and a few rounds of craft beer. Corcoran's Grill & Pub 1615 N. Wells St. 312-440-0885 During the summer at this Irish pub, beach volleyball teams from nearby North Avenue Beach vie with thirsty locals for seats on the sidewalk cafe and backyard beer garden, complete with its own coach house bar. Crossing 2548 N. Southport Ave. 773-327-4900 ...

Burger review: Kuma's Too 666 W. Diversey Parkway 773-472-2666 Rating:  !!!! (out of four) It is a widely held belief that the best burgers in Chicago are found in a heavy metal bar on the far northwest neighborhood of Avondale serving patties named after Pantera and Black Sabbath. The place that I speak of, dear burger fans, is Kuma's Corner, and it is also notorious for its no-reservations policy and hours-long waits. Truth be told, I, The Great Burgerelli, have never shared in Kuma's enthusiasm for death metal (I much prefer Morrissey, The Smiths and the occasional dose of underground...

Burger review: Edzo's Burger Shop 2218 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-697-9909 Rating:  !!! (out of 4) As a fearless seeker of fine burgers, The Great Burgerelli makes a concerted effort to stay attuned to what local burger lovers are buzzing about. It is for that reason that I can say with certainty that one of the most talked-about burgers in greater Chicagoland is Edzo's Burger Shop. Because Edzo's is located in the north suburb of Evanston and my professional burger adventures are focused on the Chicago proper - technicalities, technicalities - it is an...