Neighborhood

Some people are still feeling the afterglow from the largest street fair in the Midwest, Northalsted Market Days , and the monetary windfall will impact the Lakeview neighborhood even longer. With headliners The Pointer Sisters and Olivia Newton-John, Market Days drew tens of thousands of Chicagoans, all out to drink, dance and devour dishes from local favorites like D.S. Tequila Company and the Chicago Diner. An $8 suggested donation granted the masses access to the event, featuring three stages and over 40 musical acts.

The die-hard Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo fan has been spotted belting out Nirvana tunes during karaoke night at Quenchers in Bucktown. Photos of him in the dunk tank at Do-Division are on Facebook. This guy isn't exactly your typical Chicago politician. Forget addressing him as Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno(1 s t ). He tells people to call him simply Joe, his middle name. The title he really covets is "most accessible alderman. " The 40-year-old - who hates any mention of his birthday - is on his way. He tweets regularly, rides with police and hosts a weekend satellite office in a trendy, cyclist-friendly ward that includes parts of Wicker Park, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village, East Village and Humboldt Park.

What started as a way to highlight a neighborhood's liberal, artsy atmosphere 30 years ago has turned into one of the city's biggest street festivals. Northalsted Market Days, taking place Saturday and Sunday, celebrates three decades this year. Organizers expect a crowd of more than 100,000 to converge on Halsted Street, ground zero for the fest that features three stages and more than 40 musical acts, food and arts and crafts vendors. Mickey Hornick, owner of Chicago Diner in the Halsted business district, has been part of the fest since the beginning.

After more than 90 years since its closure, the House of Glunz is wiping the dust off of The Glunz Tavern and re-opening for business. The tavern, located at 1202 N. Wells St., was originally founded in 1888 by Louis Glunz I and was a popular gather spot in the Old Town neighborhood before it closed just prior to the Prohibition. Barbara Glunz and her son, Christopher Donovan, both owners of the historic House of Glunz, said after giving it much thought for a long time, they decided to re-open the tavern.

Downtown 440 N. State St. 312-464-1400 At the neighborhood's only gay bar, expect the bartenders to call you “honey” and the entertainment to range from live cabaret to karaoke to DJs. The Purple Pig 500 N. Michigan Ave. 312-464-1744 This small but mighty wine and swine bar is packed every night of the week with diners hungry for a taste of charcuterie, cheese and treats that do the name proud, from pork neck bone rillettes...

Pizzeria Uno 29 E. Ohio St. 312-321-1000 Put your name on the wait list at this classic pizzeria to get a taste of the famous deep-dish pizza that launched a national chain. Ed Debevic's 640 N. Wells St. 312-664-1707 For a burger and a milkshake with a side of verbal abuse, don't miss this retro-style diner known for its comically snarky servers. Lou Malnati's 439 N. Wells St. 312-828-9800 This pizzeria delivers with thoroughly addictive crust that's crispier and lighter than other Chicago-style options.

When filmmaker Craig Erpelding and his then-girlfriend enlisted the services of the Apartment People in the summer of 2008 to find an apartment after moving to Chicago from L.A., he found himself unable to answer a very basic question: "What neighborhood do you want to look at?"   A Kansas native, his previous Chicago experience was limited to a few visits to Wrigleyville and the Loop. "I had no idea about Chicago outside of those two things," Erpelding said over coffee and bagels at Atomix Coffee Shop on Chicago Avenue.

A report by real-estate website Trulia has ranked Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood as one of the top 10 gayest neighborhoods in America. By identifying zip codes with high-concentrations of gay and lesbian couples (using Census data) and examining the average price-per-foot of real estate in that area, the report found the top 10 neighborhoods that were the most affordable for gay and lesbian people. In Edgewater, a home is averaged at $131 per square foot, making it the most affordable for gay and lesbian couples.

If you've ever explored the (many) different neighborhoods of Chicago, you know each has its own distinct personality and character.  Fueled by his passion for design, graphic designer Steve Shanabruch set out to brand each neighborhood with its own logo based on his experiences, research and conversations with residents. Thus, The Chicago Neighborhoods Project was born. As a Chicago native born and raised in Beverly and current living in the Ravenswood area, Shanabruch knows it's hard to sum up an entire neighborhood in one logo and emphasizes that this is just one designer's vision of the Windy City.

Ms. Pac-Man suffers an untimely death at the hands of a blue-clad ghost, but A.J. Matthews doesn't seem too upset by his failure to navigate the pellet-filled maze without smacking into a homicidal spectre. Instead, Matthews turns around and admires the glowing lights and bleeps and bloops that emanate from a couple dozen arcade machines crowded into the backroom of Logan Hardware. "It's a generational thing, this is like coming back to a place you remember going to as a kid," said Matthews, 28, of Old Irving Park.