Curious City

<p></p><p>In this special podcast episode, Curious City presents three Chicago disaster stories as told at the Old Town School of Folk Music on March 30, 2016. Inspired by questions posed from Chicago-area residents, the tales range from the practically comical Loop flood of 1992, to a terrifying tornado that struck the region, to the city’s infamous Iroquois Theater fire. <span style="font-family: inherit;">If you didn’t get your fill of disaster stories, <a href="https://www.wbez.org/series/what-a-disaster/7d7603fa-f8c8-405e-9e34-18528e660b89" target="">Curious City’s collected even more</a>!</span></p><p><br></p><p></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/LeyNzUuH4Fc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The area’s premier airport sports Terminals 1, 2, 3 and ... 5. What gives?<br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/uJhSLCAzCRk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><span>What will happen to the Willis Tower in 150 years? In this special Curious City presentation, producer Jesse Dukes and the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Jen Masengarb envision three future scenarios for the iconic skyscraper, and for the Chicago of 2166.<span> </span></span><a href="http://interactive.wbez.org/curiouscity/willistower/">Click here for the full story</a><span>.<span> </span></span><!--EndFragment--><br><br><!--EndFragment--><br><br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/48u87x1MTTE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><span>Pop-up tree lots sprout up on every Chicago corner during the holiday season, only to disappear. Who are the people who make these happen and what's the business like? As one operator says it, "It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s over in about three and a half weeks."</span><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/qYblDY5iCPU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Aurora leads council meetings with prayer, and it sometimes raises eyebrows. <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/when-church-meets-state-picking-apart-prayer-in-auroras-city-council/ce619932-d796-469b-b0e5-602cbcb0b6f4" target="">But would a judge ever smack it down? </a><!--EndFragment--><br><br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/Pf_nHCIpVaM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Murals beautify some viaducts, while others are left bare and dirty. Why the disparity? <br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/Lw7iyU0WEXw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The city's top recipe sleuths <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/tips-for-hunting-chicagos-longlost-recipes/7344debf-7b0c-434b-9fac-56b7d7ed5d05" target="">share their secrets as we recreate a divine, but elusive, fried chicken dish</a>.<!--EndFragment--><br><br><br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/G1JqN47B_C4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Tempted to ignore the revolving door? Here are the revolutions that made the city a magnet for this seemingly simple device.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/Z9IaUtKbHBc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Schools are really crimped for cash. Hold up, wasn’t the lottery supposed to help with that?<br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/XUw_o4QIriA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>There was a time Chicago gave New York a run for its money. <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/chicago-vs-new-york-the-origins-of-a-oneway-rivalry/d13d563d-78e7-452a-a19c-249603f93602" target="">How did we end up the Second City?</a><br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/f9zI80ZDMz0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Minneapolis and San Fran do it. Even Oak Park’s got a program. What gives? <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/fighting-for-scraps-what-it-would-take-for-chicago-to-get-citywide-composting/4ba820d4-fcc6-4a7a-97c5-fc5f3f1095fa" target="">Photos of how municipal composting works in Oak park, interviews and the prospects for change in Chicago.</a><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/t6m_Bdhra4A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p></p><p><span>That sorry-looking bike on the curb could end up in the hands of a local kid or even a family overseas. Full story with additional interviews and photos: http://wbez.is/2dgqDAf </span></p><p></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/dXXImTVnB7s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><span>Why did Richard J. Daley push for the UIC campus to rise from the heart of a long-standing ethnic neighborhood? In this special Curious City presentation, reporter Monica Eng examines the pervasive suspicion that the mayor’s choice rose from a political spat or — even worse — from disdain for the Italian-American community. </span><a href="http://interactive.wbez.org/curiouscity/littleitaly" target="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: inherit;">Click here for the full story.</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/aEGbZw0IKP0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>As The 606 stokes fears of economic displacement, the city wants to repurpose more rail lines. What's the state of research on this?<br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/E-mmV0Sov1M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>This Curious City special mini-documentary answers how the Polish became one of Chicago’s largest and most influential ethnic groups. And, come to think of it, is there anything to the claim that the city has the most Poles outside of Warsaw?<br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/_5vPyQrea4s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/the-painters-who-give-chicagos-grocery-signs-the-human-touch/da542e6f-7442-4197-96ad-70d0b306be98" target="">Craftsmanship and economics combine to keep the city's tradition of distinctive hand-painted signs alive in the digital age.</a><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/O_GfCZ4juuw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Here’s why you shouldn’t  that "sand between your toes" experience for granted!<br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/5DnMvBC86Ac" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><span>The Ike was the city’s first superhighway. <a href="http://interactive.wbez.org/curiouscity/eisenhower/" target="">In this special presentation, people affected open up about how it scattered ethnic neighborhoods and changed many lives forever.</a> </span><br><br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/HwFzHTnpPGY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>How clout, corruption, and construction without permits led to half the Loop being evacuated.<br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/YsYk_RzGIxA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Commuters are regularly hit with the announcement “Gambling is prohibited on CTA trains.” We find the reason behind the rule and look for those who inspired it.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/z0S-vPaQOrU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/zeppelin-poseurs-why-chicagos-airship-dreams-never-took-off/6bc1ecca-8e29-45c6-a8ed-1e5d58d38a3c" target="">In the 1920s, the city was head over heels for airships. So why did it let this once-futuristic technology float away?</a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/Ek3GfHh-FzI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/a-tale-of-resale-how-big-chains-rejected-produce-ends-up-in-local-grocery-stores/8c4d6023-50ea-4977-b09d-b611904b9189" target="">When one Chicagoan found brand-name Brussels sprouts at a bargain produce market, she had to wonder: How did these get here? And why are they so cheap?</a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/l3T5jiKvJBk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>A listener’s nostalgia for catching lightning bugs as a kid lead her to wonder: Are there any left these days? <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/why-fireflies-light-up-one-neighborhood-but-not-the-next/4ec491de-3388-4b4b-8916-56bc7ffc65bd" target="">Our experts say they’re around, just really, really fickle.</a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/ZxSh2DsvU-k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>It smells like garbage and gym shoes, but, surprisingly, the city’s geographic center says a lot about Chicago’s soul.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/CoiO7I9HA5E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Here’s a peek at what goes on inside some of these “mystery buildings” and how their architectural disguises have evolved over the decades. <br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/L2iXeJROA4s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><span style="color: rgb(44, 45, 48);float: none;background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rumor has it a young George Lawson was attacked by a shark while swimming at a Chicago beach in 1955. <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/getting-to-the-bottom-of-lake-michigans-legendary-shark-attack/939d4ecf-2dcc-4450-9ba7-5ca51a106e82" target="">Is it true, or just a bunch of bull shark?</a></span><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/wZLEW5HHbAk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/stories-behind-cta-l-lines-strange-curves-dips-and-twists/3a577410-24da-4e61-b115-e7a1529f4a10" target="">Here’s who and what to blame if you spill your coffee on your commute.<br/></a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/iZ2tepB1iR8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/what-killed-the-cook-county-fair/d2d0f22e-43d4-4fe0-9e0f-4635cd5502cd" target="">Before it fizzled out, the summer shindig’s blue ribbons, plump pumpkins and animal shows united a large, diverse county.</a><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/9s6wM2JsfNM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Sisters seek <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/the-killing-of-fred-goree-a-white-cop-a-buick-and-segregation-in-the-age-of-negro-league-baseball/bc3c18da-deb6-4016-a9ee-1ebf4c7612e9" target="">details about their grandfather’s Chicago baseball team, and his killing by a white police officer in 1925</a>.<br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/iwe71iaXEwo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The city’s cagey on estimates, but suggests you bring your best walking shoes.<br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/jQsmnmmxwSo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The city’s pushing pedestrian-friendly design, but<a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/mixed-signals-do-chicagos-crosswalk-buttons-actually-work/3776a8f6-af50-496a-beb8-741c4b3abbe0" target=""> it’s left one consideration at the curb. <!--EndFragment--><br/></a><br/><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/yRaoph_HsXY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Combine gangster-era liquor laws with a twist of modern creativity, add a dash of laid-back spirit, and you’ve got a cocktail that makes<a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/why-chicago-byobs-like-nobodys-business/71807bf7-f4b8-4264-8b04-fd23d869d804" target=""> Chicago the BYOB capital of the country. </a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/4_UqLYryn4A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Each migratory season leaves a flurry of birds dead at the feet of skyscrapers. But does that make a dent in the bird population?</p><!--EndFragment--><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/0G4sCn_ykok" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/chicagos-tornadoproof-delusion/07f3d6cc-3669-4ec6-80a0-d3fef840d478" target="">Yes, tornadoes can hit Chicago. Why do so many people think otherwise?</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/uBIpVTVv5L4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The answers are crazy. We’ll have fun looking. But you’ll probably be pretty mad by the end. Things are worse than you thought. <br/><b><br/>The bad news: </b>We’re paying out billions more than we take in. Just without setting priorities.<br/>The state comptroller — who makes the payments — calls it “ad hoc” and “ridiculous.”<br/><br/><b>The worse news: </b>We’re still letting billions of dollars in services go totally unfunded.<br/><br/><b>And: </b>We’re breaking the non-profits that provide those services. <br/></p><p><a href="http://wbez.is/1YpgNZM" target="">Full story, complete with charts.</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/gH_t-VOk2qo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p></p><p>Decades ago, Chicago’s Union Stockyards were the source of meat for the country, jobs for the city and ... field trips for Chicago Public School children. Really. (Related to a <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/the-fall-of-chicagos-porkopolis-and-the-rise-of-niche-meat/6cf8258f-04bf-4224-b817-ba12f9a9cd24">Curious City story about meatpacking in Chicago.</a>)</p><p></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/ZHcNONcgxOA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/not-in-your-front-yard-why-for-sale-signs-are-banned-in-oak-park/5d93f1e7-8540-495c-bbca-6bc7a4430702" target="">The village insists a decades-old rule to fight blockbusting</a> continues to protect a precious suburban commodity: diversity. <br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/vENjo4cDtkg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>If this retail mystery’s keeping you up at night, <a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/have-we-hit-peak-mattress-why-chicago-has-so-many-mattress-stores/c96f04df-fda3-44a3-8258-8f4b577de9f7" target="">here are answers.</a> Plus: Have we hit peak mattress? Warning: More puns ahead! <br/><br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/EPXctow7i4E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Today’s Chicago architects answer why they build the way they do, and to what degree their inspiration comes from the city’s past. <a href="http://wbez.is/1QMcN0W" target="">Full story, with photos and additional interviews from Chicago architects and developers</a>. </p><p></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/FhIgo7rO2FU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><a href="https://www.wbez.org/shows/curious-city/icebreakers-of-the-chicago-river-how-bubblers-boats-and-brawn-keep-the-city-safe-each-winter/55b934b6-0c6c-46f8-8b6a-30894174df7c" target="">How bubblers, boats and brawn keep the city safe each winter.</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/AaS8YZSP6Js" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Rifle sport shooting was once so popular in the city that even ComEd and schools had competitive teams. Today, there's not a range in sight.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/resbEcQoLpc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>How one girl’s dream for a snow day came true during the infamous blizzard of 1967.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/SZXXFjsz6BM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The city was once the nation’s meatpacking powerhouse. What, if anything, is left?</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/d_NAhrCSMXk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Answers to listeners' questions about the mysterious side of Chicago that lies beyond the soaring skyscrapers and the sheen of the Bean.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/3gMf4LlgwzM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>Lake Michigan was once a passenger steamer superhighway. Could a Chicago-to-Michigan route make a comeback?</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/rl7BP6H7vPE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p><span>Tempted to ignore the revolving door? Here are the revolutions that made the city a magnet for this seemingly simple device.</span><!--EndFragment--><br><br><br></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/3lKUjyJaTio" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>A half day from ... what? Why this suburban myth is not even half true, and why the same mistake was made again 600 miles away.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/puKnfkPVZ78" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>A look at how many riders it takes to make a bus profitable.<br/></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/Zhu85G1YLfA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>How a Chicago-area famiHow a Chicago-area family turned cheap plastic souvenirs into a nostalgia empire.ly turned cheap plastic souvenirs into a nostalgia empire.</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/Dr3pPf2z9Ws" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>

<p>The City of Chicago employs 20 full-time blacksmiths. But what do they do? And what's with the ancient job title?</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/CuriousCityPodcast/~4/ea_WWgfU-Xc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>