Do you have a favorite thing to do in the city?
Not really. I like baseball. Games in the bleachers. Wrigley Field, or Comiskey Park, too. You’d go there at 2:30 and pick up a ticket for a 3 o’clock game for buck or a buck-and-a-half. Reserving a bleacher ticket, to me, is a big change.

What’s your most fundamentally Chicago restaurant?
I’m not up on the new joints, frankly. I have no favorite spots. [Thinks, then jokes] The spots not mentioned by gossip columns.

Is there a restaurant you especially enjoyed back in the day?
Riccardo’s. That was my favorite spot. People would argue and debate there. As I get older, all my friends become less and less in number. I don’t go out much.

Whom do you think is a fundamentally Chicago journalist?
There’s a lot of good journalists. Of course I love Mike Royko. Herman Kogan is probably the greatest editor this guy ever had. They’ve got good journalists today, around and about. And there are lots of women, too. I’m open to change. I’m ready for change at all times. Journalism has taken a beating because of TV making couch potatoes. That’s a TV word, couch potato. That’s a big danger, the acceptance of crap. Entertainment becomes politics. People are so interested in celebrities, which they always were, but now more than ever.

Which newspapers or magazines do you like to read?
Nation magazine.

Any Chicago publications?
I read both papers; the Tribune more than the Sun-Times. I read them all because they’re Chicago papers. I’d rather read about Chicago junk than New York big-time stuff.

Do you have a favorite local landmark?
No one landmark, no. A certain painting at the Art Institute called Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper—that’s my favorite. My folks had a little men’s hotel up on Grand and Wells, and there was an all-night diner down below. That’s Nighthawks to me. Friday nights I’d go down at two in the morning for apple pie à la mode.

What captures the essence of the city?
To me, the streets. I love Chicago streets. It’s hard to get lost here. It’s a city of neighborhoods. I think I’d have been dead, or a robot, if I were in New York or the West Coast.—Web Behrens

Frankie Knuckles
DJ, house-music pioneer

If you had to pick one, what would be the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant and/or dish?
Chicago is definitely known for having some of the best soul food in the world, providing you’ve had it in many other places. But I think even more so commercially, Chicago is probably recognized for it’s deep-dish pizza. Compared to what you find in NYC and even in Italy, this city wunderkind is probably part of Chicago’s food landscape.

What’s your most fond Chicago memory?
I think one of my fondest memories in Chicago perhaps came two years ago when Senator Barack Obama, the mayor and the city recognized me as one of their own, ultimately naming a street after me and declaring August 26th as Frankie Knuckles Day. I know it all seems very recent, but as a kid growing up in Chicago (between the ages of 21 and 31), I had already become a part of the Chicago nightlife circuit, and being embraced by the people of Chicago as their “godfather of house music,” the rest of the world followed suit.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter? What about summer, spring or fall?
In the winter? Find some place warm. In the summer? Enjoy the warm weather in the confines of a very nice air-conditioned place. But I must admit, I am very fortunate to be able to follow the sun on the tours that I work.

What’s your least favorite thing about the city?
The prejudice nature that looms around the city. It doesn’t come from the younger generation, but more of the older generation. Such a gorgeous city. These are the things that make it ugly.

What’s a fundamentally Chicago art venue for you?
I don’t know that I can put my finger on one particular place. But the Art Institute is still one of my faves.

What about music venue? Club? Bar? Sports team?
For quintessential Chicago music, I suggest starting at any of the number of churches featuring great gospel choirs. Then [segue] into any of the local blues/R&B nights spots. [For bars], we have fab spots like Sound-Bar, House of Blues, Zentra and, in the gay community, Hydrate, Cocktail and the Generator. What’s great about all of these places is how straight/gay-friendly they all are. [For] sports teams, the Sox, the Bears and, of course, the Bulls. So they may not win every game, but we love them all the same because they represent us.

Any favorite landmarks?
Any Frank Lloyd house still standing, and the DuSable Museum.

Whom do you really admire here?
Oprah Winfrey. Not for the obvious reason, but because she has made benevolence so fashionable. There was a time when most philanthropists kept their anonymity under the radar. I imagine because they weren’t always proud of the things their money endorsed. But Lady “O” has always spread her money where it does the most good. There hasn’t been a time that I haven’t watched one of her “favorite things” shows that I haven’t broken down and cried because of all the happiness she’s brought to so many in need.

Who captures the essence of the city in some way?
At the expense of not sounding like a tongue-tied gushing fan, Oprah Winfrey has to be hands down the true essence of this city. Apart from all the ugliness that lurks in our city’s periphery, she embodies everything that’s pure about this city. She’s loving and giving. Perhaps the most giving person on the planet. She listens and doesn’t judge. She feels like everybody’s great aunt, the one that always sneaks you that extra nickel when you were five years old and would say, “Here baby, Go have fun.” It’s not so much the money as it is the natural intent that comes from her heart. Everyone should have someone like this in their lives.—John Dugan

Amy Morton
Actor, Steppenwolf Theatre Company

What’s the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant?
Well, the Berghoff, but that’s out, isn’t it? Goddamn it. I have to say, between the Berghoff and Fannie May and Marshall Field’s, I’m, like, devastated. Why don’t we just call ourselves City? Because Chicago is just like slowly seeping out of it. But anyway, that’s my beef.

What about a dish?
The garbage salad at Gene and Georgetti’s is the best salad in the universe. And then, you know, you go there for the beef that is absolutely dripping off the plate because it’s so huge. It’s sort of a joke, but you go anyway.

What’s your fondest Chicago memory?
When I was a kid [living in Oak Park], going down to Marshall Field’s every Christmas and eating next to the big tree and looking at the windows was a big deal.

What is your favorite seasonal thing to do?
Spring and fall are my favorite in Chicago because they’re brief so you sort of relish every moment of them. I love Lincoln Park cause it’s the way I drive to work. Right around where the conservatory and the zoo are—in the spring, that’s just crazy-good.

What is your least favorite thing about the city?
Sometimes Chicago still has a cow-town attitude. Chicago doesn’t realize what a great city and what a sophisticated city it is. [But] my least favorite thing about the city is probably March—because it’s nothing but dingy and horrid. It takes true fortitude to get through March.

What’s a classic Chicago bar?
Well, it used to be the Gaslight Corner—that’s gone. Yet another Chicago institution. I’m sorry, you caught me at a bitter moment. And do you know they got rid of the chocolate smell? You know, it’s maddening. Um, a great Chicago bar…

Essential music venue?
The Green Mill. Just the fact that it’s been there forever and no one’s deigned to change it, which I really appreciate.

Do you have a favorite landmark in the city?
I love the [Buckingham] fountain. When we’d drive to Michigan to go to vacation, my mother always took Lake Shore Drive cause she was scared to death of the Dan Ryan. As a kid, that sight [of the fountain] always just thrilled me.

Whom do you really admire here in the city?
Studs Terkel. He’s a righteous, caring, gracious man.

Who captures the essence of Chicago?
Studs. I aspire to be Studs, if I could only be so lucky.—Novid Parsi

Mike North
Radio personality, 670 The Score sports radio

If you had to pick one, what would be the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant?
What about a dish?Roma’s beef on Cicero, between Montrose and Irving. Beef sandwich with fries and a tamale.

What’s your most fond childhood memory of Chicago?
Playing touch football when I was a kid, hanging out on the corner at Thorndale and Glenwood.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter? What about summer, spring or fall?
Winter: Drinking. Summer: Softball. Fall: Watching football. Spring: Watching the tulips blossom.

What’s your least favorite thing about the city?
Traffic.

What’s a fundamentally Chicago music venue for you? Club? Bar?
Any jukebox.

Any favorite landmarks?
Soldier Field. The columns. Except where the Jetsons meet the Flinstones.

What’s your favorite sports team? Now and/or of all time?
The White Sox.

Whom do you really admire here?
I like Mayor Daley.

Who captures the essence of the city in some way?
There’s a few. I’d say Studs Terkel. He’s been around a long time, and he’s got the streets on his face.—Margaret Lyons

Greg Knight
Director of visual arts, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and curator, Chicago Cultural Center

If you had to pick one, what would be the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant? What about a dish?
My favorite is Café Selmarie, because it’s so homey and slightly continental; it’s quiet and civilized. You can’t beat their little chicken potpie and, of course, their desserts!

Most fond Chicago memory?
I’ve lived here for 32 years. When I came to Chicago for grad school, I flew by helicopter from O’Hare to Meigs Field and then took a taxi to Hyde Park. O’Hare used to have a scheduled helicopter taxi service that flew into Meigs, and I just remember flying through buildings being my first memorable Chicago experience.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter? What about summer, spring or fall?
I like to go to movies or stay home in winter. Summer it’s great to be on my bike along the lakefront; it’s a great place to [bike] except when it’s too busy.

What’s your least favorite thing about the city?
That one comes to mind right away. Sirens, alarms going off—ambulances, firetrucks, police cars, car alarms. All that stuff is just nerve-wracking, and so frequently in the background at work and home. It’s definitely got to be the thing I like the least about living in this city.

What’s a fundamentally Chicago art venue for you? Music venues?
I thought of two that typify the large and small: The first is the Art Institute, as a world-class museum, and the other is Hyde Park Art Center, as a neighborhood place with good exhibitions. For music, the Symphony Center is good, and Lyric Opera is a real treasure. The HotHouse is good for live music.

Any favorite landmarks?
One that I haven’t been to in a while but I think is pretty wonderful is the Elks Memorial on Diversey. The inside is wonderful; the architectural design of it…it’s just opulent marble architecture, a mix of marble, inlay, metalwork and statuary.

Whom do you really admire here?
I really admire Susanne Ghez. She’s director of Renaissance Society, and has been for almost 35 years. She’s got an amazing tenure, and global reputation for contemporary art.

Who captures the essence of the city in some way?
This is going to sound self-serving, but it’s not! I think Lois Weisberg, my boss. She’s an incredible treasure for making things happen in the cultural and arts community. In terms of an actual essence—well, in one mind’s eye, Chicago is very much about a remarkable skyline and how it needs the lakefront, and that’s how it’s unusual in the way other cities work. It’s unique in how the skyline meets the lake.—Cecilia Wong

Bettina Richards
Founder, Thrill Jockey Records

If you had to pick one, what would be the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant? What about a dish?
There are really two answers to this question—there is the most classic “Big Shoulder” Chicago restaurant and the most “my Chicago” [one]. The Big Shoulders pick would be Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.; their pizza potpie is the ultimate Hungry Man’s meal. [But] since downing one pound of cheese is just not my style, I would say that Lula cafe is the most Chicago restaurant. It has a diverse and fresh menu; it is adventurous and unpretentious. It is run by caring community-minded chefs whose staff are all enthusiastic and down-to-earth. I would use many of the same words to describe the community of musicians in Chicago—I think it represents to me what is the core of my Chicago.

What’s your most fond Chicago memory?
I moved here from New York City, [but] a great and very recent memory for me was Tortoise playing the Frank Gehry–designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. It was a balmy evening; the stage glowed a warm glow from the lights bouncing off the beautiful wood interior, and the band’s own projections on the stage. Their music came out into the audience in waves of sounds, from quite marimba to full-on percussive power. Walking around the park I saw people of all ages and from all walks of life getting into the music—music that the greater music world would term challenging. It was great that city programmers embraced and showed off such inventive music, but to see people responding in such numbers…it was life-affirming for me.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter? What about summer, spring or fall?
[In the] spring, [to] get outside. After the slush and cold of winter, as soon as it is warm enough, all the many parks in Chicago call my name; the lake[front] path and a good run is always a sign of spring. [In the] summer, without a doubt, [it’s to] ride my bike down to Promontory Point and go for a swim and lie on the rocks and read a book. The city looks as if it is floating on a raft from that park—it is a fantastic view—and the deep water there is the best swim in Chicago. [In the] fall, [it’s] the Chicago Marathon. I ran it once, but I love to watch it as it runs down 18th Street in my home neighborhood of Pilsen. [In the] winter—I like to go all year, but I go most often in the winter—[it’s visiting] the Art Institute. I like to head downtown and pick a department that I will visit on the way, so that I am not only perhaps traveling to see a specific show, but perhaps just to check out a section that I have not visited in a while. There is so much to explore, and I must always visit my favorite paintings by William Bonnell. Go find them!

What’s your least favorite thing about the city?
The traffic. [It] seems totally out of hand. We are so lucky to have such a vast expanse to do our urban adventuring in, but, boy, can the traffic sap the life out of an adventurer!

What’s a fundamentally Chicago music venue for you? Club? Bar? Sports team? Shop?
[For] music venue: The Velvet Lounge is a national treasure and definitely a Chicago one. It’s run by Fred Anderson [the tenor master] and it also functions as an excellent teaching venue for young musicians. Fred’s open heart and open mind—and open stage on Sunday—is a backbone of our free-jazz music community. [For] bar, the Green Mill and the Rainbo; one for its history and interior, and the other for its interior and its role in my introduction to Chicago. [For] sports team, the Chicago Fire. [For] shops, Hats Plus at Irving and Cicero [because it’s] filled from top to bottom with hats—$600 Stetsons to cheap Kangols. It is mostly for the men, but what a bonanza! Across the street from there is the runner-up, City News: the greatest newsstand in Chicago.

Any favorite landmarks?
The Bean.

Whom do you really admire here?
Fred Anderson. Since moving up to Chicago from Louisiana as a child, Fred has been an tireless ambassador for Chicago though his horn and his music. He has set up structures to help other musicians, like the aforementioned Velvet Lounge and through the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, of which he was a founding member. Now in his 76th year, Mr. Anderson continues to push musical boundaries, with drummer Hamid Drake in particular, and remains a yardstick that I can use to take measure of myself.

Who captures the essence of the city in some way?
Richard M. Daley. He puts the wind in the Windy City.—Cecilia Wong

Arkansas Red
Radio DJ and host, WHPK-FM 88.5 radio station

What do you consider to be the most Chicago restaurant? What’s the most fundamental Chicago dish?
Uno’s Pizzeria. I like the soul-food restaurants but there’s not too many left around here. I also like to eat catfish at the Cracker Barrel in Matteson.

What’s your fondest Chicago memory?
Going to the blues and jazz festivals out on the lake.

What are your favorite things to do seasonally?
In the winter, I like to stay warm, stay in, and just get on the computer. In the summer, spring and fall, I like to go to those festivals and go out on the lakefront.

What’s your least favorite thing about Chicago?
The crime—the carjacking, purse snatching, drive-bys and all that stuff.

What’s your favorite music venue?
Favorite music venues [are] New Checkerboard Lounge [and the] House of Blues. [For sports teams,] the Bears [and] the Bulls. [For places to shop,] Marshall Field’s/Macy’s.

Any favorite landmarks?
Water Tower Place.

Whom do you really admire here?
W. Deen Mohammed [leader of the American Muslim Society], and Mayor Daley.—James Porter

Kelly Simmons and Elizabeth Gomez
a.k.a. Sister Sledgehammer and Juanna Rumbel, respectively, cofounders of the Windy City Rollers derby league

What’s your favorite restaurant? Favorite Chicago dish?
Kelly Simmons: Club Lucky—great authentic Italian tucked away in a comfy neighborhood setting. [My favorite Chicago dish] has gotta be pizza! I’m a fan of Chicago’s Pizza or Giordano’s.Elizabeth Gomez: Hot Doug’s. Chicago-style hot dogs, of course. Can’t say I’ve ever had a wiener quite like it and, oh, so filling!

What’s your fondest Chicago memory?
KS: [The] day spent as a tourist in my own town with my best high-school friend Shelly. We rode the trolley to the Field Museum, rode the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier, shopped and had lunch of State Street, and had manis and pedis at a North Side nail bar, then out for drinks at Fado and the now-defunct Polly Esters!EG: I have lots of fond memories of Chicago, even though I’m not from here. However, if I were to tell you my favorite, Dick Cheney would shoot you.

What are your favorite things to do seasonally?
KS: In winter, my favorite things to do are bowling, going to movies, and walking my dog to the dog park for a quick fetch before I head back in to hibernate. In spring, summer and fall, you’ll find me riding my bike in the far North suburbs or Wisconsin whenever possible, or exploring new neighborhoods with fellow skater and best friend Juanna Rumbel.EG: Crime fighting. Two years ago during [comics-book convention] Comicon in Rosemont, I had a meeting with the heads of the Justice League. I told them that Smallville had Superman, New York [had] Spider-Man and Wonder Woman, I think, works out in Texas. When, when would we have a superhero for Chicago? Swiftly, they gave me lessons in martial arts, rock climbing and a couple of superpowers. Poof! Automatic Crime Fighter. But, let me tell ya, these tights aren’t cheap!

What’s your least favorite thing about the city?
KS: My least favorite thing about the city would be a tie between the parking Nazis and the weather.EG: Playing Texas Hold ’Em with the kids at Lane Tech. Let’s face it, they’re better hustlers.

What’s your favorite music venue? Bar or club? Sports team? Shop?
KS: Chicago music for me is anything local—roots rock, anything from Bloodshot records, Devil in a Woodpile, Kelly Hogan, etc. As far as art goes, I love all the galleries in River North, but I spend a lot more time at the Art Institute [in the moderns section], and I love the Chagall stained glass. I’m not much for clubs—I’m more of a dive-bar girl—but I like the Fulton Lounge or Jet Vodka Lounge if you force me to get dressed up and get fancy. Otherwise, I’m happy at the Cork Lounge on Addison. [My] favorite sports team has to be the Windy City Rollers! And I love to shop at Glam to Go in Roscoe Village—Jen, the owner, is the sweetest person I have ever met and she has really special stuff for any gift or treat for yourself.EG: I love bagpipes. I never celebrated St. Patrick’s Day before moving here, and now it’s my favorite holiday. Bagpipers get me every time. Art space? Peter Jones Gallery. Club? 4H. Bar? The Cork Lounge and the Blue Light. Sports team? The Fury, Chicago’s favorite roller-derby team. Shop? The little porn store across from the Admiral. They sell Tootsie Poles!

Any favorite landmarks?
KS: My favorite landmark would have to be Wrigley Field—what I like to call the most expensive bar in the city.EG: The Congress Theater. Not only do we skate there, but it’s a beautiful building.

Whom do you admire in Chicago?
KS: I admire Dian Sourelis, the executive director of Creative Pitch, which collects supplies from printers and ad agencies and gives them to Chicago Public School teachers to use in their art classes. She came up with a great idea to help us all give back to our community in a really creative and productive way.EG: Sister Sledgehammer.

Who or what captures the essence of the city?
KS: It might sound biased, but I think our league really captures the essence of Chicago. We come from all over the country, from all ethnic and economic backgrounds, from waitresses to attorneys and everything in between. Like Chicago, we have a lot of heart, and we work hard to entertain the “city that works.”EG: The Windy City Rollers. We’re a league that is bold, diverse, and constantly growing.—Cecilia Wong

Chuck Renslow
President of the Chicago Leather Archives & Museum and founder-president of International Mr. Leather

If you had to pick one, what would be the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant? What about a dish?
Country Thai, on the 4600 block of north Damen. I’ve been in Thailand and I love Thai food, and I find that [the food here] is closer to the true Thai. It’s essential because Chicago is noted for its many different ethnic restaurants, and I think the best ethnic one is one that’s truly ethnic, rather than Americanized.

Most fond Chicago memory? Fave childhood experience?
I was born in Logan Square, 1929, so your question opens up a can of worms! [Laughs] There are a few. My childhood one was going to Navy Pier when it was really a municipal pier…Going there after the depression, because we were poor and we couldn’t afford anything. We took a streetcar that went all the way down to the pier. Later on as an adult, I would say the Democratic Convention [of 1968], when I was demonstrating. I wasn’t arrested, but I got teargassed. It wasn’t so bad because I saw it coming and put my hands over my eyes. But my face…my face felt like it got swollen from getting too sunburned. It was about two days before it went away. I think [Richard J. Daley] was a wonderful mayor, for the time. Not today, but the times were different then. He used to have dinners before an election, and every time he had a dinner, I’d go up to him, put out my hand and say, “Chuck Renslow, gay rights Chicago.” The one day I was at an event standing with Clifford Kelly, a black alderman from the South Side, and [Daley] broke rank, came up to me and said, “You know what? Your time is coming.” He was an astute politician, but he overlooked too much of the graft.

What’s your favorite thing to do in the winter? What about summer, spring or fall?
My favorite thing to do in the winter is stay home! [Laughs] In the winter, I usually go to dinners and fund-raisers. Spring is beautiful in the city. I like to see the city and walk by the park. In the fall, I go to theater and see ballet a lot. I think Chicago has the finest ballet in the world. I’ve seen ballet even in Russia, and I think we hold up to all of them.

What’s your least favorite thing about the city?
My least favorite thing about the city…that’s a tough one. I’m not saying the city is perfect, you know, but I just can’t answer that one.

What’s a fundamentally Chicago music venue for you? Club? Bar? Sports team? Shop?
The Symphony Orchestra, of course. For club, I’d say the Chicago Eagle in Andersonville. Touché and Eagle are the only leather bars in the city, but the Eagle is bigger, older and [has a] younger crowd.

What’s your favorite landmark?
That’d have to be Buckingham Fountain, because it’s traditionally so known and connected with the city.

Whom do you really admire here?
Mayor [Richard M.] Daley. I like mayor [Jane] Byrne, tremendously. I think she had great vision…she shot from the hip. But she wasn’t a good executive. She let other people push her around. Well this guy, although he doesn’t seem to be [doing] it…he is embracing every single thing in the city; he’s trying to bring them all together: gays, Latinos... just a bunch of ethnic groups together. I think he’s really trying to bring everybody together. We have some aldermen who are the same way: Helen Schiller—I think she’s extremely independent, very good. Then there’s Larry McKeon, a state rep who’s going out on a limb for many things.

Who captures the essence of the city in some way?
I don’t think anybody does, but I do think some of the sports teams do. I don’t think any one person captures the spirit of the city.—Cecilia Wong

Ratso
Chic-a-go-go host, puppet

If you had to pick one, what would be the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant?
Uh, I don’t know what the best restaurant is, but my favorite thing to eat is at Taste of Chicago because people drop so much food. It’s kind of a rats’ paradise.

What’s your favorite dish there? Do you have one?
Well, people usually can’t finish their giant turkey legs, so I usually eat a lot of those. Anything on a stick is good—pickle on a stick is good, watermelon on a stick...If you put a stick in it, that’s good eating

Did you grow up in Chicago, Ratso?
Of course I did. South Side!

What’s your favorite childhood experience in Chicago?
Well you know, Chicago Stadium and old Comiskey Park, there were so many rats, it was so much fun! There’s nothing better than sitting on the floor of the stadium eating some popcorn and watching Jordan.

What is your fondest Chicago memory?
Well, fondest Chicago memory, I guess when I talked to start doing cable-access shows, I love cable access, I think that’s one of the best things about Chicago, cable access. I’ve been all over the country, and it kinda stinks everywhere else. But when I started to come here and do this and meet all the kids, that really made Chicago for me.

What is your favorite thing to do seasonally—winter, summer, fall, spring?
Well, I guess in summer it’s pretty fun now to go to that crazy-face thing in Millennium Park and watch the kids scream. That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. That was $100 million well spent. Just watching the kids watching those faces in the water, and then the water pours down on the kids and they scream—that’s worth $100 million. So during the winter, hmm, I like to watch the ice skating on the midway, you know it’s not too crowded, and you can skate. I’ve got claws so I don’t have to rent skates.

What is your least favorite thing about the city?
Watch out for rat patrol and the graffiti busters. I like the alley to myself, I hate when the city tries to come in and take over.

What is a fundamentally Chicago music venue for you?
Hmm…fundamentally Chicago music venue…well let’s see, that’s kinda hard, they keep changing. Uh, I used to go to the Fireside all the time, I went to shows at the Fireside, but [now] you gotta be grown up, they stopped playing [for] all ages there. I like hearing the street musicians, like on Maxwell, I guess on the street and subways. [Unintelligible] She plays violin and tap dances at the same time. It’s awesome. I’m gonna go with the street musicians and the subway musicians. ’Cause that’s always all-ages. Except not those blue guys from South America. What’s the deal with them? Is it one group or are there millions of them?

What is your favorite landmark?
My favorite landmark? Maybe that giant Indian on 55th Street, on the top of the building. That dude’s awesome.

Whom do you really admire in Chicago?
Let’s see, who do I really admire in Chicago? I guess it would have to be whoever is shorter than that Bulls guy. I root for the shortest Bull.

Who captures the essence of the city for you?
Hmm. You know, even though we lost him last year, Oscar Brown Jr. seemed like the most Chicago guy I ever knew. He was a singer and a poet on the South Side and he just died last year. He came on Chic-a-go-go and he had this song about a monkey. It was so funny, that guy ruled. I really miss him.

And do you have any hilarious jokes about Chicago?
How does Mayor Daley pay for wet snow? With his slush fund!—Annie Tomlin

Tricia Tunstall
Co-owner of p.45 boutique

What do you consider to be the most Chicago restaurant?
Old school: Gibsons. New school: Blackbird.

What’s the most fundamental Chicago dish?
Char Dog from Wiener’s Circle.

What’s your fondest Chicago memory?
Opening p.45 in 1997 and watching my mom and dad meet Dennis Rodman during the opening party at Double Door.

What are your favorite things to do seasonally?
Winter: Going on vacation. Spring: Running by the lake. Summer: Watching baseball at Wrigley Field; [my] favorite evening [is] lounging with friends in the back garden at Enoteca Roma. Fall: Drinking a latte at Milk & Honey.

What’s your least favorite thing about Chicago?
Walking my dog on a cold, cold day with the bite of the wind hitting my face.

What’s your favorite music venue?
Chicago has a fantastic music scene. It is hard to pinpoint one venue, but my top three are the Vic, Metro and Double Door.

Favorite club?
I rarely go to clubs. If I am up that late, Sonotheque would be my choice.

Favorite bar?
Danny’s.

Favorite sports team?
The Bulls.

And the million-dollar question: Who’s your favorite designer?
P.45 has made it a point to promote local designers. I admire Shane Gabier for his intricate style and Lara Miller for her imaginative designs.

Any favorite landmarks?
Lake Shore Drive and the view at the [Adler] Planetarium.

Whom do you really admire here?
I most admire Jessica Darrow, with whom I started p.45. I admire her for her drive, compassion and her ambition to pursue causes that are close to her heart.

Who captures the essence of the city in some way?
John Hughes.—Annie Tomlin

Joe Shanahan
Owner, Metro and Smartbar

What’s the most fundamentally Chicago restaurant?
I don’t want to be too highfalutin, but Blackbird is, like, my favorite restaurant in town. It’s truly a Chicago institution in my opinion. The only piece of art in the whole restaurant is [by] Wesley Kimler, a Chicago artist. And they do all regional organic vegetables and organic meats. If anyone comes into town I send them there. I sent U2 there recently, they loved it. These are just guys from Chicago who had a good idea to make a white-tablecloth restaurant, and it’s really working. I save my money and go there when I can!

You grew up here in Chicago—what’s your favorite childhood memory?
I grew up on the South Side—Beverly, Evergreen Park area—and my father would take me on the…bus to the El or just take the bus from the South Side to Wrigley Field, so I has these great experiences with my father on the bus. I think my father turned me more toward the Cubs, but I was just a big baseball fan. There’s this great story—when I was very young, I was running away from my mother, she was after me to do something, and I was running away—and there was a sportswriter who lived on our block—and I was running through the gangways of all the houses and my mom was in pursuit of me and I was stopped by this huge, huge man, and he picked me up and he said to me, “Are you running away from your mom?” And I said, “Yeah…,” and he said, “Don’t do that, your mother knows what’s right for you…be a good boy.” And I look up and said, “Who are you?” and he said, “I’m Ernie Banks from the Chicago Cubs.” So I remember it was about 1969 when I kind of flipped the script and I was fully a Cub fan. Ernie Banks was my favorite player because he was such a cool guy. I didn’t get into so much trouble from that point with my mom, you know. I told Ernie that story as an adult and he recalled it. How many kids do you remember running away from their mom on the South Side of Chicago?

Favorite thing to do in the winter?
There’s one thing I really like to do—go to the Montrose hill with my daughter and son, and my good friend Scotty and his two daughters, and sled. I love that sledding hill, I think it is so cool and it’s close to the house, so we can just throw the saucers in the truck and go up there, and it’s free and it’s fun, and the kids never get tired of it. I usually jump down and go with my son—he’s in second grade—and you get a lot of steam from it, man. It’s a pretty good ride.

What about spring, summer and fall?
We love the conservatory. Garfield Park or Lincoln Park. And any time we’re feeling just a little bit blue, [we] go in there, walk around and the temperature change is such a pleasant experience. We’ve actually shot our Christmas card in the conservatory for many years. We love the Chihuly sculptures out in Garfield; it’s an amazing facility and one of the great treats of Chicago. I love fall baseball. I love that baseball has that extended summer…if you’re still playing in September and October, it’s an exciting time. And it’s also the start of basketball. I’m a big Bulls fan. And then hockey—so there’s a sports kind of theme there for the season.

Least favorite thing about the city?
It’s almost cliché, but it’s the potholes. I can’t understand why there’s so many potholes. I mean, I know it’s hard to keep up with ’em, but it’s crazy. You’re driving down Lake Shore Drive and you see these things and you’re like, I can’t believe someone hasn’t been out to fix that. That was there last week, and the week before—and it’s as big as a suitcase!

What’s an essential Chicago music venue?
Without being too egocentric, I really do spend a lot of time here at Metro. I’d have to say Metro. I spend a lot of time in that balcony, watching shows, or in the sound booth watching shows. I probably spend more time here than any other place in the city. I truly love coming here. [It’s] part of the joy of being in Wrigleyville, being surrounded by great neighbors, the Gingerman, Tuscany…it’s a great block. I’ve been coming to the same address to work for 23 years. It’s quite unusual. [Laughs] I’d have to say the Gingerman is probably one of my favorite bars; I go in there all the time. They’re friendly, great jukebox—they pour Guinness the way it’s supposed to be poured, which is important to me.

What are your favorite memories of the Metro?
The final performance of the Smashing Pumpkins especially ranks in the best musical memories…and certainly when Bob Dylan played here. And probably when Prince played here, too—a couple times he played his after-shows here. He’s an amazing person. He did these after-sets, charge 20 or 30 bucks at the door and he just plays till he’s tired, plays for two or three hours, he does covers and sometimes plays some of his own material, but he does covers and sort of jams, just jams, it’s so killer. The Prince after-sets.

Any favorite landmarks?
Buckingham Fountain. Absolutely. I just love it, since I was a kid. Someone did something smart when they were building the city. I love the idea of where it sits…I take pictures of it every year, watching it change. When the wind’s blowing the right way, you get kind of this mist spray. Even in the winter, they put the lights in it…it’s never dead, it’s somehow alive. And when you come up Congress, you see it, you know, the vista—wow!—and then you have the lake behind it. Good planning by our forefathers.

Whom do you really admire?
I just finished listening to Barack’s book on CD. He won a Grammy for it. I have always really admired him. Senator Barack Obama. There’s some hope in Washington. As a father of two and a business owner and feeling very committed to Illinois and Chicago, I think there are political things that concern me as my children are getting older. I’m glad there’s someone like that there, standing up for certain things that I believe [in]. He’s very fundamental, knowing the difference between right and wrong. What’s right is not always popular. What’s right doesn’t always make the most money. And what’s right is where we need to be thinking. And he’s right where we need to be thinking. He’s a thinker. He thinks long term, as opposed to short term. And I think that’s what I admire about him most. I did a press conference with him [after E2] and I walked away saying, Boy, he’s the right guy. And the more I ran into him at different political functions and over the years, I…just completely believed in him. I feel that he’s where he’s at for a reason—there’s no doubt he’s well qualified for this.

Who captures the essence of Chicago in some way?
Maybe Studs Terkel. Every time I read one of his books…he’s got it figured out. My alderman even—Tom Tunney—first openly gay alderman, owned Ann Sather with his family for many years, a business leader, a fun guy, a music lover, a theater lover, and here he is—it’s a really interesting ward what goes on up here—lots of theater, lots of music, he’s almost perfect for it, born for it. Tom’s a good candidate. But even my local dry-cleaner guy, this guy Paul, he’s like the essence of Chicago. I walk in, [and he says,] “Hey Joe, what’s happening, [what are] you do this weekend, how were the bands?” I mean, that’s Chicago. It’s hard to pinpoint one thing because the essence is pretty deep. That’s the melting pot question, there’s not just one—our city is too diverse and too interesting.—Leah Pietrusiak