The Time Out Chicago blog team

Visiting “The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page” at the Gold Coast’s Driehaus Museum feels a bit like opening a very elegant jewelry box: beautifully crafted, lovingly arranged and also...surprisingly compact. Tucked away into two rooms on the museum’s top floor, the film-inspired exhibit offers a curated peek behind the yellow brick road—costumes, concept art, early editions of L. Frank Baum’s original book and just enough memorabilia to spark a pleasant jolt of nostalgia. Open through March 15, 2026, this charming installation spans two small but immersive galleries dedicated to script writing, costume design and production. Curated by memorabilia expert Laura Woolley, the exhibit draws from Richard Driehaus’s private collection and showcases gems like a replica of the Cowardly Lion's medal of courage, a prototype flying monkey costume and a rare early draft of the screenplay. As someone who dressed up as Dorothy for multiple Halloweens, I arrived ready to be whisked into Oz and learn a thing or two about the film that shaped so many childhoods. Walking through, I found myself charmed in the way one might be charmed by a well-behaved dog donning a sweater: The sight may not be life-changing, but it’s certainly pleasant, and you can tell someone put real effort into the endeavor. Photograph: Shannon ShreibakAn Emerald City townsman jacket featured in the exhibit. The exhibit's highlights include a replica of Dorothy’s slippers—one of only 20 editions worldwide—and a...

If you ever needed proof that Chicago takes its food seriously, look no further than Italian Beef Fest 2025. The juicy, messy, lovable Italian beef sandwich takes center stage at the eighth annual festival this month. The celebration of Chicago's favorite sandwich is a DIY, all-you-can-eat party featuring some of the most respected sandwich spots in the region. This year’s event will take place on November 29 at Double Play Saloon in Blue Island. The bar will transform into a beef lover’s paradise with a spread that's basically a greatest hits of Italian beef purveyors. You'll start with three inch cuts of bread from Turano and Alpha, then build your own dream sandwich with beef and toppings from participating shops. A little Portillo's here, a little Johnnie's there... mix and match to make your ideal Italian beef creation. The official 2025 lineup is still being finalized, but past years have included heavy hitters like Portillo’s, Johnnie’s, Scatchell’s, Carm’s, Little Joe’s, Bari, Calabria Imports, Nana’s, Bob O Dogs, Pop’s and Tony’s. The debate over which Italian beef is best may be never-ending, but here you can not only sample them all, but also Frankenstein your favorite ingredients into one super sandwich. Of course, no Italian beef is complete without giardiniera, its pickled partner in crime—which is why the festival features a full giardiniera bar stocked with mild, hot and everything in between. Sides from D'Masti's, including their much-loved potato salad,...

“If you don’t have hope or some type of imagination for the future, where are you gonna go? Nowhere,” Emanuel “Manny” Edwards tells me as he reflects on Goody Vault being named Time Out’s No. 1 secondhand store in Chicago. He’s sitting cross-legged on the floor of his Wicker Park storefront, in a makeshift conversation pit carved out of weathered secondhand couches piles of vintage clothing—his preferred way of grounding himself in the world he’s been building since 2018. What his imagination didn’t include, at least at first, was supplying hand-mended vintage to the costume department of The Bear or to stylists who dress the likes of Charli XCX. Edwards’s aesthetic—an alchemy of hand-mended sportswear, militaria and workwear dating as far back as the 1800s—stands out precisely because it isn’t engineered for an audience. It’s a reflection of himself. His stitches, his patches, his instincts: All of it emerges from self-knowledge rather than trend forecasting. RECOMMENDED: Chicago’s best thrift stores for secondhand, vintage and resale shopping “What’s tied into people dressing the way they do?” he asks. “It’s your self-esteem, how you view yourself, how you view the world, what you can afford.” Edwards didn’t enter adulthood imagining he’d dress anyone. Before all this, he spent nearly a decade working for the Department of Defense—an office job equipped with leadership training, a life coach and other resources he credits for the deep self-knowledge that now anchors...