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"The food — the wide assortment that you can find." — Jordan S.

“Pueblito Viejo on Lincoln! (Super OG Colombian spot)” — Giselle V.

“Sinhá restaurant at 2018 W Adams St!” — Kate S.

“The diversity and abundance of cuisines in Chicago. Recent social media trends show an overabundance of “best of” lists and rankings of different foods/restaurants. I believe that this is a big enough city with room for everyone; each restaurant/establishment has something to offer. Not everything has to be ‘the best.’ There is something for everyone all across the city.” — Julio L.

“I love Bruna's in the Heart of Chicago off of Western. My family has been going for decades. The owner Luciano walks around to each table with a glass of wine in his hand.” — Lizzie

"All the kinds of fusion restaurants we have." — Michelle N., City Cast Chicago producer

“I love the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and how it can be a coin toss between food poisoning and the best restaurant you’ve ever eaten at.” —Eric R.

"Ethnic grocery stores where you can find A N Y T H I N G." — Simone A.

"Having amazing tacos at the back of a Mexican grocery store." —Michelle N.

“Tacos from the back of a grocery store.” — Lisa F.

All of the amazing Caribbean food and Chicago’s love for Jerk food

“That Chicagoland Subways always have giardiniera. In fact, just giardiniera. I LOVE it!” — Jason H.

“The Mr. G sub (with giardiniera) from JP Graziano's — and the man himself, Jimmy Graziano.” — Lawrence B.

“The Kali Mist sub from Cheba Hut in Lakeview!” — Carson M.

 (“We just called it thin-crust in my day.” — Bob Z., City Cast Chicago senior account executive)

True tavern-style pizza at Vito & Nick’s

"Learning that D'Agostinos has pizza that is half-off on Wednesdays 🤓" — Sidney M.

“JB Alberto's slinging slices (and whole pies) at Northside bars!” — Mara J.

 and only kind of regretting it." — Wil F.

“Leavitt Street Tavern burger being arguably the best in the city (Michelle would back me up on this one).” — Sidney M.

“The $20 burger, beer, and shot special at Leavitt Inn and Tavern.” — Michelle N.

The jukebox and paintings at Old Town Ale House

“The Whale in Logan Square.” — Maggie S.

“Sunday Roast at Hawksmoor!” — Tricia G.

"Old-school Chicago restaurants like Lou Mitchell's and Manny's Deli that have become institutions." — Sidney M.

Cheap, late-night hot dog or burger from Red Hot Ranch

"Chicago's commitment to combining foods and bevs 

 (e.g., Italian beef pizza, beer-flavored pizza, caramel popcorn beer, cbd giardiniera)." — Sidney M.

“So many options for great ribs and chicken.” — Katie W.

“The Sportsman Summer BBQ Series.” —Emily C.

Chicken sandwich from Big Boss Fried Chicken

“Oakley Foods and all neighborhood corner stores who really know the community members.” — Jacoby C.

“Walking to your neighborhood corner store for 

Testing lists

Urban Almanac

You’ve probably heard by now that the Vaux’s swifts have left Chapman Elementary — their main stop in Portland since at least the nineties.

It’s not clear why they haven't come back there — or whether they'll return. But here are some bird-watching tips for now, including where they’ve been spotted around town:

🖊️ Tips for Helping Keep the Swifts Around:

If you do go in search of watching the annual fall migration, please take care not to scare them off — or annoy property owners into wanting to take action to move the birds along.

some common-sense tips from Joe Liebezeit

, the statewide conservation director for the Bird Alliance of Oregon: “ Be considerate of the communities,” he says.

Do not get close to the birds with a drone. This should be obvious, but it wasn’t at Chapman — it's one theory of why they left. “ We know that drones are perceived by birds as a predator,” says Liebezeit.

Keep off private property where there are security guards warning you away — or it’s otherwise extremely obvious that swift-watchers aren’t welcome. “Sometimes you'll see people [at some locations], and it's probably okay in those instances,” he says.

Walk or take public transit if at all possible, so you’re not part of overwhelming the area with traffic. If you do go by car, try to park at a distance.

Property owners who have swifts are encouraged to contact the Bird Alliance of Oregon for support.

Thankfully, the swifts are still visiting Portland, but are choosing new locations. There are several spots the birds have picked this year, which have been shared widely online, including:

Abernethy has been seeing a substantial number. 

 Like Chapman, this is a public spot. You are welcome here, but again, please, don’t scare off the birds.

It's a spot where birdwatchers have maintained a count in past years. And there have been sightings this year too.

Bertman House (37th and Washington, Milwaukie)

. But they’ve now returned. (Maybe that’s a hopeful sign for Chapman in future years.)

📲 Have you had a chance to seen the swifts this year? Please email us if you’re willing to share your viewing spot. (

nlp test

Chicago is such an expansive city, and when you’re walking around, it may not always be easy to find a public bathroom that is free. Here are some different spots to go when ya gotta go.

This skyscraper in the Loop, previously known as the Sears Tower, has a bathroom on the 103rd floor. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to the toilet at 1,353 feet 👀

, this restroom within the specialty doll store is an especially great spot for your kids. The mirrors and sinks are designed for children’s height. Plus, there’s a holder to safely secure your child’s new doll.

Located on East Washington Street, this is the perfect place to take a break while exploring the city, especially for a quick and convenient restroom visit. Plus, the building itself is definitely worth checking out!

This downtown department store is an ideal stop when you need to use the restroom, as there are no codes required — no hassle with locked doors!

There are a couple of good bathrooms at Navy Pier, including one at the Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion. And luckily for you, this pavilion is open year-round.

, offer public restrooms, making them great options when you're out and about. However, some bathrooms may occasionally be locked when they shouldn't be, so they’re not always the most reliable option.

Chicago is home to many libraries with free, public restrooms, and the 

 is an excellent choice when nature calls. Another great choice is the library in 

In any city, a hotel can be a great spot to use the bathroom for free. If you walk into the lobby with enough moxy, you’ll make your way to the bathroom with no problem.

Bars in Chicago are the same deal. If there isn’t a bouncer, just walk in like you own the place and you’re home free. And if you get caught … well … ask for the cheapest drink on the menu!

Where’s your favorite spot to go in Chicago?

Where To Find Free, Public Bathrooms in Chicago

Beavers are cute, industrious, and an important part of Pennsylvania’s ecosystem, but they were once wiped off the land. Let’s explore how America’s largest rodent made a comeback in the Keystone State and where you can (safely) see one today. Wow!

Before the arrival of European colonists, beavers were abundant in North America, but by the late 1800s excessive trapping and rapidly changing landscapes had eradicated the entire population in Pennsylvania. Fur pelts were a hot commodity at the time, its thick and water-repellent properties being used for the production of hats and clothing.

 Stetson hats are synonymous with the West, but John B. Stetson actually 

After the state legislature passed a law to protect beavers in 1903, the Pennsylvania Game Commission acquired a pair from Wisconsin and 

released them into a remote valley in Cameron County

 in 1917. With additional releases and conservation efforts, beaver populations were stable enough to allow for trapping by 1934. These adorable creatures are so abundant now, you might catch one 

At 50-plus pounds, beavers are indeed the largest native rodent in the country. Beyond the “aww” factor, their dam-building greatly impacts the ecosystem around them.

Researchers in Colorado found that beaver-modified landscapes fare better in wildfires — and they’re already 

deploying beavers for wildfire prevention

. Such is their importance that the Game Commission has a 

 — a document stating that the furbearer’s environmental impact “far outweighs their economic worth.”

catch one. Though, if you find yourself in conflict with a beaver — their damming can cause flooding and tree damage — you can 

 section of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium.

see them in action!

How Beavers Went from Eradication to Abundance in Pennsylvania

Beavers are cute, industrious, and an important part of Pennsylvania’s ecosystem, but they were once wiped off the land. Let’s explore how America’s largest rodent made a comeback in the Keystone State and where you can (safely) see one today. Add words.

The national buzz around two broods of periodic cicadas this year has infected Pittsburgh, but I have bad news for those who were excited: They’re not coming to Pittsburgh. Let’s talk about the confusion, where the periodic cicadas will actually emerge, and the adorably named cicada that will definitely visit us this year.

*In this context. The periodic cicadas in question are called Brood XIII and Brood XIX, the latter of which is the largest of all periodic cicadas. They’re both a dark black color with red eyes. According to the University of Connecticut, this is 

 that these two specific broods will co-emerge. This is primarily happening 

around the Midwest and parts of the South

I’m not sure why there was confusion about periodic cicadas coming to Pittsburgh, since we’re most definitely 

 (🎧), but now I have good news: There’s one cicada that emerges in Pittsburgh every year.

The annual cicada that we get every year is boringly named 

but adorably called dog-day cicada. They’re around 2 inches long, a brown and green color, and even larger than periodic cicadas. Dog-day cicadas typically emerge in 

And if you find them creepy, don’t worry, they’re vegetarian and will only bite plants. Which brings me to another cicada story with a headline too good not to share.

 turning some of these bugs into “zombie cicadas” and here is how news outlet Them summed it up:

 and will cause infected bugs to lose their genitalia and produce a hormone that causes hypersexuality, leading males to pretend to be females to try to mate with other males. But there’s a twist: Scientists in our region are hopeful that part of that 

Cicadas are yummy!

The annual cicada that we get every year is boringly named Tibicen canicularis, but adorably called dog-day cicada.

Periodic Cicadas (And Why They’re Not Coming to Pittsburgh)

A second troll is coming to Colorado. The first — the infamous, 15-foot 

 — lives in Breckenridge. You can find him watching over hikers strolling along the Trollstigen Trail. Isak is known to be quiet but friendly, always willing to indulge selfie-takers, but doesn’t take kindly to being climbed on. He serves his community by showing visitors the benefits of recycling (he is, after all, made entirely of reclaimed wood). Your best chance for catching Isak on his own is before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Soon though, Isak will have a fellow troll friend not too far away. The 

new troll is expected to take up residency

 somewhere in Teller County, a few hours south of Denver, and arrive sometime between July 27 and August 4. Like Isak, the Teller County troll is coming to us from the troll king himself, Danish artist and activist Thomas Dambo — and it’s not the only one! Dambo is in the middle of a cross-country journey during which he will introduce 10 new trolls, each with their own unique personality, to forests and parks across the U.S. You can keep your eye out for updates on the Teller County troll — and its brethren in other states! — by following 

👀 Plan a Troll-Sighting Trip!

A second troll is coming to Colorado. The first — the infamous, 15-foot Isak Heartstone — lives in Breckenridge. You can find him watching over hikers strolling along the Trollstigen Trail. Isak is known to be quiet but friendly, always willing to indulge selfie-takers, but doesn’t take kindly to being climbed on. He serves his community by showing visitors the benefits of recycling (he is, after all, made entirely of reclaimed wood).

Urban Almanac: Trolls

BFM: Trolls in Colorado

Big news for the local bug-loving community: Last month, the Butterfly Pavilion saw the emergence of its very first lab-bred adult fireflies as part of its 

, an initiative born in 2019 dedicated to breeding native Colorado fireflies in order to learn more about their life cycles and sustainability needs.

Yes! They can be found in small populations along the Front Range from Greeley to Pueblo. They require wet habitats and can be seen lighting up the evening sky for a few short weeks in June and July (mating season).

The team at BP took notes about the kind of environmental factors — from diet to shelter to temperature — that will best help this species thrive. Fireflies serve as an indicator species for wetland habitats; their health directly indicates the overall health of their surrounding ecosystem.

BP will continue to study this species and other fireflies native to Colorado with the goal of breeding a sustainable population in the lab as part of conservation efforts — and you can help! The next time you see fireflies, report the sighting to the 

If you know where to look, you can spot the little lightning bugs in Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, and even Littleton! Check out 

Fireflies are not flies at all, but beetles!

Once they reach adulthood, they only live for a few weeks

Each firefly species has its own distinct flashing “language”

The females of some species are known to flash patterns of other species to attract those males, which they then kill and eat

Big news for the local bug-loving community: Last month, the Butterfly Pavilion saw the emergence of its very first lab-bred adult fireflies as part of its Firefly Lifecycle Project, an initiative born in 2019 dedicated to breeding native Colorado fireflies in order to learn more about their life cycles and sustainability needs.



Colorado Has Fireflies

Colorado Fireflies Are Lit

You’ve probably heard of “murder hornets.” They’ve taken the internet by storm since they were first spotted in the U.S. in 2019. But there are a few things you’ve probably gotten wrong about these hornets, and bug scientists want to set the record straight.

. They were previously known as the Asian Giant Hornet (or “murder hornets” by the public and the media). But in an effort to avoid anti-Asian sentiments, the Entomological Society of America officially 

Also, despite their intensely painful stings that can sometimes elicit deadly reactions, 

. (Yay! 🙏) But they do murder honeybees. (Boo 👎)

 If you, like me, thought you saw one fly into your campsite recently, you were wrong. According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Northern Giant Hornet can’t survive in our dry climate. Instead, we’re most likely 

, which is native to Colorado and is a rather helpful type of wasp. They tend to show ambivalence toward humans and help us eradicate peskier pests like locusts and cicadas.

Cicada Killer Wasps vs. Northern Giant Hornets

Urban Almanac

Testing lists

nlp test

Where To Find Free, Public Bathrooms in Chicago

Latest articles

How Beavers Went from Eradication to Abundance in Pennsylvania

How Beavers Went from Eradication to Abundance in Pennsylvania

Periodic Cicadas (And Why They’re Not Coming to Pittsburgh)

BFM: Trolls in Colorado

Colorado Fireflies Are Lit

Molly: Murder Hornets’ and Cicada Killer Wasps