Curious City

Latest Episodes:

What happened to Chicago's Japanese community? Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Lakeview once had a thriving Japanese community, but it fell victim to a push for assimilation. As one Japanese-American puts it: “You had to basically be unseen.”

Birdwatching Off The Beaten Path In Chicago Aug 11, 2022

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Tips and tricks for spotting and enjoying birds in Chicago, from far flung marshes, to one birder’s window.

How to Start a Community Garden in Chicago Aug 04, 2022

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Find out how the folks behind El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood changed a contaminated site into a space for neighbors to grow plants, keep bees, meditate, and congregate.

Chicago in 1910, and the City’s Long Rivalry with New York Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

A tourist to Chicago in 1910 might have gone to see hogs being butchered, sought illicit pleasure in Chicago’s vice district, or simply enjoyed the majesty of Lake Michigan. We virtually explore those sites, and then trace the long history of Chicago’s rivalry with New York City.

Florence Price and the Chicago Black Renaissance Jul 21, 2022

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As a classical composer and a Black woman, Florence Price blended African and European music into a new style of symphonic music.

Four Dances Invented in Chicago and One Traditional Dance Chicagoans Keep Alive Jul 14, 2022

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We track down the band members, musicians and dancers who popularized dances in Chicago, and meet the people who keep La Danza Azteca alive in Pilsen.

How the “Red Summer” of 1919 led to a more segregated Chicago Jul 07, 2022

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Curious City takes a deep dive into how Chicago’s powerful white institutions – from the police and the politicians to the banks and the realtors – used the 1919 race riots to cement a more segregated city.

Traveling Parties: A Queer Chicago Culture of Partying as Resistance Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

The history of traveling queer parties in Chicago is rooted in exclusion and racism. This week, we spoke with Pat McCombs and Vera Washington — longtime organizers of Executive Sweet, a traveling party focused on Black lesbians that got its start in the 1980s. We also talked with Tori and Jae Rice of smallWORLD Collective, a group that organizes events today — and learned how queer Black organizers have been at the forefront of traveling parties in Chicago.

Are there guardian angels at the Chicago Public Library? Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

Thinking about the next book you want to read? Librarians are way ahead of you. Find out how new books make their way in the Chicago Public Library system, and meet some of the librarians who make it happen.

Nicky's And The Big Baby: A South Side Burger Mystery Jun 16, 2022

Show notes

Dozens of unconnected fast food joins serve up the same popular Chicago cheeseburger under the same name.