Curious City

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**Curious City**

Ask questions, vote and discover answers about Chicago, the region and its people. From WBEZ.

Latest Episodes:

Ferry-tale: Could a Chicago-to-Michigan Ferry Return from Extinction? Dec 11, 2015

Show notes

Lake Michigan was once a passenger steamer superhighway. Could a Chicago-to-Michigan route make a comeback?

The Swinging Times of Chicago's Revolving Doors Dec 04, 2015

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Tempted to ignore the revolving door? Here are the revolutions that made the city a magnet for this seemingly simple device.

Half Day Road and the Origins of a Semantic Slip-up Dec 03, 2015

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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.

Fare Game: When do CTA Buses Break Even? Nov 20, 2015

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A look at how many riders it takes to make a bus profitable.

Mold-A-Rama-Rama! The Secrets Behind Chicago's Plastic Souvenir Empire Nov 13, 2015

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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.

Blacksmiths: The 'Plastic Surgeons' on Chicago's Payroll Nov 06, 2015

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The City of Chicago employs 20 full-time blacksmiths. But what do they do? And what's with the ancient job title?

'Poland elsewhere': Why So Many Poles Came to Chicago Oct 30, 2015

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How generation after generation of Polish families made the city into a 'Poland elsewhere.'

Can Chicago Brag about the Size of its Polish Population? Oct 26, 2015

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A Grabowski team of demographA Grabowski team of demographers help us test the city’s claim of having the most Poles outside Poland.ers help us test the city’s claim of having the most Poles outside Poland.A Grabowski team of demographers help us test the city’s claim of having the most Poles outside Poland.

Don't Believe the Height! Why Chicago Suburb Names Flat Out Lie about their Elevation Oct 16, 2015

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From Chicago Heights to Mount Prospect, here’s why Chicago suburb names flat out lie about their elevation.

Shadow City: How Chicago Became the Country's Alley Capital Oct 10, 2015

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How Chicago became the alley capital of the country and why so much of the rest of the region is conspicuously alley-free.