Added 9.25.18. Architecture can make our souls soar, or sink. At the same time, in big cities it is bound up in the economics of land development and the politics of preservation and zoning. In recent years, sustainability, landscape integration and practical functionality have all become more important in the practice of the craft. Or is architecture – can it be? – less a craft or industry than an art? If so, when and how does it rise to that level? Certainly, Chicago has a rich tradition of enduring, classic architecture in the city’s many vibrant neighborhoods and in its downtown. Milt in this 2011 episode explores the world of modern-day architecture, with a Chicago focus. His guests are the Pulitzer prize-winning architecture critic writing for The Chicago Tribune, Blair Kamin; and John Ronan, principal of the Chicago firm John Ronan Architects.

Added 7.18.18. Urban sociology was born in Chicago at the University of Chicago in the 1930s by street-savvy scholars who got out, explored communities and dug into non-academic realities to develop and test their theories. Broadly speaking, they were seeking  to better understand and document how immigrants, politicians, classes and interest groups in major cities relate to each other and conduct necessary social transactions, so that the urban organism is able to thrive and develop. Milt digs into the roots and present-day lessons of urban sociology for Chicago with two eminent scholars. One is Robert Sampson of Harvard University, author of “Great American City: Chicago And The Enduring Neighborhood Effect.” The other is Philip Nyden, Director of Loyola University’s Center For Urban Research and Learning. Callers add their own insights and observations, including some quite salient intel from a Chicago policeman on escalating gang-related murders.

Added 7.10.18. Milt in 2010 interviewed three Chicago policemen about what their work is like. They are Brendan Daugherty, John Wrigley, and Martin Preib – who had recently authored, “The Wagon And Other Stories From The City.” Describing the book, The Guardian wrote, “At the age of 40, after years in dead-end jobs supporting his writing habit, Preib joined the Chicago police department. His first job was driving the wagon to collect dead bodies, ‘the messy remains of failed life’ ..Preib is clearly not a typical cop. He considers quoting King Lear in a police report and, in between calls, he tells his female partner about how he is inspired by Walt Whitman’s work…From gruesome accounts of collecting corpses to pieces about the daily catalogue of crime and disorder on the city’s streets, these personal essays offer a powerful portrait of the dark side of one of America’s greatest cities.”

Added 6.26.18. True, four of the last seven governors of Illinois have gone to jail. And Chicago has long been a leading-edge laboratory of institutionalized political corruption. But don’t overlook the suburbs. Developing this theme further – with plenty of additional insight on state and Chicago corruption – are Milt’s two guests, in this 2012 episode. They are Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman who is chair of the political science department at University of Illinois, Chicago; and David Ellis, former chief counsel to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and lead prosecutor of now-jailed former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Simpson reports on findings of a new report he spearheaded, that “corruption is rife” in 61 Chicago suburbs.

Added 5.29.18. Milt sits down with three Chicago restaurant industry denizens to discuss the ins and outs of the business. They are GianCarlo Nardini, co-owner of Club Lago; Michael Taus, then chef-owner of Zealous; and Liz Van Leeuwen, then front of the house manager at Avec, a Mediterranean dining establishment. They dine out on a broad menu of topics including how to read – and sometimes – console your customers; handling difficult diners; the glories of communal seating, octopus and eel; and where to get the best steak dinner in Chicago.