ChicagoBars

How was it?

If you grew up going to museums or zoos in Chicagoland you can still smell this tweet. Mold-A-Rama 🐥 & 🏙️at @msichicago.bsky.social

Frankly, I expected better from a FIFA Peace prize winner

Enjoying a Half Acre Space at an undisclosed location @chicagobars.bsky.social ##BskyBeer

I don’t know who needs to hear this @chicagomayor.bsky.social @metraalerts.bsky.social @chicagobars.bsky.social But it would be great if Metra ran extra/extra trains for St Patty’s Day parade.

UP-NW is full by the time they reach Arlington Heights from Harvard.

@capitolfax.bsky.social @chicagobars.bsky.social this map is from 2010, but I think the distribution of wealth in Chicagoland explains why the Bears need the move to Arlington Heights to work and why Indiana will never work.

Hammond is 20 miles IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. The money is North and West.

#Undisclosedlocation best bar in Chicago @chicagobars.bsky.social

Good working lunch yesterday at Side Street Saloon in western Lakeview. The sneaky good kitchen is still sneaky good. #FreePlug

I vaguely recall the Bears sharing that over 50% of their season ticket holders live north and west of the City at some point.

When the Braves were selling their new suburban stadium a few years ago they did a fabulous spray map of where their season ticket holders lived (mostly north).

Remember to support Chicago’s legacy small businesses this Valentine’s Day weekend!

A tavern of distinction you should know (I would hope) for Chicago #TavernWeek2026 - River Shannon on Kinzie in the shadow of the Merchandise Mart.

Lunch specials daily and excellent bartenders always. Also a rare (for downtown) pool table in back.

Happy Chicago #TavernWeek2026 Eve to all who celebrate!

If @chicagobars.bsky.social is correct, I’m leaning that way too, the anti-union provisions are purposeful poison pills, because the math in IN on this deal is a huge windfall for the McCaskeys and IN likely won’t recoup much, even after 35 years

Enjoying an Equilibrium Mobius at an undisclosed location. @chicagobars.bsky.social #BskyBeer

They burned out. Not going to replace.

Enjoying a Krampus Melange at an undisclosed location @chicagobars.bsky.social #BskyBeer

Enjoying a Hailstorm Hotel Life at an undisclosed location @chicagobars.bsky.social #BskyBeer

Undisclosed location. Drinking a Goose Island beer.

And I have confirmed it will be one of the tiny handful of Chicago bars NOT showing the Bears game Sunday night (no TVs).

View of a rooftop water tank perched on its steel girder legs; behind it, an old industrial skylight. Bits of skyscrapers in background.

View of various rooftop HVAC and cooking exhaust pipes.

Great hotel staycation view for my taste. Water tank and . . . almost . . . the roof of Rossi’s. @chicagobars.bsky.social

Your bar, restaurant, grocery store can download their own here: ilcc.illinois.gov/content/dam/...

As is tradition I will now reveal the official Stare of Illinois required Proof of Age sign for 2026 from a distinguished downtown Chicago undisclosed location.

Brace yourselves people.

I know Chicago people can have strong feelings about painted over brick & stone buildings but I really like what they did with the Cardozo’s Pub building in the Loop…

Thanks to a moderate stomach flu I spent the past 72 hours drinking nothing harder than (liters of) Sprite Zero.

This concludes my Dry January 2026.

Onward.

Grok Can't Apologize. Grok Isn't Sentient. So Why Do Headlines Keep Saying It Did? Elon Musk’s chatbot has been “undressing” women and children in public. Journalists are letting xAI off the hook by pretending the bot is responsible.

I wrote about Grok's CSAM problem and how journalists keep fumbling the story

www.readtpa.com/p/grok-cant-...

Saks to sell Neiman Marcus property in S.F.’s Union Square as bankruptcy fears mount Faced with bankruptcy as a result of its acquisition of Neiman Marcus, Saks Global has sold a major property in San Francisco’s Union Square that was acquired as a result of the merger.

Like two floundering swimmers dragging each other beneath the waves. Saks bought Neiman Marcus. Little more than a year later, Saks is veering towards bankruptcy. Will it take down both stores in Chicago? Losing even one would be a major blow to Michigan Avenue.
www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...

Olive Black Lounge - Richmond, IL With locations in both Chicago and Richmond, IL, Olive Black sets the standard for modern, elegant martini bars and lounges in the area. Whether you�re on a date, out with the girls, or want to wind d...

And because January is the slowest month of the hospitality industry year and every place needs all the help they can get…that is the bar at Olive Black Lounge at 3032 N Lincoln Avenue and they are fully stocked with board games too. #FreePlug oliveblacklounge.com

Undisclosed location. Drinking @SeippBeer & @maplewoodbeer while commiserating with bartender co-owner after Chicago ATM bandits did some costly damage to her spot just before Christmas.

I greatly enjoyed this "Greetings 2026" customer email newsletter from a new(er) liquor store on Armitage called Off-Premise at 1128 W Armitage. #FreePlug offpremisechicago.com

"He looked rather pleasantly like a blonde Satan" is still one of my favorite sentences.

a purple background with the words just checking in on you on it ALT: a purple background with the words just checking in on you on it

“What are you looking at?”
“Bluesky, but I almost never check it.”
You have ANOTHER social media account?”
“Seriously, I almost never check it. I’m only on it to see if that one diehard Eagles fan at the Illinois Statehouse is still alive right now.”