We, like you, are not made of money. And while we personally love going out to get a fancy cocktail – or, like, 4 fancy cocktails – from time to time, our wallets are not always quite so enthusiastic. Given that drinking anywhere in Chicago is often times soooo damn expensive, we’re guessing that you might feel the same way. So, in a last-ditch effort to give your bank account and ours a much-needed respite, here are the various destinations to get cheap drinks in Chicago.19

No need to thank us, you’re already welcome.

Estelle’s

2013 West North Avenue – 1/2 off everything 5pm–7pm M-F, $5 Tito’s cocktails on Thursdays 

Estelle’s is one helluva neighborhood bar – and it’s definitely got the drink specials to match. It is one of the cheapest bars in Chicago that offers daily happy hour specials that run from 5pm–7pm, Mondays through Fridays, and offers half off EVERYTHING but food and shots, meaning your average cocktail is only gonna cost you about five bucks. As if that wasn’t enough, Estelle’s also offers $5 Tito’s mixed drinks on Thursdays, $4 Ferent Branca shots on Monday (for when you’re feeling fancy), and a $7 High Life + Four Rose combo on Sundays. I mean, why would you ever spend more than $10 on a cocktail when this exists?

Antique Taco

1360 North Milwaukee Avenue – $9 Margarita

Okay, so I get that $9 might not seem like a cheap drink, but in a city where specialty cocktails regularly cost us upwards of $11, nine bucks is a miracle and you know it. Not only does Antique Taco offer a $9 classic marg at each of its three locations, but they also do a mean rosemary and seasonal option for the same price. As an added benefit for all my cheapos out there, margarita pitchers at Antique Taco are also just $30. Gimme, please.

Kincade’s

950 W Armitage – so, so many specials

Okay, deep breath – Kincade’s offers: $3 Miller Lite and Coors Light drafts on Tuesdays, $1 domestic bottles on Wednesdays, $10 domestic PITCHERS on Thursdays, a $4 draft o’ the day on Fridays, AND, last but not least, $6 Tito’s cocktails, Bloody Mary’s, Jumbo Screwdrivers, and White Trash Mimosas on Sundays.

Did you catch all that? ‘Cause this perpetually full sports bar is pretty much the cheap drink Mecca.

Delilah’s

2771 North Lincoln Avenue – again, so many specials

Delilah’s is Lincoln Park’s resident beer bar and features nearly 200 different drafts and bottles for you to take for a spin. In a concerted effort to get you to drink as much awesome beer as humanly possible, Delilah’s offers up cheap-as-hell daily specials such as $1 beer and $2 Jim Beam on Mondays, $3 High Life bottles on Tuesdays, $3 PBR longnecks and $3 Evan Williams White Label Bourbon on Wednesdays, $3 Schlitz Bottles and $3 Lot 40 Rye on Thursdays, $3 Labatt Blue and $3 Maker’s Mark Bourbon on Fridays, $3 Molson Canadian and $3 Four Roses Bourbon on Saturdays, and $3 Hamm’s Premium Lager Pints and $3 Redemption Rye on Sundays.

Why you would ever buy another beer for more than $3 again, I don’t know.

Boleo

122 West Monroe Street – $8 Disco Punch, $6 Beer, and $5 Anticuchos during happy hour

There is nothing we love more than getting a sweet deal at an expensive restaurant — and happy hour at Boleo is just that. This swanky rooftop bar is usually mixin’ up $12 cocktails, but starting at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, that price is slashed nearly in half to accommodate cheap drinkers like yours truly. Plus, Boleo’s happy hour goes until about 7 pm, meaning I can have my deal with dinner this time around. Order up a $5 Anticuchos for a traditional Peruvian street skewer.

The Owl

2521 North Milwaukee – 1/2 off cocktails and beers from 6 pm – 8 pm

The Owl is Logan Square’s original hipster haven. Serving up good drinks, excellent beer, and uber-chill vibes (if chill vibes can even be “uber”), The Owl’s Sunday – Friday Early Bird Special is a must for anyone trying to save a couple of bucks with half-off cocktails. What’s more, this laid-back watering hole also offers $5 Absolut wells on Sunday, $2 – 3 beers on Tuesday, and so many more.

Joe’s on Weed

940 West Weed – $9 domestic pitchers, $19 domestic buckets and $8 Bloody Marys on Saturdays & Sundays

A classic sports bar, live music venue, and country hot spot all rolled into one, there should be no doubt in your mind that Joe’s is offering some sweet drink deals on the cheap. Though their specials rotate pretty regularly, the best deal we could find was the bar’s Saturday/Sunday/Game Day special, which lists pitchers for under $10, buckets for under $20 and loaded Bloody Mary’s for the low, low price of just $8, in the mornings only.

The Kerryman

661 North Clark – lots o’ daily drink deals

The Irish know how to drink. This is just common knowledge. So it really shouldn’t come as a shock when I tell you that The Kerryman – an Irish pub – has some of the best damn cheap drinks in town. Their specials include, but are not limited to: $4 Corona, $4 Corona Light, and $4 Michelob Ultra on Mondays, half-price BOTTLES of wine and $6 glasses on Tuesdays, $4 Truly Cans and $4 White Claw Cans on Wednesday, $8 Old Fashioneds on Thursday, $4 Guinness, $5 Jameson shots, and $6 Tito’s cocktails during Happy Hour on Friday, AND $5 mimosas, Bloody Marys, and Chambord Kir Royales on Saturday & Sunday. Whew.

The Whistler

2421 North Milwaukee – cocktails usually start around $6

The Whistler is a relatively upscale stage/gallery/bar/restaurant in Wicker Park where they could easily be charging you 12 bucks a drink. And they totally do. That being said, being the kind, gentle souls that they are, The Whistler’s daily drinks menu usually includes at least one drink under the $8 mark, meaning that even the brokest (broke-est?) of folk can swing by and enjoy this cool space.

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Chicago has fantastic museums. From the Museum of Science and Industry to the Art Institute of Chicago, there are a variety of different museums available. Luckily, you can continue to explore many museums even after the sun goes down. These after-hours events are a fun way to experience the exhibits long after everyone else has left and gone home. Here are some of the best museums after dark events in Chicago.

After Dark at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago hosts regular After Dark events that are 21+. Each event will focus on a specific exhibit at the museum. You’ll be able to appreciate art while listening to live music, eating appetizers, and drinking the event’s signature cocktail.

Adler After Dark

Welcome to anyone over the age of 21, Adler After Dark has recently been relaunched and is bigger and better than ever. At the after-hours events, you’ll get access to all the exhibits and galleries, as well as unlimited sky shows and guest lectures. When the weather is nice, you can also check out the Doane Observatory!

Shedd After Hours

Shedd Aquarium After Hours is for 21+ who want to see some of the unique animals at the aquarium. During this Chicago museum after dark event, you can listen to bands or DJs while sampling snacks and cocktails. Tickets to the event also give you access to all permanent and special exhibits.

Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo will occasionally host after-hour events for both families and adults only. During the summer, you can enjoy craft brews, live music, all while roaming the zoo and checking out the animals.

Dozin’ With The Dinos at the Field Museum

Kids can spend the night at the Field Museum, learning more about dinosaurs, doing hands-on activities, and exploring the museum after dark with flashlights. They can also learn from some of the top museum scientists.

Museum of Science + Industry After Hours

The MSI After Hours lets adults explore the museum and exhibits after the door. You’ll be able to drink cocktails and beer while nibbling on snacks and enjoying the programming put on by the event. The events take place on Friday evenings from 7 pm to 10 pm.

Science Snoozeum at the Museum of Science + Industry

MSI also offers kid-friendly evening events on select Fridays and Saturdays. Kids aged 6 to 12 can have an unforgettable night watching movies in the Giant Dome Theater, making science toys, completing a scavenger hunt, and then spending the night at the museum.

wndr After Dark

wndr hosts after-hour events, where you still can get the full museum experience while dancing to the live DJ set. Other after-hour events will be themed. For example, you might be able to play games after hours, watch movies, or even participate in a speed dating event. Each month’s theme changes, so check out their event page to see what it is coming up.

Have you enjoyed Chicago museums after dark? Let us know how it was in the comments below!

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!

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The best breweries in Chicago is a hard list to craft, since the Chicagoland area boasts over 160 breweries and counting. There are several that get lost in the mix, slipped under the rug, or even just forgotten, and it’s our job to keep those awesome breweries in the spotlight. So, these are the best local breweries near you in Chicago you might have overlooked in your thirst for beer, and ones you’re never going to forget again.

Adams Street Brewery | 17 W Adams St

You’ve probably seen the old-school, bright lights at the Berghoff Restaurant in the Loop — how could you miss ‘em?! But nestled right under your nose is Adams Street Brewery. Family-owned and -operated, this local brewery near you brings the art of brewing alive with the deep-rooted family traditions. Come for their happy hour and savor their Bavarian pretzel with any of their brews. Fun fact: the brew-master is a third-generation Berghoff Restaurant employee and has been locally featured for his brews, most notably his stout!

Lo Rez Brewing and Taproom | 2101 S Carpenter St

First developing brews in a garage, this Pilsen, Chicago-born craft brewery near you is as community-centric and humble as they come. Lo Rez Brewing and Taproom is a gift from a garage: the founders poured their passions into their pours and, in doing so, developed the necessary skills through training and certification. In three short years, what was a passion project became a full-on brewery and taproom. But it’s also more: Lo Rez is a hand-crafted treasure for the community that goes back to developing strong connections. 

Haymarket Brewing | 737 W Randolph St

Recalling the 1886 riot and bombing in Chicago’s very own Haymarket Square, Haymarket Brewing is a nod to the triumph of workers’ rights while also recognizing the present-day struggle of needing a brew after work. This local brewery is for the working folk — from white collar to blue collar and everything in between. This Chicago-born brewery pours their world-decorated and award-winning brews for all with everyone’s tastes in mind. Hats off, brews up!

Metropolitan Brewing | 3057 N Rockwell St

Metropolitan Brewing has come a long way since its inception in 2009. An original of Ravenswood, Metropolitan Brewing has since moved to Avondale with a taproom developed, designed, and crafted by local Chicago architects, developers, and contractors. This local brewery is all about maintaining the sanctity of Chicago’s spirit in every brew while still experimenting with modern techniques and tastes. Be sure to check out their growing list of beers and bring a Metropolitan home with you in a growler!

Marz Community Brewing Co. | 3630 S Iron St

In all sincerity and love, if Marz Community Brewing Co. were a table in the middle-school cafeteria, it would be the most eclectic yet modern, refined yet approachable table. Really, this brewery is full of the most friendly, creative, community-oriented culinary connoisseurs of Chicago. They combine the rebellious spirit of their hometown with their reverence for connecting others. Bring your adventurous palate and sincere smile — Marz is bound to lift your spirits. 

All Rise Brewing Co. | 235 N Ashland Ave

All Rise Brewing Co. has the ultimate biker aesthetic without being intimidating or gnarly in a scary way. This West Side local brewery puts the pride of Chicago in every pour while still maintaining its rough edges. Fit in or stand out — it doesn’t matter! As long as you’re here, you’re part of the biker gang! 

Hopewell Brewing Co. | 2760 N Milwaukee Ave

Clean, sleek, yet whimsical and top-notch: welcome to Hopewell Brewing Co.  Founded by three friends and graduates of the University of Illinois, whose paths diverged from nonprofit work to sales, this craft brewery near you in Chicago maintains its unpretentious spirit and recognizes the humble home-brewing beginnings that started it all. You’ll feel right at home in their taproom, where you can play a board game, stay a while, and have conversations with your newfound friends. The bartenders are approachable and friendly while still maintaining their brewing chops. Be sure to join for Hopewell’s 4 Year Anniversary on February 29th!

Begyle Brewing | 1800 W Cuyler Ave

In Ravenswood, there’s this hidden gem of a brewery that puts its beer where its mouth is. In other words, Begyle Brewing is the ultimate destination for merging rough and industrial with warm and communal. Featuring house-brewed pours with community events (vinyasa, anyone?), Begyle is a neighborhood and city favorite. You can find their pours in various bars across the city, but if you go directly to their taproom, be sure to learn about their Community Supported Brewery (CSB) Membership. The CSB concept, much like a co-op in agriculture and food, allows members to subscribe and pick up a growler each month along with monthly growler refills. Available in terms of six months or a year, CSB allows consumers and the community to grow while reaping the benefits of the harvest. 

Spiteful Brewing | 2024 W Balmoral Ave

Looking for an increasingly rebellious yet realistic approach to beer? Look no further than Spiteful Brewing. Conceived on a stove and named after an altercation during a childhood hockey game, Spiteful Brewing is a mighty team of nine, brewing and bringing you craft beers with relatable names. Bring a friend and join a tour to learn more about this local Chicago brewery, bringing you a dose of robust realism in a glass!

Support your local Chicago breweries — we’ll drink to that!

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!

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Let’s face it, only a few of us have relationships that call for a complete stranger installing a plaque at the site where we had our first kiss a la Barack and Michelle’s monument at 53rd and Dorchester, the former site of a Baskin-Robbins that they reportedly visited on their first date. But plenty of us can point directly to venues, restaurants, and perhaps even neighborhoods that are forever tainted in our minds by memories of love gone very wrong. Here are four Chicago spots that unfortunately resulted in heartbreak.

The Big Show
Musicians are creative, emotional creatures, and what better way to express their experience than delivering performances to the public infused with a spectrum of feelings: good, bad, and vengeful. The Replacements chose to give the audience the real deal on July 4, 1991, during their legendary “breakup” show in Grant Park during the Taste of Chicago. It was the last show of what was already announced as the Replacements’ final tour, in the last years of a band that hadn’t been getting along for a while. Shouting and arguing onstage during the last half of the show ended with the entire band handing over their instruments to roadies and walking off stage during the final number.

Swiping left in Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo’s last male lion resident, Sahar, unfortunately passed away last September, but he was a popular attraction during his stay in Chicago. Sahar was originally brought to Lincoln Park from the Bronx Zoo in 2012 to serve in part as a younger male companion to the zoo’s then 16-year-old lioness Myra. After Myra died in 2014, Sahar needed a friend and Lincoln Park Zoo brought two two-year-old female lions from Oregon, Zalika and Kamali, to attempt socialization. Sahar, whether still missing Myra or just being a stubborn male, wasn’t having it. As the Chicago Tribune reported in 2015, “The clever boy plopped down right in front of the doorway where the new cats . . . would ideally enter the outdoor exhibit and start engaging with him. But he is foiling the plan, blocking their potential path while enjoying the shade and happily flicking his tail.”

Walking through Wicker Park
Nelson Algren’s biographers know for sure that he lived at 1958 W. Evergreen for most of the 1950s, but we’re not sure exactly where he might have been when he received a letter from writer Simone de Beauvoir, putting an end to their deepening long-distance affair. It’s readable in Hell Hath No Fury, an anthology of women’s letters edited by Anna Holmes. Algren had grown weary of the distance between them and acted distant during de Beauvoir’s visit, which resulted in her painful decision to end the romance. She writes with heartbreaking honesty, “As for me, it is baffling to say so and I feel ashamed, but it is the only true truth: I just love as much as I did when I landed into your disappointed arms, that means with my whole self and all my dirty heart; I cannot do less.”

The Wiener’s Circle
Dawn doesn’t want me to tell you her real name, but I was present for this incident (roughly 20 years ago) and can concur: breaking up with someone sometimes takes a village. We’ll call Dawn’s ex-boyfriend Rahm. Rahm was a cad from the get-go, and insisted that Dawn pay for most of their outings as well as wear only outfits that he had chosen. For the record, Rahm was not a professional stylist. When Dawn finally found her self-esteem, she decided to break up with Rahm at the Wiener’s Circle, the infamous hot dog stand at Wrightwood and Clark. Dawn insisted upon doing this at 7 PM on a Friday so we could all get food afterward and miss the loudmouth crowd, but a small group of Chads overheard her telling Rahm that she was done. A debate over Dawn’s worthiness as a girlfriend was ignited, resulting in one of the employees of the restaurant coming out to the picnic benches and shouting at everyone, “She dumped your white ass; get the fuck out!” v

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It reached almost 100 degrees in Minnesota on the day that Erica and Adam got married. Frank cried. I did, too, but it was because I was happy.

I reached for his hand and he jumped in his seat. I scared him. After the ceremony, I asked Frank if he was crying because he was emotional, perhaps thinking about us getting married one day?

“No, that’s not why I was crying,” he said.

I stopped on the dirt path we were following to the reception. The air was humid and the ground felt like cake beneath our feet; the block of my suede heel sank into its sponge as beads of sweat chased each other down my back.

I waited for Frank to realize I had stopped walking.

“Do you still want to marry me one day?”

“Jesus Christ, Kaylen.”

“Is that a yes . . .?” I was wearing all white.

Exactly three weeks later, Frank broke up with me over FaceTime. It was a Saturday morning, and I’d propped my phone against a sturdy candle on the coffee table in our living room.

Wearing a sweater over my favorite nightie, I savored the comfort of our couch and held a mug that once held a bouquet of flowers he’d sent to work on my birthday.

Frank held his phone in front of his face while he spat dip juice into a Gatorade bottle and told me he was unhappy. His lip fat; his voice flat.

“I put ice cream in my coffee this morning,” I said.

I needed him to know what was in my cup. It was like when I discovered the value a garlic press could lend to guacamole. Who else was I going to tell?

“Nice. Was it good?” he asked.

Sipping my drink, by now a curdled combination of oily caffeine and clotted cream, I was by no means in denial of our relationship’s dissolution.

“I have to go to work,” I said. We hung up and I dumped the remnants of my affogato in the kitchen sink.

WIthin an hour, I arrived at the bridal boutique where I was a stylist, having just been dumped by the boy I thought I was going to marry. After dating for five years, it was not an unsafe assumption.

I found my coworkers in a circle at the center of a sales floor that was vacant of customers. It was one of those perfect Gold Coast mornings, and sunlight poured in through the boutique’s second-floor windows. I wished it would rain.

“I have an announcement,” I said.

It was too early in the day for me to have lost my keys to the store, and my hair was already up, so I wasn’t in need of a ponytail holder. The girls were intrigued.

“Frank and I are done.”

Their faces fell, but their eyes sparkled. In a setting where relationship success stories were our livelihood, this was definitely going to spice up the day. I had dressed up to tell people my news–I wore an asymmetrical, one-shouldered crop top over Frank’s white button-down with a fitted pencil skirt. I planned to look the part of a well-adjusted, stylish woman while relaying the details of how my life was going up in flames.

Frank left for a business trip two weeks before the breakup, just a few days after the wedding in Minnesota. What was supposed to be a routine, five-day trip turned into weeks of him all but ignoring my texts and calls. The girls and I knew something was up, and I had left work the day before promising I’d have answers by the time I returned.

“Frank and I are done.”

My delivery was crisp, but the words were chewy in my mouth. I swished the sounds around with my tongue and tried to determine, “Is it too salty? Undercooked? Please, tell me what I need.”

My store is staffed by a rotating roster of women who range in age from 20 to 60 years old, and who mostly all check the “in a relationship box” at the OB-GYN. My breakup officially made me a single woman employed by a brand that caters exclusively to the newly engaged, by default and design.

Frank and I moved to Chicago two years prior, and I started working at the bridal boutique almost immediately. As a self-imposed and societally sanctioned pressure to solidify our romantic history steadily crept in during our first year in the city, our underlying incompatibility emerged in step. We held our breath while our relationship treaded water. We had the perfunctory air any long-term couple perfects over the years: Is the dishwasher clean or dirty? How are we splitting time on Christmas Eve? Did you buy garbage bags? Are we having sex tonight?

But as I spent my days with a revolving door of brides-to-be, the professionality of our interactions reinforced a healthy barrier between me and them–the engaged girls–that masked the more meaningful disconnect of my own relationship. They wanted to marry their partners, and I was getting mad at mine for putting olive oil in his hair when he ran out of pomade.

I’m good at my job. I have helped many women say yes to the dress. The journalist in me knows the right questions to ask, and my oldest-sister mentality makes it easy for me to convey that “I’ll be the one in charge here today.”

It wasn’t until I had one foot stuck in the Minnesota mud, curls limp, back sweaty, that I snapped. We’d attended five weddings in a year and a half. I kept thinking ours would be next without pausing to consider whether that was even what I wanted.

“Frank and I are done,” I told the girls at the boutique.

Ana told me to step down from the chair I’d climbed to make my announcement and go sit in the gown gallery, so I did. Someone fed me a dry bagel, and I don’t really remember the rest of that afternoon, the first day I began healing my heart in the most unlikely of places.

It was only a few days later that I stood behind my morning appointment as she looked at me in the three-way mirror.

“Are you married?” she asked.

“No, I’m not,” I shot back. “And I’m going through a nasty breakup with the guy that was supposed to propose.”

My brain returned to my body just in time for me to witness my meltdown. This was not the place. Frank was not my future. The bride was a woman my age who was just trying to make conversation. She was a bridechilla and I’d totally zapped her zen.

“No, I’m not,” I said, with a regained calm, a tacitly implied chance for a redo–all we can really ask from each other and ourselves.

In the aftermath of my breakup, what had always felt like a benevolent, underlying “me versus them” dynamic of stylist versus client became suddenly personal. A bride-to-be’s very presence in my store necessitated she have something I did not, something I assumed I should–and would–have by now.

My workplace surroundings could have served as a constant reminder of what I thought I’d lost. The revolving door never stopped spinning, and for awhile, neither did I.

But the world kept spinning, too. Shipment of new product arrived each day a little after 3 PM. We maintained our standing champagne order with Sofia Coppola, and I alphabetized order forms before locking up the store and hopping in an Uber to meet my friends at the bar.

I packed up Frank’s things, starting with the contents of the second bedroom that we’d made his office. It’s my office now. I dropped notes in strangers’ pockets, fell in (and out) of love approximately 24 times and went for long runs on the lakefront after work each night. My morning announcements at the boutique kept getting juicier.

I styled 365 days worth of brides and attended several weddings with my friends and my family. The passage of time, which was all I really needed, marked itself subtly–in the dip of a deeper neckline, the curve of a shortened train, and the evolution of my friends’ own relationships. The ease with which I slept each night in my own apartment. Nothing changed, except for everything.

“Are you married?” the 24-year-old blonde from Texas asked me. She stepped into the center of the gown I held open for her in my hands, low to the ground.

She was in Chicago to shop for gowns with her mom and sisters over the holidays. I pulled the fitted, beaded gown up the length of her body. The zipper caught on its way up the showroom sample as she waited for my response.

“No, I’m not,” I said, with a smile she couldn’t see.

I knew where to apply the right amount of pressure to pull the zipper through its track of warped teeth. I put my hand on her shoulder.

“Are you ready to open your eyes?”

“Is this the dress?”

“Have you ever put a scoop of ice cream in your coffee?” v

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With Autumn de Wilde’s new film version of Jane Austen’s Emma being released next week (the seventh time it’s been adapted for film or TV, not counting Amy Heckerling’s Clueless), it seems propitious that Chicago Shakespeare has Paul Gordon’s musical adaptation currently on the boards. I missed Gordon’s world-premiere musical of Sense and Sensibility on Navy Pier in 2015. But with Emma, Gordon and director Barbara Gaines create a world that, while charming, doesn’t really do much to expand the dramatic universe of Highwood, the bucolic country estate where self-involved Emma (Lora Lee Gayer) plots the romantic futures of others–with unforeseen results.

Part of the problem is that the songs and narration, while tidy and efficient at streamlining the story, lack deeper resonance. There’s a distinct sense that we’re being steered along, rather as if we’re on a Regency-era reenactment, chuckling at the social faux pas unleashed by Emma’s meddling. But the actual stakes here feel too low. The social distinctions among Emma, the self-assured poor-but-clever Jane Fairfax (Erica Stephan), and “natural child” Harriet Smith (Ephie Aardema)–an orphan of uncertain parentage and limited worldly awareness–are glossed over, despite the fact that marriage means something quite different to all of them.

Emma’s conscience and foil, Mr. Knightley (Brad Standley), sings the title song with emotion and fire. But as the spark to this flame, Gayer remains too much on the surface. Strong supporting comic turns from Bri Sudia’s affected Mrs. Elton (an Austenian take on Moira from Schitt’s Creek) and Larry Yando’s hypochrondriacal Mr. Woodhouse deserve note, and it all looks and sounds quite handsome. But it never makes the case for why we need to hear this story told in song. v

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After years of reading the women-seeking-women Reader Matches ads and never seeing any I felt called to respond to, I just could not get hers out of my mind: “kick-boxing babe,” “Xena-lover,” “giver of tender back rubs,” “looking for articulate romance with a queer cutie.” She didn’t mention a size or shape of body that she was looking for. She didn’t talk about anything I found boring or stupid. The ad stuck with me all week, but I didn’t act. I was fat. I had almost zero dating experience. Calling a stranger was SCARY.

My roommate locked me in my room on the last night that the ad’s voice mail was active and refused to let me out until I left a message. So after wasting hours alone in my room, I finally left a voice message: “I’m fat and swear like a sailor,” “I grew tomatoes for the first time this year,” “I’m an art student.”

I could not believe it when she called me back! I was so nervous when the phone rang, but we had a long and easy conversation touching on things like the fact that her brother and I had the same pinup girl mobile, why marriage is stupid, and all the ways that monogamy is fraught. Then we set a time to meet in person the next week for our first date.

That was in October 1998. She gave me a tender kiss as I was getting out of her car. I gave her a tiny box of the tomatoes I grew in my garden. Twenty-one years later, we have a ten-year-old kid, a solid, loving relationship, and a yard with too much shade to grow tomatoes. –Searah Deysach

Josh: We were both recent divorcees looking for love.

Sheri: A friend asked me to help her write a personal ad in the Reader, and I decided to create one for myself too.

J: This was back in the days when online dating was shameful. I complimented her on her book choices, except for Ayn Rand.

S: Rand is great dark fiction. I waited a month until Christmas to respond.

J: After some e-mails back and forth, we talked on the phone and met for pizza.

S: I was training for the marathon and had just run ten miles, so I almost cancelled.

J: We both had friends call us as backup plans to bail just in case things went south.

S: Or in case he was a psychopath. We immediately connected on books, cats, and all things nerdy. It was love at first sight.

J: After dinner we went to the Green Dolphin ballroom with friends. The band started playing “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

S: He asked me to dance and that sealed the deal. The conversation turned to architecture. I was curious about the Baha’i Temple.

J: My friends suggested we go on a tour. Our second date was set for the next morning!

S: Before the tour he took me to breakfast at Walker Brothers for pancakes. We started hanging out every day and the rest is history!

J: Fast-forward six years to our wedding.

S: Fast-forward again to 2019 when we both had articles published in the Reader side-by-side!

J: That’s what I call a full-circle Reader Romance! –Josh and Sheri Flanders v

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Dan Shore started working on his one-act opera, Freedom Ride, nine years ago. It was the 50th anniversary of the Congress of Racial Equality-organized protests that actually integrated public transportation in the United States, after the Supreme Court had ruled that segregation violated the constitution. Shore, a composer who also writes his own librettos, was teaching at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and had been asked to create something that would celebrate both that city and the civil rights movement. When he saw the 2011 PBS Freedom Riders documentary (based on Raymond Arsenault’s 2007 book of the same title), and also learned that Xavier had provided housing for some of the riders, he had found his subject. Research, writing, and workshopping followed.

Freedom Ride’s world premiere production, commissioned by Chicago Opera Theater, opened Saturday at the Studebaker. Under Tazewell Thompson’s direction, it’s a fast-paced 90-minute account of how a fictional New Orleans woman, Sylvie Davenport, decided to sign on for the risky ride to Jackson, Mississippi. We see her motivation grow, from a hoped-for personal relationship with the recruiter at the start, to something broader and more deeply principled. Ultimately she makes the trip in spite of his rejection of her and over her family’s well-grounded fears. In real life, freedom riders were beaten, fire-bombed, arrested, and imprisoned.

There’s a large cast of characters, including Sylvie’s mother, brother, and best friend, Ruby; preachers and organizers; assorted volunteers, and two sizeable choruses, one of which is made up of children. It’s a lot of people and story to process in a one-act, and the result, on opening night, was arguably more successful as a song cycle than a fully-developed opera. It might not have helped that the announced lead, soprano Lauren Michelle, was missing (for personal reasons, according to COT), though her understudy, Dara Rahming, stepped smoothly into the role of Sylvie. In fact, Rahming has sung this role before, and, Shore said in a pre-performance talk, he created it with her in mind.

The switch also allowed us to see soprano Kimberly E. Jones, a Chicago favorite, in Rahming’s place as Ruby. Among the rest of this talented cast: baritone Robert Sims, hitting the right dramatic and vocal notes as the organizer, Clayton Thomas; recent Ryan Opera Center alum Whitney Morrison in a bitter protest against rocking the boat; and a winning performance by tenor Tyrone Chambers II as Sylvie’s brother, Russell. The music–which Shore says was inspired by everything he was hearing in the Big Easy–ranges from gospel, blues, and spirituals to a “barbershop” quartet. It’s not nuanced: when a Jewish character thinks of his past, for example, the audience is flashed a hora. But Shore has produced an often rousing score that brings an important chapter of American history to life. COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts the Chicago Sinfonietta. v

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Whether you want to feel the love or not this weekend, there’s plenty of recommended things to do.

Through 2/28: Bonny Nahmias’s first solo exhibition, “To Hold Space,” presents a project that she began in 2017. Stretching a tin can telephone over areas that are broken by geography, modernity, and politics, she has surpassed barriers and blockades. The project is accompanied by a book, The Orchestra Of Space Holders. Opening reception is Fri 2/14, 6-10 PM. Ground Level Platform, 2001 S. Halsted, groundlevelplatform.org, free.

2/14-2/16: Violet Surprise Theatre presents Lez Beaus, a festival of 10-minute plays celebrating lesbian love through the ages. The dozen pieces, selected by artistic directors Iris Sowlat and Allison Fradkin, include stories about romance in an all-girls baseball league of the past and a “girl gets boi” love story set in contemporary times. Fri-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM, the Martin, 2515 W. North, themartinchicago.com, $12.

Fri 2/14: Anti-Valentine’s Day is celebrating National Condom Week and has partnered with sexual health organizations to provide free condoms and sexual health education to teenagers. There will be music, dancing, crafts, pizza, cheese, games, and, of course, condoms. 6-9 PM, National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th, nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org, free.

Fri 2/14: Odd Pleasures: A Queer Valentine’s Day Event features a queer variety show hosted by Aunty Chan that includes live ASMR, drag, comedy, and short films. 6-9 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago, mcachicago.org, $10, $8 students.

Fri 2/14: Love is Stronger than the State: a Migrant Solidarity Benefit is a fundraiser for a family seeking asylum as well as a trans person who recently migrated to Chicago. Featuring food, drink, activities for children, nail art by Sharon, a Cupid Photo Booth, and a raffle with art by Rebel Betty and Audra Jacot. No one turned away for lack of funds. 7 PM-midnight, the #LetUsBreathe Collective, 1434 W. 51st, facebook.com/ChicagoIWOC, $5-$10 suggested donation.

Sat 2/15: The Marz Record Fair, organized by Marz Brewing and Mississippi Records, features vendors and DJs from International Anthem, Sonorama, Electric Jungle, Shady Rest Vintage & Vinyl, Black Pegasus, 606 Records, Delmark, Orindal Records, Tone Deaf Records, South Rhodes Records, Atlantic Posters, Maximum Pelt, DJ Leslie Deckard, and Mississippi Records. Noon-8 PM, Marz Community Brewing Taproom, 3630 S. Iron, marz.beer, free.

Sat 2/15: Author Angela Kenyatta shares her knowledge of journaling and writing during a workshop at the library for Black History Month. 2 PM, Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln, chipublib.org, free.

Sat 2/15: The one-night-only show The Witch Project looks at witches and queer icons through spoken word, live music, and drag. 7:30 PM, Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, thedentheatre.com, $15.

Sat 2/15: The Half-Court Classic 3v3 Invitational is a celebration of basketball culture with a three on three tournament and complimentary food and beverages, hosted by Kyle O’Quinn and organized by Lululemon Chicago and Mob Rep with Cool Kids, Femdot, Qari, DJ Evie the Cool, DJ Cash Era, DJ Selah Say. 8 PM-1 AM, 454 N. Armour, bit.ly/lululemon-and-mob-rep-present-the-half-court-classic-tickets, $20.

Sat 2/15: Super Tasty is an inclusive, sex-positive talk show that is poppin’ off for a special Valentine’s Day weekend edition. Performers include Clitora Leigh and Lavender Vyxn, and interviews with Dr. Pia Holec about sexpectations. There will be a sensual massage demo and a panel with sex coach Tazima Parris and therapists Matthew Amador and Peter Navarro. Stay for the AfterGlow where the stage opens up for a shopping experience from local vendors. 8 PM, Constellation 3111 N. Western, supertastyshow.com, $25.

Sun 2/16: The Fox Club has joined with GMan Tavern to sell handmade and vintage goods at the Winter Sucks Market. Drink specials and vendors will be present with a free admission. Noon-5 PM, GMan Tavern, 3740 N. Clark, gmantavern.com, free.

Sun 2/16: The two-person event “The landscape reels back” features, curator, arts organizer, and Chicago artist Alexis Brocchi, who looks at how to search for information through nontraditional methods, and Tracie Hayes, an artist and ecologist. 4-7 PM, Roman Susan, 1224 W. Loyola, romansusan.org, free.

Sun 2/16: Stand-up Marty DeRosa hosts the Second Annual Davefest, a fundraiser for the David Carl Guastella Scholarship Foundation featuring comedy from Blake Burkhart, Cameron Gillette, Nate Burrows, and more plus music by Natalie Grace Alford and Sammy Arechar. 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, emptybottle.com, $10. vRead More