Are there fallout shelters left in Chicago?
There are plenty, but let’s just say they’re not ready for a nuclear apocalypse.
Listen — 13:43
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Curious City
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About
WBEZ’s Curious City series is an ongoing news experiment at WBEZ, online and on the radio dial around Chicago at 91.5 FM. Its mission is to include the public in editorial decision-making, make journalism more transparent and strengthen multimedia coverage about Chicago, the surrounding region and its people (past or present).
Curious City airs on Thursdays during All Things Considered on WBEZ
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How do I cope with the stress of another Chicago pandemic winter?
Winter can be stressful. Beyond dreaming of a beach in Florida, there are things you can do to get through.
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Listen — 16:26Love is in the air in the basement of the Cook County Clerk’s office
Marriage and Civil Union Court in downtown Chicago might be dimly lit, but love and romance light it up each day.
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Listen — 20:40Chicago Rat Tales: Live at the Hideout
Curious City took a trip to the “most rat-infested alley” in Chicago and heard from listeners about their traumatic rat encounters.
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Listen — 30:03The Gold Star Sardine Bar nightclub was once a hub for Chicago glamour
The jazz club was built by a grocery store tycoon’s dreams of music and movie stars.
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Listen — 22:08Cleveland and Seattle have centuries-old indoor markets. Why doesn’t Chicago?
Chicago had multiple indoor markets in the 1800s, but they’ve all since disappeared. Here’s what we know about them.
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Without Native Americans, Would We Have Chicago As We Know It?
Names like DuSable, Marquette, and Joliet are cited in the history books. But it was Native Americans who first set the foundation for Chicago to develop into a major Midwestern metropolis.
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Listen — 17:49Why do spiders like high-rise buildings and how do they get up there?
Tall buildings are better habitats for spiders than you might think. Here’s why these arachnids make these buildings home.
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Listen — 4:21Why aren’t there any federal Indian reservations in Illinois?
This timeline explains how Native Americans were forced out of Illinois and why — for now — they have no federally recognized land here.
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Listen — 25:49Those speed humps can be annoying, but do they make streets safer?
Chicago has relied on speed humps — yes, humps — for decades. While they’ve proven effective they’re not the only way to slow speeding drivers.
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Listen — 18:30
