Last Girl Standing

I've Moved!

2008-10-09T11:20:00-06:00

Last Girl Standing no more! Find me at the second iteration of my nightlife blog, Nightspotting 2.0!

The It List: What’s Coming Up in Nightlife

2008-08-28T07:43:00-06:00

1. You heard it here first: Dan Schwab of Avenue M has partnered with White Sox GM Kenny Williams to open an upscale sports bar late this fall or early winter in the West Loop, at 1113 West Randolph Street. There's no name yet, and Schwab is open to suggestions. Post your best shot...

The Last Hurrah

2008-08-25T05:12:00-06:00

Last week was The Fiancé's rite-of-passage dudefest commonly known as the Vegas bachelor party. Before his trip, I laid down one simple rule: No touching strippers in inappropriate places. That's it. One rule. I didn't ask him not to go to strip clubs; I didn't remind him not to gamble away our life savings (he knows better). But maybe there should have been two simple rules. On our first weekend apart since getting engaged, it might have been nice for...

No Bull: The scoop on Bull & Bear; plus, a new bar alert and celeb spotting

2008-08-21T04:36:00-06:00

Luke Stoioff—along with fellow Stone Lotus partners David Rekhson and Brandon Zisman—has been working on Bull & Bear (431 N. Wells St.), a high-end sports bar for Loopers and traders, for more that a year. Although the place isn’t slated to open until mid-October, the trio already has a slew of other projects in the pipeline, including...

Ten Things Men Should Know About Women

2008-08-18T06:43:00-06:00

The wedding is about a month away, and I haven't had an unaided night of sleep in weeks. My friends and my doctor have told me it's perfectly normal to develop irrational anxieties before a wedding, as long as the panic has nothing to do with the decision to get married. Although I don't have a single doubt about spending the rest of my life with The Fiancé, I've been a little apprehensive about the living together part—especially right now, when the two of us are still in a condo built for one...

If the Shoe Fits: My Night at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino

2008-08-14T03:59:00-06:00

What I loved and hated—and felt suspiciously neutral about—at the newly renovated, $500 million Horseshoe Casino, floating just off Hammond, Indiana. I checked out the spot Friday on opening night, along with about 6,000 other partygoers. Is this Chicago's next nightlife destination? You be the judge...

The Accidental Bridezilla

2008-08-11T02:58:09-06:00

The invitations went out last week, and suddenly everyone seems to have entered panic mode. The Fiancé, who typically keeps his cool under even the most strenuous circumstances, had to take a walk last Monday after I mentioned that some of our guests had already received their invites. It seems our pending nuptials are making even him a little nervous...

Celebrity-palooza, Bar News, and more

2008-08-07T04:36:00-06:00

There are after-parties, and then there are industry parties. Just about every club worth its cover was touting its own "official" Lollapalooza after-party last weekend. The Underground sent out mass emails and text messages bragging that Lindsay Lohan and waify gal pal Samantha Ronson were in the house—they were hanging out while Sammie's Grammy Award-winning brother (and Sunday Lollapalooza act) DJ Mark Ronson spun at the club...

Showers are the New Sweet Sixteens

2008-08-04T04:04:16-06:00

When I was in high school, I had a Sweet Sixteen. I wore a bright blue and rainbow-striped sweater from Benetton with shoulder pads. The sweater was three sizes too big, and it swallowed its tighter, matching cousin, the sweater skirt. Who got invited to Sweet Sixteens was the stuff of Gossip Girl. Midway through my party (at the now-shuttered Brio in Highland Park), I sat front and center opening gifts, dolling out my best "oohs" and "ahhs" before 40 frenemies. I feigned excitement over a stuffed animal...

Nightlife Scoop: Rockit GM Leaves the Ranch, and More

2008-07-31T03:16:00-06:00

In one of the bigger bar shakeups of the year, Cary Michael, former GM of Rockit Bar & Grill, announced his resignation last week, just days after the head of Rockit Ranch’s PR, Maura Daley (aka the mayor's niece), also said her goodbyes. I caught up with Michael to talk about his leaving and his in-the-works nightlife venture: an as-yet-unnamed spot in West Town (1371 W. Chicago Ave.) with partners Howard Natinsky (Five Star, Fat Cat) and Jim Dragatsis (Marigold)...