Belt’s Got Baseball Fever
Our baseball coverage may not have a deep bench, but what we've got can go the distance. Digging around in the [...]
All Sales Final: The Closing of Chicago’s Clark & Barlow Hardware
It’s a cold, grey, blustery March morning on Chicago’s near north side. Taxis, delivery trucks, and luxury vehicles swoosh along Grand Avenue and Orleans Street, kicking up road salt ...
Belt Books at Chicago’s Printers Row Lit Fest, the Cleveland Flea, and more
Publishing is a funny business. Here we are, with a warehouse full of books, ready to sell them to you. But doing [...]
Call for Submissions: The Chicago Anthology
Here at Belt we’re in the business of covering the Rust Belt. But what exactly does that mean when it comes to Chicago?
Video: Mucca Pazza’s “The Sit Down Waltz”
Belt is proud to host the world premiere of the video for Chicago marching band/mobile orchestra Mucca Pazza's "The Sit Down Waltz."
Readers’ Corner: Marie’s Golden Cue
Marie’s Golden Cue, on the corner of Montrose and Troy, endures in a 1930s deco storefront with glossy white terra cotta tiles. The phrase: "Cue Stick Repair Shop, Professional Workmanship," appears on the picture window.
Zoo Camp For All
My son, Nico, loves the zoo. He’s eight years old, and going there inspires, engages, and delights him in a way that few other activities or places can.
Readers’ Corner: Bernice’s Tavern, Chicago
Bernice's Tavern in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago would be a corner bar if it was on a corner.
Hardboiled Coffee: Why Neighborhoods Need Mom & Pop Shops
Hardboiled Coffee Co. opened on a cold February day in 2013. I stopped by a few days before and found the doors locked and no one inside. I was so eager for a real coffee shop in Beverly, I didn't check to make sure of the grand-opening date.
A Tale of Two Cities: Why Chuy Garcia Won’t Turn Chicago Into Detroit
In 1983, shortly after Harold Washington was elected mayor of Chicago, Richard Mell, a white alderman, approached the African-American mayor with this plea: “Don’t make this city suffer for 300 years of injustice against your people.
The Legacy of Redlining in Rust Belt Cities
In the 1930s, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) set out to evaluate mortgage lending risk in American cities. The resulting maps codified and legitimized the racism of the day ...
Reading the Midwest: Mike Royko
By Mark Athitakis Old newspaper habits die hard. Across the country, papers still retain a local news columnist – Mitch [...]