Chicago Curiosities

Factual Questions
1

Hello folks! What a great place you’ve got here!

I’m the author of a book recently published by The Globe Pequot Press called It Happened in Chicago.

I’m currently working on another book for Globe called Chicago Curiosities. I need to come up with quirky, offbeat places, events, people, animals, phenomena, trivia, history, and anecdotes related to your fabulous city. (I lived in Bloomington, Illinois – so I’ve been to Chicago many times, but I don’t happen to live there.)

I have gathered a lot of resources, but I’m also hoping to get some ideas that haven’t been “done to death” in other books. If you know of a quirky or unusual shop, celebration, activity, restaurant, museum, and so forth – I hope you’ll let me know about it. I also need to get pictures of as much of this as possible.

For the most part, I want things people can visit or participate in rather than things that happened in the past.

Please feel free to contact me at sm_cohn@hotmail.com. And I hope you’ll take a look at It Happened in Chicago and my other books on my website and blog.

Thanks for your time!

Scotti Cohn
www.scotticohn.com

2

scotticohn, welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards.

You might, please, want to read the Registration Agreement, of which I quote:

Your post here seems to be pretty much an advertisement for your book and a solicitation.

Please contact me by email at ckdexthavn@aol.com or post here, if you feel that you merit some special attention. We’re always willing to help support the artistic endeavors of our members, but we’re not willing to put up ads from drop-ins. So, you’ll need to clarify which category you fit, please, in the next few days.

3

I signed up here to meet folks who live in Chicago and get ideas for a book I’m working on from people who live in Chicago, who might want to share curiosities about the city that other current residents or visitors might enjoy or appreciate.

I thought pointing out that I already have a published book about Chicago would make it clear that I am a serious writer, not somebody just messing around.

I don’t care if anyone in this forum buys any of my books. That’s not why I’m here. I am simply looking for ideas for my next book, and I thought people on this board might know of things they would like to see me include. Ill be happy to thank people by name in the “Acknowledgments” if I use information they provided.

Please feel free to delete the mention of my current book, my website URL, and blog URL, if you feel you need to do that.

Can we go with:

I’m currently working on a book for Globe Pequot Press called Chicago Curiosities. I need to come up with quirky, offbeat places, events, people, animals, phenomena, trivia, history, and anecdotes related to your fabulous city. (I lived in Bloomington, Illinois – so I’ve been to Chicago many times, but I don’t happen to live there.) I have gathered a lot of resources, but I’m also hoping to get some ideas that haven’t been “done to death” in other books. If you know of a quirky or unusual shop, celebration, activity, restaurant, museum, and so forth – I hope you’ll let me know about it. I also need to get pictures of as much of this as possible. For the most part, I want things people can visit or participate in rather than things that happened in the past.

Please feel free to contact me at sm_cohn@hotmail.com.

If this is still unacceptable, I apologize for taking up your time.

4

Nah, we just like some prior notice on things like this. Sounds like a worthwhile project - post away. Good luck with the book.

5

Thanks, Ed! I should have contacted an administrator before posting.

I intend this to be fun for any forum members who choose to contact me. I have gathered a TON of material for the book already via internet, books, and friends. I just wanted to offer an opportunity for your members to put in their two cents.

Scotti

6

Thanks, we like it.

Did you notice the new aluminum siding we put up on the site?

7

:smiley:

8

Where are the gutters though? I’m tired of getting dripped on when it rains!

9

Not sure if this is the type of thing you are looking for, but a couple of things I find curious downtown (going from memory here - want to leave you some work to do) are the coach house down the alley on the N side of Adams - between State and Wabash I believe, and the cow path behind Holy Name.

10

You need to mention H.H. Holmes. I know The Devil in the White City was published recently, but no book about Chicago “oddities” would be complete without it.

11

Fascinating. I had never heard of Dr. H. H. Holmes and his deadly ‘practice’.

Certainly, his story is unrelated to the H.H. Holmes I am familiar with. It’s a concrete & materials testing lab in Wheeling that I have visited several times.

12

No, that’s what what they want you think…that they test “concrete” and “materials.”

13

You might want to go visit the colonies of monk parakeets living in Hyde Park.

14

Thanks, MikeS! I read about the parakeets and wrote a “sidebar” about them for the book. If I have time, I’ll try to get to Hyde Park on my next trip, and maybe write something longer with a picture.

The book is coming along nicely. I have a lot of fun stuff in there and I’ve had a lot of fun traipsing all over Chicago. I’m looking forward to getting a photo of the “skull of Del Close” (I know it’s not really him) at The Goodman.

15

FWIW there’s a mention of the parakeets in Saul Bellow’s Ravelstein.