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A guide to fun things to do in Chicago this weekend.

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My favorite new sandwich is a chicken sandwich, hold the meat. 

The bite: Sichuan Spicy Tofu, subbed in for chicken ($14), at Zenwich in Elmhurst.

What to expect: The tofu is perfectly crisp, complete with crunchy edges, but definitely not greasy — a hard feat. Whatever is coating it hits the spot.

This sandwich packs some major heat with diced jalapeños and Lao Ganma chili crisp, but the cucumber and creamy sauce, combined with chunks of celery, balance it out.

My meat-eating husband said the tofu was just as good as chicken.

Between the lines: This is the very rare sandwich that is actually better with the bread a little soggy, after it's soaked up some of the sauce.

The latest: Zenwich has opened a second location at 1124 W. Thorndale Ave. in Edgewater.

Brown paper takeout bag filled with seasoned potato wedges on a wooden table; a white napkin sits nearby and a green-labeled drink cup is blurred in the background.

Seasoned homemade chips. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

Plus: I'm a huge sucker for homemade potato chips, but they're easy to get wrong! Too soggy, too greasy, too flavorless.

Zenwich ($2.50) serves up a heavy coating of homemade seasoning (not just tons of salt) and perfect crispness.

Why I stopped at one bag is beyond me. At least there's a new location in the city I can hit soon.

Bite Club: Sichuan Spicy Tofu sandwich at Zenwich

The sandwich is a standout at the Elmhurst restaurant.

Close-up of a half wrap filled with green lettuce and spinach, cucumber sticks, and brown crusty bread, smothered in orange sauce, wrapped in parchment.

Sichuan Spicy Chicken with tofu subbed in. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

My favorite new sandwich is a chicken sandwich, hold the meat. The bite: Sichuan Spicy Tofu, subbed in for chicken ($14), at Zenwich in Elmhurst.

Food and Drink

Things to Do

The classic '80s movie about the lovable, sometimes irritating, slacker turns 40 this month. 

Flashback: John Hughes' "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" premiered on June 11, 1986, and grossed more than $70 million at the box office, the 10th highest that year. 

The reviews: While the film ultimately became a cult classic, Tribune critic Gene Siskel gave it two stars, writing: "Not worth cutting class" to see it, he wrote. Ouch.

His competitor and later sparring partner, the Sun-Times' Roger Ebert, was kinder, calling the film "a sweet, warm-hearted comedy," awarding it three stars. 

State of play: Chicago, like so many of Hughes' films, is as critical a character as Ferris (Matthew Broderick), Cameron (Alan Ruck) and Sloane (Mia Sara), serving as the playground for the teens' perfect day. 

A Cubs game, parade, the Art Institute, perfect weather. Come on! 

It's such an iconic itinerary that journalists have recreated it and tour guides have pitched it to tourists. 

The latest: For this month's Axios Chicago tournament, we're asking you to rank the best scenes from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

Even if you haven't seen it in a while (or never seen it, which, how have you been getting by all these years with the constant references?), you'll likely remember the movie's moments from this bracket.

Methodology: We couldn't fit every scene into this tournament, so some classic scenes have been condensed. 

Vote below! We'll keep the polls open until 5pm.

Ferris Bueller turns 40: Rank the movie's best Chicago scenes

From Wrigley Field to the Art Institute, vote on the moments that made the movie a Chicago icon.

Mia Sara, Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick in a red convertible in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

Mia Sara as Sloane Peterson, Alan Ruck as Cameron Frye and Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. Photo: CBS via Getty Images

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="classic &#x27;80s movie" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/06/05/ferris-bueller-vest-auction-sothebys-sale" data-vars-content-id="2626c797-b15f-40a3-bbdd-bb2fb5aa6ea5" data-vars-headline="Ferris Bueller turns 40: Rank the movie&#x27;s best Chicago scenes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/06/05/ferris-bueller-vest-auction-sothebys-sale" target="_self">classic &#x27;80s movie</a> about the lovable, sometimes irritating, slacker turns 40 this month. Flashback: John Hughes&#x27; &quot;Ferris Bueller&#x27;s Day Off&quot; premiered on June 11, 1986, and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="grossed more than $70 million" data-vars-click-url="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1986/?grossesOption=totalGrosses" data-vars-content-id="2626c797-b15f-40a3-bbdd-bb2fb5aa6ea5" data-vars-headline="Ferris Bueller turns 40: Rank the movie&#x27;s best Chicago scenes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1986/?grossesOption=totalGrosses" target="_blank">grossed more than $70 million</a> at the box office, the 10th highest that year.

Culture

History

We've waited long enough, but summer has arrived.

Let's get at it! Here are some ways to do just that.

🎸 Producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff brings his indie rock band Bleachers to the Salt Shed this weekend. | $75+ | Friday and Sunday

🇬🇷 Get your Greek on at the Lincoln Park Greek Fest. Enjoy authentic food, pastries, traditional dancing, and live music at St. George Greek Orthodox Church. | $10 suggested donation | Friday - Sunday

🎭 Watch Mia Chung's "Catch as Catch Can" at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. | $20+ | Through Sunday, July 12

🍖 Dig in at the 26th Annual Ribfest Chicago.| North Center | Friday - Sunday

🏞️ Hunt down virtual Nintendo creatures at the Pokémon Go Fest in Grant Park. | $33 | Friday-Sunday (morning and afternoons)

🎵 Jam to live performances by local musicians at First Friday Music Series along Sheridan between Devon and Pratt. | Multiple locations | Through Friday, Sept. 4 | Details

🐴 Catch the North American premiere of "Brokeback Mountain." | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre | Through June 28

🍩 Eat a sweet treat for Donut Day at Fry the Coop with two limited-time sandwiches made with Stan's Donuts. | Multiple locations

⚽️ Gear up for the World Cup as Soccer House plays the friendlies ahead of next week's matches. Plus, a live podcast recording and sticker swaps. | Soccer House | Through end of June

🎨 View "Jeff Carter: The Singer Pavilion Project," which examines the Singer Pavilion — the only remaining building of the former Michael Reese Hospital | Hyde Park Art Center | Through Sunday, Sept. 20

📚 Kick off summer at Chicago Public Library branches on Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Multiple locations | 10am-3pm 

🎡 Ride the Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier for free from 10-11am. Guests must RSVP to redeem the complimentary rides. | Navy Pier

🎵 Jam to Near of Kin with Ben Lamar Gay, Tomeka Reid, Julian Otis, and Caroline Jesalva. The performance is part of Lampo's series at the Graham Foundation's Madlener House. | 7pm

📚 Celebrate literature at The American Writers Festival with more than 90 writers across 40+ programs. | American Writers Museum and Harold Washington Library

🔥 Learn about the people who rebuilt Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 at Shaping the City: Civic Leadership in Gilded Age Chicago panel. | Driehaus Museum | 3-4pm 

🎻 11-time Grammy winner Christian McBride brings his jazz stylings to the West Loop. | Garcia's Chicago | $39 | 7pm

🖼️ Survey the great artwork on display at the annual 57th Street Art Fair in Hyde Park. Take in some live blues music, too. | Saturday - Sunday

🎹 Positive vibes only at Beyond Wonderland, the two-day electronic dance music festival at Northerly Island. | Huntington Bank Pavilion | From $139 | Saturday - Sunday

 😋 Try something tasty at the Elements of Taste Food Truck Festival. | Christ Universal Temple | 1pm

🎳 Celebrate Circle Bowling Lanes' 85th anniversary with retro pricing, raffles and used-pin sales. | Circle Bowling Lanes in Forest Park | 10am

🎸 Rock out with Melissa Etheridge at Brookfield Zoo for the opener of the Roaring Nights concert series. | $55+ | Brookfield Zoo | 7pm

🎗️ Walk or run in the 33rd Annual Cancer Survivors' Celebration Walk & 5K for The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dermatologists from Northwestern and Neutrogena will offer skin checks and sunscreen samples. | Grant Park | $30+ to register | 8am-noon

🏋️‍♀️ Get fit at Summer Fitness on the Lawn. | Oakbrook Center | 9am

🎶 The rock band Phantom Planet, whose hit song "California" was the theme for the 2000's teen drama "The O.C.," returns to Chicago on a double bill with Augustana. | Lincoln Hall | $47 | Doors open at 7pm

🛍️ Start the week right at the Jarvis Square Twilight Market, where you can browse local vendors. | Every Monday through Oct. 28 Jarvis Square | Through Monday, Oct. 26

"Jeff Carter: The Singer Pavilion Project,"

Shaping the City: Civic Leadership in Gilded Age Chicago 

33rd Annual Cancer Survivors' Celebration

Weekender: 25 things to do in Chicago from food to music to fitness

From Bleachers to Ribfest and Greek Fest, summer has arrived in Chicago.

Illustration of a cassette tape with the tape unspooling to spell weekend. 

We&#x27;ve waited long enough, but summer has arrived.<ul><li>Let&#x27;s get at it! Here are some ways to do just that.</li></ul>

Neighborhoods

The final touches are being put on the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side, ahead of the June 19 public opening.

Why it matters: OPC, where former President Barack Obama's life and presidential legacy are memorialized, sits just blocks from the neighborhood where his political career was born.

It also represents the foundation of his family. Former first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters were born in the neighborhoods surrounding the center. 

Floating circular discs in pink, magenta, and orange with black rims drift above a blue backdrop ceiling, creating a colorful installation and casting soft shadows.

Lava Thomas' "Resistance Reverb," currently on load to the OPC. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

What to expect: The word "hope," a theme Obama carried from campaign to office and beyond, greets visitors immediately at the museum entrance.

It's notable, too, that the names and works of Chicagoans adorn the front hall — "The Land, Shared Sky" by local artist Nick Cave hangs next to the Harold Washington Overlook, named for Chicago's first Black mayor and a political hero of Obama's.

The story of America kicks off the exhibitions with a copy of the Declaration of Independence, followed by images and artifacts marking major moments of social change in the U.S.

This includes photos of disability rights activists on Capitol Hill, Dolores Huerta leading a farmers' rights rally, and pendants and buttons marking other civil rights movements of the last century.

Exhibit wall with bright yellow panels showing black-and-white family photos and a large quote about heritage; smaller captions adorn the display, while a black console with a blue round object sits in front.

Images of Obama's youth, including with his mother.

Context: Obama's upbringing is interspersed with these movements, showing that his life was always rooted in seeking social justice and public service.

A clay plate with Obama's childhood handprint below a photo of him on his mother's lap shows his Hawaiian upbringing, and similar displays follow his life through law school, community organizing on Chicago's South Side, and eventually his time in the White House.

Hundreds of campaign buttons and video from Obama's 2008 presidential campaign line the interior of an oval display emblazoned with his famous motto: "Yes we can."

Sounds like: Anthems by Marvin Gaye, The Clash, Bruce Springsteen and, of course, Aretha Franklin carry throughout the exhibits.

Zoom in: Michelle Obama's life story gets equal attention throughout the exhibits. Her voiceover shares the story of growing up in South Shore as the daughter of civically engaged, hardworking parents through her time as an honor roll student at Whitney Young and as an undergrad at Princeton.

The Obamas' wedding photo and a video recalling their love story show the origin and growth of their family, but images and videos of daughters Sasha and Malia are less present, likely to protect their privacy.

Large blue cylindrical sculpture in a museum, with the silver letters YES WE CAN stacked around its tiers; blue lighting and display boards line the background.

The intrigue: Chicagoans will appreciate moments that national and international visitors may miss — Michelle at a Bud Billiken Parade, Barack wearing a cowboy hat at a Little Village shop and the one-time state senator standing next to former Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones.

Of course, the Obamas' time in Washington, from 2008 to 2016, is well documented with kitschy touches like a replica of the Oval Office (a staffer will snap your pic sitting behind the desk).

Also on display are some of Michelle's most famous gowns and outfits, identifying the diverse designers she wore while first lady. 

Fun fact: When asked what one item he wished was in the OPC that isn't there, corporate affairs head Michael Strautmanis joked, "the tan suit."

The president gave the suit away, longtime Obama adviser and friend Valerie Jarrett told reporters on Wednesday.

View through a bold geometric metal lattice with square and triangular openings, revealing a cityscape: green park, winding roads, river, and distant buildings under a blue sky with clouds.

Zoom out: The 19-acre campus includes Home Court, with a basketball court and gym open to the public. Jarrett said her former boss will not be playing basketball there "if Mrs. Obama has anything to say about it."

The Hadiya Pendleton Atrium is named after the 15-year-old King College Prep student who was shot and killed in 2013, just a week after performing at the president's second inauguration. It anchors The Forum building and includes an auditorium, a restaurant and café.

A public plaza for events, a Chicago Public Library branch and the "best sledding hill in the neighborhood" allow the general public to experience the center. (Jarrett said Michelle wanted to build a sledding hill since she didn't have one growing up in flat Chicago.)

Between the lines: Much of Obama's time in office can be experienced outside the walls as the first fully digital presidential archive.

Glass display case with vintage dresses on mannequins: red-black gown, beige coat, green floral dress, red coat, pink dress, white floral dress, blue patterned dress, lime-yellow coat; placards.

A collection of dresses worn by Michelle Obama.

By the numbers: OPC expects 750,000 to 1 million annual visitors to the entire campus.

"Not a single government dollar has gone into creating this center," operations head John Roberson said. "That's important because it's this level of investment that has been lacking on the South and West sides for way too long."

The center created 250 permanent jobs, Roberson added.

Bronze statues of Barack and Michelle Obama walking hand in hand; Barack waves with his outstretched arm, Michelle raises her hand. A modern glass-front building and blue sky behind.

A sculpture of Barack and Michelle Obama outside the museum.

If you go: Beginning June 19, the outdoor area is free and open to the public, while the museum requires a ticket with timed entry.

OPC will be free to Illinois residents each Tuesday. 

The museum will be open 10am–5pm Tuesday–Sunday and 1–8pm Monday.

Inside the Obama Presidential Center before opening day

From Obama's South Side organizing days to the Oval Office, the new museum traces a remarkable journey.

Angular grey marble museum with a black lattice panel of letters, a tall glass window, and a projecting overhang. Blue sky, entrance area with a few people and a visible MUSEUM sign.

The Obama Presidential Center. Photos: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

The final touches are being put on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Obama Presidential Center" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/13/obama-presidential-center-chicago-art-collection-artists-jackson-park" data-vars-content-id="90daf676-2328-4490-9c1e-e7149610ab74" data-vars-headline="Inside the Obama Presidential Center before opening day" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/13/obama-presidential-center-chicago-art-collection-artists-jackson-park" target="_self">Obama Presidential Center</a> on Chicago&#x27;s South Side, ahead of the June 19 public opening.Why it matters: OPC, where former President Barack Obama&#x27;s life and presidential legacy are memorialized, sits just blocks from the neighborhood where his political career was born.<ul><li>It also represents the foundation of his family. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Former first lady Michelle Obama" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/05/13/michelle-obama-to-headline-essence-fest" data-vars-content-id="90daf676-2328-4490-9c1e-e7149610ab74" data-vars-headline="Inside the Obama Presidential Center before opening day" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2026/05/13/michelle-obama-to-headline-essence-fest" target="_self">Former first lady Michelle Obama</a> and their two daughters were born in the neighborhoods surrounding the center. </li></ul>

Politics

News

A new study from Northwestern University says voters are more accepting of LGBTQ candidates in the last decade, but that support is conditional.

Why it matters: The research found it's harder for candidates who don't look or sound "straight," regardless of sexuality.

What they did: Northwestern professor and author Martin Naunov asked respondents to evaluate hypothetical candidates based on a headshot and a 20-second audio message.

Naunov manipulated gender presentation by changing specific candidates' vocal pitches.

A baseline image of a hypothetical male candidate and two "feminized versions" of the same man, labeled "slightly gender nonconforming man" and "gender nonconforming man," were also shown.

The result: Both Republicans and Democrats express bias against candidates who don't conform to gender stereotypes, Naunov found.

Democrats prefer gay candidates but penalize those candidates if they don't conform to a traditional, stereotypical male gender presentation.

Flashback: Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential run marked a shift in national attitudes toward LGBTQ candidates, leading Buttigieg to argue that Americans were over "old prejudices." 

By the numbers: From 2018 to 2022 alone, there was a 60% rise in the number of LGBTQ candidates, resulting in more than a thousand openly LGBTQ elected officials nationwide, according to Naunov's study.

Yes, but: Buttigieg's campaign led to discussions within the queer community about whether a more effeminate candidate would have been accepted in the same way, Naunov points out.

What they're saying: "I think that most members of marginalized communities already know these biases are operating ... what the study offers is empirical validation of a lived experience that's too easily doubted or trivialized when it sits in personal testimony alone," the author tells Axios. 

"The study also exposes biases among voters who are egalitarian-minded — voters who explicitly reject anti-gay bias ... What the study tries to make clear is that being truly egalitarian asks more than refusing to penalize someone for being gay (or a member of some other minority group)," Naunov adds.

The bottom line: While election results point to more acceptance of LGBTQ candidates in recent years, that's not the full story. 

Researchers need to dig further to understand what other factors are keeping some people out of electoral politics.

Gender stereotypes still influence voter preferences

A Northwestern study finds voters often penalize candidates who don't fit gender norms.

Triptych portrait of a young man in a navy suit and blue tie, with light stubble and short brown hair, against a gray wall with a flag visible in the background.

An image of a hypothetical male candidate (left) followed by two "feminized versions" of the same man. Photo: Courtesy of Martin Naunov, Northwestern University

A new study from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Northwestern University" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/05/18/northwestern-president-mung-chiang-purdue-michael-schill" data-vars-content-id="b8915080-2006-403b-966b-4333150b0b59" data-vars-headline="Gender stereotypes still influence voter preferences" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/05/18/northwestern-president-mung-chiang-purdue-michael-schill" target="_self">Northwestern University</a> says voters are more accepting of LGBTQ candidates in the last decade, but that support is conditional.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The research" data-vars-click-url="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC-2FNM3CMJqJMoJuzRt0hg-2BJ6ZF7WsDG-2BQB6fDCI4us4uFZc-2BNE-2FuaqD6q40NRZjzD-2FQ-3D-3DcvJh_O9v00qWCSEZ3FvEroyX4AFEcC-2BcKg-2B9erDt4Cn-2F3BLaHmZZD1yFfQ-2Fmk6Hq84qt467DmaXkVa7Kj5zsbiJIjY6qtc-2F4NxbLLH9zxwgYeEoFytV0xNCIypWmf-2Bu4xiJmXBSYHIykEghKz7PuDg4B7CVAVMyLSj6CPwfvVmaAaL-2Bxd0nxwre1TiM20mqQVmib0N6ojyB1pIK2ODQHgZVQnz3x5sfbd6-2BfRtCmMglczQ2r-2Fk6Vg92ZmZgoNocksUenwywPkQ2icikxETauvSP3117XWglwsGFA-2B66Sld9803DI5X-2F4r0aNFN9BmLG-2FTgcW0J-2FANB2yXmQerfihTG-2BaHPXL1ryLnamqIGT0fRUcVAUw-3D" data-vars-content-id="b8915080-2006-403b-966b-4333150b0b59" data-vars-headline="Gender stereotypes still influence voter preferences" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.gqh-2BaxUzlo7XKIuSly0rC-2FNM3CMJqJMoJuzRt0hg-2BJ6ZF7WsDG-2BQB6fDCI4us4uFZc-2BNE-2FuaqD6q40NRZjzD-2FQ-3D-3DcvJh_O9v00qWCSEZ3FvEroyX4AFEcC-2BcKg-2B9erDt4Cn-2F3BLaHmZZD1yFfQ-2Fmk6Hq84qt467DmaXkVa7Kj5zsbiJIjY6qtc-2F4NxbLLH9zxwgYeEoFytV0xNCIypWmf-2Bu4xiJmXBSYHIykEghKz7PuDg4B7CVAVMyLSj6CPwfvVmaAaL-2Bxd0nxwre1TiM20mqQVmib0N6ojyB1pIK2ODQHgZVQnz3x5sfbd6-2BfRtCmMglczQ2r-2Fk6Vg92ZmZgoNocksUenwywPkQ2icikxETauvSP3117XWglwsGFA-2B66Sld9803DI5X-2F4r0aNFN9BmLG-2FTgcW0J-2FANB2yXmQerfihTG-2BaHPXL1ryLnamqIGT0fRUcVAUw-3D" target="_blank">The research</a> found it&#x27;s harder for candidates who don&#x27;t look or sound &quot;straight,&quot; regardless of sexuality.

Carrie Shepherd

Featured stories

Weekender: 25 things to do in Chicago from food to music to fitness

Inside the Obama Presidential Center before opening day

Ferris Bueller turns 40: Rank the movie's best Chicago scenes

Bite Club: Sichuan Spicy Tofu sandwich at Zenwich

Gender stereotypes still influence voter preferences