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

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NBC Chicago's new studio marks end of daytime TV era

The nearly 70,000-square-foot space on the first floor of the NBC Tower is where Springer used to do his syndicated show.

Business

NBC 5&#x27;s new studio at NBC Tower marks the end of Chicago&#x27;s daytime TV production era, but bets big on the future of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="local news" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/01/09/media-future-streaming-fox-nbc-wgn-reader-wbez-2026" data-vars-content-id="6016cc2a-e01c-455e-a923-d90534b3b4d0" data-vars-headline="NBC Chicago&#x27;s new studio marks end of daytime TV era" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/01/09/media-future-streaming-fox-nbc-wgn-reader-wbez-2026" target="_self">local news</a>.Why it matters: The investment boosts local news — but underscores how far Chicago has drifted from its once-dominant role in daytime TV.

Berlin nightclub to reopen as Belmont and Decibel

The sister venues will be called The Belmont and Decibel and open on April 25.

Things to Do

After closing its doors in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="late 2023" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2023/11/21/berlin-nightclub-closed-drag" data-vars-content-id="a615ada9-ef22-42f3-9027-464119deb73e" data-vars-headline="Berlin nightclub to reopen as Belmont and Decibel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2023/11/21/berlin-nightclub-closed-drag" target="_self">late 2023</a>, Lakeview&#x27;s Berlin nightclub space will reopen this month as The Belmont, a craft cocktail bar, and Decibel, a dance bar.Why it matters: For 40 years, Berlin hosted a unique mix of LGBTQ and straight clubbers for late-night dance parties in an inclusive environment.<ul><li>Managers tell Axios they want to recreate that special scene.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;The goal is for everyone to feel comfortable here, as long as they&#x27;re comfortable with everyone else,&quot; says Marcus Devin, one of the new club&#x27;s managers, who previously worked at Berlin.<figure><img alt="Two men stand together in a dim venue with purple lighting. Left: glasses, blond hair, black T‑shirt with a circular cat logo. Right: mustache, blue mountain graphic T‑shirt; both wear jeans." height="2539" id="a3f98868-5c9e-427f-948e-bd483868cfa0" src="https://images.axios.com/JGyy2nBr29RJGlOFXwv5gSxvVNk=/2026/04/08/1775688782247.jpeg" width="3941"/><figcaption>Programming manager Austin Neff and manager Marcus Devin in front of the new DJ booth at Decibel, formerly Berlin. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios </figcaption></figure>Driving the news: The Belmont/Decibel (954 W. Belmont Ave.) will open to the public on April 25, pending final city approval.How it works: The club will operate as The Belmont cocktail bar in the early evenings, but pull back a curtain and morph into Decibel after 10pm on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.Backstory: Berlin owners Jim Schuman and Jo Webster closed the legendary club in 2023 amid union demands that they said they lacked the funds to accommodate. <ul><li>The new owner is HV Entertainment, which owns local LGBTQ clubs including Fantasy, Bobby Loves, The Closet and the Chicago Eagle.</li></ul>What&#x27;s new: Fresh lighting, a new sound system, clean remodeled bathrooms and two twinkling bars.What&#x27;s old: The &quot;retro vibe&quot; that manager and former Berlin staffer Austin Neff says he hopes to recreate with &quot;techno, house, &#x27;80s, &#x27;90s and early 2000s music&quot; spun by Berlin DJ Greg Haus.<ul><li>Berlin&#x27;s elevated dance stages that could host drag performers again in the fall.</li></ul>The drinks: Expect fancy craft cocktails at The Belmont until 10pm, but simpler drinks at Decibel.If you go: The Belmont will be open Tuesday-Saturday and charge a $5-10 cover for Decibel after 10pm.

The Hand & The Eye opens in Chicago

The Hand & The Eye joins a wave of recent openings on or near Michigan Avenue that draw crowds.

News

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Hand &amp; The Eye" data-vars-click-url="https://www.handandeye.com/" data-vars-content-id="9f04c5aa-9004-4c61-a42c-419b9c8d9ec7" data-vars-headline="The Hand &amp; The Eye opens in Chicago" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.handandeye.com/" target="_blank">The Hand &amp; The Eye</a> — touted as the largest magic venue in the world — opens in Chicago on April 18. Why it matters: Tickets are on sale for the 36,000-square-foot venue that transformed the old McCormick Mansion at 100 E. Ontario St.

Lawmakers weigh human composting in Illinois

The process turns human remains into soil and is legal in 14 states.

Climate

Illinois could soon legalize human composting — a greener death option that&#x27;s currently illegal in state.

Chicago street quiz: Roads, avenues or boulevards?

Can you identify the correct roads, streets, boulevards and avenues of Chicago?

History

Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive

The 1904 archival photo highlights a forgotten time in Chicago history.

This week&#x27;s &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="History Mystery" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/04/rare-1929-chicago-board-of-trade-lasalle-loop-trading-stocks" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/04/rare-1929-chicago-board-of-trade-lasalle-loop-trading-stocks" target="_self">History Mystery</a>&quot; features a long-lost photo of a produce market in Chicago&#x27;s Loop. The big (archival) picture: The 1904 archival photo shows several wagons lined up on South Water Street, which once featured open-air meat and produce markets. Zoom in: At the time, South Water Street was dubbed &quot;the busiest street in the world&quot; because of the markets and horse-drawn carriage traffic.<ul><li>It was also extremely congested, as river boats and barges docked along the main branch, dropping goods directly at market stalls.</li></ul>The intrigue: While current Chicagoans know South Water Street to be east of Michigan Avenue, this photo was taken farther west, near the Wells Street &quot;L&quot; line.<ul><li>That&#x27;s because in 1925, the city demolished Water Street for a newer, more efficient way to bring goods into the Loop: Wacker Drive.</li></ul><figure><img alt="A GIF that shows an old street with wagons dissolving into a modern street with a train running above it. " height="380" id="8177befb-0a02-4bf8-bdca-d8029d4828d9" src="https://images.axios.com/tgGzKhm4WnZbEYWfldFDYhD3H-I=/2026/04/07/1775598689590.gif" width="675"/><figcaption>South Water to Wacker Drive. GIF: Justin Kaufmann/Axios </figcaption></figure>The famed Wacker Drive (both upper and lower) was built to modernize truck traffic and ease congestion along the Chicago River.<ul><li>It was also part of Daniel Burnham&#x27;s 1909 plan, which called for better river access and a more orderly system for moving goods.</li></ul>What happened next: The merchants didn&#x27;t take the changes sitting down. They fought the plans in court, ultimately losing.<ul><li>Instead of staying in the Loop, they built a new produce distribution center near 14th and Racine, a couple of blocks from Maxwell Street.</li></ul>The bottom line: The crowded Water Street markets were wiped out in the name of progress, replaced by Wacker Drive and, eventually, the Riverwalk that now draws thousands each year.More History Mystery photos solved:<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Board of Trade, 1929" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/04/rare-1929-chicago-board-of-trade-lasalle-loop-trading-stocks" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/03/04/rare-1929-chicago-board-of-trade-lasalle-loop-trading-stocks" target="_self">Board of Trade, 1929</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Madison Street, 1918" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/01/21/historic-photo-madison-street-1918-snowstorm-downtown-loop-train" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/01/21/historic-photo-madison-street-1918-snowstorm-downtown-loop-train" target="_self">Madison Street, 1918</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="West Loop, 2012" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/11/12/history-mystery-trivoli-tavern-west-loop-green-street-hogsalt" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/11/12/history-mystery-trivoli-tavern-west-loop-green-street-hogsalt" target="_self">West Loop, 2012</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Rush Street, 1954" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/1954-photo-gold-coast-adolphs-agostinos-carmines-rush-street" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/1954-photo-gold-coast-adolphs-agostinos-carmines-rush-street" target="_self">Rush Street, 1954</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="47th Street, 1973" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/09/16/1973-photo-47th-street-indiana-south-side-blues-brothers" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/09/16/1973-photo-47th-street-indiana-south-side-blues-brothers" target="_self">47th Street, 1973</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Roosevelt Road, 1910" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/08/12/before-roosevelt-road-1910-photo-maxwell-street-uic" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/08/12/before-roosevelt-road-1910-photo-maxwell-street-uic" target="_self">Roosevelt Road, 1910</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bughouse Square, 1915" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/06/11/1915-photo-oldest-park-bughouse-square-washington-terkel" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/06/11/1915-photo-oldest-park-bughouse-square-washington-terkel" target="_self">Bughouse Square, 1915</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Little Poland, 1905" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/03/history-mystery-polish-downtown-1905-chicago" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/03/history-mystery-polish-downtown-1905-chicago" target="_self">Little Poland, 1905</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Randolph Street, 1962" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/05/28/1962-photo-loop-landmark-randolph-street-sherman-woods-greyhound" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/05/28/1962-photo-loop-landmark-randolph-street-sherman-woods-greyhound" target="_self">Randolph Street, 1962</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Union Station, 1925" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/07/30/1925-photo-union-station-monroe-amtrak-anniversary" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/07/30/1925-photo-union-station-monroe-amtrak-anniversary" target="_self">Union Station, 1925</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Madison Street, 1900s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/04/23/kennedy-expressway-west-loop-madison-halsted-street-1906" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/04/23/kennedy-expressway-west-loop-madison-halsted-street-1906" target="_self">Madison Street, 1900s</a></li><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tribune Tower, 1925" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/07/08/100-years-tribune-tower-mag-mile-michigan-avenue-wrigley-building-1925" data-vars-content-id="584dcf96-f61a-49d7-9b4d-243d0f3de760" data-vars-headline="Rare photo shows what South Water Street looked like before Wacker Drive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/07/08/100-years-tribune-tower-mag-mile-michigan-avenue-wrigley-building-1925" target="_self">Tribune Tower, 1925</a></li></ul>

Can you identify these iconic Chicago dive bars? Take the quiz

How well do you know the city's favorite watering holes?

This week, I had the distinct pleasure of hosting Axios colleagues who were in town for a conference. Of course, I took them to some of the legendary watering holes in the city.

New UIC building softens Brutalist campus' edges

Designed to honor Walter Netsch's vision, CDRLC adds light, curves and community space to UIC.

Education

University of Illinois Chicago&#x27;s new Computer Design, Research and Learning Center (CDRLC) updates the school&#x27;s famous Brutalist campus with a design better suited for modern learning.

Pick up an Illinois passport for America's 250th

A new Illinois passport guides visitors to 60 historic sites, from Cahokia Mounds to Pullman.

Illinois is putting its own stamp on the country&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="250th birthday." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" data-vars-content-id="7bb4c31b-b800-458a-b75b-ce75bbca4afe" data-vars-headline="Pick up an Illinois passport for America&#x27;s 250th" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" target="_self">250th birthday.</a>

New Sound Cafe remixes former record shop

Owners turned a long-vacant building into a cafe designed for neighbors to gather and connect.

Once a gospel record store, New Sound Cafe in Chicago&#x27;s Austin neighborhood is filling a need for local meeting spaces.

Chicago and other cities examine César Chávez's legacy

New reporting prompts fresh scrutiny of Chávez's legacy across Chicago schools and sites.

Chicago is among <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the cities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/03/19/san-diego-cesar-chavez-events-abuse-allegations-cancelled-change" data-vars-content-id="97459e4f-533b-49b4-8009-fbf3fbd47022" data-vars-headline="Chicago and other cities examine César Chávez&#x27;s legacy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/03/19/san-diego-cesar-chavez-events-abuse-allegations-cancelled-change" target="_self">the cities</a> grappling with labor leader <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="César Chávez&#x27;s legacy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2026/03/18/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations" data-vars-content-id="97459e4f-533b-49b4-8009-fbf3fbd47022" data-vars-headline="Chicago and other cities examine César Chávez&#x27;s legacy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2026/03/18/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations" target="_self">César Chávez&#x27;s legacy</a> following new allegations of sexual abuse.The latest: A New York Times investigation this week <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reported allegations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html" data-vars-content-id="97459e4f-533b-49b4-8009-fbf3fbd47022" data-vars-headline="Chicago and other cities examine César Chávez&#x27;s legacy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html" target="_blank">reported allegations</a> that the United Farm Workers co-founder groomed girls and sexually abused young women while leading the farmworker movement. <ul><li>Chávez died in 1993. Chávez&#x27;s family released <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a statement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/TheNationalChavezCenter/posts/pfbid0cdfRKxzJvPeCPQCcfgDH5r2cP7VpdauFGLDLiSNX52V8mCrke4E8RpNpgfadQ559l/" data-vars-content-id="97459e4f-533b-49b4-8009-fbf3fbd47022" data-vars-headline="Chicago and other cities examine César Chávez&#x27;s legacy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheNationalChavezCenter/posts/pfbid0cdfRKxzJvPeCPQCcfgDH5r2cP7VpdauFGLDLiSNX52V8mCrke4E8RpNpgfadQ559l/" target="_blank">a statement</a> saying they were &quot;devastated&quot; by the report, expressed support for survivors and asked for privacy while they process the allegations.</li></ul>

Quiz: How well do you know Chicago's department store history?

From Marshall Field's to Sears to Saks Fifth Avenue, the department store is a huge part of this city's history.

CTA bus routes quiz: How well do you know Chicago's bus system?

This quiz is for the public transit riders.

How to celebrate Women's History Month in Chicago

From wine tasting to pop-ups, here's how Chicago is marking Women's History Month this March.

Culture

Women&#x27;s History Month marks a time to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women locally and globally.The big picture: Throughout March, events across Chicago will bring women together to celebrate, connect and uplift each other. We&#x27;ve rounded up a few ways to celebrate around the city.