It's been two years since COVID-19 arrived and changed our lives forever.

Flashback: Chicago magazine put together an oral history last year with local officials framed around key dates in the pandemic. March 2020 included:

• 3/9: Illinois declares disaster.
• 3/13: Last day of CPS classes.
• 3/14: Despite cancellation of both St. Patrick's Day parades, weekend revelers still pour into bars.
• 3/15: Announcement of indoor dining shutdown.
• 3/17: Election Day.
• 3/20: Statewide lockdown.
• 3/26: City shuts down lakefront trail.

Flashback: Just reading these moments sends chills down our spines as we recall the uncertainty of the times and the hundreds of thousands who've perished across the country.

• It also reminds us how much our worlds have been transformed.

💭 Monica's thought bubble: I haven't worked in an office since March 10, 2020, except to clean out my WBEZ desk.

• I've developed an aversion to crowded rooms.
• But I've also gotten fitter on a regimen of homemade food, including weekly whole grain sourdough, and regular exercise.

💭 Justin's thought bubble: I was live on-air at WGN Radio when most of these moments happened in real-time. What's missing from our list are the massive layoffs as corporations cut back. In a matter of weeks, I was no longer at that radio station.

• I regularly performed on stage in 2019, while nowadays most of my creative pursuits are livestreamed.
• I've yet to step back into a movie theater, and have cut my dining budget in half.
• The bright side: Doubling my lounge pants wardrobe.

📫 We want to hear from you. What are the biggest changes in your life since March 2020?

As we soon wade into St. Patrick's Day, a lot of folks will be chowing down on corned beef with cabbage. But we prefer eating the cured meat on a couple of slices of rye.

• We present today two of our favorite local spots for the classic sandwich.

🥪 Monica's pick: The 89-year-old Moon's Sandwich Shop in East Garfield Park.

• While Moon's 10-cent burger was the hot seller in the '30s, its hot, generous corned beef sandwich ($12.50) has been the big draw now for decades.
• I asked for "everything" and was surprised by the lettuce, tomato and pickle tucked between the tender beef and fresh rye — but it actually worked.
• Nostalgically, I like to believe that my great-grandpa Joe Eng was a regular here when he lived down the street in the '30s and '40s.

🥪 Justin's pick: If I had my way, I'd pick a Reuben. But that's not the Food Fight today, so I went with the Corned Beef Factory Sandwich Shop on Lake Street.

• The Corned Beef Factory first opened in the West Loop in 1948.
• Their sandwich pairs juicy corned beef with Swiss cheese and your choice of spicy or regular mustard — their rye bread is a must ($12).
• They also do Reubens with corned beef or turkey.

📫 Reply with your favorite corned beef sammies for an upcoming list.

🏗 Governor Pritzker froze funding for state infrastructure projects with ties to former House Speaker Michael Madigan. (Sun-Times/BGA)

👩‍⚖️ Actor Jussie Smollett is supposed to be sentenced in a Cook County courtroom today. News cameras will be present. (Tribune)

💉 The city is setting its sights on increasing vaccination rates among school-aged children. (Chalkbeat)

🏀 The Northwestern men's basketball team beat Nebraska in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. They'll play Iowa today. (Sports Illustrated)

• The DePaul men's basketball team lost to St. John's in the Big East tournament. (Tribune)

🍺 If green beer isn't your thing, Saturday is also Goose Island's 312 Day, which includes a live concert with Mick Jenkins on West Fulton. (Goose Island)

🔥 Hot and fresh local job listings.

1. Account Director at Reputation partners.
2. Chief Marketing Officer at Vital Proteins.
3. Managing Editor, Alt-Meat/Senior Editor, Meatingplace at Alt-Meat.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a Job.

Preservation Chicago released its annual list of the city's eight most endangered buildings and destinations.

Why it matters: These structures represent Chicago's history. Without formal protections, they could be destroyed.

What they're saying: "It's a somber time as we spotlight these remarkable endangered structures, which cover so much area of the city," Preservation Chicago executive director Ward Miller said in a press release.

• "The threats to our historic built environment are all across Chicago."

Here are a few of the endangered spots on this year's list:

Go deeper: Read this year's complete list.

👋 Hi, Monica here. Welcome to that time of year when all sorts of foods are marketed in the name of an Irish saint, from Shamrock Shakes to limited-edition Lucky Charms cereal.

• Sure, it's a lot of blarney, but if you can't beat 'em, you can at least review 'em.
• So I picked out four St. Pat's specials at Aldi to rate on a rigorous one to four shamrock scale.

Luck O' the Cookie Dough ice cream ($1.99): I didn't feel very lucky eating this mediocre vanilla ice cream with a mere handful of cookie-flavored green stars.

• Verdict: ☘️

Irish cheddar with Irish whiskey ($3.99): I was skeptical about boozy cheese, but the hint of bitter Irish whiskey here beautifully complements the rich sharp cheddar.

• Verdict: ☘️☘️☘️☘️

Limited-edition Lucky Charms ($3.64): My shocked kids devoured this clover and star-studded cereal that tastes like slightly sweet Cheerios.

• But it barely delivered on its big promise to turn milk green. Someone is clearly cheaping out on food coloring.
• Verdict: ☘️☘️

Reuben bites ($7.99): I was surprised by how much I liked these crispy, cheesy, beefy bites dipped in Thousand Island dressing. But I didn't feel super great after eating them for breakfast.

• Verdict: ☘️☘️☘️