👋 Hey, Monica here. Last Friday I ventured downtown and learned that the rumors are true.

• Traffic is easy, street parking is plentiful, and you can eat lunch pretty much anywhere without a reservation.

Why it matters: Thousands of businesses rely on downtown workers' foot traffic, but those workers have returned to only about half of pre-pandemic levels, according to office card swipe data from Kastle Systems.

• Those levels drop by about half again on Friday, which could mean lasting changes for downtown cultural venues and businesses.

By the numbers: Rush-hour CTA ridership has risen 34% over last year, but only Tuesday through Thursday — the highest ridership days.

• Local workers reserve desk space most on Thursdays and least on Fridays, per office booking platform Robin.

The intrigue: In recent U.S. Census data, Chicago didn't even rank as a Top 10 city for highest percentage of remote workers.

• About 80% of Illinois respondents said they work primarily outside home.

Yes, but: Many in that 80% are still allowed to work remotely a few days a week. And guess which days they pick.

What they're saying: Employees are reshaping "their workweek to be more flexible, supporting a work-life balance of efficiency, well-being, and creativity," Robin co-founder Zach Dunn tells Axios.

• "As time continues, the teams that prioritize connections, employee experiences and modern workplaces that maximize in-person collaboration will see better outcomes."

Zoom in: These Friday doldrums allowed me to walk right into Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill for a delicious lunch last week with no wait. Great for me, but sad for restaurants.

• Maybe we can work to change this by planning Friday lunches — even collaborative meetings — at Chicago gems.

💭 Justin's thought bubble: Last week I went down to the Riverwalk on a Friday afternoon. I found a parking spot on Kinzie that I've never seen open in my life. I took photos of my car and all the signs thinking it was a trap!

A new CDC study surveyed over 50,000 people about their experiences with long COVID, which can have a wide range of symptoms lasting months after infection.

By the numbers: Nationally, 30% of COVID-infected people suffer the effects of long COVID.

• Illinois reported a rate of 27.3%, while Indiana leads the Midwest at 35.1%
• West Virginia is No. 1, with 49%.

🎒 Illinois students slightly improved in math and reading over pre-pandemic levels in the new 2022 report card. (Tribune)

⚠️ Amazon workers walked off the job in Joliet this week over pay and safety concerns. (ABC 7)

🛤 The push to use downtown property tax revenue to fund an extension of the Red Line past 95th Street is moving forward. (WTTW)

🎵 Three Chicagoans, including jazz musician Tomeka Reid, have been named MacArthur Fellows. (Sun-Times)

🏒 The Blackhawks lost their opener 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche. They play in Las Vegas tonight. (ESPN)

🥦 Uncommon Ground is closing its Edgewater location after 15 years. (Block Club)

It's Open House Chicago weekend, when hundreds of buildings unlock their doors to thousands of architecture nerds.

Driving the news: The biggest event of its kind in the world, OHC grants free access to buildings in 20 Chicago neighborhoods, north shore suburbs and Oak Park, along with 10 self-guided tours. It runs Saturday and Sunday.

• How can newbies navigate this two-day building blitz?

What they're saying: The key to a great OHC experience is planning, Chicago Architecture Center's (CAC) Jennifer McElroy tells Axios.

• "Download the new CAC OHC app for a complete list of all the neighborhoods, sites and programs," she advises.
• "Next pick maybe four or five sites each day depending on their location and your ambition!"

Yes, but: "Take note of sites that indicate long lines and plan to get there right when they open. They are worth the wait!

• Plus, CAC members and OHC volunteers can access shorter lines.
• Keep up by following CAC on social media and searching #OHC2022 for other visitors' hot finds.

Read the full story

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The Bears host the Washington Commanders at 7:15 tonight at Soldier Field.

Each week we turn to our Axios colleagues in opponent cities for a peek into their authentic game day spread.

• For this game, we asked former Chicagoan — but current Washingtonian — Axios Today host Niala Boodhoo.

🏛 Niala: Hello!

• Fun fact: This is my third time living in DC.

🥫 Mumbo sauce: Just like the owners of the Commanders, D.C.'s claim to mumbo sauce is not without controversy — but it's still the reigning king of wings in the District. The red/orange sauce is more sweet than sour, and we drench our fried chicken in it.

🍗 Peruvian chicken: Even if the area's first Peruvian chicken place didn't survive the pandemic, options for Peruvian-style chicken abound across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., from the fast casual to the fancy.

🦀 Crab cakes: Crab cakes and football aren't just what Maryland does — it's the whole DMV.

• Crab cakes — just maybe not with Maryland blue crab — are good for the fancy palate.

💭 Justin's thought bubble: I'm in for all three of these tonight.

• Although mild sauce over mumbo sauce any day 😍

Listen to Niala every morning on our flagship podcast, Axios Today.