Our blog is filled with fun stories and little-known facts about special places.
Come learn about those places and the people who made them unique, as well as highlights of our adventures.
Photograph credits: @ChiCitiGirl
Posts from Category "Culture"
- Culture
How Chicago Became an Alt-Rock Capital in the ‘90s
How well do you know Chicago music? Visit eATLAS’ homepage to take our new quiz, which features 12 songs, many of which are by born-and-bred-artists, that reference the city in its lyrics.
October 30, 2025
- Culture
Your Guide to Fall 2025 Arts and Crafts Fairs in Chicago
Chicago’s street festival season generally stops after Labor Day Weekend, but there are plenty of art fairs and festivals taking place throughout the city during the fall. The events offer a perfect opportunity to find anything from a new piece for your home to a special holiday gift, or just to browse.
October 2, 2025
- Culture
Louis Armstrong in Chicago
In 1922, Louis Armstrong received a telegram from his friend and mentor, Joe “King” Oliver, to join his band in Chicago. It was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. From 1918-21, he’d been playing polite versions of the day’s hits on riverboats up and down the Mississippi River, and had stints with the Tuxedo Brass Band and Kid Ory in his hometown of New Orleans. His chops were honed and he’d become an excellent sight-reader of music, and he felt he was ready for the big time.
July 31, 2025
- Culture
Meet Jim Bachor: Chicago’s Pothole Artist
Held from May 30 – June 1, eATLAS’ fourth annual ScavHunt is a fundraiser for the Respiratory Health Association. The team that brings in the most money will win a 11” x 14” signed, limited- edition print of Jim Bachor’s “Perpetual Hot Dog,” his mosaic of a classic Chicago-style “dragged through the garden” hot dog. Bachor rose to local fame in 2013, when he started filling in Chicago potholes with his mosaics. We spoke with Bachor about his work.
May 8, 2025
- Culture
Where to Hear Jazz and Blues in Chicago
As much as Chicago is associated with jazz thanks to Prohibition and the musical Chicago, there is no distinct sound that originated here. The first wave of jazz in Chicago was made by musicians who came to the Windy City from New Orleans in the early years of the Great Migration. This included Louis Armstrong, who lived in Chicago for most of the 1920s and cut his seminal early sides here. Rather, its jazz history is found in the list of musicians the city has produced, including Quincy Jones, Nat King Cole, Herbie Hancock, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Krupa, Ramsey Lewis, Jack DeJohnette, and Clifford Jordan.
April 24, 2025
- Culture
Where to Find Public Art in Downtown Chicago
eATLAS has two Adventures dedicated to showing off public art in Chicago. Our Museum Campus Scavenger Hunt visits eight works on the grounds of the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium; and @ChiCitiGirl’s free Sculpture Art Tour in the Loop explores seven pieces in the heart of the city.
April 3, 2025