goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
headphones

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

profile image

1 Creator

Star filled black icon

5.0

(28)

profile image

1 Creator

Ask questions, vote and discover answers about Chicago, the region and its people. From WBEZ.
profile image
profile image
profile image

7 Listeners

Star filled black icon

5.0

(28)

comment icon

1 Comment

not bookmarked icon
Share icon

All episodes

Best episodes

Top 10 Curious City Episodes

Best episodes ranked by Goodpods Users most listened

A New York transplant loves everything about Chicago, but misses the easy access to a big slice of pizza on a paper plate. Our city’s tavern style and deep dish don’t lend themselves to the “slice to go” concept, but slice shops have gained traction over the last few years. We go on a hunt for the city’s best slice, and even get initiated into an underground pizza club.
play

06/15/23 • 19 min

profile image
profile image
profile image

3 Listeners

comment icon

2 Comments

2

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
play

08/11/22 • 18 min

Star filled black icon

5.0

Tips and tricks for spotting and enjoying birds in Chicago, from far flung marshes, to one birder’s window.
play

08/11/22 • 18 min

profile image
profile image
profile image

3 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
For more than 3 decades, Soul Train brought the coolest music and dancers to TV sets across the country. It also featured the coolest host, Don Cornelius, who started the program in Chicago in a studio the size of a small living room at WCIU Channel 26. On the 53rd anniversary of Soul Train going national, we take you back to its earliest days, and see how it still looms large over local culture.
play

08/17/23 • 18 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Growing up, one listener heard tales about how an engineer was hidden inside Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain in order to make sure the water spouts out each day. This week we go inside the innards of the fountain to see how it works and learn the history behind it. Plus, we get the answer to the question: Why does Chicago have so many alleys?
play

09/01/22 • 16 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

2 Comments

2

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
play

03/02/23 • 16 min

Star filled black icon

5.0

Scientist Alice Hamilton’s investigations into toxins in Chicago’s factories led to some of the first workplace safety laws in the country. She was known for her “shoe leather” epidemiology, wearing out the soles of her shoes from all the trips she made to Chicago homes, factories and even saloons to figure out what was making people sick. Reporter Edie Rubinowitz has her story.
play

03/02/23 • 16 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
The Great Chicago Fire, which lasted from October 8th to October 10th, 1871, destroyed most of Chicago from what is today Roosevelt Road up to Fullerton and from the Lake west to the Chicago River. Almost 100,000 Chicagoans lost their homes and several hundred lost their lives. And while the Chicago Water Tower has become an important symbol of what survived the destruction of the fire, it’s not the only building that made it through. Historian Paul Durica tells us about three other “survivors” and what happened to them decades later.
play

10/07/21 • 16 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
play

12/02/21 • 16 min

Star filled black icon

5.0

Every driver in Chicago has probably encountered a speed hump (yep, they are officially known as humps, not bumps) at some point while traversing the city. It’s probably safe to say that no one particularly enjoys going over one, but these barriers meant to slow drivers and make streets safer certainly annoy some more than others. And one listener wants to know if they’re even effective. Reporter Andrew Meriwether investigates.
play

12/02/21 • 16 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
play

11/18/21 • 24 min

Star filled black icon

5.0

Chicago has served as the backdrop for blockbuster films like “The Blues Brothers,” “The Dark Knight,” and “The Break-Up.” But just when did Chicago, sometimes referred to as the “Hollywood of the Midwest,” first become a go-to location for film and TV producers? The answer goes all the way back to the silent film era of the early 1900s when the Essanay Film Manufacturing Co. produced thousands of films from 1907 to 1917 and William Foster debuted “The Railroad Porter” in 1913. Productions shot on location in Chicago ebbed and flowed in the years that followed as Hollywood became a film and television hub. But as of September 2021, a record 15 TV shows were filming here. And with so many things being filmed here, we get asked a lot of questions about what makes certain locations popular for movie shoots? Matt Sigur tracks down some answers for us.
play

11/18/21 • 24 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
A house on Rainbow Road in Barrington, Illinois is shrouded in mystery. Former residents say they’ll never return. Some locals say memories of the property still chill their blood. So, what really happened at 92 Rainbow Road?
play

10/27/22 • 24 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Before it was a place to gamble or shop, the Medinah Temple was the longtime home to the Medinah Shriners, an organization shrouded in secrecy.
play

09/28/23 • 18 min

profile image
profile image

2 Listeners

comment icon

1 Comment

1

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Show more

Toggle view more icon

Featured in these lists

FAQ

How many episodes does Curious City have?

Curious City currently has 477 episodes available.

What topics does Curious City cover?

The podcast is about Radio, Public, Podcasts, City, Education, Chicago and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Curious City?

The episode title 'Chi-Town Is A Pie Town, But We Search Out The Best Single-Slice Pizza In The City' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Curious City?

The average episode length on Curious City is 15 minutes.

How often are episodes of Curious City released?

Episodes of Curious City are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Curious City?

The first episode of Curious City was released on Oct 23, 2012.

Show more FAQ

Toggle view more icon

Comments

5.0

out of 5

Star filled grey IconStar filled grey IconStar filled grey IconStar filled grey IconStar filled grey Icon
Star filled grey IconStar filled grey IconStar filled grey IconStar filled grey Icon
Star filled grey IconStar filled grey IconStar filled grey Icon
Star filled grey IconStar filled grey Icon
Star filled grey Icon

28 Ratings

T C's profile image

T C

@TC

Nov 24

horizontal dot icon
Star Filled iconStar Filled iconStar Filled iconStar Filled iconStar Filled icon
not liked icon

Like

Reply