In Episode 146 of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky sits down with Cate Slighton of the 57th Street Art Fair to explore the history, culture, and community that have made Hyde Park one of Chicago’s most distinctive neighborhoods. As the fair prepares for its 79th year, Cate shares the story of how a small gathering of local artists evolved into the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest. The conversation also dives into Hyde Park’s artist colonies, the legacy of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, urban renewal, the influence of the University of Chicago, the Obama Presidential Center, and the role that art and public spaces play in creating vibrant communities. Whether you’re a longtime Chicagoan or discovering Hyde Park for the first time, this episode offers a fascinating look at one of the city’s most unique and enduring cultural destinations.In Episode 146 of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky sits down with Cate Sleighton of the 57th Street Art Fair to explore the history, culture, and community that have made Hyde Park one of Chicago’s most distinctive neighborhoods. As the fair prepares for its 79th year, Cate shares the story of how a small gathering of local artists evolved into the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest. The conversation also dives into Hyde Park’s artist colonies, the legacy of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, urban renewal, the influence of the University of Chicago, the Obama Presidential Center, and the role that art and public spaces play in creating vibrant communities. Whether you’re a longtime Chicagoan or discovering Hyde Park for the first time, this episode offers a fascinating look at one of the city’s most unique and enduring cultural destinations.

In Episode 145 of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron sits down at Highland Park City Hall with Mayor Nancy Rotering for a thoughtful conversation about what makes Highland Park such a distinctive place to live, work, and raise a family. From Ravinia, Taste of Highland Park, and the city’s unique neighborhoods to housing affordability, inclusionary zoning, senior living, and the redevelopment of the former Solo Cup site, Mayor Rotering shares how Highland Park is planning for growth while staying true to its character. They also discuss civic leadership, community resilience, accessibility, and what it takes to build a suburb that remains vibrant for generations to come.

In this episode, Aaron sits down with Johanna Nyden, Community Development Director for the Village of Skokie, for a grounded conversation about how housing, infrastructure, and development actually work at the local level. They unpack what’s really driving housing costs, the realities of aging housing stock, why permitting can feel frustrating, and how municipalities balance growth, safety, and affordability. Johanna also shares insight into “missing middle” housing, infrastructure constraints, and what it takes to keep communities livable as costs rise.

In Episode 143 of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky visits Youth Conservation Corps in Waukegan to explore a critical but often overlooked part of the housing conversation: workforce development. As Lake County and the broader Chicagoland region face a persistent housing shortage, rising construction costs, and a shrinking skilled trades workforce, solutions must go beyond zoning reform and financing tools. This episode examines how YouthBuild Waukegan is training the next generation of construction professionals while building affordable housing for local families. If we want more housing supply, stronger neighborhoods, and sustainable economic growth in Lake County and across the Chicagoland area, we need people who know how to build—and that’s exactly what this program is doing.

In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, Aaron Masliansky sits down with Adrian Brizulea of CoStar to unpack the Chicago real estate outlook for 2026.

In one of the most forward-looking episodes of The Chicagoland Guide to date, host Aaron Masliansky sits down with Kyle Schulz, Deputy of Strategic Advancement at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). This conversation breaks down where Chicagoland is heading over the next decade, and what it will take to stay globally competitive.

Licensed clinical professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist Erica Hornthal (“The Therapist Who Moves You”) joins Aaron to explain how changing the way we move changes the way we feel. Recorded on November 3, 2025, the conversation grounds movement therapy in the realities of Chicagoland life: financial pressure, screen-driven immobility, community trauma in Highland Park, and heightened anxiety around recent ICE activity across the North Shore. Erica shares practical, accessible ways to regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and communicate nonverbally when words are not enough.

How can celebrating cultural traditions strengthen a community? In this episode, host Aaron Masliansky is joined by Diana Gran — Founder of Diana Gran Portraits and Director of Día de los Muertos (DDM) Week in Highland Park — to explore how honoring heritage can create unity, healing, and connection across generations and cultures. Diana shares her journey from Acapulco to Highland Park, how reclaiming her roots transformed her life and art, and why DDM Week has become a meaningful celebration for the North Shore community. We discuss the power of remembrance, the importance of cultural authenticity, and how local businesses, libraries, and community organizations have come together to support this growing annual tradition.

In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, host Aaron Masliansky sits down with Jeff Haydon, President & CEO of the iconic Ravinia Festival in Highland Park-America’s oldest outdoor music festival. Jeff shares how Ravinia began as a railroad amusement park over a century ago and evolved into one of the nation’s leading cultural institutions. The conversation covers Ravinia’s deep roots in the community, its role as a good neighbor in Highland Park, and its vision for the future through the Setting the Stage campaign — a $75 million renovation of its 36-acre campus to be completed by 2029.

In this episode of The Chicagoland Guide, host Aaron Masliansky visits one of the last working farms in Cook County: Historic Wagner Farm in Glenview, Illinois. Joined by Director Jonathan Kuester, the conversation covers the surprising depth of history, education, and innovation happening just off Lake Avenue. Jonathan shares how Wagner Farm blends historic preservation with modern agriculture, offering programs for students (including special education farmers), operating one of the region’s most vibrant farmers markets, and even exploring robotic milking systems and crop science.