The most loved Time Out Chicago stories from 2015

Because I love late-night snacking, I’d always wanted to put together a guide to foods you can only get after 10pm. This year, I did. —Amy Cavanaugh

I tried Violet Hour's new happy hour on an evening before Movieoke at the Whistler, so I went right after work and, naturally, forgot to grab food beforehand. I ended up running over to Big Star in between my commitments to scarf down a few tacos. Let's just say fancy cocktails, quick tacos, more cocktails and Movieoke is a great way to spend a Wednesday night. —Elizabeth Atkinson

It's not every day you get to soar above the Chicago skyline while on assignment, but when you work at Time Out Chicago, anything is possible. During our ride on a Chicago Helpicopter Experience tour, we took some great photos (and a video) of the amazing views to accompany a short write-up about the high-flying experience. —Zach Long

One of the strangest days of summer was the day Chicago had a tornado warning. It scared us out of our wits and we at Time Out Chicago took the stairs to the basement of our building. When it was declared safe, I went on Instagram to see what people were up to and was surprised to see many Chicagoans plowing ahead through the rain to cabs and the train. Or walking the streets. Or sitting in traffic. All while that eerie siren wailed among the buildings. —Nick Kotecki

This was the story that almost killed me—148 of anything is a lot—but I emerged stronger and now I know exactly where to find the best macaron in Chicago. —Amy Cavanaugh

Anyone who's familiar with Chicago knows about the city's orange glow. This phenomenon, a form of light pollution called glare, is a product of the high-pressure sodium-vapor lamps that illuminate almost all of the streets across town. But it could soon become a thing of the past as the city begins to switch to LED blubs. —Clayton Guse

The Time Out Chicago crew knows how to bar crawl. We loved this story so much that pretty much everyone in the office chipped in to "help" with the crawl. Of course we loved watching as this video came to life, and we sipped a couple of drinks along the way—just to make sure they were good, you know. While vastly popular spots like Parson’s Chicken & Fish and Scofflaw were obvious highlights, my favorite bars ended up being Best Intentions—for its quiet patio and great service—and Weegee’s, an escape off the beaten path where the bartender serves up a mean sidecar. —Laura Rote 

When Wilco released Star Wars without any warning the week before the band headlined the Pitchfork Music Festival, I quickly rounded up some facts and a few feelings about the new collection of songs. A few months later, most of what I said about the album is still pretty accurate. —Zach Long  

The Time Out Chicago Theater Awards is something I’ve wanted to do for years; seeing our readers respond enthusiastically to the inaugural call for votes (nearly 2,800 entries!) was really gratifying. —Kris Vire

I could talk about San Juan all day (and in a previous iteration of this story, I basically did), so working on this story was tons of fun. Having spent a good deal of time in Puerto Rico in previous years, I relished being able to relive adventures like hiking through national rainforest and learning (or trying to learn) how to salsa. —Laura Rote