Chicago, city of big shoulders and even bigger secrets, a city where intrigue lurks around every corner.

I was heading towards the lakefront.

Oh and behold, I saw this kind of tawny brown lump on the sidewalk.

And next thing I knew it threw wings and it was flying right past my face.

Beyond the soaring skyscrapers, the asphalt jungle, and the sheen of the bean is another city,

a city of shadows.

There's always that mysterious group.

It was always, you know, some mystery of, you know, this group or them or they, whoever they are, you know.

WBEZ's Curious City sets out to solve everyday mysteries sent to us by listeners like you.

For the next hour, we're opening up the case files to bring you a collection of strange tales about Chicago we're calling...

Mystery City.

Don't touch that dial.

We'll be right back.

Curious City on WBEZ is supported by WinTrust,

with a network of community banks designed to support

and offer resources to business owners and decision makers.

More about WinTrust's community banking at wintrust.com.

Curious City is supported by UChicago's Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults.

An online sample discussion on Machiavelli's The Prince is on January 19th.

Registration at basicprogram.uukago.edu.

A city on a lake and on the make, home to millions of people and even more stories.

A city of epic contrasts, of secrets hidden in plain sight amid soaring skyscrapers and shadowy alleys, full of intriguing details that should, if you're paying attention, lead to questions.

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