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Spot the Next SNL Star at Chicago's iO Improv Theater

When it comes to the comedy scene in Chicago, most of the love goes to the famous Second City troupe, which has turned out the likes of Date Night's Tina Fey and Steve Carell. But iO, a smaller comedy club/school in Chi-town, also has an alumni roster that boasts big names like Mike Meyers, Amy Poehler, Jack McBrayer, Andy Richter and Andy Dick. Ever the meticulous comedy student, Fey studied at iO as well.

Another thing that makes iO, formerly ImprovOlympic, stand out from the rest of the Chicago comedy clubs is that it's the birthplace of long-form improv. Basically, this means that a whole show is created on the spot from a single audience suggestion. Improv impresarios Del Close and Charna Halpern dubbed this form "the Harold" and began teaching it in their iO classes.

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Kitsching Around At Chicago's Hollywood Mirror

Beloved by thrifty college students and design-hunters alike, Chicago's pop vintage store Hollywood Mirror delivers a hefty dose of kitsch for little cash. Specializing in everything from second-hand mid-century modern home furnishings to the most garish Hawaiian shirts from the 1950s, the store is like a thrift version of Vitra merged with Urban Outfitters--yet most everything is true vintage.

Enter the shop and pass the little jumble of Hot Topic-ish goods to reveal the true splendor of retro revival. Need a neon nightie from 1962 or a bowling bag only Bettie Page could love? You're in luck!

The lifeblood of Hollywood Mirror is of course its faithful customer base, who keep the colorful supply rotating, but the draw of the location is helped by its surrounding eclectic neighborhood, Lakeview. To locals, however, the area is simply known as "Boystown," and it takes only a minute on the streets on a Saturday night to see why. Luckily, Hollywood Mirror holds the recession-defying recipe of offering cheap, individual style in the midst of a true urban community who will never sell them out for Design Within Reach. Priceless.

Related Stories:
· Hollywood Mirror [Official Site]
· Recession Shopping coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: danh5150]