Planes, trains and … burros. The City of Chicago on Monday released a herd of goats, sheep, llamas and burros on 120 acres of property at O’Hare International Airport to help maintain the grounds, according to NBC Chicago. The animals will use their instinctive “landscaping” talents to chew through hilly areas of greenery that are difficult to maintain with regular equipment.
Luigi Raceway. Chicago Transit Authority teamed up with Nintendo on Monday to transform the Brown Line into the “Luigi Line” to promote “New Super Luigi U,” a game for the Nintendo Wii U system that will be released on Aug. 25, according to the RedEye. A special train that ran from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. was painted green and decorated with graphics of Nintendo characters. A life-size Luigi mascot even made the commute with regular CTA passengers.
Hometown hero. Fat Rice, located at 2957 W. Diversey Ave. in Logan Square, ranked No. 4 in Bon Appetit’s “Hot 10 2013” list of the best new restaurants in the country. Run by chef Abraham Conlon and partner Adrienne Lo, the eatery features Macanese food. The owners describe the cuisine, which comes from the Macau region in China, as “Euro-Asian comfort food.” Favorites on Fat Rice’s menu include ginger-lime cauliflower pickles and Sichuan peppercorns.
The red sheep. By now, many Chicagoans have seen the blue Divvy bikes that are spreading throughout the city. But have you spotted the lone red Divvy bike that is in operation this month? Those who do are encouraged to snap a photo and post it on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr with the hashtag #DIVVYRED. The bike-sharing program operator selects its favorite shots at 5 p.m. every day through the end of the month, and the winners receive prizes from local business. The 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, 200th and 300th lucky riders to take the red bike for a spin are being given gift certificates for a free annual Divvy membership. Check out a video of the red bike on the DivvyBikes YouTube channel.
-Tom Butala