Reopening Glunz Tavern felt like a matter of destiny for Barbara Glunz and her son, Christopher Donovan. The 48-seat Old Town tavern was launched in 1888 by Glunz’s grandfather, Louis Glunz I. Prohibition forced its doors shut, and they’ve remained so since, but the family held onto the space; Glunz grew up above it and now runs the adjoining wine and spirits shop, House of Glunz. She has immersed herself in her grandfather’s passions: wine, food and hospitality. “I can see that my whole life has been leading up to this,” she says of the opening.

If the past few years of Bill Caswell’s life sound like the stuff of movie scripts, that’s because they are. From 2004 to 2009, the University of Chicago business school graduate crunched numbers as an investment banker. But after hours and on the weekends, he retreated to the suburbs to tinker with cars in the garage of his mom’s Kenilworth home. In June 2009, the recession provided him with the perfect excuse to hang up his suit and focus on his passion full time. Caswell bought a $500 clunker on Craigslist, fixed it up, entered the World Rally Championship, where he raced against professionals driving cars worth nearly a half a million dollars — and finished third.

The movie “The Hangover” had to be based on me and my sister’s true life experiences going out on the town. Every time we whoop whoop, come 2 a.m., I lose Jojo. Every time. Then I find myself repeating the same question over and over the rest of the evening, which is “Where is Jojo?” And whatever group we go out with, they always respond the same, with shoulder shrugs, half not caring and the other half too drunk to understand me.

Dispatches from our Chicagoan in Hollywood, Liz Crokin

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Though it took her Oct. 7 wedding to officially call Chicago home, Niku Ghalkhani knew she adored the city from the first time she visited her now-husband Ali Shahanaghi — with whom she had a similar love-at-first-sight moment. The couple first met last spring at a mutual friend’s party in their hometown of Montreal, and after a four-month long-distance relationship — Shahanaghi is based in Chicago as vice president of a dental corporation — the duo knew it was meant to be. “We were on our third or fourth date when Ali brought up marriage. It was down-to-earth and that’s what I like most about him,” says Ghalkhani, who works as a biologist. Following tradition, Shahanaghi discussed marriage with Ghalkhani’s parents, and after an engagement party in Montreal they tied the knot at the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago a month later.

On Jan. 24, Chicago’s top athletes from past and present met with fans at the 25th Annual Comcast SportsNet Awards.

What we’re loving this week from Clarins, Dolphin, KLUTCHClub and Nike. 

If the past few years of Bill Caswell’s life sound like the stuff of movie scripts, that’s because they are. From 2004 to 2009, the University of Chicago business school graduate crunched numbers as an investment banker. But after hours and on the weekends, he retreated to the suburbs to tinker with cars in the garage of his mom’s Kenilworth home. In June 2009, the recession provided him with the perfect excuse to hang up his suit and focus on his passion full time. Caswell bought a $500 clunker on Craigslist, fixed it up, entered the World Rally Championship, where he raced against professionals driving cars worth nearly a half a million dollars — and finished third.

Urban Initiatives shot and scored with its 7th annual Soccer Ball, which was held at the River East Art Center (435 E. Illinois) on Jan. 25 and sold out faster than any previous year. Nearly 800 guests showed up to support the nonprofit’s health- and education-based soccer programs, which have expanded over the past six years to serve thousands of children attending 22 Chicago Public Schools. Masters of Ceremonies and ESPN 1000 hosts Marc Silverman and Carmen DeFalco entertained attendees who sipped cocktails, snacked on appetizers, danced and bid on silent auction items to help net nearly $300,000.