One thing I love about Los Angeles is that everyone comes here, and I don't have to go anywhere -- they come to me. Case in point: Joey Arias, the drag diva who first made a splash in New York's underground drag scene and then went on to infamy at Cirque du Soleil's sexytime Zumanity in Las Vegas, is here in town. I can go see him without jumping on a 3,000-mile (or 250-mile) flight for the next few weeks, in "Arias with a Twist." The name stems from the collaboration with Basil Twist, a puppeteer who conjured the fantastical set that Mr. Arias performs on.

● Gene's Sausage Shop & Delicatessen (Lincoln Square) - Achtung, baby. Gourmet grocery store in Lincoln Square proper specializing in sausages, all things German.

● Zara (River North) - Popular Spanish retailer winning over Mag Mile shoppers with cheap, chic, stylish mens' and womens' threads.
● Belly Shack (Logan Square) - Chef Bill Kim opens the long-awaited sister restaurant to Urban Belly.

Kevin Long stretches his expertise over state lines on a daily basis. He serves as executive chef at both SHRINE Asian Kitchen, Lounge and Nightclub at MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Scorpion Bar, located in Foxwoods Casino. Long also heads the kitchen at Tosca and Caffe Tosca in Hingham, Massachusetts. Humbly starting his career at family restaurants on Boston’s South Shore, Long rose to work alongside one of his idols, Thomas Keller, at The James Beard House and the Park Avenue Cafe.

● Lincoln Hall (Lincoln Park) - Owners of Schubas Tavern go all out, and all in, for Chicago's newest live music club.
● Bar Novo (The Loop) - Luxe cocktails at luxe prices. Renaissance Hotel's typically plush bar with bites.

Forbes trotted out a "Most Toxic" survey, and proudly crowned Atlanta the Queen of Dirty, with Detroit coming in as runner up (can they ever be the best at anything?), and Houston, Chicago, and Philly rounding out the top five. And by "toxic" they don't mean backstabbing and trash talking, so unfortunately they're not referencing NeNe, Kim, Lisa, Kandi, or Sheree. Instead, the survey focuses on air quality and the amount of toxic chemicals released into the water and air in the metro areas. Atlanta takes the top spot because of its dirty immediate neighbors -- Forbes is quick to point the finger at Sandy Springs (holla Sheree!) and Marietta.

● Chilam Balam (Lakeview) - Refined Mexican comes to Lakeview with creative small plates and locally-sourced grub.
● Mercadito (River North) - Popular New York tacos and ceviche drop in River North. Just awesome.

● Nana (Hyde Park) - South side shows softer side with bright, cheery, organic brunch spot.
● Rockwood Place (Wrigleyville) - Slinging drinks in the old Central space to the old Central crowd.

● 33 Club (Gold Coast) - Past-blasting recreation of the grand ol' dining clubs without the grand ol' price. Old-school Chi nostalgia in full effect.
● Cibo Matto (The Loop) - Polished Italian restaurant that's the third venue to grace the inside of modern boutique hotel The Wit.
● Little Bucharest Bistro (Logan Square/Humboldt Park) - Closed since 2004, Lil' Bucharest's back with modern takes on Eastern Euro classics.

[See part 1 and part 2 of Paper Route's tour blog.]

We were privileged to play once again at one of my favorite venues in the country: Schuba's in Chicago. It ended up selling out, which came as a shock to most of us, as it is still difficult to tell how we'll do in different cities before we get there. That in itself was one of those moments that I felt like I knew I was right where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I should be doing. Afterward, we invited everyone out to our van, where we played a few songs inside of our trailer as a crowd gathered around. It was incredible to see people connecting to songs that we all put so much of our lives into. Enjoy the clip above that someone posted -- I apologize for the fan singing along, she was just having such a good time!