Skip to main content
Raf Miastkowski on Muck Rack

Raf Miastkowski

As seen in: Amazon, Medium, HuffPost, Thrillist, Eater, AskMen, InsideHook
Bulls fan, UXer, road tripper. Currently writing the Texas Dive Bar Guidebook, out in 2024. Big on Insta:
Back to Raf Miastkowski’s profile

Raf Miastkowski’s Journalist Portfolio

View as a grid

15 famous Chicago movie locations you might have missed

15 famous Chicago movie locations you might have missed

Thrillist — While Chicago doesn't produce nearly as many movies (or smog clouds!) as LA, it still boasts a rich film history with plenty of iconic characters and blockbuster backdrops. From Emmit's Pub in Backdraft to Lower Wacker Drive in The Dark Knight, here are 15 famous Chicago movie locations you might have missed.
Who shared?

The 10 most corrupt Illinois politicians of all time, ranked

The 10 most corrupt Illinois politicians of all time, ranked

Thrillist — It's been a veritable debauchery pageant trying to narrow down the 10 most corrupt Illinois politicians who were sloppy enough to get caught (as much as we love rumor mongering) -- but here they are, ranked by their overall brazenness and total prison term, because, as former Secretary of State Paul Powell once said, "There's only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and that's a broke politician".
Who shared?

The top 10 fireplace bars in Chicago, ranked

The top 10 fireplace bars in Chicago, ranked

Thrillist — Winter in Chicago isn't just a great time to see the Bears' season go up in flames -- it's also a great time to see actual flames at one of these: the 10 best fireplace-equipped drinking spots in town, ranked from #10 to #1, so you're never caught drinking at #11. Gross.
Who shared?

Rain Machine Concert Preview

Rain Machine Concert Preview

Time Out Chicago — The harmonically rich, rhythmically jerky act teems with hypnotic vitriol, the Brooklynite’s alternately booming and evaporating voice a glaze applied over fragile plickety-plick banjo and brain-burrowing riffs.
View PDF

Chicago Cocktail Bars: 10 Spots Reinventing the Nightcap

Chicago Cocktail Bars: 10 Spots Reinventing the Nightcap

groupon.com — Today, Chicago remains home to a number of renowned cocktailing hotspots, some of which attempt to redefine the craft in search of evasive newness, while others that wield Hawthorne strainers to dig deep and tap a rich vein of tradition.
Who shared?

Discover Somewhere New In Logan Square

Discover Somewhere New In Logan Square

AskMen — It was a brisk Saturday evening in September of 2012, and I was shuffling down Milwaukee Avenue with my hands in my pockets. Bonny's was closing, and there was zero chance that I was going to miss its farewell night.
Who shared?

Must-See Bands: Pitchfork 2014

Must-See Bands: Pitchfork 2014

AskMen — Skillfully blending smoky R&B and haunting downtempo, FKA Twigs sounds like The Weeknd showed up to a rave with a crew of glitter-covered, snake-toting replicants, and began singing after snorting crushed-up microchips. Everything in this sentence is a compliment.
Who shared?

In the Game of Chicago, you drink or you die.

In the Game of Chicago, you drink or you die.

medium.com — If the game of thrones was played in Chicago, where would each contender head for drinks? Sweet summer child, let local expert and Queen's man @RafFoSho guide you down the Kingsroad and across the Red Fork to some of Chicago's finest drinking spots.
Who shared?

Keystones of Chicago's Music Scene

Keystones of Chicago's Music Scene

gogobot.com — Today, Chicago has entrenched itself as the music-festival capital of America, hosting dozens of neighborhood fests in addition to mega-events such as Lollapalooza, Pitchfork Fest, Riot Fest, Taste of Chicago, Spring Awakening, North Coast, and Wavefront.
Who shared?

Obama Eats Here

Obama Eats Here

www.notfortourists.com — One of Chicago's quintessential sandwich shops, Manny's has been churning out Jewish comfort food since 1942. Whether you come for breakfast to rub elbows with local politicos or for lunch to get stuffed, you can't go wrong with Manny's.
Who shared?

Alleytown in Washington, D.C.

Alleytown in Washington, D.C.

www.alleyconnoisseur.com — In 1992, a reporter named Laura Goldstein was working at the Washington Post and received an assignment to track down an amateur photographer who shot images of crippling poverty on the city's southwest side.
Who shared?