Meet Rachel Shrock, Exhibition Assistant and Museum Educator, of the Jane Addams Hull-House. In this episode, Rachel gets us up to speed on some Chicago history, shares the phenomenal impact of the Hull-House both then and now, scolds drivers for some selfish (and dangerous) driving and tips us off to the Logan Theater Oscar movie viewings.

For more information about the Hull House visit www.hullhousemuseum.org

Meet Samantha, pet sitter extraordinaire. In this episode, Samantha shares experiences and advice from the pet sitting industry, human shames lazy dog owners and CTA riders and reveals the magical powers of a sandalwood fan.

You can find Samantha on Twitter at @ToriFan13.

Meet Yvette Your Maker, member of the Windy City Roller All-Stars. In this episode, Yvette laces up her skates and gives us a behind the scenes look at the world of roller derby, talks about the “stop for pedestrian” crossings and shares yet another Chicago first (you’ll have to listen to find out what it is!).

Meet Marcus Gilmer, Digital Editor for the Chicago Sun Times. In this episode, Marcus talks about his role in the evolving world of journalism, directs us to Scooters for some of the best frozen custard in the city, and slams the CTA for increasing prices while decreasing service.

Follow Marcus on Twitter @MarcusGilmer and subscribe to the Evening Rush at http://blogs.suntimes.com/eveningrush/

Meet Melissa, co-organizer of Chicago’s (the world’s?) first Poutine Fest. In the episode, Melissa gets us up to speed on the world of poutine, talks about building a festival from scratch, shares her favorite Italian joint in the city, gripes about the less-than-immediate “immediately following” trains and learns a little bit about our old friends, the Chicago Seven.

The festival is already sold out but Stefania will be on the scene reporting on all the deliciousness, so be sure to stay tuned to the Your Chicago twitter.

Meet Melinda, co-author and co-producer of Solo in the 2nd City, a bi-monthly reading series and blog on the wonderful world of dating in Chicago. In this episode, Melinda talks about starting Solo in the 2nd City, shares dating tips and trends (be bold, listeners!), encourages all of us to breakout of our neighborhood ruts and gives us the low down on story telling performances around the city.

Meet Margaret Hicks, owner of Chicago Elevated, a Chicago walking tour company . In this episode, Margaret talks about her unique tours (including the Disaster! tour voted best new city tour of 2012 by Chicago magazine), shares some fun facts and stories about the city, divulges the delights of Little Vietnam, and rips on the city’s outdated talk radio lineup.

Meet Jaime Black, Founder of Dynasty Podcasts, Chicago’s original music and nightlife podcast network. In this episode, Jaime talks about starting and producing a long running podcast, shares with us his start in radio here in Chicago, exhorts the city to expand its nightlife options, directs us to the creepiest church in town and gets schooled in Chicago blizzard history.

If you’re dying to know where the church is – you can thank Gumshoe Stefania for her fine internet detecting. First Zion Evangelical Church on 19th and Peoria. Pictures can be found here.

Welcome to a very special episode – our one year anniversary and our final episode of 2012. If you’re reading this, it means that we’ve made past the end of the world, congratulations! In this episode, Stefania and Arden fly solo (duo?) and cover some of the highs and lows in Chicago over the last year. We also hear from ghosts of guests past (they’re not really ghosts)- including Victoria (Chicago Organizing), Martha (IMPACT Chicago), Sheetom (Comedy Sportz) and Bacon (Shit Chicagoans Say…and also his awesome new Chicago Coasters store) – and play a rousing game of This Day in Chicago.

Meet Audrey Niffenegger, professor at Columbia College and author of New York Times best selling novels The Time Travelers Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry. In this episode, Audrey talks about book making, teaching, the art of inspiration, the importance of shopping local and the meditative Ando Room in the Art Institute.

To learn more about Audrey, you can visit her website at http://www.audreyniffenegger.com/. And be sure to stop by Zola Books and support them as they prepare to give Amazon a run for it’s money!