Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i Chicago magazine

AS SOON AS CONTRIBUTING WRITER KELLEY ENGELBRECHT heard that Robert Prevost had been elected pope, she knew she wanted to write about where he grew up. “I was fascinated by the fact that he was from Dolton,” she says. “There’s something kind of biblical about that. You see countless times in the Bible that people from the most forgotten-about places are chosen to do great things.” In this case, it was a place that had endured a financial scandal that left it broke. Says Engelbrecht: “One moment there’s an empty papal balcony, and the next, Bob Prevost walks out — and everything changes for Dolton.” Engelbrecht used her story about the pope’s childhood home, “Bob’s House” (page 66), to tell a larger one about the community. When she started her…

Q: Why is our skyline visible from across the lake? When I lived in Grand Beach, Michigan, on the other side of Lake Michigan, I could usually see the three tallest buildings in Chicago from the beach at the end of my street. On rare occasions, I got the entire skyline. But at 43 miles away and zero elevation, it’s not actually possible to see that far, given the curvature of the earth. Someone at sea level can typically see three miles to the horizon. So how was I seeing Chicago? Turns out I wasn’t — not directly, anyway. I was looking at the result of an optical phenomenon called atmospheric refraction, or “looming,” which is “the appearance of distant objects that are usually hidden by the convexity of the earth’s…

IN HIS OFFICE AT THE American Academy of Pediatrics, CEO Mark Del Monte displays a photo of the Itasca-based association’s founding members at their first convention. For Del Monte, the 1930 image serves as a reminder of the rebellious spirit it took to create the academy at a time when centering children’s health was a radical notion: “They had seen a global pandemic. They had seen war zones and refugee crises. They saw all the problems with children — infectious diseases, no child labor laws of any kind — and decided the solution was to found a medical society where we have a child health mission. That’s an extraordinary act of courage. You have to take on some really big things.” That has certainly been the case since Del Monte,…

WHEN MIKE REED HAD THE IDEA in 2005 for what would become the Pitchfork Music Festival, he pitched it to three guys in a basement. “Let’s do a street festival, but cooler,” he recalls telling the team behind Pitchfork Media, which at the time was producing its influential website in Chicago. “Not with Dave Matthews cover bands, but with original music artists that my friends and I are interested in.” Last November, when the plug got pulled on Pitchfork, the call didn’t come from a basement. It came from the New York City offices of publishing behemoth Condé Nast, which had acquired the entire Pitchfork operation in 2015. After a 19-year run in Union Park, where as many as 20,000 fans a day converged for a long weekend of alternative…

NOT LONG AFTER THEY BEGAN dating, the now-married couple Artur Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniazek realized their stuffed cabbages clashed. “Gosia is from the north of Poland, where it’s only meat, and I’m from the south, where it’s half meat, half rice,” says Wnorowski. Adds Pieniazek, with a laugh: “When I made it, he was like, ‘What’s going on?’” Years later, at Pierogi Kitchen, the first of the three Polish restaurants they own, the couple serve a version they can both agree on: one with pork and chuck, rice, and a topping of tomato sauce. It wasn’t right away, though, that they fully embraced their heritage cuisine. They had met at a Polish hip-hop festival (yes, that’s a thing) in Chicago in 2007. Two years later, they opened Lokal, where they…

1 WOLF & COMPANY What A behemoth along the 606 from the team behind Little Bad Wolf and Gretel. Why You can stop in for a burger, a drink on the patio, or shopping at the market. Where 1752 N. Western Ave., Logan Square 2 HIRO BAR & IZAKAYA What A Japanese newbie from Celeste Group. Why It’s a spot to see and be seen. Where 1600 W. Chicago Ave., East Ukrainian Village 3 LIA What Life imitates art at this New American joint from a Detroit restaurateur. Why Both the tasting and à la carte menus cleverly take a page from the artwork on the walls. Where 11 W. Illinois St., River North 4 ABRAH BAKERY & DAILY BISTRO What American and Ukrainian food meet at this eatery from the Soloway Coffee…

THE LINES EXTEND WITH THE OCCASIONAL LOOP, embellishments that almost seem to bend and sway. The floating dot of an i sits next to at whose cross arcs before it’s flicked to the next letter. Each capital I is a stately series of flourishes, while every m is a hurried afterthought that looks more like three straight lines than a series of mounds. “Most of these plants you’ll have to collect from the prairies or the woods,” the note reads, followed by a list of towns where they could be found, including Libertyville and Naperville. The handwriting appears rushed, but elongated, as if there’s no patience for precision but room to let the words stretch. If the sentences ebb and flow across the page like a gentle breeze, then the…

n In an age when a whole generation has never even seen a manual typewriter, let alone operated one, it’s not easy finding someone to fix these mechanical contraptions. So as an owner of 15 of them, I was thrilled when selftaught typewriter repairmann Lucas Dul opened up a brickand-mortar shop in 2024. Situated between a barbershop and an aquarium supply store in a Downers Grove business strip (1525 Ogden Avenue) and open afternoons Wednesday through Saturday, Typewriter Chicago stocks various models and ribbons. But the real wizardry is that Dul can fix almost any manner of typewriter, whether the hefty vintage version inherited from your grandmother or the ultraportable you use to disconnect from the digital realm. (Take heed: Because of the high demand for his services and the…

1 Ben Johnson will have a big audience for his Bears coaching debut. Monday Night Football will air the Sept. 8 game against the Vikings. Will he fare better than his recent predecessors? The team has had only one winning season in the last 12. 2 DraftKings will start charging Illinois residents an extra 50 cents per online wager Sept. 1 — a response to a tax recently enacted by the state. But you can still bet without that vig at the sportsbook’s Wrigley Field outlet. 3 Ed Burke and Mike Madigan, the last remnants of the machine, were sentenced to prison, but local historian Dominic A. Pacyga remembers the rise (and fall) of Chicagostyle politics in Clout City, out Sept. 9. 4 Chicago, Jeff Tweedy will love you, baby.…

1 In designing the Uptown, more was more. “It outdoes your dreams,” rhapsodized an ad touting the theater’s 1925 opening. That wasn’t just hype. As documented in The Uptown: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace, by Chicago contributor Robert Loerzel and James A. Pierce, the colossal theater reflected the excesses of the Jazz Age. The architectural firm Rapp & Rapp took inspiration from royal palaces, modeling the Uptown after “an idealized Spanish Renaissance castle.” With a budget of more than $4 million (about $74 million today), the local theater chain Balaban & Katz spared no expense, including travertine marble from Italy and shipped-in paintings, statues, and murals. The Uptown dazzled with state-of-the-art lighting and sound — and the glories of air conditioning. 2 While the theater was royal in design, its mission…

IN HIS LATEST WTTW special, Touring Chicago’s Lakefront, host and executive producer Geoffrey Baer hikes, snorkels, and even saddles up on horseback. Off camera, his go-to ways of exploring the shoreline are by bike or boat, both of which offer a dose of nature and a chance to be social. The Highland Park native, 69, learned how to sail in the ’80s as a grad student at Northwestern and has been part of a crew for the annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac some 15 times. “I do the very best kind of sailing: in other people’s boats,” he says with a grin. GETTING IN GEAR “I’m no good at exercising on my own. My next-door neighbor is a huge bicycle guy. So as often as three mornings a…

IF YOU’VE VISITED A WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUB, YOU KNOW the drill: Before dinner, you’re having an old-fashioned. This is not a stirred whiskey cocktail, but rather brandy with muddled fruit, sugar, angostura bitters, and a topper of soda (7Up, Squirt, or soda water). Now it’s all the rage here, too. Here are four to try. THE FROZEN SCONNIE OLD-FASHIONED L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge The Northwoods-inspired supper club offers the coldest version, a fruit-forward slushie made with Korbel brandy. “We’ve been having fun with oldfashioneds since we began almost 25 years ago,” says partner Terry Lawler. Various iterations have included Malört and strawberry-rhubarb, while the latest take taps orange and lemon juices, cherry syrup, and angostura bitters to achieve the right balance. Lawler says it’s been just right for…

SEEDO’S LEVANTINE BAKERY 125 S. Clark St., Loop ■ Perfect order Za’atar manakeesh, harissa veggie “sandweesh,” pistachio croissant ■ Facing a dozen Sterling Food Hall vendors during the lunch crush, you may feel the urge to flee for the familiarity of the closest chain. Breathe deep, then follow the aromas of toasted sesame seeds and sumac to Seedo’s Levantine Bakery, where Mutaz Abdullah explores the flavors of Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq through flatbreads, sandwiches, and pastries. Hospitality runs in his veins; his father opened Hyde Park’s Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen in 1992, and his grandfather ran a bakery in Jordan. (“Seedo” means “grandfather” in Palestinian Arabic.) Begin with slabs of manakeesh ($5), bubbly flatbread topped with warming za’atar. Thicker bread forms the base of hearty “sandweeshes,” like one with pasterma,…

PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA, COSTA RICA 1 More daily flights make for a well-timed visit to Central America’s Caribbean coast. Starting November 2, American Airlines launches daily direct flights to San José, Costa Rica — a significant upgrade on the Saturday-only direct hauls American and United currently offer. November sits at the tail end of Costa Rica’s rainy season, but travelers and Ticos in the know head straight to oceanside Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the lesser-known Caribbean coast for abundant sunshine and calm seas. While there: The 15-room Hotel Aguas Claras (from $247) is a modern-meets-whimsical property. Set near the soft sands of Playa Chiquita, it features a palapa-covered beach bar and an Afro-Caribbean restaurant. New this year: a pair of two-bedroom bungalows. ATHENS RIVIERA, GREECE 2 You can…

■ When they first met, Robin Flaherty and Jess Milburn — from River Forest and Barrington Hills, respectively — quickly bonded over a shared love of characterfilled old homes. The new best friends launched their interior design firm, North & Madison, in 2017. Now they have released a capsule collection of wallpaper to coordinate with their line of customizable vanities. The nine prints, illustrated by Peoria artist Melissa Johnson, blend hand-sketched whimsy with vintage-modern style. Think moths, bold stripes, and florals inspired by thrifted pins. Available in multiple colors and in both peel-and-stick and classic satin finishes, the prints have personality. “They’re not made by a computer,” says Milburn. “They’re made by a person with a soul.” northandmadison.com…

I’M NOT INTERESTED IN HAVing a single overriding aesthetic,” says Alison Amick, chief curator at Intuit Art Museum, which showcases outsider and self-taught art. After earning a master’s in art history, she spent 12 years as a curator in Oklahoma City before moving to Chicago in 2015, lured in part by Intuit. “I’m very interested in artists whose work can be more difficult to categorize,” says Amick, 47. So it’s no surprise that when it comes to shopping for herself and her home, the Irving Park resident embraces a wide range of styles: “It’s fun to explore different neighborhoods. Driving around, if I see a shop that looks interesting, I stop and go in.” HAZEL 1835 W. Montrose Ave., North Center “It’s a gift shop with great variety, from stationery…

THERE IS AN ANCIENT CREATURE STALKING THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES: THE Rahmosaurus. Hatched during the campaigns of Bill Clinton, the Rahmosaurus wants to make it known that he and his centrist brand of politics aren’t extinct. In fact, if the Democrats want to win back the presidency in 2028, Rahm Emanuel knows just the guy for the job: himself. In June, the former Chicago mayor confirmed he’s considering a run for the White House in 2028. “I’m looking at the field and, most importantly, what I have to contribute,” he told Crain’s Chicago Business. He’s even headlining an Iowa fish fry later this year — a true indicator that he’s serious. Running for office is “part of who Rahm is, his nature,” says WGN political analyst Paul Lisnek. “He would be the…

MD2 (“MD squared”), the pioneer of concierge medicine, has opened its third Chicago location, this time in the heart of the Gold Coast. The new office meets the city’s growing demand for personalized healthcare, expanding MD 2’s presence while maintaining its signature exclusivity: just 100 families per practice, 50 per physician. Dr. Claudia Tellez and Dr. Evan Lu, two of the region’s most respected physicians, lead the MD 2 Gold Coast practice. Focusing on deep, meaningful patient relationships and uncompromising care, they offer patients the time, access, and attention that modern healthcare often lacks. Dr. Tellez, a triple board-certified internist and hematologist-oncologist, has nearly 30 years of experience, all of it at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Known for her compassionate care and academic leadership, she also founded the Lurie Cancer Center Hispanic…

KALEIDOSCOPIC COLLABORATION Local artists Mayumi Lake and Bob Faust display their colorful patterned prints in Elmhurst Art Museum’s Shakkei, an exhibition that includes a joint new work. Sept. 6–Jan. 4. elmhurstartmuseum.org LITERARY LIGHTS The 40th Printers Row Lit Fest features 70-plus programs. Novelist Sandra Cisneros, who now lives in Mexico, returns to her native Chicago to headline. Sept. 6–7. printersrowlitfest.org BLUNT INSTRUMENTS Your inner teen’s dream comes true at the Miracle in Mundelein music fest, where adults can openly smoke pot legally. Headliners include hip-hoppers De La Soul, Stephen and Damian Marley (yes, Bob’s sons), and Indiana jam band Umphrey’s McGee. Sept. 6–7. themiracleconcert.com FAMILY TIES THAT BIND The burden of a family business drives the drama in Ashland Avenue, a Chicago-set world premiere kicking off Goodman’s centennial season. The…

Mash-ups thrive in today’s culinary landscape, so it was only a matter of time before someone put the flavors of a Chicago-style hot dog, deepdish pizza, giardiniera, and Italian beef into chip form. “I love potato chips and I love Chicago food, and I couldn’t shake the idea that these two things needed to live together,” says Laura Gardner, a former Foxtrot executive who launched Local Style in April. Favorable public response came quickly — bags are already available at more than 100 spots around the city, including Beatrix Market, Fairgrounds, and the Goddess and Grocer — because these chips are that good. They taste precisely as advertised, and while I wouldn’t turn down any of the varieties, I actively seek out the hot dog one, which offers a spot-on…

SURE, YOU COULD CHEAT AND USE store-bought marinated olives in this riotously herbal, satisfyingly salty broiled feta dish, a longtime standard at Lula Cafe. But as one might expect from the mind behind a restaurant powered by ingredients and care, chef-owner Jason Hammel regards the olives’ 24-hour marination period philosophically: “Knowing who made your food is one of the most important aspects to actually enjoying the food. For us at least,” he says. “So who better to know than yourself? It’s an act of self-love.” LULA CAFE’S BAKED FRENCH FETA  Makes 2 servings Active time 15 minutes Total time 25 minutes, plus 24 hours for marinating 1⅓ cup neutral oil (like an olive and canola oil blend), divided4 strips orange peel1 lemon1 tsp. roasted garlic purée(like Gourmet Garden brand)½ tsp.…

SLEEP TREATS Kate Spade Sunshine Floral neck pillow and eye mask set, $50. 900 N. Michigan Ave. FLIGHT PATTERN Johnny Was quilted travel blanket (folds into a pouch), $148. Saks Fifth Avenue, 700 N. Michigan Ave. FOOT REST Hoka Ora Recovery Slide 3, $60. 746 N. Michigan Ave. LIGHTS OUT Hermès Not Sleepy padded goatskin and silk twill travel mask, $980. 25 E. Oak St. COZY COMBO James Perse cashmere socks, $135, and jacket, $595. 1515 Sheridan Rd., Wilmette SILENT TREATMENT Loop Experience 2 Plus noise-reduction earplugs, $45. us.loopearplugs.com…

THE FIRST RULE OF SHOPPING AT DAISO: DON’T bring a list. You’ll toss it the second you see the mushroom-shaped toothbrush holder or the adorable Hello Kitty mugs. Technically, it’s a dollar store. But really, it’s a crash course in Japanese daily life: The aisles are loosely organized, most prices hover at $2.25, and yen-based signage adds just enough mystery to make math feel optional. There are locations in Niles and South Elgin, but the new Kenosha outpost, the Japan-based chain’s first in Wisconsin, is bigger, brighter, and bursting with a mix of practical meets completely unnecessary (but irresistible). Party hats hang near pet toys. School supplies mingle with miniature strainers. There are enough beige storage bins to reorganize your entire life. And yes, if you’re DIY’ing a backyard chicken…

■ Saturday Night Live pissed me off. I’d been writing my own material for three years. I’d had a one-woman show. In San Francisco, I’d done improv with a really funny group called Spaghetti Jam, and I’d improvised with Robin Williams one night for 45 minutes. So I knew my stuff. I auditioned with so many characters and so much material and thought, People are going to be writing for me like crazy. But the writers literally would say, “It’s impossible to write for women.” I thought, I can’t wait to get out of here. ■ We grew up in Garfield Park and lived in a terrible building in a one-bedroom with six kids. There were terrible people, and we saw terrible things. We had to take a bath downstairs.…