Chicago magazine August 2022

AS ANY GOOD JOURNALIST KNOWS, IT’S important to do your research. Which is how I, along with my two sons, ended up at the Eiffel Waffle in Downers Grove one Wednesday night in June. If I was going to put one of the local chain’s decadent ice cream concoctions on this month’s cover, I wanted to see how it played with its target demographic: the Instagram generation. My 18-year-old, Terrance, who declares himself “not a fan of novelty sweets,” was skeptical. “This is obnoxious,” he said as he eyed cover star Cookie Monster (Cosmic Cookie ice cream topped with cookie dough, Oreo crumbles, strawberries, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, all set inside Eiffel’s signature bubble waffle cone). “How do I even eat this?” He managed to make it through the fillings…

TO EVOKE CHICAGO’S NOTORIOUSLY temperamental climate for “What Weather Forecasters Know” (page 74), design director David Syrek decided to photograph the three celebrity meteorologists interviewed, then insert the photos into illustrated backdrops of extreme conditions (a rainstorm, a snowstorm, a windstorm). “We thought that would bridge the reality and seriousness of a lot of what they’re talking about with something that is still fun,” says Syrek. He turned to illustrators (and siblings) Peter and Maria Hoey to create Chicago scenes in their graphic novel style. During the shoots with photographer Saverio Truglia, the meteorologists were told to act as if they were in those scenarios — while adding a touch of the dramatic. (For inspiration, Syrek showed NBC-5’s Brant Miller photos from Gene Kelly’s Singin’ in the Rain dance routine.) “In…

@robbleton via Instagram Jerry Franklin via Facebook “Not a screwup” is generous. I can’t think of someone more out of touch with the vast majority of Illinoisans, whether it comes to digging in his heels on vaccine mandates, making it easier for criminals to operate, or turning our schools into woke fantasy-lands. @jfox285 via Instagram KAHLEAH’S FAN CLUB What a great read [“Sky High,” June/July]. I knew of Kahleah when she played at Rutgers. Now she’s way better. And to read that she’s a sweet woman with a heart of gold — Kahleah Copper, I’m a fan. @JeffmChicago via Twitter GRAY MATTER This is a great article with beautiful pictures [“Gray,” June/July]. I let my gray grow in during the COVID lockdown. It was the right decision for me, and I now feel more authentic. @Ljhull1…

@lifeoftygs When Tyger Ligon was a kid, his parents gave him a camera, which he didn’t put down until he went to college. Then, during the pandemic, the Washington Heights resident, 27, a video production freelancer, got back into photography. He’d been in a creative rut and used this contest to visit a new part of the city. “I was wandering around North Avenue Beach seeing all the people out and about,” he says. “I ran into this group of guys kicking a soccerball around.” Ligon was drawn to the motion and expression in the scene, which to him captures the joy of a Chicago summer. NEXT CONTEST Post your best high-resolution shot of local beer on Instagram by August 15. Follow and tag @chicagomag and include #chimagcon test on your story or…

1 In his first head coaching gig, can Matt Eberflus reverse a decade of futility for the Bears, who’ve had one winning season since 2010? The latest would-be savior debuts in an Aug. 13 preseason game against the Chiefs. 2 Mayoral candidates can circulate petitions starting Aug. 30. Lori Lightfoot will face familiar foes Paul Vallas and Willie Wilson, plus newcomers such as Aldermen Ray Lopez and Rod Sawyer. 3 Raised concrete curbs to protect bike lanes are going up this month on Milwaukee between Addison and Irving Park. A cyclist killed in May was the second fatality there in the past three years. 4 For 122 years, Woodlawn’s Mount Carmel High School has educated only boys, including Sheriff Tom Dart and NFL QB Donovan McNabb. Noting “elusive” growth for single-sex Catholic schools,…

LITTLE MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, WATER TOWER PLACE WAS THE ULTIMATE DES-tination for shoppers itching to spend money along the Magnificent Mile. The gray-marble-clad building on North Michigan Avenue was home to retail titans of yore, including Lord & Taylor and Marshall Field’s. The eight-story mall had scores of brand-name shops, chic boutiques, and a bustling food court with a dozen stations each serving a distinct cuisine. These days, the department stores are gone, leaving vacant spaces. Other familiar retailers have fled, including Gap and Banana Republic, making way for sports jersey and T-shirt shops. The food court’s highlight is an M Burger. “Everybody would love Water Tower Place to go back to what it was,” says Alderman Brian Hopkins, whose 2nd Ward includes part of the Mag Mile. “The…