Theaster Gates reassesses his multitude of materials in a mid-career survey, running September 23 to February 22 at the Smart Museum of Art.

Every swirl, sweep, and knot in Joycoast’s watches and sunglasses tells a story. Learn more about the goods at this Lincoln Park shop.

Cynthia Pelayo is Puerto Rican and has several great books! www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture...

From hip-hop to pop opera, from fiction to film, here are the nine events to put on your calendar. buff.ly/iRK7MFZ

“We grew up in Garfield Park and saw terrible things. Later, my brothers and I would tell stories about these things, and we’d laugh. People go, ‘Why are you laughing at it?’ I’d say, ‘Because it was so terrible.’”

Your Sunday long read ☀️: Remember Beanie Babies? The toys were made by Ty Inc., owned by reclusive Chicago billionaire Ty Warner. In 2014, we wrote about Warner's stuffed animal empire and how he narrowly escaped a prison sentence.

These 10 bars and restaurants are the buzziest spots in town: Where will you be eating and drinking in October? buff.ly/jDMj8vg

Former ad exec Reese O’Toole turned to wood, not steel, to create Joycoast watches that stand out and give back. buff.ly/p7O8pTi

"The best example of the idea of America ... is rock ’n’ roll. I console myself in believing that I am participating in one of the things that is best about America." buff.ly/3PgTSPN

An Indian-Filipino café, a tasting-menu restaurant, and a Printer’s Row cocktail bar: Here’s where we’re eating and drinking in October.

Minimalist, flashy, or one-of-a-kind: Joycoast designs watches and shades from FSC-certified wood. Bonus? They plant 10 trees with every order.

It seems like there are hundreds of former taverns in Chicago. Almost all the taverns I remember in my 20s almost fifty years ago are gone. They were social hubs. www.chicagomag.com/city-life/th...

Our October Hot List is here! Check out the 10 buzziest bars and restaurants for the upcoming month. buff.ly/jDMj8vg

Will we ever again see a functional, competitive Republican Party in Illinois? Not as long as MAGA is the party’s animating principle, writes @tedmcclelland.bsky.social

You gotta plan ahead a bit to catch these pop-ups — and they won't last forever — but it's worth it to snag some great bites. buff.ly/a1MS94m

“The [SNL] writers literally would say, ‘It’s impossible to write for women.’ I thought, I can’t wait to get out of here.”

"I don’t think anybody would regret spending a bit more time with their imagination, allowing themselves to be creative, giving themselves permission to make something that isn’t great." buff.ly/3PgTSPN

“Regardless of how visible I am publicly, my particular set of mood disorders requires me to take care of myself in a certain way.” buff.ly/3PgTSPN

Here’s a prediction: if Darren Bailey runs again, he’ll lose again, even worse than he did last time. Why? Because now, Donald Trump is president. buff.ly/pYfRurE

"All of my music is against the dark in a way. It’s like we’re on a road to ruin. It doesn’t feel like things are going in the right direction. Post-pandemic, it hasn’t brightened up." buff.ly/3PgTSPN

“When I was 20, a man of stature raped me. It affects your whole life. It took me 25 or 30 years to tell my friends.” Nora Dunn on SNL, her childhood, and trauma. buff.ly/AfWElqo

"I feel very, very lucky that I somehow learned how to play the guitar and express myself this way. Everybody suffers, but you’re in a better condition having an outlet like music or comedy." buff.ly/3PgTSPN

These are our four favorite pop-ups right now, including those for smashburgers, Korean food, pierogi, and tacos.

A brick row house on the near West Side built just five years after the Great Chicago Fire and an early industrial loft conversion in Lincoln Park: Check out this week's real estate roundup. buff.ly/NU0hC6W

Trump is a significant figure in the decline of the Republican Party in the state because he has helped make permanent the realignment of the suburbs — the swing region of Illinois politics.

Alt-rock icon Jeff Tweedy is having a bit of an existential crisis. His solution? Put out an epic new album and spread some joy. Part of our October cover story: buff.ly/3PgTSPN

We're here for whatever Dominic Pacyga writes!

As we edge toward fall, we're at the peak of our region's produce. From Feld to Lula Cafe, here are the best places to enjoy what the shoulder season has to offer: buff.ly/uNRLaFX

Anton Cermak dreamed of a Chicago Tammany Hall. Richard J. Daley perfected nepotism. Richard M. Daley embraced LGBTQ+ voters. A new book explores how the Chicago political machine kept reinventing itself. buff.ly/Etq0NBt

Our real estate roundup this week includes brick row houses and industrial loft conversations. buff.ly/NU0hC6W

The funnest places to eat these days? Pop-up restaurants. These are our four favorites.

Jimmy Terry was always itching to top his last stunt. Before his untimely demise, Chicago was the playground for his most jaw-dropping antics. www.chicagomag.com/city-life/ju...

Illinois's law takes a wide view of allowing abortion after fetal vitality to protect the life or health of the mother, which includes harder-to-determine “emotional” or “psychological” health factors. That’s where Hope Clinic comes in, unabashedly operating in the exception area.

Should the Bears be allowed to keep "Chicago' in their name if they move? Writer @tedmcclelland.bsky.social (and Richard J. Daley) think not.

Your Sunday long read ☀️: It's sunny and not too hot: Perfect weather to bop about the city and eavesdrop! Need inspiration? Five years ago, writer Tom Chiarella spent three days listening in on conversations around the Loop.

The first time the Bears threatened to move, 50 years ago, Mayor Daley was having none of it. “They won’t use the name of Chicago if they move to Arlington Heights,” Daley sputtered, threatening to sue the team.

The Fifty/50 Group (Roots Pizza, Kindling) operates the Alston, and though it has hired a good team, they aren’t providing the level of service a premium restaurant demands. buff.ly/R9L1nSU

From Bridgeport classrooms to Daley nepotism to Pride parades, historian Dominic Pacyga traces the rise and fall of Chicago machine politics in 'Clout City'.

If the Bears want to leave the city, they should have to drop Chicago's name.

Illinois's law takes a wide view of allowing abortion after 24-28 weeks to protect the life or health of the mother, which includes harder-to-determine “emotional” or “psychological” health factors. That’s where Hope Clinic comes in, unabashedly operating in the exception area.

At Conservatory Vintage & Vinyl in Flossmoor, you can transform your turntable and living room. buff.ly/kP1jApS

The American Blues Theater is producing Kristoffer Diaz's latest play, 'Things with Friends'. We spoke with Diaz about his Chicago connection and the new work.

“Because it’s my first book, I’m expecting to sell it at a loss,” he explained. “As I write books and get my name out there, the profit will come in.”

How late is too late to get an abortion in Illinois? The short answer, as demonstrated by a clinic offering the procedure at 34 weeks: It's complicated. buff.ly/IzrGmeO

Love seasonal produce? Our dining critic @jdkess.bsky.social can tell you the best places to find those sungold tomatoes, ground cherries, plums, and fennel menus across town right now.

"A skilled technician and student of fine dining, chef Jenner Tomaska shows off highly finessed and showstopping moves. But the menu is too ambitious for its own good; the kitchen’s execution lets us down. Still, what fun." buff.ly/R9L1nSU

'Clout City', a new book by historian Dominic A. Pacyga, traces the rise and fall of Chicago-style politics. Here’s what we learned. www.chicagomag.com/chicago-maga...

My latest for @chicagomag.com : A new clinic offering abortions up to 34 weeks shines a spotlight on the exceptions allowed by state law. www.chicagomag.com/chicago-maga...

"I think Bucktown is turning into one of the most interesting places for new restaurants to land." Our dining critic @jdkess.bsky.social takes us on a dining and drinking tour of his neighborhood. buff.ly/faqhdRm

Playwright Kristoffer Diaz talks 'Things with Friends', his enigmatic world premiere that mixes menace with comedy.