When’s the last time you read a paper paper? You know, the kind you get not on your phone but at the gas station of perhaps via delivery? It’s been a while for me. We stopped the NYTimes after our reliable delivery person retired and we just never got it. I stopped the New Yorker when they just kept piling up, and now I have to remind myself to look at it online once a week.

I was happy when an old pal from my Chicago magazine days, Jennifer Tanaka, said yes to a pitch of mine on the new restaurants and shops that have opened in our area in the past couple of years. She’s managing editor for life and money at WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times (the two share a newsroom and content).

As I put the piece together, I was surprised by just how many places have indeed opened recently. Though we all have our old favorites (Out There, Goblin, Hummingbird, Historian, Dune Billies), it’s fun to check out what’s new.

If you are a regular reader of this blog (thank you!), little of this will be news to you, but it’s sorta nice to have it all in once place.

A couple of my pickleball friends saved the paper version for me, and though I’ve been published in a lot of publications over the years and have created a lot of magazines, it was still a kick to see my words and images on the back page. (Even if I am averse to punny headlines…) Check out the digital story if you haven’t seen it already. The story on WBEZ’s site is free to access. The Sun-Times asks you to subscribe.

ps—Here’s what AI suggested I use as a subhead to this piece: “The author reflects on their nostalgic feelings towards physical newspapers, highlighting their past subscriptions and recent shifts to online content. They express excitement about collaborating with Jennifer Tanaka on a piece about new local restaurants and shops, noting enjoyment in seeing their work published, despite a preference for avoiding punny headlines.” God help us all.