Stanley Kay

Chicago

Deputy Editor at Chicago Magazine

Deputy editor @ChicagoMag. Former Sports Illustrated editor. [email protected]

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Articles

Next Big Things: The Battery Builder

Feb 18, 2025 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

Sodium is everywhere. It’s in our oceans and our food. And on a frigid, sunny day in early January, it is sprinkled all over the icy sidewalks of West Town, crunching with every step I take toward an unlabeled warehouse not far from Fulton Market that serves as the R&D site of the startup Bedrock Materials. If cofounder Spencer Gore’s vision comes to fruition, one day your car will be powered by sodium, too.
Next Big Things: The Battery Builder

Feb 18, 2025 | l8r.it | Stanley Kay

Sodium is everywhere. It’s in our oceans and our food. And on a frigid, sunny day in early January, it is sprinkled all over the icy sidewalks of West Town, crunching with every step I take toward an unlabeled warehouse not far from Fulton Market that serves as the R&D site of the startup Bedrock Materials. If cofounder Spencer Gore’s vision comes to fruition, one day your car will be powered by sodium, too.
Best Place to Have a Pint at 7 A.M. Without Judgment

Jul 15, 2024 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

Having a beer before noon is generally frowned upon. But not at the Globe Pub, where on a weekend it’s not uncommon to find a line out the door before sunrise. That’s because the North Center bar is a destination for soccer fans, opening early in the morning to accommodate supporters of Arsenal, Aston Villa, and other clubs around Europe, whose matches air here at unusual hours because of the time difference. Can’t handle a beer on an empty stomach?
Best Loop Sanctum

Jul 15, 2024 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

Forget Maggie Daley and Grant Parks. The best downtown spot tourists haven’t discovered is Lakeshore East Park, bounded by Columbus Drive, Randolph Street, Wacker Drive, and the lake. Surrounded by a mountain range of high-rise condo buildings, including Jeanne Gang’s Aqua and St. Regis masterpieces, the park provides a lush landscape of flowers and fountains. It’s a great place to read a book, have a picnic, or just wander. 450 E. Benton Pl. chicagoparkdistrict.com
Lake Escapes: As Pure as Michigan Gets

Apr 15, 2024 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

On a glorious late-summer day a couple of years ago, my wife, Rebecca, and I hiked the modest incline in Sleeping Bear Dunes that leads to Pyramid Point, not far from the town of Glen Arbor. We ascended 1.2 miles through the beech and maple forest until we reached a clearing, where suddenly Lake Michigan appeared beneath us, majestically stretching to the horizon, its hue a tantalizing shade of blue that sparkled in the morning sun.
Why We Love Winter: Take a Florida Vacation Without Leaving the City

Nov 27, 2023 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

For Florida natives like me, winter in Chicago is a time of reckoning. Why, I often find myself wondering, did I forsake 75-degree days in February for this? Plenty of Chicagoans flock to the Southeast when the temperature drops, but you don’t have to spend all that money (or suffer the indignity of a Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale) to enjoy a Sunshine State vibe in winter. Here’s how.
Photo Essay: A Cloud-level View of Chicago’s Skyscrapers

Aug 7, 2023 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

Chris Hytha’s favorite skyscraper is the Carbon & Carbide Building. The photographer lives in Philadelphia but keeps a picture of the Chicago landmark on his bedroom wall. “It’s just mesmerizing,” he says. The 503-foot-high art deco structure is famously topped by a gold-covered cap, but the opulent ornamentation is impossible to fully appreciate from the ground.
Chicago's Best Baseball-Themed Vessel for Drinking Booze

Jul 17, 2023 | chicagomag.com | Stanley Kay

Wrigley’s Beer BatThink ballpark concessions peaked with helmet ice cream? Hold my beer (bat). Introduced at Wrigley Field this season, the $30 baseball-bat-shaped plastic container holds 26 ounces of beer (or frozen margarita, if that’s your thing). Sure, it’s effectively an expensive souvenir cup (a 24-ounce draft beer in a regular cup is half as much), one that’s not all that functional, given that you can’t put it down without spilling its contents, and costs another $15 to refill.