The new summer issue is here!

As you can imagine, taste-testing tons of ice cream flavors for our "50 Scoops" feature ranked very high on our fun-research list this time around.

I particularly enjoyed my visit to Palateria La Tropicana (also in our feature about Berwyn), where the two employees were super friendly and informative as I tried a spoonful of nearly all of their au naturel frozen offerings to choose one for our tasting. (I learned, for example, the main ingredient in their cheese ice cream is the same that is sprinkled on top of elotes, my favorite Mexican street food.) It's a really great neighborhood gem; when I was there, local families, teens and tweens filled the tables on a rainy day after school, sharing spoons and stories. I heard at least three different languages being spoken—a neat reminder of how lucky I am to be living in such a diverse city.

Here's what the rest of our team had to say about ther work on issue 9:

"I had the amazing good fortune of visiting the Big Island of Hawaii for this issue's Final Frontier feature. Hawaii is one of the rare destinations that I've never heard anyone say bad things about. The trip was filled with unforgettable moments, but one of my favorite memories may have been one of the simplest. Driving away from the amazing waterfall at Akaka Falls State Park, we saw a primitive roadside fruit stand. We pulled our Jeep over and forked over $8 for a fresh coconut, then stared at it, wondering how we could possibly get at the yummy goodness inside. Within seconds, the local farmer running the stand hacked it open with a machete and handed us straws. We drank the ice-cold coconut water in seconds, and then handed the shell back to him. He quickly chopped it open, loaded all of the meat in a plastic baggie and sent us on our way with a treat we could never find back home, and a memory we'll never forget." —Amy Carr, Editor-in-Chief

"You would think that after tasting 70 ice creams for our ice cream checklist, I would have been sick of the stuff. Instead, I waited anxiously at our cover shoot for the models and photographer to finish their work, then raced to the refrigerator to grab the last three-scoop waffle cone that hadn't been used for the shoot." —Stephanie Gladney, Art Director

“I had two enjoyable interviews with fascinating characters: Sébastien Savard, a Cirque du Soleil violinist from Quebec, where I used to live; and Dennis Wolkowicz, mastermind of the Silent Summer Film Festival, a quirky bit of time travel I look forward to every year. Both conversations were scheduled to last about 15 minutes, but I talked with Dennis and Sébastien for almost an hour apiece.” —Zachary Whittenberg, Editorial Assistant

"I got to try zip lining for the first time, and I took my kids to Indianapolis for a long weekend. After my eight-year-old son flipped through this current issue, he said that we use the phrase 'and more!' a lot. He's right, and that's a good thing: We have so many exciting things to cover it feels like the magazine is practically bursting with new information every two months." —Judy Sutton Taylor, Editor

"A backyard movie shoot—sounds like fun, right? We needed to take pictures outside, but mother nature had other ideas. First, we were called off because of rain. When we finally did shoot, it was 40 degrees and windy! My husband got the inflatable projector to stay up in the wind by rigging it with some light stands. Then the three-year old troops came. I think this was the only picture I got of everyone sitting down!" —Nicole Radja, Photo Editor

"Nothing forgave Chicago's lack of spring more than being able to work on our sunny summer issue, even when it was 40 degrees outside in the middle of May. Whether I was planning my dream picnic, or compiling all the summer fun in our calendar, the dreary and cold spring was made a little bit brighter by some Chicago summer dreaming." —Joanna Batt, Writer

"Well of course, there's the ice cream. Putting that package together, from every department's perspective, was more work than you probably think—but it was very tasty work. Reading Ninth Ward to prepare for the TOC Kids Book Club; it's a great novel. I especially loved editing the feature about the new Children's Poet Laureate. Writer John Beer did a great job, and reading J. Patrick Lewis's poems (four of which we reprinted in the magazine) is a delight." —Web Behrens, Associate Editor

"Typically, I tire things of quickly. The thought of trying nearly 70 flavors of ice cream simultaneously sounded terrifying and amazing. Turns out, it was solely amazing. It was a sad day when the leftovers were riddled with freezer burn and no longer edible. I still can't get enough—luckily the poster we made for the issue folds nicely to fit in my pocket." —Ian Dingman, Designer

We really hope you enjoy the events, activities, discounts, trips and tips in our new issue as much as we enjoyed putting them together. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section below, or email us at kids@timeoutchicago.com.