Great way to see boxing where it begins - in regional gyms. The winners here go on to the…read morenationals. My recommendation is to find some more 'senior' boxing fans who know the history and the stories behind most fighters. Last year a couple of gentlemen made our night by sharing stories of previous bouts.

Man... I have never been to a live Boxing Match. This place had the best of it all. Novices, trying…read moreto throw haymakers and getting winded. The little mismatches where a mad little guy faces an Andre the Giant look alike. Then the infamous knock outs!!! It was really nice to see that Boxing is not a dying sport, at least in this side of town. The event takes place at a gym for St. Andrews Church, but it is great. The Preliminary rounds were $10 to enter and there were 20 fights listed. I was there about 4 hours and had a blast. There's nachos and food if you get hungry and Coronas if you get thirsty. Check this place out... There are bouts now through April on the weekend. Its not too hard to grab a ringside seat... The punches sound better than in the stands.

This place is a great venue and if you live in the area it's a top notch experience…read more There isn't a bad seat in the house, the competition is amazing. Getting to watch big ten basketball is a treat and such a nice luxury! Compared to driving over an hour to the united center to watch a mediocre Bulls team this is Chicagos team!

If you haven't been to Welsh-Ryan Arena in a while to watch Northwestern play, you might not…read morerecognize it! It has been completely renovated, and it doesn't even look like the same place. It looks much smaller and every seat is a good seat, really nice sight lines. We sat in section 217 row 2 and the seats were excellent! (See below for pics) The place was super clean, feels new, though the renovation took place a couple of years ago. Seemed like helpful ushers we're just around every corner, ready to help you, and the concession stands were very reasonably priced. Great venue for watching basketball : )

I went to this event yesterday and ended up spending more time there then I originally anticipated…read moreI would! It was such a well put together event and such a fun, relaxing time. This event celebrates street food & artistry in Chicago, just as the event title suggests. It brings together art, music and delicious food! This was the first year the event went out and it was held at the Galleria Marchetti. This was a great location with an indoor section, fancy tented area that was wedding reception-esque, and two outdoor areas. I loved the outdoor areas! The weather was perfect so it was so pleasant to grab some bites, listen to some music and soak up the sun in a decent temperature! They had a silent auction going on and I wish I knew it was because they had some great items for sale! A signed Justin Bieber album!??!? Ummmm amazing!!! And other artists on the same level as him like Michael Jackson! hehe I'm only kidding! Half kidding. Really some amazing items with low starting bids. Seriously wish I had known! Tickets were $31 and I think well worth the price! They had a kid's cooking demo, some amazing musical acts plus an awesome hip hop tap dance group M.A.D.D. Rhythms! I loved all of the music and bands that played!!! On to the yummies! There were some food trucks & carts representing and the best part for me was trying new ones I haven't tried before! I had never had any of these before! The coolest part was talking to the people who ran the trucks & carts. It's not often you get that privilege and for a foodie like myself it was a good thing. Homage Street Food - New food truck to Chicago! The owner was super nice and enthusiastic about what he is bringing to the city and how different it is. Both dishes we tried had some kick to them. I had the buckwheat noodles and really enjoyed them! Arrf Scarf Cart - Treats for dogs! Friendly group and have yet to say how the dog likes these treats. I got treats to give to one of my BFF's dogs Minion...I'll keep you posted on how Minion likes them! Bergstein's NY Deli Truck - I tried their slider and potato pancake. Both were yummy! Puffs of Doom Cart - Super friendly people here! I'm not a huge fan of cream puffs but these little guys were cool. Interesting choices in flavors and I opted for the oreo, yum! Uptown Pie Company Truck - I think they were a no show! Sad. Herby Pop - Gourmet popcorn and it was tasty! I just had my onion & dill popcorn sample after dinner tonight and really enjoyed the savory taste of it. Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen - Now that was some good naan! The hummus was some of the best I've ever had! Everything on this HUGE sampling plate was delicious! Adding this to my list of restaurants I must visit. English & Porkchop both had pulled pork sandwiches. Both were good but it was kind of funny they had the same dish and were right next to each other. I have been to English a bit for the bar aspect of it so was interesting to see them at a food event Old School Root Beer Float Carts - Awesome! Root beer floats are the bomb diggity! A root beer float sitting outside on the grass was the perfect treat! Dark Matter Coffee Company had hangover coffee! It doesn't get cooler then that! Wow Bao is always good! They had pulled pork buns and some other flavors which I didn't get to try! e.leaven had some yummy food plus amazing brownie bites! They were so thick and delicious! Macy's Chefs A-Go-Go Tour - Takashi!!! My friend and I are big Takashi fans and it was so cool to see him there and walking around the event. I wish I would have had more courage to ask for a picture! Either way, I ate his cold noodle dish for lunch today and loved it! Yum.Yum.Yum. The Macy's truck was also handing out Bananas Fosters Pops from Emeril! They were beyond delicious and I don't like bananas! Forever Yogurt Truck - Ended the night with some strawberry lemonade frozen yogurt with no toppings. Delicious and I loved the cute, colorful truck! All in all, a fantastic event and I hope they throw it again next year!

So I guess it's up to me to get all negative on the Midwest Independent Film Festival's ass. Which…read moreI really hate to do, because I believe in the mission of the group, which is to bring the best of Midwest filmmakers to local audiences. But I tried to attend a screening tonight, and it was a mess. Mike McNamara, the festival director, was nice enough to offer 25 free passes to Yelp members. I took advantage of the offer, and showed up with a friend. Because we were warned to get there early, we arrived some time after 5:30. Unfortunately, when we got there, no one from the festival was, and the staff at Landmark wasn't much help. When people from the festival showed up, they seemed to go out of their way to avoid helping us. For example, a number of us lined up a table that we assumed was the place to check in -- it had festival brochures and a clipboard -- only to discover later that it was the place to sign up for a subscription. There were two people setting up the table, but no one even made eye contact, much less asking "Can I help you?" Apparently the screening was sold out, and those with free passes were being put on a waiting list. We didn't discover this until they started checking people in. It seems that pass holders were supposed to line up in a separate area from those who had bought tickets online -- at some point, a "Will Call" sign went up on a door -- but we were never told this. In fact, all these "apparentlys" and "it seems" are in this review because nothing was communicated to us, ever. Eventually, my friend and I left. I hate being negative about what was, after all, a free event. But a little communication would have gone a long way. It seemed like this was the first screening this organization has hosted, rather than its fourth season. I will second what other reviews have said, and recommend that you buy tickets online and show up early -- but not too early, because that's pointless. I'll add that you should be pushy, and force the people with clipboards to tell you what's going on. They won't tell you on their own.

Sorry John B. and M.B. but I'm going to have to go against your versions of the night…read more I also signed up for free passes via Yelp and was very excited to attend the 'mystery screening' event. After receiving an email saying that complimentary passes were reserved for me and suggesting that I arrive early, I made sure to make it to the theater right around 6. People were already lining up and there was definitely a sense of frenzy and confusion, but I just kept asking the people in charge where I should go and was directed to the 'will call' line. After people who had actually paid for their tickets were given their tickets (which I was totally ok with - it is only fair that they were served first), I waited in the line with who I only assume were other Yelpers. When I got to the front of this line, I told them I had passes through Yelp, they asked my name, and gave me my tickets... No problem at all. My boyfriend and I headed up to the theater, put our jackets on seats, as recommended by the staff and investigated the cocktailness. Classy. After getting foodstuffs from concession (JALAPENO CHEESE STUFFED PRETZEL) and sat in our seats, waiting for the film panel. The theater filled up fast - maybe tickets were oversold. The panel and film were both wonderful and I would definitely go again. My advice: get there early, ask questions, be patient.

Signage was a little confusing on where to enter the fest. Staff/volunteers checked id's and handed…read moreout bracelets way in advance. This made it smoothly to enter. Fest itself felt cramped. Not many places to sit down. Bathroom situation was terrible. They were outside the actual fest and had to walk far to get to. For being a beer fest, was definitely surprised no porta potties lining the event space. This event had small food offerings. I enjoyed the fest more when it was at union station. Still a good time to try beer from all over Illinois!

Great time, good beer. Got here early for VIP access. Have to grab that swag! Its a nice day for…read moresome beer.

This was my first time at this fest and we had a great time. There was a great selection of…read morevendors who had a wide variety of dogs and most also had a traditional Chicago dog as they should! We were there for 16 Candles and they are just pros at the festival circuit. I loved the Depression Dog from Enzo's, the Rahm and Obama from Chicago Doghouse. The Snoop Dog from flashy was good but I felt they were a little skimpy on the toppings and their lines were very confusing as they made people wait to order. And don't breeze past Taco in a Bag as they have fun takes on dogs! We did not go to the bouncy houses but that are looked awesome! There does need to be more porta pottys. We hit them at 730 on night one and was almost full and no tp! Would also love for there to be hand washing stations especially since hotdogs are eaten with your hands. Signage for having to purchase dog dollars and where to do it need to look different than the rest of the signage so people notice, or have it mentioned an beverage tent signage. I saw so many wait in line order drinks to have to leave them due to no dog dollars (although I also thought "have you never been to a festival before?"). All in all fun event! Glad there was Goode Island Green Line and happy to see the Chicago Dogs baseball team doing marketing there. Hope to be back next year!

This was my first time at the Chicago Hot Dog Festival, and I'm so glad to have checked it out…read more PARKING: It's close to Lincoln Park Zoo, so street parking is pretty much non-existent unless you get lucky. There IS a $20 lot directly across the street. We used Spot Hero to find something cheaper. EVENT: There is a $5 SUGGESTED donation. We didn't. :X Highlights: - Many jumpy/climby houses for the kiddies - Some craft/goods vendors - Live music - Tables w seats/umbrellas AND tall standing tables - FOOD, incl. ice cream, but c'mon: hot dogs. Duh. Aforementioned FOOD: Lines varied Sunday afternoon. The longest wait time was 10 minutes or so. 1/2 size hot dogs are usually $4-5, with fulls $8-10 (except Fatso's $5 Veggie). Bottled water is $2. Tip: as with any fest, bring your own water to cut costs. I had two halves: + Char Dog (Fatso's) - 4/5 flavor, 3/5 value Standard Chicago-style dog but charred. The char taste was great, but the size? An absolute teeny tiny "half." I'd argue the dog was 1/3 size a regular link. + Momona (Chubby Weiner) - 4/5 The dog was wrapped in BACON and topped with pineapple, bleu cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of some sort. Very good. The line backed up easily, though, since the two girls taking orders ignored customers and just meandered for a while. No joke. Very annoying. The only full-sized dog I ate: + Veggie (Fatso's) - 3.5/5 Panko-crusted eggplant, sweet potato, and bell pepper hotdog, Chi-style. It had good flavor, but was total mush to eat. That's not atypical since some veggie burgers can be like that, too, depending on the ingredients used. The amount of mustard and onions they put on overwhelmed the "dog" flavor. It's nice to see veggie options, though - and for only $5! I shared some fries ($4 for a massive portion at Edzo's), water, spent UNDER $20, and left STUFFED. I'm not quite sure how people can drop $50 unless they're spending it on alcohol (it's about $6 per beer) too. OVERALL: Great event to get your encased meats fix!

I saw the "Time Flies" show over the weekend at the Ruth Page Center - what a great show! I just…read morelove the combination of aerial and modern dance. Very inspiring, and so athletic! I was very impressed1 Can't wait to see another show

I've been coming to the fest on and off for 20 year, always a summer highlight! The neighborhood…read moreis always inviting with new crafty and fun things, so many good restaurants and a joyous festival affirming life. Sometimes it can be quite crowded at night but that's part of the sweaty fun.

Even though I've lived three or four blocks away from Midsommerfest for a decade and a half, I've…read morenever been. I could be wrong--maybe it's just that it's in such close proximity--but this seems like one of ht major festivals in the city but I've never wanted to brave the crowds. I'm really glad I did this year because it was a good time. I walked over with the baby and when we arrived the Chicago Spirit Brigade was performing at the stage on Foster & Clark. Of course Chicago has a co-ed adult cheer team. And they were great! I am following them on Insta because I'd love to see them perform again. There were lots of vendors, both merchandise and food. One booth I liked a lot was the Floriography Fellows, who were making flower crows. I bought one for the babe and it was truly adorable. They also had a place for folks to sit and color to decompress since there's so much sensory overload happening all around. There was a water company of some sort that sponsored a water station. I wish I'd known because I'd have brought a water bottle. Luckily they had some cups there for those of us who didn't come prepared. I also stopped at the booth with glogg slushies (I think it was Simon's booth) and that was probably my biggest disappointment, because they were cash only. They had an ATM by the booth, but I was not about to spend $3 to have one. So rather than buy multiple I just got the one. I'm always pretty disappointed when places are cash only nowadays, unless it's like a single person doing a craft booth at a small fair or something. The band Sonic Healing was playing at one of the stages on a side street and we stopped to listen for a little while. They were really great. Dancing with my babygirl to some great music in the greatest city in the world really made for a pretty perfect Sunday evening.