The nicest thoroughfare in the area. This is a great and often scenic place to sit and relax or…read morejust pass through. There is typically art on display so it is usually a fairly interesting route or destination. Overall, a nice place to enjoy your beverages and snacks from home (or wherever else) and appreciate artwork in the outdoors.

It's the kind of place where you can catch incredible up-and-coming bands one night and seasoned…read moreindie legends the next. The sound quality is excellent for such an intimate space, and the atmosphere is pure rock-and-roll -- raw, unpolished, and full of energy. Drinks are affordable, the lighting sets the perfect underground vibe, and the crowd is always lively and diverse. It's a place that celebrates real music and creativity without the pretension, making every show feel like a genuine Chicago experience.

October-April. It is…read morethe second Saturday of the month. noon to 4:00 PM free to the public 21+ and parents with kids (same goes for sellers) Parking: Street Transit: #49 Western bus - http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/busroute.aspx?RouteId=198 Transit Chicago - http://www.transitchicago.com Handmade Market is a unique event to connect the makers of beautiful things to people who appreciate the unique and handmade. Featuring more than 30 amazing sellers at the market, selling jewelry, purses, knitted items, clothing, paper crafts, and more! The Empty Bottle starts serving at noon, so feel free to shop with mimosas in hand. (We do encourage relaxed shopping.) You can also grab brunch at the tasty Bite Café next door. Markets include funky jewelry, glass pendants, knitted items, handbags, clothing, paper crafts and more. Did you know that in the city there are many makers who create jewelry, clothing, scarves, handbags, journals, greeting cards, and more? Do you want your money to go directly to the people that make the things you buy? Here you can establish a personal connection, and our makers are even encouraged to demonstrate or make their products during the event. Sustainable crafterness this is a regular monthly event. We strive to create a crafter's market, with affordable handmade, mostly local items. There are a ton of crafters in the city, and we try to make this accessible to up and coming designers, jewelry makers, and others. Come out and help support your monthly crafter's market.

The heart of the city. Better and less crowded than the Bean…read more This fecal fountain is a fun little photo op when you're in the city, and it's right down the street from Kasama, making them an unlikely but excellent pair.

Exactly what you'd expect: a statue that looks like poop. There was also a super friendly outdoor…read moreorange cat nearby named Mister that made my entire day. He was so cute and so worth the visit to the Shit Fountain. It's also near Kasama, so you can definitely make a trip out of this or take a quick detour if you're in the area.

This was our first time attending the Dupage Native Plant Sale. It is now held at the Dupage Event…read moreCenter and Fairgrounds. Parking and admission were free. This is a 2 day event selling over 150 different types of native flowers,grasses,shrubs and trees. There were many volunteers around to ask questions and get recommendations. Plants are not restocked daily so best is to go early on the first day. It gets crowded and with so many people pulling wagons and carts,patience is required! They do have a few trays to use but best is to bring your own boxes. Cash,check or credit cards are accepted but I wish the checkout area was in a different location than where the plants were being sold as the lines for checkout were very long. Proceeds benefit the Dupage Forest Preserve.

It's a cute little county fair. My little family and I enjoyed it. Normal fair attractions and…read morefood/drinks. Reasonable fair prices. Little animals barn animals to enjoy. The cool little octopus to climb and take pictures with was different. What I didn't enjoy was the wristband didn't really work for my toddler. She went on one ride just fine and then was told she was too short for all the other rides, which should've been noted when purchasing the wristband. She was later told she couldn't even go on the same ride she first went on.

Such a cute instagram worthy spot which also had the mirror illusion right around the coner. The…read moreweather was agreeable and we took some great photos for our girl's getaway trip!

Finally got to check out my neighbor during Open House Chicago. This place was really cool…read more If you've ever gone down this stretch of Racine, surely you've seen the oversized door with the big green monster peering out at you. They are a toy test lab for Fisher Price. It was a fun looking workplace with stuffed animals and toys at every turn. Also had a nice small world moment meeting a new art director from SCAD, where my nephew is going to school.

A pleasant surprise as this museum has a good number of well presented rooms and arranged artifacts…read morespread over 3 floors. The staff was very helpful in explaining the history behind the different items as we toured throughout the building. Parking was easy and that was a nice little gift shop available to pick up some very reasonably priced souvenirs. It would be nice if the hours were a little longer as it is only open for two hours each Sunday.

Great museum! Tells a lot of the town's history. Very helpful and knowledgeable volunteers…read more Fantastic treat for history lovers!

Bill Fucking Murray really did step actually here. It happened in Groundhog Day, a classic movie…read more Look for that place where he stepped in a puddle. Just a plaque, not much to look at. This is just a silly tourist attraction if you can call it that. Cool thing to put your foot where his foot was in that movie. It took place in Punxsutawney. The obvious difference is the movie was filmed in Woodstock. Producers liked the feel of this town more than the actual location. There's not much else about the actual plaque, but maybe take a look around for where the puddle is, and if it rained then you can also step in it and talk about it being a doozy like the movie scene. Cool for fans. If interested in more stuff, there's also a mural a few blocks from here. This is what it's best known for, and there's an annual festival celebrating it with the town's own groundhog, Willie.

In this life, I've met Bill Murray twice…read more Once briefly after his 2008 skydive stint at the Air & Water show a few years back where he stopped for only one person on his escape route from the madness, and it just so happened to be me. We locked eyes, shook hands and I died a little inside before he was rushed off from the quickly-forming crowd and I followed, love-struck behind. The second time was a bit more intimate... and I have photographic evidence to prove it (https://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/photo/-yADiZ7CwAMUl7PwrTapGQ/l.jpg). We were up in the club (a comedy club) and thanks to the one and only Carol J, I got to be the one and only 'civilian' amongst a buncha company stooges (newscasters and radio show hosts) to attend. We got to talk, take photos, brush up against each other, sweat profusely in excitement (okay, that was mostly me), etc. It was a grand ole day... and then about 10 paces outside the comedy club I stepped in the biggest pile of dog doo to ever land on a Chicago city street. And actually, in hindsight I can't even confirm that it was dog doo it was so huge. For all I know it was an urban bear or something, but it was absolutely huge. You win some, you lose some. This slice of cinematic history marks the Bill's (technically, Phil Connors') last step before he takes a short dip in a deep puddle off the curb after practically jumping out of his skin to get away from Neddy Ned Ryerson and his humbly aggressive attempts to pitch a life insurance policy on Phil's way to the annual Gobbler's Knob Punxsatawny Phil Groundhog Day ceremony. And while this historical marker located on the Groundhog Day Walking Tour (http://www.yelp.com/biz/groundhog-day-walking-tour-woodstock#hrid:nNx7lJ9Qgy5pAopxB4YIYw) isn't quite the real-deal, in person, out-of-body experience that actually meeting the the man, the myth, the legend is, it's a damn fine tribute for anyone who wants to walk where BM once, twice, thrice and beyond did... just beware of that puddle (1:44 - 1:46 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6NsVUHwQc8). It's a doooooozy!

So the fest was this past weekend, and it far exceeded my expectations…read more Unfortunately for everyone in attendance, it was a sweltering 95+ degree summer day, but the delicious food, music and huge amount of beer options made the sweat dripping down my neck and back bearable (Brew Fest Organizers, pleaseeeee consider making it an Oktoberfest!)   The sample punchcard was printed on the back of the paper map of the fest that you get when you arrive.  Another fest I went to had a lanyard punch card, which I thought was a nice touch...but not as green as this was.  So, yay for recyclables!    It really didn't matter if you had a punchcard once you were inside...because no one marked off your samples unless you literally put it in their face and asked them to.  Not that anyone needs more than 20 beer samples, but they almost seemed offended when I asked them to mark my card!   The music was good, the food was fabulous and I especially loved the Bravazzi Italian hard sodas. I saw them at Caputo's the next day.  Now I know where to buy them next time I'm craving one. My MOST favorite-ist beer of the entire night was Roaring Table's 5:00 tap special - a fruity/berry sour with whipped cream on top.  What a way to finish off the night!!!

I had the fortunate pleasure of attending the 8th Annual Barrington Brew Fest this year (2011)…read morelocated strategically directly in the North lot of the Metra train station (perfect for stumbling back to the train for an easy ride home). We decided to make a day of it, starting out with a wonderful lunch in the French Market adjacent to the station. What a delightful way to start off a cool saturday morning before an afternoon of heavy beer drinking. Sandwiches from Pastoral, modelo tallboys from the CVS located within the well air-conditioned building, and hot crispy frites from the belgian shop, SCORE, great start. After the luxuriously delicious meal, we bought our $7 weekend passes (super-cheapo bonus) and hopped aboard with previously mentioned tall-boys and played a game a Yahtzee while the hour quickly passed. Arriving at the station around 3:30, the festivities were well underway with several hundred beer-fanatics vigorously imbibing. The free t-shirts were long gone, but they offered past years T's for just $5 if you pleased. I paid my $40 ($35 before), grabbed my tasting glass and had at it. Some notable attendees included Floosmoor Station with two specialty kegs tapped early and dry soon (everyone love FS), as well as Lucky Monk's Oatmeal Stout and Wheat WIne (WOWZA WAS THIS TASTY). I also thoroughly enjoyed selections from Limestone Brewing, Half Acre, and Wild Onion's Hop Slayer was down-right awesome. I love me some IBU's and this packed in the hops. The brews and patrons were all top-notch and made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon (3-7PM). Best part (besides the beer of course: proceeds from the Barrington Brew Fest go to the Barrington Area Council on Aging serving seniors and caregivers. After a great day of craft-brews, we headed back one minute to the Metra and rode home, arriving before 8PM, just in time for late dinner and ready for round-2. The cold-hard facts: * Three Dozen Brewers & over 80 samplings * Bean Bag (Baggo) Contest * 50/50 Raffle * Live music by Second Time Around Food available for purchase from McGonigal's Pub, Cooper's of Barrington, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Lake Geneva has an ordinance in place for all its privately-owned lake-front properties that…read moreessentially states, while pier access may be private, the lake front must be accessible to the public. It doesn't say that this access must be easy or hospitable, just accessible. I've been to my in-law's place on the lake several times but this 4th of July weekend was our first attempt at taking this lake front route back along the south shore from downtown. However difficult for a few stretches, it was thoroughly enjoyable and totally worth it (I ended up taking that walk two more times over the weekend). Most of the homes are PALATIAL...most of them are simply summer vacation homes for the families who own them and a clear example of what my husband and I like to refer to as "fuck-you-money" (as opposed to "fuck-your-mother-money", the likes of which I doubt I have ever seen actual expressions of up close). The "Expect a Miracle" house stands out among them all. I call it the "Expect a Miracle" house 'cause that's the marquis on the front and back fences of the estate (much like the "Graceland" marquis on the fence of Elvis' home). While the walking paths (where there are any at all) behind many of the houses are in various states of maintenance, the one behind this house is a deliberate "Welcome!" to all people who pass this way. It is a white-fenced path with inspirational quotes expertly painted along the rails and runners. The landscaping is deliberately designed for the pleasure of passers-by, there is beautiful and peaceful music piped in to the path area, and even a case that houses a signing book for visitors to share their sentiments of the house and the brief time they spent passing it. The path itself is paved with natural brick and well maintained. Where the terrain is uneven, small level bridges have been built to make the walk more accommodating. It stands out not for its beauty (though it is) and not for its size (it's palatial), but for the extraordinary sentiment it conveys which seems to say "We have been extremely fortunate in our lives, but we have achieved this with purpose and grace. Come, linger...share our fortune with us, and let us share with you some of the tenets by which we have lived to help us get here". I don't know the people who own this house. I don't know what they do. I don't know how they achieved their success. But what I DO know is how I felt walking past their home for the first time, reading the fence, hearing the lovely music, enjoying their landscaping and flowers and the hushed sounds of the waves lapping on the shore behind me as I faced the house. It was beautiful, and generous and peaceful and gracious...like a giant hug for the soul. It literally brought me to tears. And then I laughed out loud when, just a few yards further, passing the Wrigley mansion (now known as "Stone Manor") - whose lake front "path" is a sloped, muddy line as treacherously close to the drop to the lake (and as far away from the house) as possible - seemed to scream the sentiment "fuck you, peasant!" The disparity between the two experiences was downright comical.

I agree with the other review about many of the homes being amazing and palatial. This place…read morecertainly doesn't disappoint. What is so amazing about it is the calm feeling you get, the book of thoughts open for anyone to add to or browse. The path has its moments as you walk down it where it could be improved. While it is required, the quality of what is required was left off so it would seem. These people clearly appreciate what the path is for, what is about and how they can positively influence another's life. The quote's placed on the fence railings are amazing and well chosen. Each of them impart some kind of though or knolwedge to a person that would appreciate it. The messages are hand painted on the railings and clearly took time. The gardening and landscaping is first class and is evidence of the love and care that went into this place. Absolutely worth walking down the path, even if you have to work through a very uneven dirt path before it LOL.