I've attended several tournaments run by Renaissance Knights and was impressed by the organization…read moreand dedication of the staff to teaching chess to young children. Not only were they taught logic and critical thinking skills, but they also promoted a sense of community, sportsmanship, and achievement with their students and participants. Definitely a great asset to the Chicago chess community.

Small but welcoming community in Chicago…read more The play space is well equipped with a variety of accoutrements whether your heart desires a light spanking or full flogging. There's an entire medical play space for those seeking a cure. And the rules are pretty simple. No biosports. With the exception of blood. Check the website for events. Tours for non-members are offered regularly to check the place out.

How can there be no reviews on this group yet? How?!…read more Fine. I'll bite. I am not a member of the LRA, but I did attend one of their functions and had a seriously great time. People were friendly, and introduced me to other friendly people, who in turn got me up to speed on well...pretty much everything. It was a really good night, I have to say. The LRA are good people. If its you're scene look them up!

The Fortnightly club of Chicago is the city's oldest women's organization. Founded in 1873 the…read moreFortnightly club is located in the Bryan Lathrop mansion on Bellevue Place in Chicago's gold coast and has hosted early club members including Jane Addams and Bertha (Mrs. Potter) Palmer. Today with over four hundred members the Fortnightly club focuses on education and over the years, the Club has hosted prominent speakers including Mark Twain, Henry James, Robert Frost, Isaac Stern and William Butler Yeats. More recently, guest speakers include Daniel Barenboim, Frank McCourt, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ed Pashke, Arne Duncan, Patrick Fitzgerald and Mayor Richard M. Daley. Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Fortnightly performance of the Chicago Bar Associations annual comedic revue which included songs and piano music satirizing current events and politics. Before the event the Fortnightly kitchen put on a very nice three course dinner starting with a chilled shrimp asian inspired salad followed by juicy roasted pork chop and finished with a chocolate dessert that capped off the dinner in style. For Chicago women seeking a place to be exposed to learning and memorable events look into the Fortnightly Club of Chicago.

The calm before the storm. Annual Community Association meeting. Being on the board, we're hoping…read morefor a docile crowd this year. Next year we need to serve cocktails BEFORE the meeting.

You know the "Elaine dance", right? From Seinfeld? *oh sweet fancy Moses!*…read more Yeah at one time that could have been me. But see, back then I was unfamiliar with the super delightful, incredibly fanciful & all around blissful dance called "Swing". And excuse me for saying so, but if you don't agree it isn't one of the most fun dances to not only participate in, but also WATCH others do, well then friend you are a miserable bastard that should spend the rest of your days watching re-runs of Solid Gold and Dance Party USA. aHEm. So see, I had come across a Groupon for a six week series here and when I saw that...why I couldnt have been more excited if Gregory Peck himself came back from the dead just to goose me. And holy heck was it fun! The instructors were awesomely patient and thorough about explaining all the steps, and even when you had to dance with some two-left footed schmoe, you still were having a good time. The facility is big, and decorated in sort of a vintage, thrift store hodgepodge, but it works. This aint Arthur Murray over here kids...they also offer a bunch of other classes that have nothing to do with dancing too! But I dont care about that...I am completely hooked and cant wait to go back to take more swing classes. And now I am proud to say I don't look like I am doing a full bodied dry heave set to music anymore. rockin! Thanks Galaxie!

Did you ever aspire to be a welding stripper like Jennifer Beals in Flashdance..?…read more ~Well, at the Galaxie Chicago you can become just that! This is a huge multi-purpose space that offers almost every kind of class you can think of from dance to, that's right, welding..! They have tons of swing dance classes and workshops, kick boxing, wedding party partner dance classes, silk screening, yoga, karate, art, animation, stained glass, glass blowing...oh, and you know that book you've been meaning to get bound..? Learn how in a book binding class! Now, I've only participated in the swing stuff and can tell you that you'll learn from the best, Nicolle Wood, who also owns the space. I've also attended many private parties here and they manage to transform the space from casual to elegant effortlessly...it's just such a unique space... This Galaxie is not far, far away either... ...now if they would just have a stripping class my dreams could come true...

I attended the first Camp Boundless full day "adult day camp" and it was a blast! What a great…read moreopportunity to put the phones up, have some fun and make new friends. Organizers did a great job putting together options for every interest: arts & crafts, improv, meditation, acting, storytelling, cosplay and more. The venue, Catalyst Ranch, is amazing. Such a fun, whimsical space. And even the snacks throughout the day were well planned. Everything from healthy snacks to camp food (i.e. smores, PB&J finger sandwiches). I can't wait to attend the next one!

Camp Boundless gets me out from under my workload, away from my screen, and in front of something…read morenew. Every event of theirs I've been to has been a rewarding experience; I felt like I could relax, play for a while, hang out with some cool people, and enjoy myself. The games and activities were valuable, and not in a sterile, "team-building exercise" kind of way; cool hobbies, games, meditation exercises, crafts, all brought to me by people who simply like to DO those things, for enjoyment. It's a pretty rare treat. I'm a big fan.

We had a quarter company outing here thanks to one of my coworkers being a member. It's a really…read morecool boat. Used to be a dual prop ice breaker. Lots of classic design and oak throughout the boats upper deck. I was in luck too. After some libations, our coworker gave us a tour of the lower decks and engineering areas. Think the movie the Poseidon adventure if I don't want to date myself. Lots of cool mechanical stuff. Awesome spot with my sections to hold an event. Great full bar and kitchen. Friendly staff. They also have a ton of classes like paddleboarding and sailing. Definitely a great spot to check out

Stopped in as a reciprocal guest from my home yacht club. The staff & members couldn't have been…read moremore welcoming. A great place to spend a Sunday afternoon watching football, having draught beer and very good food. Thank you Columbia!

My grandpa joined Park Falls Masonic Lodge in 1952 and became a 33rd degree mason. Since then, my…read moregrandparents, mom, sister, and I have all been members of Masonic appendant organizations for adults and youth, so these groups hold a special place in my heart. This is a grand building in Jefferson Park! It was established in 1912. It would have been so interesting to see it in its heyday, but there are still several Masonic organizations that meet here. There's a two-story staircase outside but I don't think that is in use any longer, generally speaking. Whilst the Masonic bodies use this space for their meetings and events, I believe it is also available for rent by outside groups (as is common with Masonic temples). I've come here a few times for meetings of Betsey Ross Chapter and considered taking a dual membership, but at the time it was hard for me to commit especially since I had a commute that made meeting nights difficult. But it was nice to visit, and I enjoyed pro-temming once or twice. Parking is at a premium depending upon when or why you're here. There are a few spots at the building but to be honest I'm not sure that the parking lot belongs to the Temple, because when the temple was built it was next door to homes on both sides, so I think it's possible that the parking in fact belongs to the Secretary of State's office. Luckily, events that take place at the Masonic Temple don't tend to overlap too much with the SoS hours. There is some street parking nearby, and I'm not sure what the relationship is with the bank across the street but I think that parking is only for the bank/Gale Street Inn. But Jeff Park (the actual park) is about a block away so there's parking along the street there too. After the pandemic, where people were so isolated and whatnot, I think there remains a place for organizations like the Masons, Eastern Star, Job's Daughters, Elks, etc. It would be nice to see these organizations grow, and change, and experience a resurgence.

Jefferson Park Masonic Temple is home to numerous Masonic "Blue" Lodges, the Old Chicago York Rite…read moreBodies, and the Betsy Ross Chapter Order of the Eastern Star. 2nd Monday: Providence Lodge #711 2nd Tuesday: Oriental Lodge #33 2nd & 4th Wednesdays: North West Lodge #271 2nd & 4th Thursdays: Hesperia Lodge #411 2nd Friday: King Oscar Lodge #855 3rd Wednesday: Hellenic Lodge #1084 3rd Thursday: Betsey Ross Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star 3rd Thursday (practice room): Old Chicago York Rite 4th Tuesday: Oriental Lodge #33 4th Thursday: Old Chicago York Rite 4th Thursday: Albertus Magnus Commandery of Research No. 92

Historic, exclusive, very classy. It's a members only club, with a long history. If you have the…read moresort of money, wealth, connections, and pedigree that you are a member, you're probably not reading the YELP reviews. If, on the other hand, you've been invited by a member for something going on here, don't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity, but dress appropriately.

It was an interesting visit to the Chicago Club. I stayed during a summer weekend, and the club…read morewas virtually empty. Staff members were very attentive. My room was lovely and comfortable -- with wonderful snacks and water, which were nice touches. The Terrace (rooftop) restaurant and bar was nice. And the club is in a great location. During my stay, I toured the large rooms on the second level. One of the rooms was so grand and gorgeous that it literally took my breath away! Stunning!!! (see pics) I was advised in advance that there would be no meal service over the weekend, save for Saturday night. That was fine for me, but I note it because others may prefer to stay at a club where they can eat all of their meals.