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.

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.

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.

This is one of my favorite summer festival to come and enjoy with my family. Great Food,…read moreEntertainment and Good Vibes. I have been coming here for many years and the vibes have always been good. The food prices are very reasonable. Food & Drinks range from $3.00 to maybe $6.00 if that much. Very inexpensive and budget friendly. This festival is a place for you to try different authentic foods, music and good vibes. You can shop the vendors tents and find some cool things to purchase. There are several stages where you can enjoy a live concert. There is a carnival with a few rides for the kids to stay entertained. I always look forward to coming here year. Taste of Melrose Park is always around the first week in September.

A bunch of us checked out the Taste of Melrose Park during Labor Day weekend. This is a food fest…read morewith free admission. Amazingly every food item was priced at $3 or less. It was fun to try all sorts of tasty foods. Many of them were Italian bites but there were other Mexican-style foods as well. We enjoyed items such as Italian beef, arancini, flat "fried meatball" sandwich, a "salad sandwich" that was quite good because of the fresh bread, cheese fries, cannoli, root beer float, slushie and a lovely serving of sfingi (freshly made "donut holes" made by nuns, how can you top that?). There are fair faves such as promotional freebies, carnival rides, a guy on stilts, and a clown pushing a mini-clown in a stroller (wha wha??). There is some entertainment as well (we heard bagpipers after someone belted out the Star Spangled Banner). This was sort of a folksy food fest, and the price was right. If you are looking for something fun to do next Labor Day weekend in the 'burbs, keep Taste of Melrose Park in mind.

I love the city of Chicago. I love this mural. I think it's a beautiful public art display and we…read morelove finding greetings from our welcome to certain cities everywhere we visit.

If you are into wall art, Logan Square has some quality opportunities for pics and selfies…read more We got off the Blue Line at California, ate at a local place and made our way towards the Robin Williams mural. Along the way though you will run into the Greetings from Chicago and a sports mural by Jappy Agoncillo (formerly the Quincy Jones mural). The Robin Williams/Aladdin genie mural is huge and in a parking lot. It's a nice mural of one of my favorite actor's roles. I don't know if these murals are lighted, but there is plenty of space during the daylight hours. Since we were headed back downtown we caught the CTA back from Western, which was just as far as the stop at California. It's a worth detour if you have the time.

Park Ridge established a new event this summer, and when I heard about it I wanted to check it out…read more Four times over the summer, once each month, it takes place at the same location as the PR Farmer's Market. There's no entrance fee, but of course the vendors cost money. When you enter, you have to get a wristband if you plan to have any alcohol; they will check your ID to confirm your age, so bring that if you want some spirits or wine. The other option is to purchase a "passport", which, as of 2024, costs $26. The passport gives you the chance to get a sample at the various booths that are offering alcohol. It's my understanding that you can't buy from those booths--just get a sample--but there is one booth where you can purchase individual glasses of wine/beer. I have seen at least a couple of these vendors here at the farmer's market but there were several that were new to me as well. I ended up getting a few different things for us for dinner; I picked up something from the food truck selling Philippine cuisine, and I got a burger for myself. I also had to get an elote for the babe since she's a huge fan of corn. My burger was fantastic, even after bringing it home. It was a smash burger that had Munster cheese and apricot jam. Makes my mouth water thinking about it a few hours later! I didn't try any of the BBQ plate from the Philippine place, but my significant other said it was really good... and the little one seemed to like the pork bun I bought for her. I was really pleased that the prices, though a little high, really weren't bad for this sort of event. The portion sizes were good for the money--I was stuffed after finishing my burger. There was a band playing this evening and they were pretty enjoyable. The organizers had at least two compost/recycle/trash stations set up, which was helpful (and I was impressed they include the compost option!). I also appreciated that there were several tables set up for folks to listen, eat, and socialize; there were also folks who brought their own chairs, too. Overall this was a fun event, and I'm looking forward to returning for the 2024 finale in September.

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.

[At City Hall outside Mayor Daley's office] I'm walking past…read morethe security guard stationed by the door. I high-five the guard and go straight into the office where the mayor is seated, working on some speech he will be giving later in the day.... "Mr. Daley, my name is Mike O. I'm a former Chicago resident and I hear you're looking for ways to boost revenue for the city." "Why yes I am." He looks up and leans back in his black leather chair. "I got an idea for you. I hear you're going to put up 200 more of those red light cameras and I got the perfect place to put one. Not many people know about it." "Go on," he replies, and puts down his pen. "Well, on the far NW side of Chicago there's a 2-block long stretch of expressway most of the city is unaware of. Us locals call it the Panama Expressway. It works like this... You come to a stop sign on Panama and Cornelia, right by Hiawatha Park. If the traffic light on Forest Preserve Drive, about 15-20 yards away, is green and the red hand for pedestrian crossing is blinking red, from a complete stop, rev your engine and take off as fast as you can. The light may turn yellow as you pass the playground to your right and 4 lanes of traffic at the Forest Preserve crossing. But don't worry. Just keep going faster so you're speeding along about 35-40 past the church and school across the street. Then you'll see the traffic light on Addison and Panama is still green, the red hand is blinking and the road is wide open. Go a little faster still. If Grandma Josephine is in her Buick blocking the way, swerve around her and keep going straight. By the time you cross Addison and you're on the 3600 N block of Panama, you've got a head of steam racing at 40-50 miles an hour down a residential street. If the light's turning red or someone is crossing the street, just honk and keep charging ahead, squirrels be damned. And there you have it. You just crossed 2 lights in a single pass. Pretty remarkable timing, wouldn't you say, Mr. Daley? On warm summer evenings, people can sit on their front steps and watch the speeders zipping down the block, yelling, 'F--ing slow down!' Pretty amazing no major wrecks happened in the 6 years I lived by there, but I did see a close call when a guy missed the yellow and sped onto Addison just as the #152 bus was pulling out." [Mayor jots a little note on a Post-It pad and hands it to an assistant nearby. I said my piece and now the security guard is showing me the way out of City Hall].

My family loves driving through this neighborhood to see both the uniqueness of each home's…read moredecorations as well as the design and style of the exterior of the house itself. We even saw some Hanukkah decorations, so cool!

A little off season now, I know - I had been wanting to finish this review during the holidays but…read moregot a little bit busy. So here it is, if you're wanting the experience of enjoying Christmas lights, at a really slow pace while you're in the comfort of your car - come here and drive around the Lincolnwood Towers Subdivision (still thinking of Rush). But of course, come in the evening to get the full effect. I promise you that it'll become tradition, especially if you have little kids or even big kids. They in turn, will eventually take their kids. It only takes about 20 minutes, at the most. I've actually picked up folks at O'Hare from outta the country and have taken them directly here for a quick tour - before going home. They were amazed!! The decorations and displays are over the top and my favorite of all time...drum roll please...is the house with the Christmas tree seemingly protruding through the roof. How clever!! Ahem, these are our Lincolnwood neighbors sacrificing their privacy and convenience, so please be courteous to those driving their Range Rovers and G Wagons. Pretentiousness aside, this is a really nice neighborhood that puts on a great display of the Christmas spirit and therefore, a big thank you to these folks!!