ここのショッピングモールはシカゴで1番好き。 用もないけど行く場所。…read more 土曜日にシカゴダウンタウンの宿をチェックアウト。 近くのハーツにレンタカーを取りに行く。 返しは2日後の月曜日に空港で。 ダウンタウンから空港に近い郊外宿に移動。 数年前から中心地は異常に高くなり避けてた。 今回は好きなお店、好きな場所でゆっくり過ごすのが目的。 それでダウンタウンにしたが正解だった。 郊外宿に移って2日目。 行ったのはミツワで歌舞伎揚購入と名物ピザ屋さん。 何もせず宿の部屋で映画見て、ジムで運動して、 後は部屋でぼーっと過ごして、 16時に宿を出てショッピングセンターへ、 ここでトラブルが発生。 今回、トラブルに遭ったのでは無く、 私がトラブルを起こした張本人。 駐車場の止まれの停止から動き出した時に、 カーブで感覚が掴めず、隣のラインに入って隣の車とぶつかってしまった。 私の車線超えミス。 18才で免許を取って事故を起こしたのは初めて。 あーやってしまった。。、私何やってんだろ。 相手の女性ドライバーが凄く良い人だった。 心配しないでと私の手を両手で握ってきた。 よっぽど私が不安そうな顔だったのだろう。 彼女はパトカーを呼んで、私はハーツに連絡し、 警官が入って3者で事故検分が始まる。 停止からの1メートルもない数秒の動きなので、 互いに歩く速度。 傷は擦り傷が互いに30センチくらい。 2台ともこのまま運転しても問題ない。 別れ際も大丈夫、心配しないでと言って、 最後に手を出して握手を求められた。 私がごめんなさいと最初に謝った事が、 アメリカ人にはかなり新鮮だったのかもしれない。 こう見えて私とても素直です。 夫婦で互いにノミのが心臓と認定してます。 自分が悪い時には最初にすぐに謝ります。 相手が悪い時には一歩も引きませんけど。 現場で彼女の優しさに救われた。 私も彼女の様に余裕のある人間になろうと強く思った。 車を傷つけられたのに、微塵も怒っていない。 それどころか相手に優しい気遣いができる。 多分40代くらい、かなり年下、 冷静で大人の女性だと強く感じました。 ハーツは数年前から本土でも国際免許がいらなくなった。 雛形に自分で打ち込んだ英語文を印刷すれば良い。 借りる時は日本の免許証の写真をデータに収めそれで終わり。悪い事が重なり事故時英語文を所持しておらず、 日本の免許証のみ。 宿に帰って警察官にメール添付で英語文の写真を送る。 警察からレポート番号が出たら、 ハーツにオンラインで事故届出書を提出する必要がある。 バックナンバーの写真、オドメーターの写真、 傷の写真の３枚の添付が必要。 午前2時、宿の駐車場で暗い中、 外灯を工夫して写真を撮る。 もう不審者である。 提出書類は英文でいろんな質問事項が次から次に出てくる。 書きながら彼女の名前、住所を知った。 朝の車の返却前に仕上げたくて寝ずにやった。 本当に疲れた。 朝8時発でロスに向かう。 宿を4時前に出た。 好きな場所を巡り癒され楽しくもあり、 苦い経験となったシカゴ滞在。 人を傷つけず、不幸中の幸いだったと思う。 それに安堵した。 そして出会った女性の対応に感動した。 　　 海外旅の大昔は必ず日本手ぬぐいを２本常備してた。 優しい人達にたくさん出会って助けられた。 田舎道でガソリンが心細くなった時、 先導して数キロ先のスタンドへ連れてってくれた 2人組の女の子。彼女の車はスポーツカー。 手ぬぐいをお礼に渡すと声を出して、 飛び跳ねてメチャクチャ喜んでくれた。 ただなぜか、その場所をまったく覚えてない。 20世紀末頃。 ＄をほぼ使い果たして街で銀行を探した。 ビジネスマンに聞くと、 彼は5分位の徒歩で連れてってくれた。 服はバリッとした仕立てのいいスーツ、 髪も決まってる。でも足元はビーサン。 このパターンはニューヨークでよく見かける。 この時も手ぬぐいがお礼。 これははっきり覚えてる。 場所はコロラドスプリングスだった。 この時は夫と一緒だった。楽しかったな〜。 Googleマップも無い、ネットも脆弱の時代。 もちろんWi-Fiもない。 未知の世界にワクワク。本当に楽しかった。 ハーツの保険で対応できるのでひとまず安心。 でも落ちついて考えると、 これが年というモノかと過ぎった。 高齢ドライバーが問題になってる。 私もいつまで運転出来るか。 少なくとも海外都市部での運転は60代までかも。 あと数年の一桁しかない。70代までできたら本望。 すでに都内に車で出るのが億劫になってる。 昔は小田厚をバックミラー見ながらかっ飛ばしてた。 若気の至り。すみません。 次のロスではいつも以上に慎重に運転しました。 野球観戦はやっぱり面白い。 ひとりでも充分に楽しい。 自分が時に監督、時に審判員と化してる。 流石にヤジは飛ばさん。 ダグアウト観客にヤジは似合わない。 今年はこれが最初で最後の野球観戦になりそう。 8月のボブルヘッドデーにも行きたいけど この円安物価高のご時世じゃ考える。 ちょっと食事するにも円換算すると驚く値段。 けど、来年も必ず1度は応援に行きます。 日本帰国。 家はやっぱりいいなー。夫が居る。 私の最高の居場所。 早速。夜が明けたら丸亀に口直しに行こう。 帰りにセリアで次の旅の手ぬぐい調達だ。 おしまい。

I honestly really like going to Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, it doesn't feel like your typical…read moremall at all. It's actually a nice place to just walk around, especially when the weather's good. The whole area is clean, well-kept. There's a really good mix of stores too. You've got higher-end spots like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, but also everyday places like Apple and Zara, so it doesn't feel too exclusive or overwhelming. I've had good experiences at The Cheesecake Factory, and there are plenty of other options depending on what you're in the mood for. It's easy to spend a few hours here just shopping, grabbing a meal, and hanging out. I'd definitely recommend it if you want something a little more enjoyable than the average mall.

While staying at the nearby Westin, which is walking distance, I popped into Yorktown Center for…read morenothing more than wandering around a mall and maybe grabbing a quick bite from a mall food court. I was able to achieve both here! Yorktown Center and mall are the anchor of this area and have all the classic vibes of an interior mall while being surrounded by open-air shopping and eateries. Additionally, this complex also has a movie theater an a gym. So, multi-faceted and mixed used for sure. The mall has a lot of the standard mall store you expect, but they also have a good variety of smaller branded stores and even some local shops. Like any other mall right now, there were serval empty store fronts. While the shops were cool to wander through and by, I came for the food court, which is huge! Featured a solid selection of chain and local spots. The mall was clean and well kept. Worn in some places, but for the most part in good shape. Overall, solid spot to spend some time at, with or without purpose.

Another location I was torn between giving 4 or 5 stars…read more "Malls" in 2025 are hard to review as we're in such a weird space between in-person and online shopping but for what a traditional mall to me should be, I had to give 4 stars. Firstly, I appreciated that this mall is located walking distance from a big store-front shopping center, including a hotel and stores like Target and a bus stop. A circus was on tour in the parking lot the same weekend I arrived here, which I would assume would've brought more business to the mall. It seems to be a good spot for pop-up events like that. And secondly, service dogs are welcomed for those that need them. Overall I had a great experience with the stores that this mall does have, including the biggest highlight being at Victoria Secret's where the staff greeted me, gave me a post-weight loss bra fitting and great service when checking out with my new items! Vacancies are plenty-full in this mall unfortunately and specifically I want to mention Barbra's Bookstore - a small owned bookstore in the mall that I 1000000% wanted to support, mostly because they fullllllly advertised their banned book section and had tote bags for sale around the store branded with those same banned books *see pictures* , BUT - no one acknowledged me in the store & I don't appreciate that. Decent mall, decent stores, great food court (Burning Mouth being the best place) - with lounging, sitting area. There's also a family bathroom in this mall, located by the food court that is HUGE - and I'm sure helpful to mothers nursing. A family, small-oriented mall indeed!

The five star swap in this place is the go to place. It had everything from clothes, furniture,…read morefood, arcade games, etc. I highly recommend the restaurant in the entrance closest to the gym. The best tacos I've ever had, bar none.

You sure said it well Johnny A. It once was a nice mall with the stores you mentioned K-Mart moved…read moreto 83 and St Charles. Penny's was always busy with shoppers..How things have changed over the years. Just like alot of malls are empty or closing. Winston Plazza in Melrose Park was the same as North Park Mall at one time.

Nice facilities, good selection of shops, steadily improving over the years and surviving where…read moreother malls have failed.

I work in the offices here, but I've come to really see the value of this center. Imagine my…read moresurprise to see they have a bar in the building! Bistro after the dark is open 2-8 (but I've heard they stay open later based on demand), and has a basic selection of beer, liquor, and wine. There is a Starbucks, a full service cafeteria with tons of fresh items, unique items, albeit all pricey items. You usually can't get away from there without spending at least $8. There is a nice little convenience shop with pop, snacks, gifts and lotto tickets. There is also a dry cleaner, a gym, several UPS self-service sites... the list goes on and on.

Great selection! Lines can be long, but move quickly…read more One thing about this location is the parking lot tends to be packed. Watch out for people speeding through the lot and aggressive drivers.

Hire more staff & have separate line for returns! I waited 25 minutes to return an item. After…read morereturning, I planned to shop but refused to stand in line again. Completed survey, manager called and all she could do was apologize. Customer service is the reason stores and malls are closing!

This review is for Santa Arriving By Helicopter in Winston Plaza. A free complimentary Holiday…read moreevent sponsored by Melrose Park inside of Winston Plaza. I missed last years event but was able to attend this year. I arrived a little early so I could get a nice standing spot up front. There were so many people from children to adults waiting on Mr. Claus himself to arrive my Helicopter. There were activities for the kids to enjoy. There was a free hot chocolate stand set up. Face painting, and free activities for kids. If you spent $25 or more purchase from any merchant store at Winston Plaza. You were able to get a free photo with Santa. The kickoff started at noon and Mr. & Mrs. Claus landed safely and in fashion. This was a epic experience for the family.

This plaza has made some improvements over the years but it still looks outdated; All the stores in…read morethis strip mall are accessible through outside doors. One has to drive through a busy street/intersection to get to the other stores within this plaza. This is my con. Winston plaza is located in Melrose Park and has its own street name (1254 Winston Plaza, 60160). http://winston-plaza.com/home Yesterday, there was an outdoor play area and there was a Christmas tree still up. My daughter passed on the play area because there's still snow on it. I felt she was too grown to play on it anyway. Even if she wanted to, it would've entertained her for a few minutes. The play area, in my opinion, is for under 3 years old. Another con. Free concerts and family events are thrown here. According to opentable.com , there's 39 restaurants to dine in around the area. 2 stars because I had to drive around the area to get to certain stores and face weather conditions instead of being indoors for my daughter to roam around and less risk of being sick.

I bought a bunch of jewelry there about a month ago and the service was excellent. They were…read morecourteous. The prices were fair. I would recommend this to anyone.

A couple of years ago my wife lost the center diamond out of her Bridal Set. I was looking for a…read morereplacement and the staff really helped me out. I was looking at loose diamonds, and the staff suggested a ring with a diamond in it that was about $200 cheaper than the loose 2 carat I was looking for. I highly recommend them!!!

This review is based solely on the nostalgic Lanzi's "Cashew Nut & Rice Crunch" that I ordered from…read moreThe Uptown Shop! Back in the 70's & 80's, my parents always used to buy these & we loved them! Then suddenly, they just disappeared from store shelves. Well, many years later, Lanzi's is BACK!!!! You can order them from the Uptown Shop. I just got a box in the mail. Flavor-wise it's REALLY CLOSE to the original (they had to reverse-engineer it because the recipe was lost after Elmo Lanzi passed on & production of the candy stopped). But man, it is pretty darn close & still tastes DELICIOUS!!!!

Cute shop with some really beautiful holiday items, especially the hand-blown glass ornaments…read more Picked up a few treasures on deep discount today as they are moving shop and were clearing out inventory. They are relocating a few doors south, in the space previously occupied by the toy store.