A nice find but no plaque to describe the sculpture or sculptor or its history. Very realistic…read moreand fun. Helps to have good walking shoes to reach it.

Great likeness and so fun with the couch to the right of Bob where you can sit for a picture!…read more There was no plaque I could see, so I think many people may be mystified. I asked a teen aged girl to take my picture with the statue and she said "you know who this is?" I explained and she said, "Oh, I thought it was a president." :D A sign of some sort is needed to inform the younger generations of the great Bob Newhart!

Today you can get chef Luchiano's Kitchen and Chicken (since 1991) from one of the original White…read moreCaste locations- which is located at Wabash and Cermack - if you want White Castle then you just look kitty-corner and there you have it! According to the Chicago landmark plaque, "this tiny white glazed brick building is the best surviving example in Chicago of the buildings built by the White Castle system of eating houses." It is technically Whitecastle number 16.

Check out this cool ass area to play chess. It's a classic public chess setting along with big…read morestone boards and longtime players. The Lincoln Park Chess Pavilion is an interesting site off the beaten path away from the better known sites. Has a pretty good view of the lake. You can join in the playing but you have to bring your own pieces though. Anyone can come here and play a game. If you want to start a game, you need to bring your own pieces. There's other players already here, and they may invite you to play them. Besides the playing, the pavilion itself is a work of art. There's lots of carvings and sculptures to check out. Look for the big pavilion to find your way here. The carvings represent all the chess pieces. Fun place to look around if you don't even play chess. It's nice to admire to art of the place. There's some good amateur chess watching.

Be aware. A few chess hustlers looking to take a few bucks off of you. These are usually experts…read morewho are good at losing a game or two to sucker you in.

I attended the Chicago Green Festival Kickoff Gala on May 21, 2001 at the Marom Grand. This event…read morewas excellent. I enjoyed dressing up for the gala and tasting the delicious food from many local green restaurants. These included City Provisions, Dawali, Fig, Lula cafe and sweets from XoXo. I also liked meeting the ladies from Allyu spa. Including the Palo Santo aromatic incense with their card was a nice touch. The gala was nicely organized starting from the blow up screen projector to the group of young men that came by and picked up our plates, cups and forks for recycling. I enjoyed the talk given by Dr. Kevin Danaher on global and local sustainability and appreciate his zeal to bring little bit of San Francisco to Chicago. I also enjoyed Blanca's Alexander candid talk about what inspired her in her life to become an advocate for conscious living. Nonetheless I did see the bar pass some plastic water bottles

For some reason I was under the illusion that I had written a review for this festival, at least in…read more2008. I remember attending that one and liking it. I would have rated it 5 stars. Lots of good green content to fill your mind and soul with. I learned much about new vendors offering innovative technologies to assist in daily household living from a green standpoint as well as advances in alternate sources of power. Information wise and through photos and other marketing, there was much to see. Now in 2012, there wasn't much. Maybe my expectations for it were set too high. I recently returned from living on the West coast. For those that don't know, in many areas of California people are trying their best to be green. Whether they want to do it for the good of the earth, to feel better about doing or get some kudos from all the green loving people, businesses and consumers alike are trying. Upon return back to Chicagoland, I had hoped for more out of Green fest. Instead, there was a ton of marketing for the Ford motor company. As well as these random people that wouldn't divulge who they were with but asking if you would participate in surveys. Jaik S. mentioned if you see anyone's foot touch the carpet where Ford was displayed, someone would eventually ask you to take a survey. Green shit in the sense of the word green. Like vegan food, green vegetable smoothies and living with more greens in your diet. Really? That's all. A few foo foo stores which offer organic products. I didn't connect with any of the content and couldn't find anything that grabbed my attention. Maybe a few vendors. There was one vendor I found pretty funny. It was something like "Green singles dot com". We aren't talking about clean dollar bills, folks. One vendor sold recycled glass for use in homes. When asked what was the difference between their product and Home Depot the guy responded.."Do you want crap or high quality?". What a silly salesperson. Please don't come out to a festival if you can't explain to me benefits of your product and how and why your company claims to be green. I researched the company and later discovered they import granite from Italy and in manufacturing plants here in the U.S. use glass from recycled beer bottles, glass containers, etc to give their granite countertops a more interesting look. In 2008 I spent the whole day at the festival. In 2012, I walked the entire festival in an hour or less. I think we spent the most time in the beer & mead garden. Which by the way, happened to be the most popular area. The largest number of people stood in a tiny 20' x 20' space. Ideas for future Green Fests from Jacob - If Ford or any other car maker decides to be a big contributor to this again, have them show data on fuel efficiency for their new line of alternative energy running automobiles. What to expect for the future of the brand. What new innovative technology they are working towards. Plans for moving towards creating more efficient types of transportation. The savings a person can expect from going to a green vehicle, etc. Passing out free samples of gluten free nachos with salsa or packs of organic popcorn is fine for the average festival attendee, but not everyone. I desire information. Or what is Ford doing for the environment beyond offering green vehicles ? - Alike this, there are companies around the Midwest which currently offer biofuels. How about someone talking about alternative fuels for different kinds of vehicles. I.e. diesel, electric, NGV (natural gas vehicle), bio-diesel. Where can a person find fueling stations, or get reps here from those stations. Map fliers which indicate where in Chicagoland these resources can be found. - Chicago has green roofs, what are people planting up there and where can we find more information about doing it. Are there Chicagoland companies which offer service to get you started, etc? What are current issues concerned folks are working on for the advancement of a Greener Chicago ? At one point a year or more ago I heard something about the possibility of petroleum based plastic bags not being used any longer in Chicago supermarkets, is that real or fake? I realize for some this might have been an eye opener. Every year more people are waking up and realizing how to recycle or searching for greener ways of operating their everyday life. For those this festival is probably a source of information but for someone already doing their part but wanting a bit more, well I hope next years festival is better.

I didn't believe the man that said he lived there, he said for $5 you can go to back porch, we took…read morea photo on front steps as he walked away since I had no cash. It's not a good area so he seemed sketchy...

The homeowner was very rude when we asked to take a photo on their porch we tried giving the…read morehomeowner the 5 dollars for the picture but he wanted an extra 5 dollars but we only wanted to take 1 picture I do not recommend coming here at all.

The Long Grove Historical District is a great place to shop, eat, and have fun. When you arrive you…read morewill feel like you've gone back in time. I love the historic look and feel of the buildings and land of the area. The Village Tavern is one of the oldest restaurants in the state of Illinois. Long Grove is home to some great places to eat and drink like The Village Tavern, Buffalo Creek Brewery, Joanie's Pizza, and Long Grove Coffee. My other favorite shops are the Sock Monkey Museum and Paddy's on the Square. While you're there be on the lookout for movie cameras as several movies have been filmed there. Everyone will find something to like in the Long Grove Historical District.

I was lucky enough to attend the Harvest Dinner which was put on by the Logan Square Camber of…read moreCommerce. The dinner brought together the neighborhoods best restaurants including Fonda del Mar, Urban Belly, Vella Cafe, Treat, Tiny Cakes, Rustic, Provenance, Orbit Room, and a few other area locals. The dinner was buffet style and each establishment did a dish. A few of the standouts where Vella's butternut squash au gratin, Treat's curry gnocci, and Urban belly had an outstanding eggplant dish. I eat very few sweets but Tiny Cakes did an soft and moist carrot cake muffin with some tasty cream cheese frosting. The event held about 100 locals at the Stan Mansion, there was a silent auction and proceeds went to the Logan Square Farmers Market. It was a relaxing casual event and I will look forward to attending again.

I love this mural in Bucktown. Just half a block west of Ashland, you'll find Vivian Maier involved…read morein the pastime that brought her such great posthumous fame and acclaim. Maier took over 100,000 photos in her lifetime. Most of these were in Chicago, though she did take some in other cities. She was a mystery in life; most of her life she spent as a nanny in Chicago, though at one time she was a house cleaner for Phil Donahue. It may have been serendipity that her failure to pay rent on a storage unit led to its being auctioned off. A few folks in Chicago purchased her thousands of negatives, and they went viral after on of the new owners posted them online. Maier is one of the most important amateur photographers in American history--probably the most important, history. I like this little mural, depicting Maier engaging in her life's work. We're lucky she quietly documented Chicago's history from the 50's through 80's. There are documentaries to learn more about her, and your can find her work exhibited on occasion in various places.