I took expert theater goers Megan and I a minute or two to figure out this one. The Lincoln Square…read moreTheater is a performance space used by the Lincoln Square Community Arts Center. The theater is located in the Berry Memorial United Methodist Church basement. You got that?? Basically a small playhouse in a church that is used by many production companies. But, it doesn't just have plays, it also hosts cultural discussions, stage readings, live music, and dance. One evening Megan and I decided to track down this theater for a "Babes and Blades" production called "The Double". A screwball comedy meets swashbuckler in a tribute to Cyrano de Bergerac and the 1940s. Megan liked it but I did not. It's nothing against the actors or playwright, I'm tired of old fashion period pieces. Again it's a personal thing. The actors were great, singing, dancing, sword fighting (though I expected more), and an easy to follow story filled with romance and comedy. It really did remind me of 1940's film, the way they spoke, the way they dressed, and even the dance numbers. Anyways can't hurt to keep an eye out for future shows at LSAC.

Another brilliant summer afternoon spent people-watching, reading, sun-tanning, chilling, in…read moreGiddings Plaza, the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, and realizing that this is definitely the best neighborhood in Chicago. Giddings Plaza is the center of the area. On a beautiful summer day like today, it is filled with parents and babies, children playing, people having lunch, and even someone like me, who uses a day off to enjoy the whole panorama. Lincoln Square has a diverse population that's best seen on Thursday evenings when the farmer's market is operating, and the free concerts take place in the Plaza. It really feels like you're in a small, friendly town. The area has restaurants (many, many), an independent bookstore (BookCellar), a fantastic deli (Gene's Sausage Shop), independent and unique stores (Merz Apothecary, Eclectricity, Gallimaufry Gallery, and more), coffeeshops, a wine shop (Fine Wine Brokers), entertainment (Davis Theatre, Old Town School of Folk Music, free events sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce), a large park district (Welles Park), a big public library (Sulzer Branch) -- just too many pluses to list here. The neighborhood features plenty of housing, without feeling like you're living in one of those high-rise caverns alongside Sheridan Road. There are apartments, condos and single family homes. And the neighborhood luckily escaped the worst of the housing boom - there are a few McMansions around here, those hulking monsters that fill up their lots with not enough land left to place a flower pot - but not nearly as many as in other neighborhoods or suburbs. It still maintains the old Chicago 'hood character. The one thing that may develop into a problem is parking. Thursday night is already challenging in the area, since the Market fills a parking lot. Now that Lincoln Square Athletic Club has opened, there will be a lot more people coming into the area with their cars. On the nights when Old Town School has a big concert, parking is already an issue. Old Town School is expanding into a much larger, new building across the street from its current location, and you can be sure that will add stress to the parking issues. But for me, I love it. Nights on our block are quiet and peaceful. But when we want action, summer or winter, we can find whatever we want in Lincoln Square.

Out of all of Chicago's 77 unique neighborhoods, Lincoln Square is truly my favorite. This is also…read moreprobably why I chose to live here. It's far enough north from much of the city congestion, has a true neighborhood feel amongst an urban surrounding, and still manages to maintain a good amount of it's German culture. It's truly "A village in a city." Several German businesses are still alive and booming with pride: Chicago Brahaus, Merz Apothecary, Lutz Continental Café, Huttenbar, the Chicago branches of DANK HAUS (The German American Cultural Center) and the Niedersachsen German Club, to name a few. The Chamber of Commerce does a lovely job in making sure the neighborhood maintain's this "life" with many festivals and events like the SpringRavenswood Run, May Fest, Fold & Roots Festival, Apple Fest, German Fest, and the Christkindl Market. I love exploring the neighborhood whether it is sitting in a lovely cafe reading a book, strolling past the many shops or watching the kids play by the fountain Square.

Located on the 4th floor of DANK HAUS German Cultural Center, and only open Saturdays, this…read moremulti-room gallery is a nice place to see wonderful art or photography. They have other special events as well. We went tonight to see my friend Hagen Dost's photography exhibit, entitled "Two Mile Radius" - a collaboration with his wife and poet, Cherie Caswell Dost. It was fantastic. I recommend heading over anytime through December 30th to check it out. Cherie is also an essayist and is now a regular contributor to Chicago Public Radio.

Croatians are extremely good at drinking, and the Cultural Center serves us lushes cheaply, quickly…read moreand happily. Expect to see loads of Croatian men singing homeland anthems off-key and swaying back and forth... this you'll see at the beginning. If you make it to the end, you might witness two belligerents duking it out in the parking lot. I haven't been back since the smoking ban went into effect-- eau de Marlboro Red was the only drawback, really. I'll be back for the Velika Gospa after-party. God, help me :)

Not too bad for a concert venue. I came here for the first time to see Prljavo Kazaliste and while…read moreI am still not sure if it was worth the $55, or even would have been worth $45 for the whole experience, I had a decent time, yummy drinks, was able to get up to the front of the crowd and found parking. I couldn't ask for much more than that. Considering how many people they could host, the parking lot is small. It's one of the drawbacks. But since most people don't show up until the scheduled start time, you'll be able to snag a spot if you show up about an hour early. Don't fret - they have a full bar to pass the time. The bar was a big disappointment. How can the CROATIAN cultural center not have a single CROATIAN imported beer? Someone thought they might have a single case of Karlovacko, but the bartenders said I couldn't have it, because "If [I] have it then everyone else will want it." Well, yea, because CROATIAN beer is awesome! So I was forced to go with cranberry vodka, which was served in a dinky cup the first time and then a huge one the second round. Both were $5. Still can't figure that one out... The banquet hall seems great for a wedding or large party. It's elegant, but all of the historical/locational pictures are a bit kitsch. You'll understand if you're Eastern European. They are nice, but overwhelming. And that is the reason I love it. We felt like we were at prom.

I've lived in the area for a bit and FINALLY made my way to the Laugh Factory. My friends and I…read morecame for a late night stand-up show. Tickets were free!! Honestly a great show, I've been to some really bad stand up before and I was impressed by each of the comedians. There is a two drink minimum per person - alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Not a big deal to us since we were in the mood for a drink and didn't pay for tickets, but something to note if you're coming to a paid show. There's a lot of open seating as well, and all were in great view of the stage. The venue is fairly large while still feeling pretty intimate. If you're a fan of comedy I'd definitely recommend a stand-up show, and I'll probably be back to check out one of the paid ones!

3-4 out of the 7 comedians were decent or better. Tickets were cheap at $25/piece but the 2 drink…read moreminimum is stupid. Just include it in the price of the ticket. My wife and I don't drink but we ended up spending $50+ on mocktails which was about the same as the tickets and was an unexpected surprise. Stupid policy. The chairs are also very uncomfortable. Try to get a booth - they looked comfier.

Nice theater, small and well managed. Went to watch young Frankenstein with our 15 year old which…read morewas a mistake. The musical should be 18-+ because of some content. If our daughter didn't tag along my husband and I would have enjoyed watching it to the end . We left in the interval because we didn't want our daughter feeling uncomfortable. So many wasted $$$

One of my favorite mid sized theaters in the city. I've seen a number of shows here and they all…read morehave been excellent.

Excellent experience, it was a beautiful day, we went on Saturday May 9-2026. Bill was the person…read moregiven the information, he was excellent, knew very well all the history of Chicago and the buildings. We were a group of 4 and we sat on the front of the boat, it was a good choice.

I had an amazing experience! I went on May 31 and Ciara amazing! She went out of her way to help…read moreme find the perfect souvenir. She was knowledgeable, friendly and customer service was a 10 out of 10 she was what made the experience so great! If she wouldn't have gone on her way to assist me, I would've walked out without a souvenir!