The beautiful parks and lakefront are a huge plus of living in Highland Park. The Preserve project…read morein progress will be another reason. This is a project in the works behind the Highland Park Recreation Center/Country Club. It's going to be amazing. Currently, in the very early stages, the green space project is a conversion of the prior golf course and will feature linked trails, green lawns, natural areas, play areas, specialized gardens, and restored woodlands. Pathways already connect to the Recreation Center, the Golf Learning Center, Skokie River Woods, and local neighborhoods. Today I had the pleasure of discovering this project first hand and took a walk along the trails and pathways already in existence. The pathways remain from the prior golf course, and they will need to be improved, especially because a couple of them do not link. At one point I had to walk over dirt and grass to cut over to the other path. The longest path/trail is a little over a mile, so you can get a nice walk in and enjoy being out in nature. There's a pond, trees, benches, and lots of greenery to take in. It's incredibly peaceful and one of my new favorite walking spots in Highland Park. Bring your fishing pole if you want to fish in the pond!

Moraine Park is one of the recreational parks in Highland Park, recently half-heartedly made into a…read moresculpture park. At the top, you have a wide open grassy area, which would ideally be perfect for letting your dog off-leash... if they were to fence it. Descending the stairs to the beach, you reach a fenced-in area for dogs to enjoy the lake. It's pretty chilly on blustery days, but the dogs love it, and it's a great place to meet other pet owners. You do need a permit to be there, however, and the details about that are posted on the website.

Bow wow. This is a pretty cool dog park and dog beach. I…read moresuppose they like having a place of their own to be with their own kind. of course none of them speak English so well never know for sure. But the fidos have liberty and space to romp around and play all over the joint. If your dog is aggressive or violent you shouldn't take him or her or if you do leave it leashed. Duh. My dog isn't aggressive really but acts like a spaz. He'a also the size of a hamster so I always leave him leashed because I'm not a stupid head. Make sure you clean up after your furry friends. And have fun. One of the best parts is seeing all the different kinds o breeds ad mutts. A lot look like Muppets. One of George's friends, who is also a dog like him, rides a skateboard. There's a couple who like swimming. G is always the social butterfly-Mr. Popularity. And no party like a. Puppy Party. Bow wow!

This was my first time at Taste Buds Kitchen in Bannockburn, IL. This was part of a team building…read moreexercise that my manager put together for a group of eight people. About a week or so before the event, we were given three options to select from for the menu we would be preparing, so we ended up with pasta. Taste Buds Kitchen is located in a mall, so I had some difficulty locating it, but finally saw it. We were split into teams of four and the meal we were prepping was fettuccini, spinach/ricotta ravioli and a marinara sauce. Our instructor was Lauren and she was very nice. There were two ladies assisting her as well, responsible for the clean-up and helping with the prep work. Lauren was great explaining all the steps as well as showing up the prep moves. I love fresh pasta but never thought about making it (and still won't do it at home), but I had no idea how easy it could be with the right tools. Making the dough was fun and interesting, with each of us taking turns kneading the dough in preparation to make the fettuccini and the spinach/ricotta ravioli. Making the fettuccini was such fun and so easy if you have the proper equipment. I really enjoyed putting the dough into the pasta roller to flatten it, then into the cutting attachment to make the pasta. We each got turns going through the process, so I can say that all of us made the pasta and sauce. The spinach/ricotta ravioli and a marinara sauce were also very easy to make. Marinara I have made at home before, but the recipe we used at Taste Buds added a twist by adding shredded carrots for sweetness. Not something I would have thought of, but it really worked. Making the spinach/ricotta ravioli was a hoot. The very first one was a hot mess, but I learned and moved on to make perfect restaurant quality looking ones (IMO). Because we did a morning 2-hour session, tea, water and lemonade were provided for us. What we prepared was delicious and a nice early lunch. Because Lauren and her crew had made dough in advance, there was plenty of pasta for eating and to take home. My only complaint (if there is one) is I would have loved that we had made more of the marinara because it was so good and I would have loved to have taken more home. Overall this was a wonderful experience and the staff was amazing, cleaning up behind us, setting the table, cooking the pasta and ravioli for us. I think this is something I would consider for my direct reports as a team building event.

What a wonderful experience! We did a chocolate summer cooking camp from 9-12. And it was so much…read morefun. They really made it exciting for the kids and we really enjoyed the treats after chocolate camp. We plan on returning next year. Thank you Taste Buds

Offshore contacted Eddyline and changed their order with them so I could have two matching colored…read morekayaks, a Caribbean 12 FS and a Caribbean 14 FS, and delivered them to my home in Noblesville Indiana. My local Eddyline retailer was unable/unwilling to do the same. Great communication and pleasant demeanor. Highly recommend Offshore in Lake Bluff.

We spoke with Sam from Offshore, regarding repairs to our Zodiac boat…read more After much discussion with Sam his integrity became apparent in that his honest opinion was that spending additional money to repair this boat would not be worth while. He is to be commended for his honesty in appraising the return value for the expenditure for the need repairs. He took the time to honestly evaluate our Zodiac boat rather than turn just a "quick profit". We honestly would not have know the difference. He runs his business in a forthright manner to be commended in this day and age the "Quick Profit". Thank You M. Jens

This is one of my dog, Reilly's favorite places to Go ,…read morebeside The Beach.. great area , well kept and many friendly dogs and owners.. however, if it rains hard, there are many muddy spots for her to Get muddy..We also Like Independence in Libertyville & Waconda ( the best) Reilly gives them a 4 bark approval

My dog absolutely loves this place, and if I could, I'd bring him every day. The only downside is…read morethe amount of mud he tracks back into the car - it would take a bath for him and a car wash for me after every visit! I'd love to see something more effective than the current hose for rinsing dogs off. A self-service dog wash station would be life-changing and make it much easier to visit more often. HOW DO WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!!

This race was great and you truly felt the community coming together to show their pride for…read moreHighland Park, the Firecracker 5K, and specifically S.M.I.L.E., which is a program that provides funding to help disadvantaged youth participate in activities and events that they otherwise couldn't afford. My husband is very passionate about their cause. We parked in the park parking lot and didn't have to walk very far to the building where restrooms, registration and packet pick-up were. They had race day packet pick-up, which I always appreciate when these races are so far from home. The only thing I would recommend in regards to that is having better signage since the sign and arrow for that was close to the ground and easy to miss when people stood in front of it. I made a couple circles around the event area and that building before realizing where to go to get my race bib and goody bag. The goody bag is primo, by the way. It's a high quality gear bag and I will use it for all of my races until it dies. The shirts were nice, too. I'll likely donate mine, though, since it's a bit big and I have more than enough. I prefer medals. This race was not chip timed, but they did keep track of people's times to the best of their ability. They timed me at 32:48 and my Fitbit (usually accurate within 1 second) read 32:45. This race is difficult. You start out in a field, so you're already on less than ideal ground and it only gets harder from there. The first mile has low incline, rolling hills on the paths through Sunset Woods Park and the paved streets of Highland Park. You run into some small potholes and cracks, but it's nothing to be incredibly worried about. You'll be more concerned with the steep hill you have to climb halfway through the course. The good news is that you get to go really fast down the steep hill right before it. And the rest of the race is a lot like the first mile since it overlaps a bit. The after party was fun and casual. Their A to Z Entertainment DJ was great. I didn't do well enough to place and I didn't win anything from the raffle, but I got a free snow cone. I consider that just as good.

My friend invited me to brunch at Midtown Athletic Club (they are a member). The public can't just…read morewalk in, there are gates in the lobby and I had to scan a code (and fill out my info) before entering. I visited Midtown before as a prospective member so I know that guests can only enter a limited number of times. We went upstairs past the cardio machines (they are plentiful) and the weight area to the cafe. There are tables and booths that overlook the outdoor pool area (closed for season). It wasn't a large brunch but we had some made-to-order omelets, bacon/sausage and fruit. There was also some potatoes and pastry. When I sat down to eat I received a text from Midtown about a membership. The brunch was bottomless although one omelet was enough for me. I also had two emails from Midtown when I got home, one a waiver of liability and the other a membership offer. I didn't join as a member on my previous visit and I am not going to join now. I already have a Pilates membership that includes three studios with classes from 6am-8pm. Midtown has a Pilates studio but none of the class times work for me. They also have some reformers in the middle of the cardio area reserved for private lessons. If I have a private lesson I would prefer to be in a secluded area, not in the middle for all to see. The facility has many machines, a boxing area, a cycling studio, a theatre, a spa, a cafe, courts, pool, etc and this is a great place for those who need this. There are families who spend the morning at lessons, classes, workouts, then join up in the cafe. This is great for those who are looking for this but it doesn't fit my needs right now.

If you're a dedicated tennis player and competitive, this place is for you. Otherwise, go somewhere…read moreelse.

Nobody answers the phones, the website hasn't been updated in over a year. Even the answering…read moremachine is a mess. Who runs this place?!