Thursday Night Out has always been a blast. My kids love to go because it's safe for them to move…read morearound and find their own food. The event sells food tickets. There are 4 tix in a book. Each book costs 25$ . You get a menu of all the places participating in the event. Mostly places on Lake st and Marion st. There is a different band each week. Great live music. I usually get there early. The event starts at 5pm. I get there early to grab a table for my family. If you get there later bring your own chairs. It does get super crowded and people won't stop asking "are you using this chair? Can I take this chair?". Good luck with that. It's the only part I don't enjoy. My family gets up to go find their dinner and at least 5 people will come to ask about the chair. Other than that. It's a fun Summer fest. It goes on from the first week of June to the end of August, only on Thursday nights.

100 DAYS OF SUMMER…read more From late May through August, Oak Park's 'Thursday Night Out' is a lovely street festival. I've lived in the area for nearly 5 years now, but it wasn't until Nichole C moved in that I bothered going to this summertime event. It takes place on Marion St between Lake & the train tracks, beginning around Memorial Day and going until just before Labor Day. Tickets come in panels of 4 for $20 (which equates to $5/ticket), something that apparently has gotten more expensive in the last few years. Not all items are worth your time, but a few are a decent value like the calamari from Mancini's and California roll from Sushi House. Although there's a tent selling alcohol, I'd recommend buying a six pack from Target or bottle of wine from Trader Joe's. Thursday Night Out is a widely-accepted BYOB event, and that's a very good thing. Some folks even bring candles! There's plastic chairs and tables set up but arrive super early to stake those spots out. You'll likely need to bring a few folding chairs unless you don't mind eating food on a curb. Crowd is mostly families but lots of younger couples, too. Live music plays from 5-8pm; we've heard everything from hippy dippy folk rock to rasta man reggae, even some soft jazz (which lulled me into an inebriated 6pm nap). Typically two different bands play each week, and it's always good stuff. Unfortunately, it really bothers me that for as big of a turnout as TNO generates, there's no port-o-potties in sight. Couple this with a strict "no public restrooms" policy for the participating businesses, so break the seal and you could be outta luck. * TL;DR * Live music, generous BYOB policy, excellent people watching.....and nowhere to relieve yourself. You have to use a food voucher to buy something at one of the participating restaurants and then use the restroom, this is your only "legal" option. Personally, I suggest finding a nice alley or secluded corner of a nearby parking garage to pee in/on (important note: this only applies to men. Ladies, I have no idea how y'all do your thing). Seriously though, ANY outdoor event of this size should have portable shitters. Thursday Night Out is still lots of fun, just watch your beverage consumption and tell your bladder to plan accordingly.

I'm not a huge fan of this museum normally but I absolutely loved this!…read more This was breathtakingly beautiful and seeing how Christmas looked around the world was wonderful to be able to do. There were people of all ages & all kinds here, this is something that I think everyone can find something they'll like about out of. I hope to make this a yearly tradition with my family.

I've been coming to the Museum to see the Christmas trees since I was a kid. I even once performed…read moreUkrainian Christmas songs as part of a bandura ensemble in the days of my incompetent musical youth. Now I bring my kids to see the trees every year. If there is an institution that Chicago and the surrounding suburbs love too much, it has to be the Museum of Science & Industry. Coming here before Christmas, you'll be surrounded by legions of elementary school kids on field trips diligently taking notes about every tree they see. To outsmart them this year, we decided to go AFTER Christmas. Well, since school's out this time of year, the legions of kids arrived with their parents and siblings instead. The result was a long line to get in, snaking around the lower level for what amounted to a 25-minute wait just to get into the museum. Still, it moved pretty quickly once you were in line. All the IMAX movies, coal mine, U505 and Star Wars exhibits were sold out before noon! It's worth the wait as you get to explore the main floor with its towering tree in the middle and all the ethnic trees in the corridors around it. For the first time, they removed the performance area from the tree exhibit hall to a small theatre where you can sit and watch the kids performing a foreign Christmas carol on water-lined steel drums and maracas. Some of the Christmas trees have elegantly crafted ornaments made of white drinking straws, woven straw, origami, and wood. Then others can be downright tacky like the Hawaiian tree with its mini-Hawaiian shirt ornaments. You see lots of obscure Eastern European trees like Belarus, Slovenia, Estonia, Serbia and more. Then there's countries like China and Egypt, where you wonder if they really celebrate Christmas at all, yet they have a tree. And no, the Chinese tree did not have lead painted toys hanging from it... It's not the same every year either. Each year, my wife and I have our own unofficial judging of the best trees. For 2007, we loved: 1. South Korea - amazing garland made of pink paper flowers makes this tree stand out from far away 2. Tanzania - adorned with African masks, gourds and even a wooden giraffe protruding from the branches 3. Poland - mobiles made of straws and fake flowers, plus hand-painted ornate bird and flower designs. (photos of each included with review) And when you're done, go see the rest of the museum. Before you know it, 3 hours have gone by and you realize you still haven't seen all it has to offer.

We took 3 buses (!) and a helpful bus driver directed us to Western and Longwood. We walked up the…read moreLONG hill and found a spot in the sun. It was populated but not super crowded. We wanted to find a spot near a bar. (thankfully the Nationalist posters were either gone or yet to appear). The neighborhood is a good mix of businesses and residences, and some smart cookies brought lawn chairs. Except for one drunk guy hanging out the window yelling (silly stuff) everyone was festive, patient, and the kids got candy. The devotion to schools, unions and veterans was touching, so that when the occasional political figure emerged (Hi Lori!) or a corporation made a float, we didn't mind too much. I will post pictures later.

I experienced my first (still debating if its going to be my only) south side irish parade two…read moreyears ago. The only thing I really remembered about the parade itself was the little men wearing the little hats driving the little carpet cars. Bizarre, but memorable none the less! As for the rest of the "party" it was craziness. First there was taking the METRA down to the south side. Everyone on the train was drunk. There was no organization. I had no idea how to get a ticket or if I even needed one. Turns out I didnt need one, everyone rode free that day. At the train stop, I had a bit of ways to walk to get to the parade route. While watching the parade, everyone around me was having a good time. Then again they were all drunk. And they were smoking. Did I happen to mention I cant drink and hate smokers? Yah......totally not my scene but I wanted to check out what all the hype was about. I did have a good time with the company I was with. Everyone was nice and my bf had the hook up with a family friend who owns a shop on the route, so we had access to a bathroom and didnt have to resort to pissing in alleyways. THANK GOD. I heard last year CPD didnt allow drinking on the streets. Maybe that helps in taming the chaos?

This is an annual event run in Elmhurst and it was it's 30th year this year. This year…read moreapproximately 8600 folks ran or walked the annual 5K through the streets of downtown Elmhurst and surrounding neighborhood on Thanksgiving day. Sign up online and pick up at the Knights of Columbus was a breeze. This is a non-chip timed event, but they do have clocks at the start, midway and finish so you can approximate your run/walk time if you don't have a timer on yourself. I was really surprised with the turn out of this event. Not just the runners, but spectators and business owners coming out and cheering the runners on. I felt like I was on a major run with people shouting encouragement and holding up funny/encouraging signs. The BEST was the group of folks in the neighborhood dressed like the Duck Dynasty family tooting their duck call whistles and cheering us along. WOW. We were fortunate to have Jim Cornelison (from CHI Blackhawks fame) sing the National Anthem prior to the start of the race. Also some WWII planes (replicas or real, I don't know) flew overhead the same time. SO VERY COOL. Elmhurst is a great community and I loved the fact that so many people come out for this. The route is fairly flat except for the hill under the viaduct/train tracks that you have to run up. They did change the route this year so most of it ran through the downtown area which I liked. They do offer shuttle buses that will pick up/drop off at certain locations. But I decided to drive and found parking easily in the blocks close to the start/finish. The website doesn't say this, but I guess it is pet and running stroller friendly. Although some of those poor dogs seemed to just want to lie down in the street and not run with their human. Awwww, well, it was pretty darn cold this Thanksgiving.

The Dan Gibbons Turkey Trot has been an annual event in Elmhurst, Illinois for over 37 years. It's…read morea fantastic fun run/walk for the whole family on Thanksgiving Day with proceeds going towards feeding the hungry in DuPage County. Our family has participated since the event's inception and as our family grows, we continue to keep the event as part of our Thanksgiving Day tradition.

My friend and I went to the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade this past weekend. I've lived in Chicago…read moremy whole life, watching it many times on TV but never made the trek there myself. I like sleeping in on Thanksgiving and tuning in to watch WGN from the comfort of my warm & cozy home! But alas! VIP tickets popped up and I jumped on them. We had seats in the VIP section and I have to say this is the only way I'd see the parade in the future. We got there right before the allowed people to start sitting at about 6:50 am. VIP ticket scanning & seating started at 7am. The actual show started at 8am but in that first hour we got to see a lot happening behind the scenes including practices. It actually went by pretty quickly! Also in the VIP section, they had a McDonald's food truck for us serving up hot chocolate & yogurts. Some sponsored booth was also there with energy drinks & Halloween skittles, kinda funny. Everyone working/volunteering was so friendly though! Also in the VIP section, you get nice bleacher seats (bring a blanket to sit on & a blanket to cover yourself with because it's cold as HECK out there. We had seats right in the center and our friends were sending us photos of our smiling faces front & center during the opening acts. Those around me were thankful for my silly Hello Kitty which helped their families & friends easily find them in the crowd. So this parade has been around since the 1930s originally started to bring joy during the depression! Since then it's switched sponsorship a bunch and has become quite the spectacle. From 8-9am are all the acts. You'll find them in the parade, as well, but they get some time to put on some mini shows during this time. Some people were dressed in clothes not made for Chicago winter's and I felt so bad for them! From 9-11am is the actual parade and there is a lot to look it. Tons of bands & dance acts, a few floats, a few blown up balloon floats but NO balloons like you see in the Macy's NYC parade which was kind of disappointing, no candy tossing, a bunch of random trucks & advertisements which was weird. All in all, glad I went to finally experience it but for me it's a one and done type of thing. Sitting outside in thirty degree weather for four hours was just too much for me!

Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday after halloween and this past Thanksgiving I spent the…read moreholiday in Chicago. So this being my first time spending Thanksgiving out of town I was determined to make the most of it. Chicago has a Thanksgiving day parade and I wanted to see it up close and personal. I woke up at 5am and walked two blocks down the street from our hotel to catch the parade on State Street. Let me tell you that not a single soul was out at 5am waiting for this 8am parade to start. I was literally the very first person to get out to the parade. Hey I'm from New Orleans where people camp out the night before or even days before for a prime spot. Once the parade started it got pretty crowded. The parade itself had huge balloons that were both funny and cute. Tweety bird was our favorite! They also had a few bands, small floats, entertainers, etc. The parade wasn't that long or entertaining to be honest. I would probably skip it if I'm ever in town again during Thanksgiving. I had to see it at least once just to see how it was right?

Evanston holds a lot of events throughout the year and with so many of them happening in the…read moresummer, there are many options to choose from. I've gone to a number of them over the years and find Custer Fair to be a top summer destination in the city. During our walk down Main street, Chicago, Washington, and Custer Avenues (this fair covers 4 streets) a few notable things I saw were vendors selling air plants hung from glass containers, vintage Chicago posters, handcrafted jewelry, a caricature artist, cool hand crafted toys for kids and, if you wanted to relax from all the walking, there was a booth that charged for chair massage. The food stalls had a good mix which included typical carnival fair like funnel cakes and corndogs. They also had a Taqueria stall, local craft beer, Pina colada stand, Texas bbq, Gyros, and Soba noodles. With all the savory food and tempting refreshments abound, the real hero on a hot 90 degree day was the lemonade stand. Every refreshing cup of lemonade had a whole half lemon in it. I was able to double my servings of lemonade by squeezing the half lemon and adding water and sugar when I got home afterwards. Bonus! Consider yourself lucky if you've scored a parking spot around the neighborhood. You will need to arrive an hour prior to opening to find a space. Your best bet is to take public transport by taking the Purple line train and get off on the Main Street station. It takes you right there. Pro Tip: Most stalls are cash only establishments with a few taking credit/debit cards. If you forget to bring cash, there is a Chase bank less than a block and a half across from the Main street purple line stop south on Chicago Avenue.

I had the honor to work at one of the food vendors this year. In fact, it was my first time…read moreexploring the "Custer Fair" in Evanston. I was quite impressed by the number and the variety of merchants that participated. I guess the time has changed and we are becoming a cashless society. Many vendors were able to accept credit cards (with a surcharge fee). Nevertheless, the trusty green bucks still would still get you all-inclusive access! There was at least one (1) PNC bank ATM outside the CTA Main Purple Line station for visitors' convenience. The sound quality for the music lineups was decent. Fortunately, our area wasn't bombarded with an excessive volume while the concerts were in session. The tent we set up was near the center stage, and thankfully, we didn't have to "shout" to the customers to ask for their orders. As always, most ladies can have a difficult time getting used to the porta potties. Here's my recommendation: be patient and reserve some energy by going to the nearest grocery/Liquor stores, such as WholeFoods, Target, Trader Joe's, and Binny's to use their facilities. They are not located feet away from the festival, but within walkable distances.

This is a Very Massive & Modern Track & Field. Massive private parking lot, updated landscaping…read moreand well cared for facilities. Bus stops are just outside of gates. Located on NorthEast Corner of Central & Roosevelt Road. Parking is located on the North side of Roosevelt Road. The Stadium Entrance is on the East Side of Central Avenue. Very busy shopping area, Steak & Egger across street, Aldi Grocer, Gas Station & Casino Gaming Room, Scrap Metal Yard to West of Central.

Field was great. New track for running. Flag flew high. Good security all around and nice people to…read moredirect you to your team's side. Good bleacher seating. Great lighting!

I have been to wrigley dozens of times and Rachel the bathroom attendant is very memorable every…read moretime I come she is always in a great mood and greeting everyone with a smile and something silly to say!

I bought tickets to Mumford & Sons. I found out after-the-fact they were non-refundable. I tried to…read moreengage with the Cubs organization because they delayed the concert time until 10:00 PM (from 6:30 PM) because of storms in the "area". The "organization" waited until the last minute to delay the concert, cancelled the opening acts, paid fines to the City of Chicago ALL to AVOID refunding ticketholders. The Cubs can call it what they will, but it was ultimately THEFT BY DECEPTION! The concert did NOT go on as timed, the opening acts were cancelled, and the Cubs paid a fine to the City of Chicago because it was cheaper than offering refunds. I WILL NEVER set foot in Wrigley, I WILL NEVER AGAIN support the Cubs. The Cubs are nothing more than a money grubbing organization owned by Trump-like billionaires - profit over people. Concerns for concert-goer safety? That's just BS since they have cancelled games for less. This is the last I'll say about the money-grubbing Cubs organization. The Mumford & Sons concert and the Cubs' theft by deception will live with them as I can and am doing concerts elsewhere in the future - just not with them...