This abstract sculpture is temporarily located in the wonderful White River State Park, as part of…read moreits outdoor art exhibit. There is a commercial parking lot available as well as a commercial garage to park your vehicle. It is the work of Chicago artist Terrence Karpowicz. It is not an original piece. There is an identical one currently located in front of a Chicago real estate company as part of Art on Clark. It is part of his Athlete Series of sculptures, which use the same stick like figure in deferent sports themes scenes. The original piece was made in 2010 and the one in the park was made in 2017. They both are made of steel and measure 168" x 120" x 96" . The piece was inspired by the thought of giving everything you have to achieve a goal. It looks like a runner with their chest out crossing the finish line, known as a dip. It is a simple piece, but I like it. It somehow gets me in a motivated state of mind. This is a very attractive piece that you must look at while you are in the park. It is located on the median of the White River Pedestrian Bridge leading to the Indianapolis Zoo, along with many other sculptures. Well, as with most public art I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 3 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other wonderful art in the area to maximize your time and trip. Luckily, there are a lot of other interesting pieces of art in the park to load your itinerary with in addition to all that White River Park has to offer.

This is a single-tiered fountain with a pool. It is located in the Polonia Triangle, in the…read moreChicago's Polish section. The fountain was constructed in 1998 as part of the city's public fountain program, but it looks much older. It has definitely seen better days, but I am glad that at least it is operational. It provides a soothing flow. The fountain is named after novelist, Nelson Algren, who lived in the area and is best known for his novel The Man with the Golden Arm, which won the first National Book Award in 1950. You will find a plaque on the ground around the fountain with a quote from one of Algren's essays, Chicago: City on the Make. It reads, "For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart." The fountain is made of black iron and has a pool that is about 9 feet in diameter.This is definitely not a destination piece and most viewers will be transiting the Triangle.

"For the masses who do the city's labor also keep the city's heart" reads the inscription around…read morethe Nelson Algren fountain located on the Polish Triangle, near the Division street Blue Line Stop. This is a quote from Chicago: City on the Make, which sums up this city better than anything I have ever read. This review is not for the uninteresting design of the fountain that is a favorite amongst pigeons and the homeless. It is for the idea. One of the turning points of Algren's masterpiece, The Man with the Golden Arm is when Frankie Machine drunkenly crashes his automobile into the triangle, where fountain is located, paralyzing his wife. Division street, especially the portion between Ashland and Damen was the focal point of this novel, and mentioned in some of his other works. It is also located only a few blocks away from his long time residence on Evergreen street.

A street art enthusiast smorgasbord!…read more First, Pilsen is a vibrant neighborhood, which appears to be home to many Mexican families. Tons of street art and murals along their main streets and a ton of great smelling Mexican/Latin restaurants. The 16th street murals are along the rail line. It's a little gritty. Yes, there is garbage on the ground. Yes some of the grass is overgrown. But I didn't feel threatened or unsafe at any time. Maybe avoid the area at night and try to avoid getting yourself into a totally deserted spot, but overall like any urban landscape. There are several overpasses, and sadly there are some house-less people, but they were all minding their business and hanging out in their camps. The art is edgy and kinda punk. Multiple themes, from Mexican heritage, death, horror, animals, city life, memorials. And there was a total badass Simpsons Treehouse of Horror montage. This is walkable, but it's better if you do it by car, driving a bit, then exploring each section by foot. It is quite expansive. Just about 3/4 of a mile or a little more out of the main city center and plenty of parking.

Yes I moved here. Yes there was several reasons why I did. One of the reasons was service and…read morecommunity. Just the other day we had a terrible storm. When I looked out my front window I saw a huge part of our tree in the front across our front lawn. It was too big to move by myself and too big to cut up myself. So I called the Village Hall. Guess what? I got to talk to a live person and this person could not do enough to make me happy. I told her about the tree and said she will get on it as soon as possible. It could have been less than a half hour and someone was at my door letting me know he was here to look at he situation. As he left he said they would be back in the morning to take care of my issue. And yes this morning they were there. I walked away for a while and they were gone. And everything was gone like nothing happened. In fact they cleaned the street so well I could not believe it. The bottom line. That is why I love living I Lincolnwood.

This building has offices for the administration, their arts council and the police dept. The…read morebuilding and all the grounds were all built several years ago and is very well maintained. The grounds surrounding it have a huge park that even has a giant swimming pool and playground.

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.

West Fest happens to be my favorite fest in Chicago. It is one of the smaller festivals with DJ's…read moreon the East Stage and Bands on the West Stage of Chicago Avenue. People who attend this fest seem to be all inclusive and not afraid to express themselves. Nice selection of retail and food vendors. The crowd, food, and music keep me coming back every year.

One of my favorite fests! It's not huge. Between Damon & Wood on Chicago ave…read more 2 stages at either end. One has house music DJ's. Such a great vibe & people watching. The other end (Damon) is bands. They always have great ones. Model/Actress was so good. Good amount of food vendors. Lao peng You is great with their noodle dishes. Happy Lobster, Tola, classic corn dogs too. I miss the polish vendors with the classic polish plates. They haven't been here in a few years. Lots for kids & dogs too. Chicago T-shirt's, handmade jewelry. Fun to shop & grab a drink at the beer tent.

Ron Christian made my day. He sings daily, he says, at the Jackson Blue Line stop or the Washington…read moreRed Line stop. He's got a CTA permit and a hat for donations. He floored me. When I got down into the stop to wait for the train I heard a contralto angel snapping his fingers and singing Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" and "Cupid," a capella. Ron outdid Sam Cooke or anyone else. I let three trains pass because I was enthralled. After a while, I approached Ron, extended my hand which he received warmly. We shook, and I told him my name. Then I asked him: "Where'd you learn to sing like that?" He pointed upwards. "God." He paused. "I was put here to do just what I'm doin', man. No doubt about it." No doubt about it.

When I took shelter from the first major snow storm to hit Chicago in 2012 at the Red Line Jackson…read morestop, I thought I was only going to get temporary warmth. Much to my surprise, and at the risk of sounding supremely shmaltzy, I heard the heart-warming singing of Ron Christian and "The Real Connection". Even with the first few notes I was immediately captivated. Is that a recording? Since when was there music at the L stops? I walked around the corner and saw three men singing heavenly harmonies that were nothing short of jaw-dropping. Silky smooth, pure and soulful. I overheard one lady say, "Those are the best harmonies I ever heard." I knew this was something special, something that I felt privileged to be hearing. Everyone on the platform just stopped to listen; no one pretending to be messing with their iPhone, or trying to look occupied so as not to engage. They finished a song which I'd never heard titled "It's Alright", and it couldn't have been a better song to have heard today. Nothing could have made me feel 100% better than that exact song sung by Ron and company. This will be my go-to feel-good music from now until eternity. This is how good their music made me feel- I came back to the Jackson stop an hour later just to go back and talk to them! I was lucky enough to meet them, and I would've been kicking myself if I hadn't gotten that chance. I bought their CD and it was the best $5 I've spent since I got here. There's no one place, restaurant or group that I would be more honored to write my first Yelp review about, and no one deserves it more than Ron and "The Real Connection."

Not to be confused with Boozetown, which is really every town these days if we're being honest…read more There are lots of cool neighborhoods in Chicago - and this is one of the very coolest. I love Boystown, and I love how I get molested by guys (not joking) almost every time I'm here in one of the clubs (looking at you Sidetrack). Yes, it probably has one of the best 3 gay clubs I've ever been to in Sidetrack. You don't expect anything to be free in Chicago and if this was New York or LA I really don't think it would be - but here, the best gay club is free and you can go in covered in oil with your body on display like I did and get molested by a lot of ugly people (sorry, cute people don't randomly touch me, just being honest), or dance to some great pop music. It's a tolerant area and it's a loving area and it's a fun area and I can't imagine a much better neighbourhood.