I've been wanting to visit the Mitchell Museum since I learned about it about a year ago. It's a…read morevery small museum--you might pass it and not realize what it is, or maybe think it's a church or something. In two stories, they tell you a bit about the history of Native Americans the US and Canada, with a particular emphasis of the history of Native peoples in the city and region. The museum is about 45 years old and one of the few that focuses exclusively on this population. I spent about an hour and a half viewing the exhibits. The various exhibits introduced various indigenous groups (Plains, Woodlands, etc.) and how those groups lived. There were displays of the crafts, both ceremonial and utilitarian, that each tribe was known for, and they were careful to share in most or all instances how those crafts and traditions changed pre- and post-contact. Upstairs there was a section that talked about the presence of American Indians in Chicago and the near region, from explaining the atrocities that the government perpetrated against them to simply explaining the origins of well-known Chicago areas such as Portage Park, Sauganash, and Caldwell Woods. When I visited, there was an exhibit about missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW). Long ignored, indigenous women are by far the most endangered when it comes to the murder or disappearance of these women. Women on reservations are ten times more likely to end up part of the MMIW, and in just the last few years (2019, I believe) over 5,500 indigenous women were missing or murdered. Too long this has been a crisis that has been ignored by majority culture. Although the exhibit as a whole was very powerful, Nayana LaFond's contribution to the exhibit was especially moving. She paints images of MMIW that have been provided to her by family or friends of the missing women. She explained that she hadn't intended for it to become a project, but once she started receiving dozens of requests for paintings she couldn't turn down some and not others. The Mitchell Museum will be doing some programming soon, and I think that part of that programming in May will be related to MMIW education and causes. There's a small parking lot in back--probaly enough for three to four cars. But when I was here (on a Tuesday in April), I was the only one here for most of the time so I think parking won't be an issue. For an adult non-tribal member, entrance was only $7 (2023). There is a lift (not an elevator) from the main floor to the lower level, but I'm not sure if there's any way to ascend to the second floor besides the stairs so you may want to inquire about that if climbing the stairs would be difficult.

Wow, this place is the local hidden gem I thought it was.  I tried to come here a couple of years…read moreago, but it was closed due to Covid.  It's a quiet, unassuming place but for just a modest $5 admission ($5 for seniors, and $7 otherwise), you can see a lot of neat American Indian artifacts, artwork, history, and information.  I really enjoyed my 75 minute visit, and that's maybe all you may need (1-2 hours) to peruse their two floors.  You can look at my photos for an idea of what's there, but I had 2 notable personal highlights.  One was seeing a map of North America that showed the names of 1200 tribes(!) and their locations, and that was quite impressive I thought.  Most you wouldn't know, but many of the famous ones you would, from movies and what not.  The other highlight was meeting and chatting with Josee Starr, the staffer that initially greeted me.  There were actually 2 friendly staffers - her and a fellow named Joseph Gackstetter, but I met Josee upon entering and she was the only one there at the time.  After my milling around, I finally got up my nerve to ask her if she was at least partially American Indian as she looked the part, and yippee-yayaay, she told me she was 99% American Indian and 1% French (fur trader French).  Very cool, and she has tracked her genealogy back 9 generations!  I only really knew of one other full native American in my life (an old work colleague), so this was a treat.  I also took the opportunity to give her fellow staffer Joseph some hell for being just a regular Caucasian working here (lol, and he took the kidding in stride).  I highly recommend this place for some cultural enlightenment, and also as a great place to educate youngsters.

My daughter and I saw a play here that we really enjoyed and it encouraged me to get on their…read moremailing list and follow them on social media to learn about future events. But what impressed me yesterday was that my cousin passed away and the venue where my family planned to have his celebration was booked for the date we wanted. His sister called around and learned that Noyes Cultural Center rents space for special events. We got a room that was perfect for our event. We were able to bring food, music and a slideshow and the staff there were very helpful. They have a small (metered) parking lot adjacent to the entrance and additional street parking nearby, plus a park on the side of the building. They have art classes, the theater, and a lot of other offerings that we weren't aware of, making this center even more impressive.

Sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone. We bought tickets to Circus in Progress (part of…read morethe Actor's Gymnasium) and found ourselves in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for the very intimate and impressive show. What we first noticed was the large space. The building is obviously older and has the wide halls and high ceilings you can only get in an older building like this. Upstairs there is an open art gallery which we enjoyed checking out before the show. It would actually be a cool place to host a party or two there as well. There is a small parking lot. I mean tiny considering how many people can be there. But it's literally a jump off of the L and you are there. And there is public parking just a block away. Classes abound in this local arts community. There were tons of flyers, brochures and post cards for upcoming shows, classes (for ALL ages), productions and art shows. Noyes Cultural Arts Center is located in Nothern Evanston and houses a number of art-related organizations, including The Actors Gymnasium, Evanston Children's Choir, Piven Theatre Workshop, Arlen Music / Ken Arlen Orchestra, Art Encounter, Evanston Art Center and the Next Theatre Company. Next time you're in the area, take a peek inside. Or check out what's playing. Tickets are ridiculously cheap and the production we saw was a lot of fun.

Joseph J Gentile Arena is where you go to see some great college basketball action on the Loyola…read moreUniversity campus in Rogers Park. The venue holds around 5000 peeps for a game, so you can get great views from practically every seat. Amazingly my love and I were able to sit right behind the Loyola bench for a game this past season thanks to the hookup from one of my sports-friendly buds, so this was a thrilling experience to be practically part of the action. Besides the game itself, we got to see Sister Jean in person, and in Lego and bobblehead form in the public display area. Check out the memorabilia commemorating Loyola's NCAA men's basketball championship in 1963 and the stunning 2018 Final Four run by the Ramblers.

Really glad this place got the face-lift and upgrade this arena deserves. Previously as noted by…read moreother Yelpers in the last 2000s, this place had a big high school gym and was out of date. I had my high school graduation here and it wasnt the most appealing of venues at the time. Most recently, Loylola has made several improvements and renovations across the Lake Shore campus. Definitely improved and quite beautiful for a "commuter" school. This arena is one of the greatest changes to the campus. Similar to other college basketball courts, the seats are right on top of the floor so you have a good seat wherever you are. The floor is beautiful in the maroon and gold. It has a good student section area that is right behind the Courtside seats. They have updated their big screens and monitors which are amazing for a Missouri Valley Conference school. They have bench seating as well as regular seats as well and it is comfortable compared to other places. Food in the stadium is fairly priced here with the typical nachos, hot dogs, and pizza. They do sell beer now at the arena as well. Overall it is a great arena that is always packed with loyal Loyola students and alumni on game day.

Beautiful venue with friendly staff! Parking here is super easy and I enjoyed reading up on the…read moreexciting programs that the offer. Their educational programs are ideal for adults of all ages.

Although I'm not yet a senior, I find myself frequently taking advantage of many of Patty Turner…read moreSenior Center's amenities. I live in the neighboring condominium community, and Patty Turner frequently hosts our monthly board meetings. As well, many local city meetings will convene here when the Deerfield Library is overbooked. On occasion, several city and county sponsored day trips will board here. The Patty Turner building also houses the toilet and drinking fountain facilities for Brickyards Park during the spring and summer seasons, where many festivities are hosted (particularly the 4th of July). The Patty Turner Center features plenty of parking, including more than average handicapped parking spots right near the building. The inside of the building is spacious, with many places to sit and offering many amenities to area seniors. Their meeting rooms are also very spacious, offering lots of comfortable seating, and are lovingly decorated. The indoor facilities are all ADA-compliant handicap accessible, and well-maintained. Every area is well lit; most featuring room-wide windows and skylights for natural lighting in the daytime. It's quite apparent Deerfield cares very much for its seniors, based on how much care the Deerfield Park District puts into the Patty Turner Center. I think it's one of the top community features of the whole town.

Chicago land exhibit- while in Evanston, I was able to visit the Block Museum twice ! They had a…read morevery interesting exhibit focused on the American Indians and their art !! They had some amazing pieces. Some from natural sweetgrass, lots of paintings and lots of basket weaving techniques!! Great installation and totally free and sponsored by Northwestern university . Totally ten star experience!! Highly recommended !!

I've been a Northwestern alum for nearly 10 years, and I have never donated to the university (even…read morethough I work there, because hi, I'm still paying off student loans from my graduate degree). That said, I did decide to donate this year, mainly because I really wanted the cute Arch jigsaw puzzle, and I designated my donation gift to go to the Block Museum. This place is a hidden gem. I am OBSESSED with William Blake...like, I own his entire poetry collection and two coffee table art books (one of which is from the current Block exhibit -- Age of Aquarius -- that I had to buy after visiting). The current exhibit is freaking brilliant. It's so well done, amazingly curated and organized, and is really ingenious. I admittedly don't know much about art (I'm kicking myself now for never taking an art history class during my time at NU), but I've been to The Block several times over the years working there, and I'm ashamed I never went as an undergrad. Plus, hello, it's free. Always. Super happy to support them and cannot wait for their next exhibits. In the meantime, I have a hot date with Blake at least 2-3 times more before it closes, including some of the fun special events they have planned in collaboration with other parts of the university and members of the Chicago community.

I never really spent time here until a few weeks ago, even though we go hiking at Ryerson Woods…read morepretty regularly. It's a cute building with rotating exhibits and they also have scheduled and open crafting hours. My sister and I participated in a wreath making create and sip last night which was so fun and extremely reasonable at $20/per person when they supply the materials. Since their supplies are donated, it was really interesting to see all the different styles of wreaths that were made. We would definitely come back for another craft and sip.

I never knew this place existed until my neighbor told me about Ryerson Woods a few weeks ago and…read moresuggested I go because it was peak autumn. She told me there is a gallery, too. I made it up just in time before they closed for the day. It's a cute building and they have various collaborations. The first time I went their featured art was from the Highland Park Art Center. This past weekend I went back for their Soundscapes exhibit, which is a partnership with various non-profits and focused on art made by veterans and their families. I went to the opening reception, which was free, and included performances/spotlights on the participating partner organizations and some of the artists featured. It was a moving event (especially being Veteran's Day weekend) and a powerful exhibit. This is a great space and I loved learning more about how they support the local community and partner with other non-profits to bring art to the space and make art accessible. Highly recommend. Also, the surrounding area is stunning, so being able to see art and enjoy nature is a double dose of joy.

Katie the girl in change does a great job, we always feel welcomed and taken care of when we come…read moreto cafe win. The place is very clean and I love the free snacks while you play. Cafe Win is my go to gambling establishment.

Great staff, they are always polite and helpful. Quiet and relaxing cafe atmosphere…read more For me is probably the best place to play slots in Niles.

We came here for the very first Chicago Red Stars game. They will be here permanently (?) starting…read morenext season. We were told a shuttle bus would take us to the stadium from the Central Station Purple Line. Even after being picked up and dropped off, it was a 5-8 minute walk to the stadium. There was signage to show us where to go, otherwise we just followed people around us. The directions are to get off at Noyes and walk 20 minutes. I wonder if shuttles will be available during the regular season. Of course the residential/campus areas were swamped with cars so walking is probably better. We got through security no problem, no hassles, but they should have more gates and detectors if they are going to have games here! There were food trucks and booths with alcohol, merch tents, Porto Potties (heck no!) and tents selling food that was of course overpriced. It was a very nice day, cloudy with sun and dry; I can IMAGINE what it's like when it rains! NO indoor spaces to buy food, except a couple of huge tents? I was expecting a Soldier Field/Wrigley field structure where one can move to seats and stay inside but really stacked bleachers. The food trucks were ok but food was not super hot. The field had timers and score boards but not facing south, where we sat. We had to crane to see the score. There should be scoreboards on all sides. We found some indoor restrooms at half time thank goodness, and they were clean. Instead of going back to the seats we walked around and bought more concessions in the patio area. A medical company was giving away prizes, and we were able to see the scores on a big tv (Stars won!) plus there was a play area for kids. The lake view was very nice, I'm glad the Stars are pushing the lakefront attribute, but I can't say I would look forward to coming here regularly, esp as the weather becomes very hot or very cold, as there is no protection from the elements.

Honestly for a temporary stadium, you can't beat this venue! The location is beautiful - right on…read morethe water and you can see the Chicago skyline on a clear day. Everything ran smoothly (again keeping a temporary situation in mind) and they still ran a good concessions business. Excited for the new stadium but definitely worth coming to a game while they're still playing at Martin Stadium!