Frankfort just got dumped on - 20+ inches of snow in 22 hours. That's a lot of snow. This morning…read moretook a walk around town, all the streets were clean. Period. They were working on municipal parking lots. Plenty of driveways weren't done yet and these guys had done the whole town. That's a damn good night's work. Hats off, guys.

Been calling for days to pick up a dead goose . Still laying there 3 days later on Waterview trail…read more Now moved to empty lot by someone.

Just Go (#41) Not…read moresure why it took us this long to visit the Prairie State. Chicago is the largest city on Illinois and we spent 2 full days in the Windy City. While prepping for our trip I reached out to Thomas G who was influential in helping me plan for our Windy City whirlwind - he suggested the not-to-miss landmarks and attractions and where to go for Chicago eats. Everything was fast-paced and energetic since we wanted to cover as many places as we could. Taking the Big Bus Tour allowed us to get a picture of the city as we hopped off places like the Navy Pier, the Millenium Park, and the Chicago Riverwalk. We covered a lot of grounds on the Big Bus. Seeing a panoramic view of the Chicago skyline from the 360 Observation Deck was an incredible experience. We also experienced TILT from waaaay up there. We took two boat tours and I really enjoyed the architecture tour on the Chicago River. That tour was at 8:00p so we were also treated to a view of the beautiful sunset. Taking the boat tours allowed us to see the amazing structures from bottom up... truly magnificent, I've never seen so many skyscrapers in one area. We learned more of these buildings at the Chicago Architecture Center. Speaking of historic buildings, one of the permanent exhibits the CAC was a model of the Wrigley Field stadium and before leaving Chicago we did a quick self-guided tour of this icon of Chicago's sports history. The Cubs were actually playing that day against the Cardinals but we were able to check out Gallagher Way inside the stadium. We couldn't miss not seeing Chicago's famous landmarks such as the Cloud Gate (aka "The Bean"), Michigan Avenue Bridge (DuSable Bridge), the BP Pedestrian Bridge, and we had to search for the Historic Route 66 Begin sign since I am a Route 66 enthusiast. Lastly, can't leave without experiencing the Chicago eats! Giordano's deep dish pizzas? check!, Garrett Mix Popcorn? check!, Portillo's Chicago dog? check! Thank you, Thomas G! Such a fun and educational experience at the Great State of Illinois. Review #3854

Illinois State of gets Four Stars since I haven't been all over the state. My fun time in Illinois…read morewas when I visited my daughter at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. We found it very convenient to take the train to Chicago and spend the day. We went to our favorite restaurants UNO's being one. The museums and art galleries were great. It was easy to get around in the city. There's definitely a lot of historic sites to visit. I remember doing a little shopping for souvenirs. If you visit Illinois spending a few days in Chicago is a must. I'm recommending.

Sad this place is being closed due to financial problems. Hope animals are rehomed successfully.read more

Riegal Farm is a little known gem. Quaint location with a WIDE variety of animals for kids and…read moreadults to enjoy. We spent years without realizing this place was here for neighbors to visit and the community to rely upon. What a great group!

Library: a place you went to get information before the Internet existed…read more The Walker Branch, built in 1890, is the oldest structure owned by Chicago Public Library. I'm so glad a previous reviewer posted a photo of the exterior, thank you. This was the library I used when I was in high school. There are so many stately old homes & buildings in the Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhoods that, at the time, I didn't appreciate the historic significance of my library. To me, it was just one more building like all the others I was accustomed to seeing. One of my close friends lived in an 1800's Victorian in Morgan Park. To us, it was just a nice big house. Big enough so that a bunch of girls could hang out there, in an upstairs parlor, without Penny's parents bugging us.....because, looking back, I doubt they were even aware of our presence. I recall being in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Beverly. Being unfamiliar with the architect, I remember thinking how unusual the place appeared, with all the built-ins. Sounds like I shoulda spent more time at the library. But I actually did spend a lot of time at this library, doing research for school papers. Remember, there was no way to look up anything online. You had to find it in books. First you had to find the books. If somebody got to the library ahead of you & checked out the books you needed, you were S.O.L. (poop outta luck). Up the creek without a paddle. Scared you gonna flunk. I remember the library closed early in the evenings, like maybe 8pm. It was closed on Sundays & holidays. Problem. Because in order to get to the books you had to get to the library. Walker was the closest library to my house at the time but still kinda far to walk, impossible in frigid winters/snowstorms. I graduated high school when I was 16 so had no driver's license during most of my H.S. years. So I had to find a ride to get to the books. Or "borrow" my mother's car, which I did once when I was 15. I drove to the library in a '59 Impala convertible....with the top down. I remember wearing sunglasses to disguise my age. But I had the damn top down & even drove around the neighborhood a bit, like a hot-shot, hair blowing in the wind.....on my way to the library. I didn't get caught. I only did it once. I did know how to drive, btw. Most kids did know how before they were legal. And not many cars on the road back then, not anything like now. I didn't even see another car that day I drove to the library, a disappointment because I'd hoped a friend might notice me. So yeah, although I didn't appreciate architecture, I sure did appreciate a massive white convertible with big fins & a turquoise interior. Kudos to Mom. These days, I appreciate the Internet. I still love books and libraries but more for pleasure than for research. At Walker Library one time I had to do research for a paper on Marshal Ferdinand Foch. I was selected to read my paper to the class. Had the teacher not introduced me with the pronunciation of "Foch" as fosh with a long O (although I've since heard it pronounced fawsh)......well, that woulda been embarrassing cuz I thought it was fahk. If I'd gotten caught in that convertible I woulda been foched, per my incorrect pronunciation. Walker Branch Library, creator of stories & source of good times, I'm glad your historic, 128-year-old walls can't talk.

I'm on a quest to visit every branch of the Chicago Public Library…read more The Walker branch of the library is such a unique building! Inside, there is a nice little reading room referred to as the "ethnic room." I think I would spend a lot of time in that room if I lived near this branch. This branch has separate floors for children and adults which is really nice. It seems like they have a pretty nice assortment of materials for teens and for adults in general. But what I really like is the building; the setup of this library is just so unique and so different from most libraries. From what I understand, Walker donated the building to the library system. The front door is wooden! A nice, quiet space where it seems one could get a lot of work done.

The Village Hall located in Downtown Park Forest does a great job doing resident appreciation…read moreevents. The Art Fair and other events which put Park Forest on the map decades ago are still wonderful events that attract visitors from all over. The shops do the best they can with limited traffic but have a few gems like the Tall Grass Arts, resale shops, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra offices. The best value around is Johnny's Restaurant- try it out!

Attended the House Music fest in the park of downtown Park Forest. Great time, found a park on the…read morestreet close by, great vendors, great people and music. A must attend annual event, loved every minute!

I'm on a quest to visit every branch of the Chicago Public Library system…read more This branch is pretty basic. There is a lot of natural light, which is really nice, and a lot of workspace. They have an extensive "Irish Collection." This shouldn't come as any surprise, but I did find it funny that it would be larger than the Chicago collection. The librarians seem okay, though not super friendly. The bathroom is kind of gross. Overall, an okay library.

Good library. Well organized. Clean. AC works very well too. It seems like they have a huge…read moreselection for the kids. They also have tickets for museums and other chicago venues.

Great place with informative stories and helpful people! I recommend going here if you live in the…read morearea and want to know more about the history.

Great place with great guys, they really know their stuff! The recruiters here will give you the…read moreinfo you need for both active duty Army and Army Reserves. Come prepared with questions and think of where you want to be in the future.