Safe neighborhood, the grounds have always been kept up, the pool is maintained regularly, and the…read moreclubhouse is a very generous size.

I came my the recreational center because a dear friend of mine coaches for the 7/8 grade…read morebasketball team. My daughter used to play for the park district so we stopped by to be supportive and to watch some basketball of course! It was the first game of their season-The Lakers And they smashed the competition!! It was exciting. I always enjoy watching children play ball. As they develop their skill set and learn to play/socialize/work together with their peers. The facility itself is very nice. It's new, and it can be rented out for meetings, parties and other. They have a few rooms along side of the gym. And it's a really nice place the village has put together for the community!

This tiny south suburb is lacking in activities, businesses, public transportation, and jobs. I did…read moremove away to better opportunities, up north. They recently opened up a new Walmart, however, the Walgreens in the area has closed reducing jobs and places to comparison-shop. Most of those vanishing opportunities went to Tinley Park and Orland Park, and the village moves really slow to replace "exiting" businesses. And there are quite a few houses for sale as residents are leaving the area because it is "changing".

Bachelor's Grove Woods is not to be confused with Bachelor's Grove Cemetery which, besides being a…read moreformer cemetery, is east of this location and on the south side of the street. Bachelor's Grove Woods used to be a thing, but currently there are no services here. There are no trails and the only thing one can really do is throw out a blanket and have a picnic in the shady grassy area. Loads of parking but no trails or picnic tables or cookout stands...so you have to bring everything that you need. This particular woods is a part of the greater Forest Preserve District of Cook County and can be located on their map (http://fpdcc.com/downloads/maps/FPCC-CountyMap-2014-web.pdf) as #238.

Bachelors Grove is a pretty historical and adventurous place to go too but for me as a person who's…read morebeen here multiple times, I think it's mostly hype. Don't try coming here after night or during non summer hours because Forest Preserve police are always watching. The graves and tombstones are definitely cool and I wish they would do something to help restore this place but you get to follow a long trail which kind of goes nowhere and then you're stuck in the woods.That's Bachelors Grove in a nutshell

If you are looking up neighborhoods in Chicago for moving or staying during your visit , I'm happy…read moreto tell you to come here! Living : proximity to 3 good public schools and several private schools. 53rd street and 55th street are the more commercial streets , with some businesses along Lake Park. Trick or treating is decent. Visiting: the Sofy and Hyatt place are both comfortable. If you want proximity to U of C and want an air bb, stay closer to 57th street (Woodlawn university , Ellis , Drexel , cottage grove as your cross streets). If you are staying just to not stay downtown but close access to downtown stay between 55-56-57 street station - 47 street on Metra or stay near the 6 bus route. Attractions MSI Lakefront trail Promontory Point Obama's house Obama presidential center and library U of C and its museums Barak and Michelle's first kiss monument 57th Street beach Coffee: my favorites Philz (53 and black stone) Sip n Savor (53/South Hyde Park) Fairground (by u of C) There's a Starbucks in target and a standalone , both on 53rd Food: My favorites Dawn 5 Rabinitos Nella Medici on 57 Cafe 53 Etoo Nandos Peri Peri chicken Jets pizza Valois Pizza capri Cedars Palestine kitchen Small cheval Giordanos Ivd heard good things about Virtue. Hair 57 street salon Cleopatra Transit to downtown Metra 6 bus 2 bus (morning pm rush) 15/55 bus to the Greek line / red line Nice tree lined streets Puppies everywhere Nice green spaces Enjoy

Hyde Park, one of the community areas within the city of Chicago, is one of the more well-known…read moreareas on the south side of Chicago. It's one of the more upper class neighborhoods on the south side. It originated as a Hyde Park Township in the mid-19th century, and was annexed by the City of Chicago. It is one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods, and has been home to many prominent Black residents and celebrities. Perhaps what first brought it to my attention was learning about Leopold and Loeb when I was a teenager growing up in Oregon; not really the best association to have with the Hyde Park-Kenwood area, but there's a lot more to this community than tragic history. Hyde Park is home to a high concentration of higher education institutions, the most prominent being the University of Chicago. In addition are McCormick Theological Seminary, Catholic Theological Union, and the Lutheran School of Theology. It was also the location of the World's Fair 1893, the Columbian Exposition. The Museum of Science and Industry, what was built as the Palace of Fine Arts for the fair, is one of the remaining remnants of that magnificent celebration. I like Hyde Park, and lived there for a few months. It's really densely populated, and has some interesting places to visit and good restaurants. People say the north side is hard to park, but when I was living in Hyde Park it was a constant struggle! There are several parks around here and large ones at that. CTA buses serve Hyde Park, obviously, and there's a Metra route that goes through as well.

I decided to do something rather unique for Veteran's Day this year by taking a quick trip up to…read moreLake County to check out one of Jiffy Lube's most recently completed murals, "Flowers in My Head," a mural that sits on a Jiffy Lube located between the Adam Benjamin VA Clinic and the Gary Area VetCenter in Crown Point, Indiana. The large mural was created by local artist and disabled veteran Ismael Muhammed Nieves, who works under the name ISH. ISH has been a muralist and graffiti writer for over 30 years and is known locally for his work with Eskenazi Hospital, the SubSurface Graffiti Exhibition, and as a founding member of Indiana's first and oldest Latino Artist Collective - Crazy Indiana Style Artists (CISA). He was also an active artist and member for another Jiffy Lube Mural - Three Kings. ISH has dealt with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for 20+ years. He finally decided to get help when he began to realize how disconnected he was with his family. In fact, ISH is a frequent visitor to the VA clinic across the street. According to ISH's description of the mural, "The mural follows a timeline of the internal emotions, actions, and results a soldier with PTSD may travel. Visually, the mural is divided into two parts starting from the top left corner going left-to-right and the bottom half traveling from right-to-left." ISH chose to portray cartoon characters to lighten the viewing experience and flower symbolism to zone out different areas and allow veterans to focus on talking points. "With full artistic license from Jiffy Lube, I was provided a platform to cover PTSD," said ISH. "I had to find a creative way to approach the subject so it would not trigger a stressful or anxious moment." The mural begins with children running through a flower field. They can barely see above the nose-high flowers and slap each other with the flowers they've pulled from the field. The characters high-five each other when they get out of the field. There is a celebration but it's not necessarily tied to national victory but simply getting out alive. In the next section, they are taking off turtle shell helmets and placing them in a pile, a representation of transitioning from a reptilian mind to a civilian. The next scene in the mural represents seeing yourself in the mirror, with your hair undone and flowers in your hair and feeling unsettled. The rake on the character's boots represents the work ahead. It's a matter of clearing the field and dropping new seeds and germinating healthier thoughts. The seeds being dropped from the air represents the awakening that comes from asking/answering the questions. The pink cloud being combed and watering the ground below represents going through the thoughts that will germinate new perspectives. On the bottom half of the mural (from right to left), the first scene shows scissors cutting hair with flowers. It represents that sometimes the only way to move on is to cut it off. The two girls combing through each other's hair represents the therapy process. The therapist (left) is trained to assist and always learn and develop her practice with each new patient. The soldier (right) has her hair covering her face. It represents shame and/or unawareness. It may be hard for soldiers to seek or know they require therapy. Their hair has the colors of the flag to represent one American helping another. The next scene shows the yellow hand throwing the flowers from their hair into a compost. This represents the energy and value in the memories and lessons learned. Tossing the flowers into the compost provides food for the garden you keep. Moving through the process, the young lady is then admiring herself because she has gone through the process and is happy with her appearance. Her hair is neat and organized and decorated with a red bow. The red bow represents the red poppies above her. It shows she has found a way to accentuate and decorate herself. Lastly, standing behind her is a soldier with a shovelful of freshly made compost. It represents that the work never stops. While Jiffy Lube has commissioned many outstanding murals, this mural may very well be my favorite. It's comprehensive yet created with tremendous clarity. It's quite beautiful and incredibly meaningful. As someone who also lives with PTSD, I'm in awe of just how wonderfully ISH has brought the experience to life in an artistic and meaningful way. Is it worth a 2-hour drive to see it? Actually, yes it is. It's also a remarkable and worthy tribute to America's veterans and I'm glad I could check it out on Veteran's Day 2021.

"We have better beer than you" I agree! Ok, I was very hesitant to add this little gem to yelp…read more However, I've realized that only diehards will even give this a second look. I've been a member of CBS for almost 2 years now. It's a great organization made of people who enjoy good beer. You don't have to be a home brewer to join or to enjoy this organization. CBS hosts a few beer tasting events throughout the year. You don't have to be a member to attend, but it'll probably help you get a ticket. All of the events are located in the city, don't let the mailing address throw you for a loop. My husband and I actually attended the Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, WI yesterday. We purchased our tickets through CBS and we took their chartered bus up there and back. It's a fun organization, I only wish there were some more female members for me to pal around with. Yes, the majority of members are men. I'd say most members are also between the ages of 25-70 and come from all walks of life. Check out their website for upcoming events.

I LOVE BEER!!!! I…read morehave been a member of the Chicago beer society for only a short time but I can't wait to attend the awesome functions they host all in the name of letting people know that they have options! Anybody who loves a IPA or a weissebier or a Belgian blonde (in any sense of the word) must find a way to join and learn how to speak the language of the beer community. What I love most is that the local brewers and brewpubs are the guys who attend the events. Rock Bottom, Goose Island, Half Acre and Metropolitan attend to let you know that great beer is just down the street from you!

Located near the library, the Nuclear Energy sculpture by Henry Moore in a designated Chicago…read moreLandmark. Interesting to read about the research that was done on the University of Chicago campus.

Underpasses are scary. Just watch a thriller (or even…read morebetter, read one) and you'll know what I mean... They are gray, gloomy, stinky and in Chicago - flooded every other day. (overstatement?!?! for sure) Well ladies and gentlemen, not in Hyde Park. The infamous South Side loves its underpasses and it shows!!! They are oh-so-pretty, artistic, mood-lifting (but still not flood-proof to my knowledge....working on it....) and grace the community from 57th to 47th street. My absolute favorite is on 47th, between Lake Park Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. Dedicated last September the mural in a style called "bricolage" mosaic, using broken tile, mirrored tile, colored grout, and tiles with photo transfers. The lead designers were Carolyn Elaine (a Bronzeville resident) and John Pitman Weber. The themes were chosen at community meetings, and photographs were donated by community members. The photos pay tribute to both better-known and unknown 47th Street inhabitants (and esteemed guests, in the case of Ella Fitzgerald) and are in my opinion a very neat touch to the project. But the most striking feature are the hundreds little pieces of mirror who gleam and shine and give the pass a cinematic and happy look every time you drive (walk?!?!?) by. Gorgeous. And another thing to admire in the South Side.

I would like to thank Carolyn and John for giving me the opportunity to be apart of the 47th St…read moreMural. I live just around the corner from the mural and asked if it was Ok if I can help in any way and they both gave me a chance to learn how to work with a different medium. Therefore I am honored to have learned this method of making art. D. Matthews