Great cheap music festival with good beer, and good food trucks…read more -$45/two days -AV Club sponsored "Valet" bike parking aplenty -North Ave. bus takes you right there -Lagunitas had three excellent beers in 2012, including Block Party Pale Ale -Wine available, and Tall Boys can be had inside the Hideout -Food truck awesomeness- from perfect burgers at Wagyu Wagon, to Glazed and Infused donuts, to tamales, Cornish pasties, and more- I actually couldn't wait to eat! One music stage means you might have to wait one set for your next fave band, but with music like Glen Hansard, Iron and Wine, Wye Oak, Wild Belle, and Wilco, there was barely any room for improvement in 2012. I changed my address, so now I'm registered to Vote for Nov. 2012, and other "causes" had informational booths. Plenty of port-a-potties, and lots of room to move around. Kid friendly, but not too kid-focused.

2017 Hideout Block Party was legendary! I mean I ate a hot dog made by Steve Albini and Fred…read moreArmisen was there!! no joke, that was real life. Tickets are beyond reasonably priced for the amount of music you get to witness, and the line up was mind blowing. Plenty of food stands, beer and parking.

I have spent a good deal of time on the West Side, particularly in this…read morewest-of-the-west-loop-south-of-ukie-village-what-is-this-neighborhood? neighborhood. I like it. There are good eats (Uncle Mike's), cool spots (Salvage One) and new finds (this). Like others, I 'discovered' this locale during the Chicago Food Film Fest. I was impressed. My favorite aspect about the space is all the nooks and crannies to discover. As folks have undoubtedly realized, I am a big fan of event spaces that require the guest to engage the space and find out what it's all about. An art storage gallery that doubles as a film fest locale, certainly fits that bill. Not for nothing, it could also easily double as the locale for a horror film. It has that desolate, sorta spooky, why-are-you-in-that-building-at-night? feel that is common before someone gets hacked up. So, yeah. Great event space. I'm serious. It doesn't have the bells and whistles of some similar spots, but it shouldn't. It's storage. It's a completely blank canvas that takes on the life and look of its host... I realize that I just sort of described a parasite. This review is not going well, is it? Hmm. Okay. Got it. High ceilings, hidden treasure art, batcave appeal (score, Michael W!!), exposed beams, lots of brick, rooms with echos, cool views outside of the windows, great location, and insider appeal -- these are all pluses of the MCA Warehouse. Better, right?

I wasn't sure what to expect from the MCA Warehouse....my first impression was about the easy…read moreparking (yay!)! One note, though, I'm guessing cabs are not plentiful at night here based upon the 6 people negotiating one of them when I was there. If you were going to have an event, you may have to have some cabs set up. I've been to a few warehouse events at other spots, and I have to say that the MCA Warehouse is one of the coolest. I loved the exposed brick and interesting internal architecture. I realize that 'warehouse architecture' isn't necessarily a type of architecture, but some of these old buildings are just fantastic! The space is good for a party, very open and with interesting lighting. I like the space, and the different rooms, so this spot can definitely hold varied group sizes. The one thing I didn't like was the bathroom...it felt like I was at a Cubs game! For a fancier event, that would have annoyed me more, but it was workable for the one I was attending. A good spot, unique and interesting.

Went here thisbyearbfornthe taste of Polonia…read more A shout out to the people running the event. Great music Great good Great people What a great time ! And a shout out to the great security team ! Keep up the great work

Went to the Maui experience last night at the center. Unbelievable event space. Parking there is a…read morebreeze, and the employees and security are amazing and the space is beautiful. Saw some amazing acts there last night raising money for people affected by the Lahaina fires in Hawaii.

Well now I can say I've been to Taste of Park Ridge, so I'm glad about that. There were at least a…read moredozen food booths, which I don't think is bad for a small town like this. Even Joseph's Finest Meats was there with some sausages, Italian beef, and some yummy ribbon fries. We wandered around for about an hour and a half because it was really hot. It's nice that they have some tables with umbrellas, but I wonder if like one of those little water misting things would be nice... because it was so incredibly hot this year. In addition to the food booths, there's entertainment throughout the day at the stage. We were here during one of the more kid-oriented performances and my babe had fun bopping around. However, I don't think it's a festival I'll be returning to very frequently. There's nothing wrong with it; it's just expensive. This year (2026) tickets are $10 for 8 tickets, and a bit more if you used a card--I think it was $21.75, as you had to buy a minimum of $20 worth of tickets (the extra was the card fee). A single scoop of ice cream cost 7 tickets, but it was my kiddo's birthday so of course she was going to get ice cream... but we're talking something like $9 for a scoop of ice cream. That feels excessive. The location is fantastic, though. Part of the reason we stopped by is because we came from the library directly across the street. The Metra station is right here; you couldn't be closer to the train unless you were in the station, so that's a great option for transportation. Parking is available, but if you want to drink or have an easy time with parking, it's best to use the train.

A very large and rude police officer forced me and a large group of people to miss the 10:57 train…read moreon 07/11 at park ridge Metra. I tried to cross to the train and he shouted at me and asked for my id when I did not hear him. Me and a lot of others had fo spend 50+ dollars on Uber's instead of the train thanks to him. It was great until then. He was really rude but all vendors are nice.

The taste of Polonia is always a very festive affair. The food is good and the entertainment is as…read morewell. However the gate fee has now risen to $15 save for Friday night when it is $10. There is no senior discount at all. In these strained economic times where the wallet doesn't stretch too far.. this is a very steep entry fee.

The last time we attended this neighborhood festival was eons ago, when it was smaller and…read morerelatively inexpensive. This year, having received free admission tickets from a friend (valid only for Friday evening), we decided to revisit. This event provides little or no accommodation for the elderly and handicapped. We wouldn't have gone at all except that a friend offered us free tickets. General admission is $15 across the board ($45 for a 4-day pass), with no Senior discount. The shuttle between the remote parking lot and the event has a very high first step and my Missus had a hard time with boarding and alighting. And, once we got our food, we found absolutely nowhere to sit. Only standup tables are provided. We anticipated enjoying some traditional Polish music; polkas or whatever. Ha! All we heard was over-amplified hard rock. One band was banging out music of the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger is about as Polish as Yoko Ono). The entertainment stages are close enough together that the bands were drowning each other out, making conversation difficult. We explored a row of vendors' booths: Mostly mobile phone, financial and travel services, cheesy jewelry and accessories, and T-shirts. Blah. My shopaholic Missus found nothing to buy. Well, that leaves food and drink. If you leave a Polish festival hungry or thirsty, there's no one to blame but yourself. We were starving, and boy, did we stoke up. My Missus devoured a Polish combination plate heaped with stuffed cabbage, potato pancake, Polish sausage, 3 pierogi, and sauerkraut. I tackled a fat, garlicky Polish sausage that must've measured at least a foot long, after which I managed to bolt down a humongous freshly fried potato pancake. We had no room left for paczkis. All told, we spent $54 on food and drink, which is around what we spend on a typical restaurant meal. In truth, we've had better Polish food at restaurants, but we were satisfied. Afterwards we really needed to sit down and cool off, so we waddled into Copernicus Center. The auditorium, formerly the Gateway Theater (opened in 1930), retains its movie palace splendor. Seeing this was a treat! The free admission tickets, the theater, the food, and the camaraderie - strangers chatting with each other - are what made our visit to Taste of Polonia worthwhile.

The recent buildout here is impressive, adding a large lobby & bar, a patio behind it, and modern,…read morefully accessible bathrooms. The main music room remains unchanged with its stage and its bar. They do have Woodford Reserve, a nice touch for my fancy Noble Bourbon Boozers. With the new setup, you can start one tab and its accessible from both bars, and from waitstaff, if the show is seated and they are present. Its a small room, great to see a show. Its also very ADA friendly, with a reserved space right up front for GA shows, and designated seats during seated space shows. Email the box office a couple days in advance with any questions.

My favorite concert venue on the North Shore of Chicago. It seats around 150 and most shows have an…read moreoption of table or general admission. The sound quality is fantastic and the staff is very friendly. It also gives off an intimate concert vibe because you feel like the artists are right there (they actually are!).

We had a great time at the 7th Annual Chicago VeganMania which was held on Oct 10, 2015. The food…read morecourt had wonderful selections; dishes were priced at $5 - $10. I tried a vegan tamale from Chicago Diner for $5, and some Korean pancakes from Bryn Mawr Fresh Market, also $5. There were various vendor booths, some were selling various vegan products (food, clothing, etc), some offered free samples, and some provided information on issues such as animal welfare and GMO labeling efforts. They also had chef demos upstairs, I only got to see a few minutes of a demo since I arrived late. They also had a speaker series - the room was small and there were no seats when I arrived. Next year I plan on arriving earlier day and I will make sure to arrive early to the speaker events to get a seat. Parking was available on Broadway for $2.00 per hour (max 2 hours), or on side streets $2.00 per hour (max 3 hours). And if you could find parking on residential streets, I believe it was free to park. It was so packed that it took us 15 minutes to find a parking lot, which was an 8 minute walk to VeganMania.

For one day a year, Chicago-area vegans crowd the Broadway Armory to enjoy vegan food, vegan…read moredrinks, vegan goods, vendors, and interesting panel discussions. I've been attending since 2014, and this event just gets better every year. My only complaint, if it can be classified as a complaint, is that this event is only one day. I wish it was the entire weekend. There's a line to enter early on. The doors open at 10am. I arrived at 10:30, and there was still a short line waiting to get in. Once you go into the main hall, you're overwhelmed by the aromas of food from the vendors lined up along the north wall and part of the east. Food vendors in 2017 included, but were not limited to, The Chicago Diner, Soul Vegetarian, Kal'ish, Arya Bhavan, Alice & Friends, Ras Daschen, Pie Pie My Darling, and more. You had to buy tokens, which costg $1.00 each, to use for food and drink purchases. The food vendors ring an area of long tables set up for dining. I had a vegan noodle dish and vegan chick'n satay from Alice & Friends, and that was 100% delicious. I wish I could show this variety of food to all the people who think vegans only eat salad. Booth vendors off the dining area also offered a variety of goods for sale, or information about organizations such as Mercy For Animals and animal sanctuaries. You could buy dairy-free cheeses, vegan chocolate, cruelty-free clothes and accessories, and T-shirts. A conference room away from the main exhibit hall hosted panel discussions. I attended three: "Caregiving as Activisim: Sanctuary & Animal Care;" "Intersectionality: What it is, what it isn't, and why it's important for creating social change;" and "Vegan Health Q&A with Milton Mills, M.D." All were interesting. All were crowded. All taught me something. Vegan Mania also offers chef demonstrations, but I did not attend any of those. I stayed for almost 5 hours. It was entertaining, fulfilling, interesting, and exhausting, and an excellent way to spend a Saturday. A solid nap was in order afterwards.

Provocative and intense... Chicago artists at their best... A community event That stitches…read moretogether the soul of the city!