Early Morning, April 4 (or actually July) Gay guys sing out…read morein the Chicagoland Sky Equal at last, it took all our lives But they could not take our Pride! In the name of love Parade in the name of love Being in Chicago for the Pride Parade was a real experience. It messes with traffic and messes with homophobic people of which there are plenty - especially in the rich suburbs of Chicagoland but I'll tell you what. This is one of the best Pride festivals and parades that you'll ever see. Some of the cops were making questionable statements about some of the people marching, which wasn't much fun to listen to. The whole area of town where they March is a very LGBTQ-friendly area to begin with and one of the coolest parts of town. It's a place where I hang out a lot anyway when I'm in Chicago. The third great city of the US makes a real effort and the buildings downtown are adorned with the rainbow flags and even though the already awful traffic of the weekend is made more awful, it's well worth coming in and checking it out for yourself. We loved every second. I didn't like that all the gay clubs around here closed really early or were not even open on the night of the parade and as I said, some of the cops that were hanging around after the parade was over were making unfortunate remarks and being a little bit stereotypical. BOSE is pretty stereo typical too. But in a good way.

June is nothing without Pride! I love celebrating and enjoying the marvelous performers. I have…read moreheard always wanted to explore Chicago's Pride festivities. I am glad I had the opportunity to check out the festival the week before the parade and concert. I enjoyed seeing all the people celebrating with joy and supporting local LGBTQA+ artists. There were great performers in 3 different stages at each side of the street. The festival was free with a $15 donation option. One can enter and exit as pleased as long as they kepy the sticker we receive upon entering. This was a family friendly event, so it was great to see families and little ones enjoying the festivities. The only draw backs were that the festival was a bit overcrowded and wished there were room to walk around and chances to sit and relax. We couldn't find many places and at times saw individuals with physical disabilities struggle getting around the crowd. Overall, It was a fun event to explore. I look forward to next year's festivities and catching the parade!

It's a cute thing for kid and adults alike. The bands were fantastic always love music. The…read morelights are fun to see turned on. It's really a nice time for all and this year was not bad weather

Well worth the hour's wait in the chill. We weren't going to pop on down unless it had stopped…read moreraining, which it did! The crowd was just gathering at Chicago and Michigan Aves. so that "one hour early" was enough to ensure a front row look. Next year, would actually recommend standing at the north side of any intersection since the police and photogs tend to stand at the south side and they may obscure the view. It's pretty unique to see a dark Michigan Avenue at dusk. No lights are on along the Mile....they're awaiting the beginning of the parade which kicks off with Mickey and Minnie lighting up each section as they go. It's a high pitched "ahhhhhh!" from every section of crowd as the lead float progresses and the magic wand is waved over the lights! Other than the "Revenge of the Nutcracker!" (they couldn't get him upright due to the wind - which was gusty) every participant seemed to be proceeding along as planned. The giant Shedd octopus blew bubbles overhead as the Garrett Popcorn flies! Honestly, we left our spot to watch the procession as people screamed and ran after the Garrett's truck. And, Garretts really was tossing out some high quality Chicago mix bags. Worth the chase! Just like at Wrigley, I saw a guy holding an infant stretch out and grab a mid-air bag while never waking the kid! (It was funny to have a "Cubs" visual since that's the last parade I've been to!) It was fantastic to meet the parents of two kids in a marching band from downstate and also to visit with a traveler from Alberta, Canada. The Mag Mile was packed with holiday spirit and I'd recommend this parade if you want a fun way to kick off the holidays. End note: Sponsored by among others, BMO/Harris and Southwest Airlines (the official airlines of the Mag Mile in fact!) Loved the Harris Lion balloon and yes, SWA was tossing peanuts into the crowd. We also nabbed the new Frango mints. The website had great details about parade route, start time etc for your next year reference. PS! Pierrot Gourmet had a festive sidewalk scene for a couple hours post-parade...check it out next year!

Ryan Field is a below average stadium in just about every way. Glad Northwestern is planning to…read morebuild a new one! The stadium is older than your average stadium and it has not been well maintained. They have a very odd setup for concessions. It feels like your at monster truck show : ) Everything is cashless. Food is nothing to write home about. You will typically find as many visiting team fans as Nwstrn fans. Band is not up to Big Ten standards. One thing I can say is that it's pretty easy to park in downtown Evanston and catch a free bus to the game. Highly recommended. If you've never been to a game at Ryan Field, expect it to be windy. RF is located very near to Lake Michigan and you can get a lot of lake effect wind. And if you're planning to be in downtown Evanston, don't forget to stop and get a burger at Bat 17 (great pregame meal!)

This might be the last season for Ryan Field, as it's slated to be demolished and replaced…read more It's an iconic stadium, but it was built in 1926 and it's in pretty poor condition. I'll remember the hundreds of Wildcats games I enjoyed here fondly, but won't miss the stadium one bit.

This is a great parade when the weather is just right. Not too hot or rainy or cold. I see the kids…read moremarching and dancing and I feel for them. THere is someone walking around with water thank goodness. I had hoped to get a glimpse of Mayor Lightfoot but apparently I missed her with the public schools. But Comedian Lil Rel as the Grand Marshall was still awesome! There were some giveaways for the kids and of course political and corporate show-offs. But the main attraction are schools, bands, other community organizations. The CTA reroute was in effect, which meant walking from Cottage Grove to King Drive on 47th. No buses that I could see would take us there on 47th. We should have invested in chairs but the grassy area was fine. People engage in enterprise at the parade by having cookouts; LOTS of cookouts and food for sale. We had grabbed doughnuts and I don't usually crave a hamburger at 10:30 am but next time i'll be more adventurous.

WOW what a cool parade! Show up at least 15-20 minutes prior if you want a good spot at the front…read more But we changed locations and we're able to get right up along the street so it's possible. There were TWO hundred floats! We left after 90 minutes after I asked the officer what float we were on....47. It was a great experience. Plenty of local school bands, dance and tumbling groups, politicians, radio stations, CPS, local and national companies, not for profits, etc most giving away little freebies. Best part was that Chance the Rapper was the Grand Marshal this year! Celebration at the park afterwards

Everything leading up to the race was well organized and I received my packet with my hoodie in the…read moremail pre-race. This was great and I had no issues with this as I wasn't able to make it to one of the packet pickup locations. With the packet in the mail I received my hoodie, bib, and chip tracker. Seeing the shoe tracker had to be attached I knew that this race was probably not going to be as strongly funded as many other races I have participated in. That is not a problem for me and I was still open minded to participating in a good race. Race day was like any other day in Chicago spring time. Temperatures were around freezing but there was at least sun and no rain or snow. The rough winter did not help the setting of the course which is mainly run on trail paths through Jackson Park and up and down LSD. Because of the inclement weather we have had all winter long the paths were covered in ice and frozen snow patches. Walking up to the race we hoped that the course wouldn't pass through these areas but we soon realized that crossing these hazards was going to be necessary. Still, I had a positive outlook on the race and prepared myself for the half marathon. Gear check was pretty simple and they also had stations for gear return/pick-up. They required you to place your belongings in a clear bag for security reasons and the staff placed them in a designated area for pick up after the race. This was a smaller race with about a thousand or so participating in the half marathon, triple 7 or 21K as they called it. The rest of the field was there for the 7K race, about 3 thousand or so. The race hosts that were informing runners of race details were helpful at times and dry the rest. They tried to be funny and entertain but often times they just missed the point. Ok, no problem, weather is semi-cooperating, I've dropped off my belongings and now I am in line for the race to start. A simple 3-2-1-go would have sufficed but the host failed to send us off and I could only imagine the kind of false start the elites were forced into. The start was more like 3-uh-2-uh-1....go go. I don't know how you mess that up but they did. The course is mainly on the lake shore path so road closures were not required and volunteers simply guide you along the two way path. The path is obviously still open to the public so you may have to dodge some runners, walkers, bikers etc. The race starts off fast running under LSD and up north down the path. You are almost immediately introduced to a water station that was less than a mile into the race. Looking back on this I am now understanding that this race is more focused for first time racers or beginners. As you get to the outer end of the course for the half marathon runners the water stations become sparse. The course is also deceiving in that you turn closer to the 4-5 mile mark giving you the impression that you have half way to go but in reality you have a much further distance to travel. Now, this was the worst part of the course. Mile markers 1,2, and 3 were correct and placed properly but when you got to either mile marker 4 or 5 they completely skipped a mile. So I come up to mile 6 according to the course but it really should have been 5. If there is anything that you get right on a race you have to get the mile markers rights. It doesn't help that the only clock that they offer is at the start/finish line. Anywhere else you were left to your own devices or the "mile markers" on the course which were completely off. The last 3-4 miles of the race is a mess. At this point the 7K runners have gone off and are on their way to completing their race. You come back after runnning 9 or so miles to have to dodge the slower runners and follow directions from course volunteers as to which way to run, the paths were different for 7k and 21k with overlapping areas. What a mess! I found myself throwing my hands up in complete confusion asking the race volunteers for some guidance as to where I should go. From mile 9-10 you pass the turn to the finish line to run a few miles south of Jackson Park. After coming back you pass under LSD and again run pass the finish/start line to run through the now wet and muddy paths in Jackson Park. This might be the worst way to finish a half marathon. I have just completed 12+ miles of running, now I must dodge slow 7k runners both going in my direction and coming directly at me. Not only this but the faster 7k runners have finished and are now walking on the same paths as the race. You have got to be kidding me. There are just people everywhere and it is pretty much up to you to figure out the right direction to go. If a volunteer didn't recognize what race you were in you could easily run right to the finish line having only completed 12.1 miles as opposed to the complete race. I wish I could go on but my characters are limited...

Enjoyed Get Lucky! They have 3 races going on; all on one course: 7k, 14k, and a 21k! Very well…read moreorganized from what I've seen, and very great volunteers along the course. This race took place starting, and ending at Soldier Field, along the Lakefront trail. Prior to the run we received a hoodie, neck gaiter, and a finishers medal after the run. I enjoyed this run, and most definitely be returning next year.

What started as an informal arrangement of folks from the neighborhood giving away unwanted items…read moreto keep items out of the landfill unnecessarily has evolved into a much larger, more formal event. The last couple years there have been over 200 homes in the Ravenswood area that have participated. Some may only have a box with a few things to give away, whilst others may have a virtual yard sale happening. There's so many homes involved, stretching over so many blocks, that I'm not sure anyone could actually get to them all. The Church of the Nazarene at 1900 W Leland is a spot where people can drop off their items if they want to just totally be rid of them and donate them after the event is over. It also offers bathrooms for weary event wanderers. The other homes along the route may put things out anytime during the opening hours, and may put out new things throughout the day. When I lived here I gave away some games, bar stools, etc. During the 2026 free cycle, I picked up some puzzles and even a dollhouse for my daughter. My daughter and I even picked up a couple of tomato plants that someone was giving away along the route. I saw another party who scored a set of six dining chairs that were in good condition but just needed to be repainted. Bargain hunters will definitely find a wander around worthwhile. You'll see folks with shopping bags to put their goodies and you'll see people traipsing down the street with suitcases. Getting here early isn't a bad idea, but you won't miss out if you come later.

Evanston holds a lot of events throughout the year and with so many of them happening in the…read moresummer, there are many options to choose from. I've gone to a number of them over the years and find Custer Fair to be a top summer destination in the city. During our walk down Main street, Chicago, Washington, and Custer Avenues (this fair covers 4 streets) a few notable things I saw were vendors selling air plants hung from glass containers, vintage Chicago posters, handcrafted jewelry, a caricature artist, cool hand crafted toys for kids and, if you wanted to relax from all the walking, there was a booth that charged for chair massage. The food stalls had a good mix which included typical carnival fair like funnel cakes and corndogs. They also had a Taqueria stall, local craft beer, Pina colada stand, Texas bbq, Gyros, and Soba noodles. With all the savory food and tempting refreshments abound, the real hero on a hot 90 degree day was the lemonade stand. Every refreshing cup of lemonade had a whole half lemon in it. I was able to double my servings of lemonade by squeezing the half lemon and adding water and sugar when I got home afterwards. Bonus! Consider yourself lucky if you've scored a parking spot around the neighborhood. You will need to arrive an hour prior to opening to find a space. Your best bet is to take public transport by taking the Purple line train and get off on the Main Street station. It takes you right there. Pro Tip: Most stalls are cash only establishments with a few taking credit/debit cards. If you forget to bring cash, there is a Chase bank less than a block and a half across from the Main street purple line stop south on Chicago Avenue.

I had the honor to work at one of the food vendors this year. In fact, it was my first time…read moreexploring the "Custer Fair" in Evanston. I was quite impressed by the number and the variety of merchants that participated. I guess the time has changed and we are becoming a cashless society. Many vendors were able to accept credit cards (with a surcharge fee). Nevertheless, the trusty green bucks still would still get you all-inclusive access! There was at least one (1) PNC bank ATM outside the CTA Main Purple Line station for visitors' convenience. The sound quality for the music lineups was decent. Fortunately, our area wasn't bombarded with an excessive volume while the concerts were in session. The tent we set up was near the center stage, and thankfully, we didn't have to "shout" to the customers to ask for their orders. As always, most ladies can have a difficult time getting used to the porta potties. Here's my recommendation: be patient and reserve some energy by going to the nearest grocery/Liquor stores, such as WholeFoods, Target, Trader Joe's, and Binny's to use their facilities. They are not located feet away from the festival, but within walkable distances.

The Winter Fest is an excellent annual evening of fun for the whole family! The main event is in…read moreUptown Park Ridge right outside the library on Black Friday at 6pm. Santa comes in via fire truck and you can get his photo taken in the library. You will need to go in beforehand and get a ticket for one of the groups (every half hour). There are several activities in the library and also some cookies / cider. The event is on both sides of town and connected by a trolley. You can also easily drive across and avoid the long wait. In South Park there are live Reindeer at PNC Bank to get your photos with. The fire station has an open house with refreshments and equipment tours. Many local businesses open their doors during the event. They offer some discounts for Black Friday along with refreshments. You can stop by Perry's for a sample of pizza or any of the local businesses for more cookies than you should eat the day after Thanksgiving.

We've been coming to Winterfest every year for maybe the last 5 years and I realized that I never…read morewrote about it before. Park Ridge Winterfest always takes place on the Friday evening following Thanksgiving. It consists of many shops along Prospect, Northwest Highway, and the shops around Hodges Park, plus the strip south of the Metra station. The shops around town are open late. Many offer cookies, cocoa, candy or other treats for people who stop in. There are special sales and promos at many shops as well. On the street, there are carolers. Even Santa makes a stop at the library where the line goes out the door for people and kids waiting to see him. Trolleys shuttle people around the fest area, or between the South Park portion of the fest and Uptown Park Ridge. For the first time, I have to say it was poorly executed, mostly centered around how the trolleys worked. We got there at 6:30 and started exploring the shops. We were going to hop on the shuttle to head to Whole Foods from the Five Guys area maybe half a mile away. It was supposed to be coming at 10-15 minute intervals. A police officer at the crossing told us it should be any minute since the trolley was there maybe 10 minutes ago. So we waited... 15 minutes and the trolley finally came. We could have stopped at Iannelli Studio on the west end of the trolley route but decided against it since we figured the trolley would leave us stranded there away from the other sights, just far enough outside the boundaries of the main part of Winterfest. Looking at the folks gazing at the trolley from inside Iannelli Studios, I presume they were hoping someone would come out to visit but nobody on the trolley did. Even if we visited, what would be there to see? We were not sure. When stopped at a location near the Northwest Highway boutiques, a woman from one of the stores came on the trolley and told us they have special offers in each shop if people stop in. Nobody got off the trolley. What offers? I had no idea but I won't wait for the next trolley to get back to the main strip of Uptown. We didn't bother going to South Park's shops at all since the trolley line for that was very long and would have required more than one trolley to get everyone there. We finally stopped at Whole Foods and got to sample some of their chili, bought a few things and then waited for the trolley - about 25-30 minutes from the dropoff time. By then it was nearly 8:30 and no new people came to see Whole Foods, as the trolley was on its last run. Now if this fest goes from about 6 till 8:30 PM, you can see how much time is wasted with these trolleys being so inefficient at circulating people around town during the fest. So to any Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce folks reading this, perk up your ears. To make this fest better next time, I got a few suggestions: 1. If you use trolleys to get people around, make it quicker or more frequent. Too much time is wasted waiting or wondering if a trolley will come to take you back. If the 25 minute intervals were reduced to 10-15 minutes as promised, more people would be able to see more things and not worry about taking a long walk back or waiting for the next one. Better circulation of people = better $ales at more shops. Don't leave festgoers stranded or having to sacrifice seeing some places in favor of others. 2. How about an itinerary of all the things to see and do during Winterfest? If every participating shop gave a short summary of their specials, more people would be curious or know where to go and what to expect. Why not post these in some spots or hand them out to people on the trolley? I am sure we will be back next year, but how much we will be able to see will depend on the planning that goes into the event.