Great vibe and wanted to check out the place. It's like a 45 minute walk through tour on your own…read moreor you can have a tour guide to walk you through. Very friendly and enjoyed it.

I never knew that Chicago has such rich maritime history. So many great exhibits. I found the…read moreLaLady Elgin and Eastland disasters fascinating.

Great race course- nice and flat, a large loop through town that didn't have any awkward turn…read morearounds, and allowed for running in the shade some of the time. This race is smaller than some of the others I've been in- busier streets are not blocked off, but instead traffic is stopped for the runners by police. This is not a chip-timed race, but there are mile markers with volunteers standing to call out the time to you. After the race, they have water, bagels, and fruit. The location at the school allowed for a lot of fun items to be set up for the kids- music, raffles, games, etc, which kept my nieces entertained while they waited! The sponsors donate gift cards, which was a fun incentive to stick around too. Money goes to support a scholarship fund. All around great time, will run this again!

Well, props to Naper Settlement for pulling something together after the Christkindlmarket here…read morefell through. The lighting was the strongest element; it's really something nice to see outside. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much else to do: only a couple of food vendors (Tata's Pierogi were good) and just a couple of vendors of craft type items (inexplicably shoulder to shoulder with people selling windows?) The Weed Ladies (local floral group) have their dried flower creations for sale in one of the historical buildings. If you are photosensitive, note that the lights in the vendor tent flickered badly! :( It's free to get in to this event, but there were some agressive signs (& people for that matter) pushing donation. There's a list of upcoming events (see photo) but tonight the only one was a singing group (sounded good, anyway!) If you're in Naperville or nearby, fun to check out, but I wouldn't go out of my way until they make this one bigger.

I'm not a huge fan of this museum normally but I absolutely loved this!…read more This was breathtakingly beautiful and seeing how Christmas looked around the world was wonderful to be able to do. There were people of all ages & all kinds here, this is something that I think everyone can find something they'll like about out of. I hope to make this a yearly tradition with my family.

I've been coming to the Museum to see the Christmas trees since I was a kid. I even once performed…read moreUkrainian Christmas songs as part of a bandura ensemble in the days of my incompetent musical youth. Now I bring my kids to see the trees every year. If there is an institution that Chicago and the surrounding suburbs love too much, it has to be the Museum of Science & Industry. Coming here before Christmas, you'll be surrounded by legions of elementary school kids on field trips diligently taking notes about every tree they see. To outsmart them this year, we decided to go AFTER Christmas. Well, since school's out this time of year, the legions of kids arrived with their parents and siblings instead. The result was a long line to get in, snaking around the lower level for what amounted to a 25-minute wait just to get into the museum. Still, it moved pretty quickly once you were in line. All the IMAX movies, coal mine, U505 and Star Wars exhibits were sold out before noon! It's worth the wait as you get to explore the main floor with its towering tree in the middle and all the ethnic trees in the corridors around it. For the first time, they removed the performance area from the tree exhibit hall to a small theatre where you can sit and watch the kids performing a foreign Christmas carol on water-lined steel drums and maracas. Some of the Christmas trees have elegantly crafted ornaments made of white drinking straws, woven straw, origami, and wood. Then others can be downright tacky like the Hawaiian tree with its mini-Hawaiian shirt ornaments. You see lots of obscure Eastern European trees like Belarus, Slovenia, Estonia, Serbia and more. Then there's countries like China and Egypt, where you wonder if they really celebrate Christmas at all, yet they have a tree. And no, the Chinese tree did not have lead painted toys hanging from it... It's not the same every year either. Each year, my wife and I have our own unofficial judging of the best trees. For 2007, we loved: 1. South Korea - amazing garland made of pink paper flowers makes this tree stand out from far away 2. Tanzania - adorned with African masks, gourds and even a wooden giraffe protruding from the branches 3. Poland - mobiles made of straws and fake flowers, plus hand-painted ornate bird and flower designs. (photos of each included with review) And when you're done, go see the rest of the museum. Before you know it, 3 hours have gone by and you realize you still haven't seen all it has to offer.

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.

I had such a wonderful, fun experience at the Steel Yard last night!…read more I was at a San Francisco Giants game a couple of weeks ago and I honestly had more fun last night. It is a much more intimate and a community oriented experience. The stadium is beautiful. There were a lot of fun activities and events including dizzy bats, a tricycle race and my favorite thanks to two very enthusiastic participants ...the bubble balloon fight. It was also great to see so many kids participating in fun activities throughout the evening. The game was great and it was cool to see the Railcats put on a show and exit with a win. The food was excellent and I was surprised by the quality and variety. The staff were so welcoming and helpful. The owners are doing an amazing job involving the community and creating such a endearing and fun experience for everyone in the area.

Most importantly I'd like to share what I enjoy most about the park:…read more The architecture is terriric and especially the proximity to the Southshore train track which trains pass by every game, the spacious seating, the amazing outfield seat section, free parking and skyboxes. Its indeed a great field and always enjoyable so comes highly recommended. So it goes without saying that before my last experience and sixth game I would have gladly given a five star rating to the Gary Railcats stadium. However, after leaving my wallet at the consession stand this past game and it having been turned in within minutes without my cash it was dissapponting. I luckily asked enough staff members and was able to speak to the staff employee who found it and turned it in but believe he also stole my cash(it was either he or the manager in the box office). So despite being such a nice ball club, polite staff, great daily specials, nice gift shop and more its saddening to say the least.

One of the best hidden gems in Illinois! Perfect for both…read morekids and adults -- from the very first moment, you feel connected to the past. Tim is the heart of this place! His passion for classic cars and the way he shares their stories is absolutely inspiring. We had such a great time -- we'll definitely come back and highly recommend it to everyone!

We haven't been there recently but are definitely planning a return visit. Just loved it I think…read morethe gentleman giving us the tour was having as much fun as we were especially when my husband told him he was a mechanic and was building a Model-T frame and all.

IAM is a great introduction for anyone to military and civilian aviation from years gone by to…read moreplanes and stories of today. They have a fantastic open house and flying exhibitions every year. Check their website for next years open house (2026)! Great job IAM! Also, for high school aged teens , please check out their CAP Civil Air Patrol squadron! It is an official civilian branch of the USAF!!!

Very knowledgeable volunteer and interesting exhibits. Dont…read moreforget to to donate they depend on donations to stay afloa.