Great networking group for events and Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce provides excellent service.read more

Howard, as the Executive Director of the Skokie Chamber of Commerce, not only cares about his…read morechamber members, but also about the community he serves. Through Howard's effort, the Skokie Chamber has become one of the premier Chambers on the North Shore. Howard has made significant contributions to the LeTip business leads sharing group that he and I belong to in Skokie. I highly recommend Howard Meyer and the Skokie Chamber of Commerce as a powerful business partner and network referral source!

This is the place where we send out all of our labs from the public investigations of enterics…read more Although the place is very antiquated and shows signs of years past, its actually a great place to take specimens for testing. The building still houses classes for the UIC Medical Students, but of course we here at the Department of Health, still get to have a vast use of labs for public safety.

This is a review of the Civic Center at the address listed here, not for the actual entire city of…read moreDes Plaines. That should be obvious, but I just wanted to make it clear! I've had mixed results here. When I have to come in to ask a question or pay some fee or another, the line always moves quickly, and the staff is always friendly. When I have questions about where to find the date on the receipt for my city sticker or what the zoning rules are if I want to put a new mailbox up, my questions are always answered properly. I haven't had to come here for anything big or major, like a renovation permit, but I did come here to ask if I needed one for a small issue with my basement and had the circumstances around when one is or is not required explained to my satisfaction. The people on the administrative side know their stuff and don't talk to you like a moron if you don't know it yourself. Across the way, on the other side of the civic center, you will find the police. I cannot say that they are as with it as the other city employees I've dealt with, in my experience. I was recently issued a parking ticket that was not filled out all the way and had "display of expired sticker" written as the reason it was issued. (I did have an expired sticker displayed in addition to my current one.) When I went down to the police side of the civic center, however, I was told it was because I did not have a valid sticker at all. Well, I do have one, and I provided a copy of the receipt. The woman I was speaking with got a bit testy and said she'd send the paperwork to the proper department, but could not or would not explain to me why I was being told two different reasons for my ticket. Then, in the mail, I received a piece of paper informing me that my ticket was ACTUALLY for a third, different thing--improper display of my current sticker. I needed to provide a photograph of my sticker on my car, displayed correctly. It did not say whether I should mail it, email it, or what, so I just brought the photo in myself. Again, the person I saw on the police side couldn't or wouldn't tell me why there was a discrepancy when I brought in the photo. She also couldn't tell me what would happen next, only saying, "We'll contact you." It has been almost three weeks now since I presented the photo, and I still have not heard from them. I called to try to talk to somebody, but I was told I would be contacted through the mail. Here I am, still waiting, hoping that if I do have to pay a fine, the notification didn't get lost in the mail, leaving me to get pulled over randomly some time because my license plate shows up on a list with the state police. I've certainly experienced worse service from city or village administration and police departments and realize that this is not that bad of an experience. In fact, I was once waiting for a form at Wood Dale PD for an entire afternoon. Still, I would really like to see the service on the PD side rise to the level of the other Civic Center staff. Also, it is annoying as hell to be parking your car in front of this place to pay for what appears to be a BS ticket, only to see numerous police walking past a vehicle parked in a totally illegal fashion right in front of their station and not writing a single ticket. I seriously thought my head might explode when I saw that. Of course, it would probably be one of the super nice ladies from the administrative side who ended up on brain detail if it actually happened.

I just recently joined this chamber and have been very pleasantly surprised by their…read moreprofessionalism, involvement, and organization. Everyone I've interacted with involved in the leadership of the organization has been inviting and pleasant and my first networking event with them was a very positive experience. The chamber is large enough to provide plenty of contacts of a wide variety to serve as a great resource and referral source to small business owners and the like, but small enough that you don't feel lost in the crowd. Those members and event guests that I've met thus far have been a pleasure to talk to and I look forward to the future as a RVCC member!

Julie Hamos is a long-time state representative from Evanston, Illinois who is preparing to run for…read morestatewide office. Julie began her advocacy work in Springfield in the 1970s and later she authored Illinois' first domestic violence laws. Julie has pursued a career dedicated to public service, with a commitment to give back to America after escaping with her family from Budapest in the midst of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. She would be great for Illinois!

This review is not for the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia. It is a very high-level…read morereview of travel in Indonesia and Bali. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago consisting of over 18000 islands. Jakarta is a huge and congested city located on Java. Java has 135 million people and is the most population dense island (place) in the world. The islands of Bali, Sumatra and Borneo surround Java. Indonesia is mostly muslim however Bali is mostly Hindu which makes its culture unique in Indonesia. A taxi from the airport to the city will cost around $20 USD. Study conversion rates because with Indonesian currency (Rupiah) you will be dealing with millions (1.5M Rupiah is approx. $175 USD). There are many taxi companies - go for either silver bird or blue bird as these have English speaking drivers. Flights from the US to Jakarta take about 20 hours and since it is on the other side of the world you can basically go either east or west to get there. I prefer flying West. In this case there is typically a stop in Taiwan, Seoul, Tokyo or Hong Kong before completing the last 5 or 6 hours of flight. The distances in this part of the world are huge. It's easy to get along with English here. Motor scooter culture flourishes. The food is fantastic and a little difficult to describe - lots of seafood and rice and chiles but not too hot - a mix of sweet and hot. Tropical fruits abound with melons, jackfruit, durian, mangosteen, guava and other exotics. Hotel Mulia is fantastic in all regards. Obama recently stayed there. If you want to motion someone toward you with your hand, point your hand down, not up. Gents, don't show the soles of your feet when sitting - rude. It's a 1 hour flight from Jakarta to Bali and cost is about $200. But there are lots of direct flights into Bali from all over the world. Bali is a large island just south of Java. You fly into Denpasar. Go to one of the taxi offices - in other words, don't just walk to the curb and expect to get a taxi - they have a system. It is about $20 USD to Sanur (30 minutes). I like Sanur. It is an older part of the island and the "strip" part of the town is well established with shops and many restaurants - the street is Jl Danau Tamblingan. However there are lots of full service resorts all over the place. In Sanur the Hyatt is nice albeit a little older - still, a full service resort within 5 minutes walking to the main road . I have also stayed at Emerald Villas which are very nice private and semi private. There are really hundreds of places to choose from so do your research. Recommend Hardy's for groceries and Cafe Batujimbar for lunch or dinner - casual, outdoor seating and good food/value. Be sure to get Monggo chocolate bars in Bali - Belgian choclatier using Java cocoa - highly recommend. Bali's economy is driven by tourism therefore plan on hooking up with a driver/guide. Try to get a recommendation before you arrive. If not, the hotel can help and guides (drivers) are everywhere and will approach you. It's not expensive and it gets you places faster and helps overcome language issues outside the city. Be sure to discuss price up front and tell them what you are interested in. They will try to take you on their route (silver, batik, other crafts, the volcano, the temples, culture, etc.) the key is to be sure to be very clear on what you are interested in. If you're interest require lots of drive time and fewer stops (where you may be compelled to buy things), offer to pay more up front. The cost for a driver for the day is around $50USD (includes car, fuel, gas) - be courteous and buy waters, lunch, tea, etc. and also tip well. Bali is a craft economy as well - everyone (and I mean everyone) is involved. Shopping is difficult to avoid and the values are outstanding. The road to Ubud is lined with small shops and walk-ins. Translation - leave some room in your luggage to bring stuff back. Pay careful attention to the Hindu customs and ask about offerings and the reason behind them. It is not a tourist gimmick - it is everywhere and you will be amazed. Eat the curries and fruits especially mangosteen, jackfruit, pineapple and finger bananas. Tip well if I didn't already say this.

This is the best township in all of DuPage and even Illinois! If you don't live here then move…read morehere. :)

Worthless. Website hours says 8-4pm. So I show up at 1pm to pick up their "free" entrance bond…read morethat I have to put $600 down for plus a $30 fee, so much for no cost as described on their own website, that I already called and setup, to find out the office is closed till 1:30. No wonder people are calling to abolish townships.