Visiting coffeehouses is one of my recreational activities…read more On an adventure to Brookfield, my dad and I stopped in for some caffeine for the road trip. At first, we were confused as GPS took us to a bicycle shop but once we go out and walked around, we found where to get our caffeine. We walked in to a busy cafe and noticed half of it was a bicycle shop. I'm not sure if it's the same owner/business but it was pretty neat to see the two put together. Pretty sure this is a first for my dad and I. I wasn't sure where to order and happened to be standing next to a little computer set up that looked like I could order my own drinks from. Just before I decided to try and use it myself, a barista came over and took our order. My dad isn't used to getting coffees from anything over than his coffee pot at home so he ordered the same thing I always get: iced americano. We waited about 5 minutes to get our drinks and then we dipped out to start our adventures for the day. We got to my car and took a few sips to get us energized for the trip to Brookfield and I have to say, the americano from Recreation was really good. It was dark and bitter, just how I like it. My dad tried his first americano and really liked it. He drinks his coffee like I do. Black. So, it's no surprise he could handle the bitterness just as well as me. Recreation was nice little stop to get some caffeine. The baristas were super nice. The place is fairly smaller on the inside so if you have a large group of people, you may need to take the place over or take your drinks elsewhere. Overall, pretty cool place to get some coffee, just don't let the bicycle shop store front fool ya. Recreation has it's own door to enter from outside.

My favorite latte in town - the best flavors, great ambiance, and best employees. They also have…read moreamazing toast and the cannolis on the weekends look amazing - they're still on my list to try. I also like the cold brew with cold foam. My favorite latte flavors are honey/lavender, caramel, and vanilla. I also love the punch card system they have for drinks.

My grandson is in a class as a "Iron Ninja in training." He is 6 years old. This place is amazing…read more The coaches are fantastic. They really give these kids a work out. These kids ENJOY it is what's best of all! Great exercise and fun doing it. My grandson I like to call "A fart in a skillet" because he is everywhere all at once! He can out jump, run, climb...you name it!! This kid has enough energy for everyone. These coaches can actually handle this type of energy and love it!! My hats are off to them!!

Justin was amazing! Got us all checked in for the party we reserved. Let the boys get started and…read morelet us finish up. He could see they were getting antsy. He was attentive and took care of us really well. Lillie was our personal party assistant. I was pretty needy and kept asking for things. She did nothing but smile and was more than happy to make sure we were taken care of as well. She came and checked in with us before she clocked out for the night to make sure we didn't need anything else before she left. We will definitely be back and I truly hope they're there!

our daughter tried the Urban Ski. she has severed skied before. Jason did a great job giving her…read moreinstructions and building confidence.

The laser tag was fun and the staff was great!…read more I took a few coworkers here after work one evening to have some fun and the laser tag did not disappoint. They were very flexible in letting us choose how we wanted to play (free-for-all or teams) and seemed invested in making sure we were having a good time.

Local and travel teams. The travel teams have become a political phenomenon for local talent…read more Highly competitive, expensive, and the teams are largely aggregated of each school's players. For example, the 16U and 18U elite teams seem to be a NCHS exclusive, and no matter how good other players are, they will not make the elite teams without NCHS affiliation. For example, they have a scoring system to rank players' try-outs (home to first run, batting, fielding) and according to that score, a player will be elite or not. I personally had one of the highest scores back in the day that I went out for elite, but was denied elite team. When I asked the elite coach (also the NCHS coach) why I was not placed on elite, he stated it was because they needed talent on the lower team. He subsequently pulled his NCHS catcher to play for the elite team even though she had a score that ranged out of the top required % for elite players. Completely upsets the scoring system and undermines the whole idea that the best are the best. Unfortunately, there is not much choice between levels to avoid the politics as local teams play for recreational activity - maybe a couple games a week, many girls never show up, and there are rarely practices. At the other end are the travel teams where you practice 3 days a week (year-round) and play at least 5 days a week in the summer. (We regularly had 90+ game summers where all we did was eat, breathe and play softball.) Good for exposure and development, though. We consistently played world tournaments, and I had Division I solicitations my sophomore year based on the work I did with travel teams. Nonetheless, the politics are overwhelming, and the parents have become worse than anything else. I'd recommend looking at rural teams before playing BNGSA, but at least doing BNGSA if nothing else is available and you and/or your child is serious about the game. Ask a past parent about real costs, though, as the traveling costs (hotels, gas, time) plus equipment costs plus inside and outside training costs became more than a year of college tuition each season. 2 stars for talent development, but minus 3 stars for so much pressure and politics that kids burn out real fast.

Review Visit: June 10th, 2015…read more It's not Walt Disney World but it's a fine park for Central Illinois! Walt Bittner Park is named after a former Mayor of Bloomington who was an advocate for parks, recreations and zoos. It is fitting that a park dedicated to one who was himself dedicated to parks be one of the nicer parks out there. This park is situated in a subdivision. It has plenty of open spaces in which you can walk and enjoy the scenery. There is a smaller jungle gym playground area which kids can play. Next to that is a basketball court that is in the shape of a triangle. Not sure what to call that but it's a unique layout. Off to the side, there is a gazebo in which you can use to host events. All in all, it was a nice park to visit and the kids that live in the area are lucky to have such a nice park within walking distance.

Awesome park for the family! It has a running/walking trail surrounding the park that is a quarter…read moreof a mile. Large open grass area that can be used for multiple sports. Nice playground with big slide! Also has basketball hoops!

Great facility and many wonderful activities. Staff is amazing!! They are friendly and willing to…read moreprovide any information you require!

Great spot for 55+ to join and hang out…read more From the cafe with free coffee (sponsored by local businesses), to the fitness classes, health programs, card games, ping pong, billiards, pickle ball to the fully equipped gym and even dance lessons, it's a great spot to be. My big quibble with the place right now is the cafe. Coffee is decent. But all they have for creamer is nasty powder (LOADED with sugar). Not sure why there's not real, liquid half n half as I'm sure many members are probably diabetic or have other diet issues with powdered creamer where the #1 ingredient is corn syrup powder. Have those sponsors provide half n half! Highly recommend you join if you are 55+ and come check it out. It's only $30/year which includes most activities. In addition, ARC offers a free shuttle bus that will take you door to door if needed! ARC is a tremendous community asset for the older generations!

Loved playing here and people and staff were Very friendly. We ended up playing g here on Easter!…read moreLots of fun!

Guy at the desk took my change ( two dollars)and put it in his tips Jar. Also overage charge…read moreoutrageous leave for beer.

Poor choice of machines, often too busy to get in a good workout as well. More amateur gym goers…read morewon't have much of a problem though.

We came to Illinois Wesleyan for Special Olympics swimming state yesterday. The pool at ISU is…read morebeing remodeled, hence the change in location this year. I have to say that this was a wayyyy better location than ISU. The bleachers at ISU are so awkward and you're always crawling over and tripping over people. The Shirk center observing area is upstairs and goes around the pool. There was lots of room to stand and a few areas to sit down. It did get extremely congested and people refused to move, but still way better than the alternative. There was also a concession stand, vending machines and an ATM. The only downside was that it was extremely hot inside and I felt like I was getting heatstroke (even despite the fact that I prepared myself for the heat by wearing a tank top and skirt - I was still overly hot.) Sitting next to people that are also sweating isn't exactly an ideal situation, but I gladly endured the stench of sweat to see my sister swim.

The hour open gym was a fun retreat for the grandchildren. Just realized they may have this…read moreperiodically. We will be back.

I grew up here playing popcorn on the trampoline. Highly recommend the youth classes for kids just…read moreto get them exposed to flexibility and endurance at a young age. Small, few staff, not much equipment, but still worth it. Not a venue to which you would take a hard-core gymnast, but good family fun.