This is an amazing library. They have 4 floors of books and resources, scientific and research…read morejournals, Chicago archives and much more. it is sad to see no one has acknowledged the massive amount of books and journals they have here, I think its incredible and super resourceful. First floor: They have a Starbucks cafe, a few eating areas, a reading room on the right side (a quiet room for studying filled with desks and some couches). They have a study area called "idea commons" on the left side, its a pretty cool study area, they have unique tables, and nice little sections with couches and huge white boards to study on, there is also computers towards the back, very nice study area altogether. They also have a circulation desk which is where you check out books/return them. Second Floor: VERY NOISY, BUT THATS THE POINT. The second floor is designed to be loud and a collaborative area. lots of tables so usually big groups of students study together over projects and what not (hence collaboration). HOWEVER, if you walk to the left or right side, you'll start to see the beautiful selection of books I was mentioning earlier. on the left side and right side, there are tables and tables for studying, the farther back you go, the quieter it gets even though you're on the loud second floor. There are printing sections here but I think you have to be a UIC student. Third Floor: SUPER QUiET :). There aren't a lot of tables on this floor, This floor is mostly taken up with all the books and journals they have. I have gone through most of their selection, and they have everything you can think of and then some. Fourth Floor: VErY QUIET :). This floor is the best if you have a lot of work to get done and focus. PLENTY OF TABLES. Great section of books and journals (once again), they have these unique couches with a tiny table attached to them, usually students with laptops use those. There is also a section of comfortable chairs towards the west side of the floor with a shelf of books next to them. You have a nice little view of the Chicago skyline too! Overall, this library is pretty big. People usually take the stairs because the elevators are super slow and can only fit like 4 people. If you want something to read from the 1970's to now, this is your place. Real resources, real journals, atlas books, encyclopedias, its just amazing. I hope people will feel the same way I do when they visit here.

When I spent hours a day here, Richard M. Daley was not yet the next mayor Daley, his father was a…read morevery recent memory having just passed away in office when I was in high school. It was the Circle Campus library, and it was a place where we used a card catalog (primitive Google) to find books (sort of like Wikipedia only factual and printed in ink on paper) to study (like a Starbucks) and think (no contemporary parallel). It's a good university library with some interesting displays, special collections, highly trained research librarians, and oddly, they still have some books. Stark 1970s architecture on the outside (in those days the student protest movement inspired defensible college design, narrow windows, walls difficult to scale, sturdy concrete that's not flammable, easily secured gates and doors) the library is much more attractive on the inside. It's much louder on the inside than it was in pre-mobile phone days, I guess librarians gave up on shushing decades ago. Oh, and somewhere in the bowels of this repository is my first Master's thesis. Turns out it would take a special request to dig it up, and I didn't want to waste their time as I've read it before.

I stumbled onto this place by accident, when I was looking for a place where I could work on…read moreprojects without bothering my neighbors. From the moment I walked in, they were more helpful than I could have asked for. Inside, they have a laser cutter, a 3D printer, a retail space that sells art from local artists, and tons of spots to work. They offer coffee and WiFi to those who use the space, too. I go back pretty frequently now. Awesome people. Awesome space. Awesome technology.

Great place /great guys. My wife contacted them yesterday. She got very fast response with the…read morequote. After sending the dwg file she got confirmation that the board us ready two hours later. I just got the board. Nice dine. Good price. Totally happy with the service.

Another brilliant summer afternoon spent people-watching, reading, sun-tanning, chilling, in…read moreGiddings Plaza, the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, and realizing that this is definitely the best neighborhood in Chicago. Giddings Plaza is the center of the area. On a beautiful summer day like today, it is filled with parents and babies, children playing, people having lunch, and even someone like me, who uses a day off to enjoy the whole panorama. Lincoln Square has a diverse population that's best seen on Thursday evenings when the farmer's market is operating, and the free concerts take place in the Plaza. It really feels like you're in a small, friendly town. The area has restaurants (many, many), an independent bookstore (BookCellar), a fantastic deli (Gene's Sausage Shop), independent and unique stores (Merz Apothecary, Eclectricity, Gallimaufry Gallery, and more), coffeeshops, a wine shop (Fine Wine Brokers), entertainment (Davis Theatre, Old Town School of Folk Music, free events sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce), a large park district (Welles Park), a big public library (Sulzer Branch) -- just too many pluses to list here. The neighborhood features plenty of housing, without feeling like you're living in one of those high-rise caverns alongside Sheridan Road. There are apartments, condos and single family homes. And the neighborhood luckily escaped the worst of the housing boom - there are a few McMansions around here, those hulking monsters that fill up their lots with not enough land left to place a flower pot - but not nearly as many as in other neighborhoods or suburbs. It still maintains the old Chicago 'hood character. The one thing that may develop into a problem is parking. Thursday night is already challenging in the area, since the Market fills a parking lot. Now that Lincoln Square Athletic Club has opened, there will be a lot more people coming into the area with their cars. On the nights when Old Town School has a big concert, parking is already an issue. Old Town School is expanding into a much larger, new building across the street from its current location, and you can be sure that will add stress to the parking issues. But for me, I love it. Nights on our block are quiet and peaceful. But when we want action, summer or winter, we can find whatever we want in Lincoln Square.

Out of all of Chicago's 77 unique neighborhoods, Lincoln Square is truly my favorite. This is also…read moreprobably why I chose to live here. It's far enough north from much of the city congestion, has a true neighborhood feel amongst an urban surrounding, and still manages to maintain a good amount of it's German culture. It's truly "A village in a city." Several German businesses are still alive and booming with pride: Chicago Brahaus, Merz Apothecary, Lutz Continental Café, Huttenbar, the Chicago branches of DANK HAUS (The German American Cultural Center) and the Niedersachsen German Club, to name a few. The Chamber of Commerce does a lovely job in making sure the neighborhood maintain's this "life" with many festivals and events like the SpringRavenswood Run, May Fest, Fold & Roots Festival, Apple Fest, German Fest, and the Christkindl Market. I love exploring the neighborhood whether it is sitting in a lovely cafe reading a book, strolling past the many shops or watching the kids play by the fountain Square.

This branch has a very modern look. It's Miesian in style, given that it's black iron and glass,…read morebut it's also a curved structure so not a direct homage. This branch is a product of its neighborhood, and there's lots of information to be found about Chinatown and Chinese culture here. There's also materials available in Chinese. When you enter they had a little selfie station, which I thought was cute and something kids might find fun. The children's section is not exactly small, but I haven't been to story time here so I don't know how cramped it might be. We visited and there were toys out so my and my friend's kid played around a bit. They have two story time sessions, one on Thursday and one on Saturday morning, though I think they're geared toward children 3 years old and up so a bit older than our children. The staff we interacted with were nice and helpful. The security guard kind of pointed us to where we needed to be, and the children's librarian welcomed us and invited us to their story times. There's no dedicated parking at this branch. However, the Chinatown parking lot is across the street... no clue how much it costs to park there, and somehow I doubt that CPL has it in their budget to validate parking. There's lots of street parking in Chinatown, and of course the Chinatown/Cermak stop on the Red Line is across the street, too.

A beautiful building where the staff fail to meet basic courtesy. I should write some reviews of…read moreother locations later. Most of the Chicago Library locations are good. This one is an exception. When I was there, a staff member all day kept going back and forth through a door that had an alarm. I came here to get some studying done, and every 2-3 minutes the alarm started blaring for about 20 seconds. I understand he had to work, but if you're going to be going through that door for several times a day, at least disable the alarm first, as common courtesy to the taxpayers of Chicago who fund and use this location.

One of Curbed's "20 most beautiful libraries in the U.S." (Megan Barber, Mar 2018), this holds the…read moreGuinness World Record for largest public library in the world. So impressive, David Mamet was quoting as saying, "The Chicago Public Library is my alma mater". An impressive layout with free a/c and wifi and a few tables for jigsaw puzzle completion. It's peaceful and peiceful. You can go floor to floor by escalator or elevator: First floor: Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Multi-Purpose Room, Exhibit Hall, two-story tall central lobby, Popular Library, and YouMedia Space for teens. Floor 2: Thomas Hughes Children's library. Floor 3: public computers, periodicals, and Maker Lab w printers (extra) Floor 4: Business, Science, Tech Floor 5: Govt publications, maps, and a center for people with physical needs. Floor 6: Social Science/History. Floor 7: Literature, Language resources, and some sculptures Floor 8: Visual/Perf Arts and the only free music practice rooms in the area Floor 9: the Winter Garden for events. Floor 10: Ladies Undergarments, Raincoats

Love it! Nice place to read ! Had a lot of choices and genres! Quiet and accessible. Love itread more

Drove by on a Thursday afternoon. I thought it was a private home but it appears that there are…read moretours every last Saturday of the month. This is fantastic! There is only street parking so it will probably be hard to park. Best to uber or lyft if coming. The outside area seems to be well maintained. Goigle their website to plan ahead and see more info.

No tour was available. Looks well maintained. Not worth the trip unless you are in the immediate…read morevicinity.

Unity Temple is another Frank Lloyd Wright design. It is walking distance from (only a few blocks…read moreaway) his house and studio. Make a day trip and see both of them. The Temple was part of a group of buildings added UNESCO World Heritage site recently.

Since I had a coupon from Groupon for the Unity Temple, I decided to take the hike out to Oak Park…read more It is defiantly a day trip. I took the Green Line train to Oak Park. From the train, you can walk to the Unity Temple, just follow the street signs to the Unity Temple. In the lobby, you will be given a pamphlet and a brief history about the temple. From there, you have the opportunity to take your time to walk around the temple. You certainly can tell, this masterpiece is from Frank Lloyd Wright. Granted, the temple is going under renovations, I would highly recommend taking a tour of this building.

Often volunteer for a lot of different events, both work related and other. When I received an…read moreemail to sign up for the Pullman Railroad Days, I did not hesitate. The forecast said rain and it was cloudy for all of forty-two minutes . When the sun appeared it was blazing. I had to wrap my jacket around my waist. My job was both a greeter at the gate and a ticket checker for the walking tours. If there were more than eight in a group, I was able to tag along. Seeing the old Pullman cars at the 111th Street platform was a special treat. Being able to walk through, tour, sit in the seats and hear a bit of the history behind the creation was priceless. True luxury and comfort for overnight traveling. By the way, we are allowed to charter a car through Amtrak. Call for pricing. Hotel Florence was beautiful, so many original structures still in place. Each step of the walking tour was a rich piece of history. We even spoke with one of the home owners sitting on their porch. Even the information center was like a museum. Beautiful memoirs of the past strategically placed through out. I will definitely do it again next year. I had so much fun.

Great site as a history buff while visiting Chicago the history of the Pullman porter that allowed…read moreblack men and women travel cross country as domestic