Still love this place. Came here again for the Christmas vibes 2 days before Christmas to get some…read morework done. I needed to bribe myself with coffee I didn't make myself and to get out of my house to plow through a bunch of work admin. I took a chance coming here because I know they have some laptop policies, particularly around Christmas. This time it was no laptops after 9am and then none on Friday and weekends during the holiday season. (During the rest of the year it's certain tables that aren't allowed to use laptops and/or certain tables at certain hours). I came in at 7am and it was good motivation for me to knock out a bunch of things efficiently since I have a 9am cutoff lol. They also now put that notice on their front door, which is helpful and was my complaint last year when I came here to do work on a Saturday and found out I couldn't. As always, the coffee was great, and the Home Alone installation is always fun. Their tartines are also always amazing. Definitely keeping this in my regular rotation.

Stopped into Towne & Oak with my son after his doctor's appointment for a quick bite and it was so…read moregood. First time there and definitely won't be our last. My son got the croissant egg and bacon breakfast sandwich and loved it. I got the yogurt and granola. Both were super fresh and delicious, just wish there was a little less honey on mine because it was a bit heavy for me. I also ordered an almond milk cappuccino and it was SO good. We were there around munch time, and it was moderately busy for that time of day. They brought out the food quickly. Was super cute inside and gave off costal vibes. Already looking forward to coming back and trying more things on the menu.

I haven't actually participated in a class here, but I've visited several times for meetings. I've…read morealso toured the building, and I have to say each time I set foot in the front lobby I'm reminded of how spectacular Takiff is... we're talking a first class facility that's as clean as a hospital (in a good way). Takiff is a huge space that consists of a bunch of rooms for classes, for kids to adults, like art, yoga, cooking, enrichment programs, and I think there is even a pottery studio. The gym is oversized for sports activities and events (I don't think they allow food or drink in there). Today I saw how organized their staff is when it comes to managing the many kids coming in and out of the building for day camp. For those thinking of signing up for a program, the team seems to really have their act together. Everyone is lovely and professional. Aside from the various classes and classrooms, GJK is onsite, and I think they also have another Park District preschool. Wiggleworms hosts music classes here too. Though I haven't actually seen the beach rentals, I've seen pictures. Inside there is a more formal room in Takiff with gorgeous windows and high ceilings, fit for a beautiful wedding reception or other formal event. The main level party room with a stage seems like it would be great for kids birthday parties. So much to do and see. I could go on and on, but you'll just need to go check it out for yourself! If you're coming from the north, the turn is a bit tricky, so keep your eyes peeled for the entrance. Parking lot onsite.

From the owner: Glencoe Park District provides year-long recreation opportunities!…read more For over 100 years, Glencoe Park District has been the place for FUN! We provide recreation programs and services for all ages, from toddlers to adults, at three unique facilities: Takiff Center, Watts Center, and Glencoe Beach. The Takiff Center features dynamic recreational program rooms for exercise and health, creative and performing arts, early childhood development, and various sports. Also available are a variety of rental spaces for both large and small events, making the facility a welcoming place for community members to gather. Watts Center is open all year for recreation programs, but during the winter months it features two outdoor refrigerated ice rinks. Generations of Glencoe residents have enjoyed figure skating, hockey, broomball and other ice games at Watts. Glencoe Bathing and Boating Beaches are open during the summer months for swimming, sailing, kayaking, and other water activities.

I love Botanical gardens. Flowers and plants have always been my thing. This one has a butterfly…read moregarden as well. How cool is that. You pay a small fee for parking. Unless you're a member. I also noticed a tram near the entrance. If you don't feel like walking. I like to explore the premises and there are spots that the tram wouldn't be able to reach. This has to be the biggest botanical garden I've ever encountered. So worth it all though. Make sure you have on comfortable sneakers. It's a lot of walking involved. Don't forget the train station. Model Trains from state to state. Check out my video. This was another favorite of mine. I even saw amtrak from DC. I took so many pictures that I had to start removing old ones from my phone for the space. They also have various indoor plants. I loved visiting the veggie plants. All those fresh vegetables made me want a salad lol. Everything is included once you pay the entry fee. Including those beautiful butterflies. Loved it and afterwards we got something to eat. Which is also located by the visitor center. They also had free water with the cups available. Much needed, just make sure you stay hydrated. Keep a bottle of water available or thermal bottle. It definitely will be needed while walking around. Good way to get your steps in and watch nature at the same time. Enjoy yourself.

5 stars for the Chicago Botanic Garden!…read more This was my first visit today, and I highly recommend you check it out if you enjoy nature, plants, being outdoors, walking paths and wildlife. I checked it out in the spring where everything is coming back to life - beautiful! Plenty of greenhouses and walking paths with flowers and plants to check out, but I think the best time to come visit here would be in the summertime so you can see everything fully in bloom and the waterfalls going. A very peaceful, unique place to visit - I'd recommend you check it out if you like nature at all, or just see it at least once!

My kids have a favorite new store in town. I want to avoid it since every visit here ends with my…read morekids on a major sugar high, but have to admit I'm a fan myself. They have every sort of candy to make a kid (or adult) smile...and jewelry too! Candy and jewelry...a store after my own heart. They have all sorts of classes and events happening weekly at Sweet Buddha. Everything from a homework club (genius) to trunk shows to cupcake decorating (yes, more sugar). I've also heard from many friends who were frequent visitors of their old city location that they throw some pretty amazing bday parties! My daughter has already told me (about 1273 times) that she'll be having a future bday party at Sweet Buddha. Sweet Buddha isn't just for kids! When my own summer bday bash on the beach got rained out the owner, Sarah, was nice enough to let us to let us rent the space last minute. It was the perfect venue and I'll definitely look into for all future partying planning in my future (bday parties, moms night outs, baby showers, etc). I'm as thrilled as my little ones to have this in Glencoe and excited to see how this city business adapts to the burbs. I'd love to see some more mommy/caregiver & me classes on the calendar since there's not much for the under 2 crowd in the North Shore. I also think their creative bday party packages are amazing, but the rental fee if you want just the space is a bit high when compared to all the park district rooms nearby (not that the PD rooms are nearly as adorable). Fortunately, the owner is pretty "sweet" herself and I have no doubt will make Sweet Buddha a big success here in Glencoe!

Simply put. A delightful place to be. Just the spirits in there alone make you feel warm. The…read moreManagment is friendly and the candy is OFF THE HOOK! For a kids party...great choice. The painting was fun, and the added bonus of keeping the kids busy while waiting for the parent to arrive was genius. They have friendly high schoolers working with the kids from local schools! Overall, a fun experience. Next time it's the adults to paint and sip on wine!

The Flower Shop in Glencoe is a local gem. Brooke and her team create the most beautiful flower…read morearrangements. They put so much thought and creativity into the works of art. Highly recommend.

It has been almost 2 weeks and the flowers are still looking fabulous!. I can't believe that they…read morehave lasted so long.

I learnt about the Winnetka Community House when we went to the North Shore Art League for the…read morefirst time to attend the opening reception of their new exhibit -- "Summer Open".  The art league is located on the second floor of the Winnetka Community House.  The Community House was completed in 1911, and it has been expanded several times since.  That's why it was interesting for us to enter a historic building that's over 100 years old, but discovered a modern extension where the art gallery is after climbing a flight of old-fashioned stairs. Apparently, the center hosts many performing arts programs that include dance, theater, music and more.  When we were viewing artwork of the exhibit, a friendly elderly actor of the center greeted us while taking a break on a comfy couch.  We could hear music rehearsal in the theatre when we passed by. They also have education programs, youth sports programs, a full-service fitness center, classes and lectures -- all kinds of activities that help enrich lives of residents of not just Winnetka, but of the broader North Shore. When I read their Yelp reviews, I learnt that the center is even a popular weddings and events venue!  It is truly a versatile community house! As a privately supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Community House is not funded through tax dollars.  It's good to know that donations are 100% tax deductible.

If you have high expectations for your wedding venue, this is not the place. I left feeling very…read moreunderwhelmed with both the space and the service. We had a tour scheduled with Sahra, but it was moved to a different time, which seemed like it may have been to accommodate another group. When we arrived, the front desk gentleman was very kind, but we ended up waiting about 20 minutes while Sahra continued speaking with the previous tour group. She clearly saw us waiting but didn't acknowledge us or apologized when she eventually came over. Once the tour finally started, it felt very rushed. The entire walkthrough lasted maybe 15-20 minutes, and there wasn't much opportunity to ask questions before she quickly moved on to the next area. At the end, I asked if she could send photos of the space set up for weddings so we could better visualize it decorated. Her response was, "I won't remember, just email me--I had three tours today." We were the third tour, which made the comment feel dismissive. What stood out even more was that the previous group had asked about placing a hold on the space and did not receive that same response. Overall, the experience felt unprofessional and unwelcoming. After touring around 20 venues, this was by far the most disappointing experience. As for the space itself, it felt very small and somewhat outdated. The bridal and groomsmen suites were essentially small conference rooms. In my opinion, the venue may be better suited for smaller events like a bridal or baby shower rather than a full wedding. Unfortunately, due to both the service and the space, I would not recommend spending your time touring here.

Excellent service and very accommodating, would highly recommend! Petya was lovely to work with and…read moredelivered on time and went above and beyond making the balloon bouquets as well.

This was my first time working with Simply Balloons but definitely not my last! Petya did such an…read moreamazing job on my mom's surprise 60th balloon arch! She was quick to get back to me and went above and beyond on the presentation!! I'm definitely going to be recommending Simply Balloons to my family and friends!

She was unprofessional, missing half the night, and made errors throughout the entire wedding…read moreweekend. although the worst part was her negative and snarky attitude and tone to everyone including the family and friends. Do not waste your money.

Megan and her team are the absolute BEST! Our 300 person wedding was cancelled last May due to…read moreCovid when we decided to reach out to Megan who was able to plan a small, safe 50 person gathering within a matter of only a few months. Megan knew everyone in the industry and ensured that our event was not only magical and perfect but also followed all event safety guidelines. She is the best in the event planning business and we would recommend her to anyone- cannot say enough positive things about our experience!!

I had spent a ton of time planning a full weekend of events for my son's bar mitzvah and then a few…read moredays before realized I hadn't ordered flowers for our Friday night dinner for out of towners. Yelp (and Delores) to the rescue. I've had some great experience with local florists in the area, but always up for trying a new amazing business and couldn't resist reaching out to Delores after reading her amazing reviews. Delores made the process super easy. I told her the colors we had in mind and the # of tables/bar and minutes later she sent pics of gorgeous flowers. And minutes after that she sent a payment link. Done and done! After detailing with one detail after another for the weekend I was glad this was easy. They took care of delivering the flowers to the venue the day of the dinner and they looked absolutely gorgeous when we walked in the room- the flowers themselves and the vases they were put in. I even reused them for our Sunday morning brunch and they were still in perfect condition! I will definitely use Luminous Blooms for my floral needs again!

I called Luminous Blooms for a last minute (poor planning in my part) anniversary arrangement. The…read moreowner was very pleasant and accommodating, and most importantly created a beautiful arrangement with minimal direction. My wife LOVED it! (Picture taken on third day)

I like Ravinia for live music, once you get inside. The challenging parts are getting here, getting…read moreparked, walking inside with all your stuff and finding a place to setup on the lawn. Yes, there is VIP experience and parking available, but the typical experience is anything but easy. On my last visit, we stayed in a nearby hotel and took a shared ride in. The challenge? Getting out. Expect a half a mile walk to the Braeside station to get a shared ride back after the concert, unless you are up for leaving before the last 30 minutes of a show. There's plenty of staff here walking around and keeping things safe but some of the staff seem cranky and short when asking them questions. Some people are first-time attendees so maybe a little more patience is needed. To me, it's just common courtesy. One man at the North Gate was very rude. I do appreciate that the sound quality is great around the venue and the big screen on the lawn is nice.

One of the most unique concert venues around. It's located in Highland Park and they have a variety…read moreof options as far as tickets: general admission lawn, reserved lawn and reserved pavilion. What's unique about Ravinia is you can bring in your own drinks, food, blankets & chairs. Basically you can setup picnic style anywhere in the lawn. They also have a food court, beer venders and lawn chair/table rentals, so if you want to just show up, everything you'd want can be provided. As far as getting there, I'd recommend the Metra which is included with your ticket purchases. You can get off at Ravinia Park or Braeside. There is a parking lot, but you do have to get there early to get a spot. If the main lot is full, they have shuttle service from other local locations. Grab a crew, plan a picnic and enjoy live music under the stars!