The city of Aurora did an excellent job pulling off their first ever Harry Potter Festival!…read more Tickets: This was a ticketed event ($3 cash per ticket - max 5 per person) and required in-person purchase several months prior to the actual event. Even though I arrived a few hours after the ticket purchase start time, I only stood in line for about an hour to get mine. A lot of people had complaints, but it honestly wasn't bad, especially given all of the publicity! The festival itself: They planned it out very well and had multiple events and activities, most kid-focused and friendly, but good for older fans too. Activities included a quidditch workshop, spell book creation, Ollivander's wands (x2), a potions lab, mocktail creations, Herbology, how to plant a Whomping Willow, Care of Magical Creatures, a self-guided Horcrux Hunt, Quiddich playing a, costume parade, a ride on the Hogwarts Express. Finally, there were multiple vendors in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade! Many of the activities required online preregistration, though many crafting events were free and just required you to stand in the queue. It was spaced out enough that the crowds were manageable and the lines weren't too long. Goods vendors in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade included bath bombs (including a House Reveal version - cool!), jewelry, bags, paintings, plants, wall decor, and much more! Everything was really cute and went along with the Harry Potter/Hogwarts theme. There were a few food and butter beer vendors, including 4-packs of bottled butter beer. A lot of the local businesses also got into the spirit of the festival and decorated their storefronts. I spied Wayne and Garth (20th anniversary of Wayne's World!) sporting Hogwars hats - cute! The local Paramount theatre offered four Harry Potter movie showings for $1 apiece, had Harry Potter-themed drinks and candy, and had an awesome 9 3/4 platform in their lobby! Security (and Aurora PD) was posted throughout the event and were friendly and helpful. Port-o-Johns were plentiful and stocked with hand sanitizer. By 2pm, garbage cans were overflowing.. so that's something they can keep an eye on next time. Great job on a really well thought out and organized event, Aurora!

Aurora's inaugural 2017 Harry Potter festival was a hit…read more There was plenty to do and see, and the overall vibe from all of the attendees was overwhelmingly positive, especially considering nothing like this has been held in Aurora before. The Quidditch pitch hosted tons of kids playing Quidditch which was tons of fun to watch. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade showcased tons of local, themed vendors that had lots of cool trinkets and souvenirs to buy. There were tons of fun classes to sign up for and take part in, like Herbology, Potions, and Magical Mocktails. It was also great to see a lot of the local businesses, closed or not, decorate their windows or host themed events related to the event, which definitely added to the overall spirit of the day. Best of all, eagle-eyed visitors spotted a number of subtle decorations that showed that there were true Harry Potter fans behind this event, including a "2nd Triwizard Task Vieweing Area" (overlooking the Fox River), Tom Riddle's grave, and all 7 horcruxes to hunt and find, each with a clever clue that led to the next. I can't wait until next year's event. I'm sure it's going to be even better!

The location was pretty standard and typical for an AMC. We were greeted and tickets were checked…read more We grabbed food and drinks, and headed to find our seats. There were really no lines anywhere, which was great. The bathrooms were clean. All in all, it was a perfectly fine experience. The movie, on the other hand, was phenomenal.

9$ service charge for 2 kids and a senior Outrageous volume…read moreof sound that is far louder than any convert anywhere My cup holder was dirty 38 minutes of god awful noise previews Will never be back ..ever 50$ for a movie that bored a 7 and 10 year old Toy Story 5

Went there for a date with the premium seats. Got in, there's no one checking in. After a few…read moreminutes we tried the auto kiosk thing which is horrible. No luck. Gave up waiting for anyone to say Hi or Welcome and just went to theatre. Screen 7 - walked in and an instant mildew ish funk in the air. Sat down in our seats, and pulled out a phone light to find the seat button. Holy cow were the privacy walls FILTHY. It was like a 5 year old smeared butter all over them. The center table thing was all ripped up - and it was just gross. No one ever came by to see if we wanted anything - and granted we never hit the service button, but ummmm popcorn is included in the tickets..... We've been going to this location for years. It just keeps going downhill. Will be looking elsewhere from now on. Literally ran home to take a shower after this experience.

visited this theater in what's supposed to be an affluent area south of Barrington with a close…read morefriend and their kids to see Mario on a weekday afternoon. We were the only people in the theater, yet the experience was surprisingly poor. Our orders were incorrect, and it took over an hour and a half for my meal to arrive. When it finally did, there was paper stuck between the cheese, which was completely unacceptable. To make matters worse, after paying, I stopped to grab M&Ms and was told I couldn't purchase candy because everything had to be ordered through table service. That level of rigidity, especially with no other customers around, made no sense. This place has clearly changed and not for the better. Management needs to take a serious look at operations here, because experiences like this will drive customers away. I would not recommend this theater.

Once again I'm reviewing the stage performance and not the restaurant…read more Son and I saw Nunsense last night. What a fun and funny show. The small cast was perfect and great to watch. The stage was wild to see and needed a bit of explaining which was done immediately. The voices all worked perfectly together. It was laugh out loud funny--even though I didn't fully understand some of the Catholic school references (I'm Jewish). It was irreverent, too, with some of the innuendos. Loved it!!

We had not been here for many years…read more The theatre and lobby are gorgeous, you can come early for dinner or drinks. The seats in the theatre are comfy and the leg room is great! At least on the main floor in the first 20 rows. I don't know about the ones in the back or in the balcony. I believe Thai also still have brunch or dinner packages that include tickets to the theatre. We went to see Father of the Bride, a cute comedy about a daughter's wedding and all the chaos that occurs.

I have nothing but positive things to say about the Morton Arboretum. It offers a wonderful variety…read moreof scenic trails to explore, a fun children's area, a short maze, beautiful gardens, and impressive outdoor sculptures. There are also picnic and dining areas, along with clean, well-maintained restrooms. The Arboretum is such a peaceful place to relax, unwind, and even sit down with a good book. Whether you're looking to enjoy nature, get in a great walk, or simply take in the beautiful views, it's the perfect destination. It's a fantastic place to get your steps in while surrounded by stunning scenery.

I haven't been to the arboretum since I was a kid and used to go frequently with my grandparents…read more Bored one Saturday, I decided to take my outdoorsy 4 year old daughter. We mainly just explored the Children's Garden area. Thankfully, there are bathrooms nearby. They were clean. And there was a vendor selling snacks outside (and yummy sangria) so I bought some there and didn't bother with the indoor restaurant. I would recommend if you're going with Young ones, to bring a stroller!! Children 3 and under are free admission. Tickets are a couple dollars cheaper if purchased online. I paid $25 for adult admission. We would have liked to take the tram around, but I didn't realize it only runs a couple of times and sells out quickly. So if you're interested in the tram ride, buy tickets when you first get there. My daughter loved the rope bridge/tree house area. Definitely a place to add into your rotation of places to go, especially if you have kids that love being outside in nature.

My cousin and I chose Sixty Four for our birthday celebration lunch. We sat outside along the river…read moresince it was a beautiful day. Chris was our server and provided great service and went above and beyond. My cousin and I decided to share the grilled oysters and the charcuterie. Chris noted my reservation said no nuts and seeds and he said that the charcuterie came with seeded lavish. He went through the lavish and only chose the ones without the seeds. Now that's service! The grilled oysters were amazing! Only four came on the plate and I wanted to eat all of them and not share. I will definitely get those again - and all to myself. The charcuterie was your typical charcuterie. You can choose your own cheeses and meats on the board which is nice. The only disappointing thing is no complimentary dessert for our birthdays. Lots of restaurants do that, but I guess not at this one. Get those grilled oysters, you won't be sorry.

THE MALBECKONING…read more SixtyFour Wine Bar is a winning concept in downtown Naperville. Much like what Tapville Social does for beer, SixtyFour follows the concept of guests having the freedom to pour their own drinks. This place is on Water St in Naperville, near Vasili's and Blue Sushi Sake. Street parking isn't plentiful so the garage is your best bet, especially in the evening. You can build your own charcuterie, but use caution: everything is a la carte and without much effort that cute cheese platter can swell upwards of $40. This happened to us on our 1st visit, I thought "yeah sure, add a $4 honeycomb and seasonal jams, why not" to go with the $9 prosciutto, $7 manchego, and $5 cornichons. More recently, I got the restaurant week pre-fixe ($49) which included a starter, entrée, dessert, and glass of champagne. Each course separately would've added up to $55 (not counting the bubbly), so this option saved a few bucks. Both my wife and I got a pour-your-own wine card, that set us back about $20pp. The wifey got a mix of a dozen west coast & east coast oysters ($36) that came with cocktail sauce and a zippy pomegranate mignonette. The goat cheese bruschetta ($13) was incredible: goat cheese spread on several large pieces of grilled sourdough with roasted tomato and balsamic. We loved this and would get it again in a heartbeat. 5/5 The dates ($13) were a different story, however, as they came with cranberry goat cheese, orange honey, and crushed walnuts. I've been so used to savory dates (wrapped in bacon with a tomato sauce) that this much sweeter iteration caught me off guard. They weren't objectively bad, I just wouldn't order them again. 3/5 For my main course, I chose the short rib ($31) as I've done several times now: tender beef with mashed potatoes, braised carrots, crispy onions, and a red wine jus. This is a delicious entrée that I find myself steering towards every time I'm here, as it pairs perfectly with a Malbec or red blend. 5/5 The gnocchi ($33) were fairly pricey which I attribute to big chunks of lobster in a white sauce. But what SixtyFour did felt like a "bastardization" of gnocchi (my wife's words, not mine) by turning it into a homemade mac 'n' cheese of sorts, cooking it in a mini cast iron skillet topped with toasted breadcrumbs. Say what?! "Breadcrumbs" and "gnocchi" should never be used in the same sentence, unless it's "hey honey I did that grocery shopping, and I got beer, eggs, wine, gnocchi, ice cream, laundry detergent, kitty litter, AAA batteries and a box of breadcrumbs". It tasted fine, but there was absolutely no need to innovate here. 1.5/5 We reached a split decision on the dirty chai crème brûlée ($11). My wife thought it was different but lovely, whereas I found it strayed too far from vanilla custard and the flavor was overpowering, as if I just snorted tea leaves. It was REALLY strong, y'all! 3/5 Bread = 3.5 Circuses = 4.5 Our server Melissa was attentive and let us know about the wine tasting inside near the hostess' stand. We had a couple small pours (1-2oz) which equated to a free half glass, no complaints there. Restrooms were clean and the outside patio has a relaxing ambiance. The vibes are classy, romantic even. * TL;DR * It's fun sampling bold reds, sweet whites, and even rosé in 1oz, 3oz, and 6oz pours. I pity the fool who grabs a glass, sticks it underneath the first tap they see up front and presses 'POUR' without realizing they just selected a 2014 Chateau Haut-Brion ...... which retails for $500 a bottle! A half glass is nearly $75! I'll stick with a $7 Shiraz, thanks. As for the food, it's been mostly great with only a few exceptions. The gnocchi was whack, and the chai crème brûlée was polarizing. Due to the presence of delicate wine glasses literally everywhere, I would keep kids away from here. Leave the little ones at home and come here for date night. SixtyFour lists themselves as a wine bar first and kitchen second, which I agree with. If what you're seeking is a kitchen *and* wine bar, hit up a Coopers Hawk. Both places have solid wine selections, but being able to enjoy wine on-demand is a big plus. I'd happily recommend SixtyFour to friends and family.

I loved this place when it opened. It was the best. But…read morethere had been declines over time. Chairs worn out. Food not good. This was First time back since February. Up till then it had been a little hit or miss. But that day I asked for a recommendation and she said nachos. They were very sad. Our drinks were fine. They say they are under new management... And this time we ordered basics. Pizza. Good. Wings good. Drinks. Good. (Chairs the same.) Service adequate. ps we did not see the minion movie but it was cute that a lot of the staff had minion shirts and glasses on.

Birthday passes expire the day BEFORE they say they expire. Never going back. We've been coming…read morehere since it opened and come here for every birthday in a family of 8. Service has always been poor and this just seals years of sub-par experience. Drove all the way over for literally nothing. They sent a reminder yesterday March 3rd that my pass (that I didn't even realize I had since it didn't mention birthday once in the email) was going to expire soon. I clicked the link and got the pass expiring March 4th (today). I went for an evening show and they turned me away saying it was expired. So be it. Way to turn an easy layup into a total loss. We go as a family and there are 8 of us. This was for a single birthday pass. So they've lost 8 customers just by not having their stuff together. They used to give 8 birthday passes, then 4, then 2, now 1, and it expires the day before it says it does. Get it together HB. We're on the way to Hollywood Palms right now to see a movie as a family.