Not sure where all the negative reviews came from but my experience was excellent from when I…read moreentered and the very nice security guard walked me through the check in process and I waited about 5 minutes and my appointment time was on time. The dude behind the counter with the long hair (Mr. Rogges) I found out. Sorry if I spelled it wrong, was super informative, efficient, and helpful and resolved my SS issues right away! Thank you sir!!

Extremely rude. Won't let you finish your sentence when trying to explain an issue or question. I…read morehad to come back in with my ID because the young woman didn't take care of me correctly the first time I came in for a name change, rushing me rudely and obviously annoyed by my presence. I get it's busy. It's also busy at the drive through. And this job probably pays more, and is dealing with PEOPLES LIVES. Show some care, be kind, let us finish our sentences. There's no need to yell at me over and over again when I have a question about the process of how the check in system works. Just answer my question and I'll happily comply. Learn how to differentiate someone being a menace and demanding that you help them immediately, between a little 5'1 woman with a question because she was called in by YOUR office, to come in again since it wasn't done correctly the first time. That's confusing and not the norm. I don't understand how there are so many angry rude people working a job that handles sensitive information.

OMG. My family and I are huge Home Alone Fans. I have been wanting to come here for years. I…read morefinally stopped being lazy and took the ride out to Winnekta. This is a must see attraction and worth the drive. I turned the corner and there were lots of people standing in front of the house taking pics. I met a few people from other cities and even even other countries. This was just a dream come true to stand in front of the famous Home Alone House. You can also see the other houses that were filmed in the movie. Old Man Marley's house next door and The Murphy's house which is right across the street. The neighborhood is so beautiful. Just standing there felt so unreal. It Instantly gave me flashbacks from some of the movie scenes.

Such a fun Chicago tourist spot to come and see the Home Alone House! The house itself is owned and…read moreoccupied but currently going through renovations. The inside seemed to be completed in 2025 but the landscaping is currently being worked on. I loved the sign out front still nodding to the movie but this was such a fun and easy stop to make when exploring the Northshore.

I have many wonderful memories from my time at Winnetka Public Library. This library has helped me…read moretremendously with my genealogy work and with my family history work. The reference staff workers at this library are always kind, helpful, professional, and enjoyable to talk to. The library has a great atmosphere, and has excellent reading and work spaces. Winnetka Public Library has helped me discover and locate historical records that have been immensely important for my Illinois genealogical and historical research and writing work. Thank you to Winnetka Public Library and its wonderful staff of librarians for being a superb helper and advisor to me in my work. Thank you all for being a wonderful part of the Winnetka community and of the Chicagoland community. I look forward to many more great times with you all! God bless.

Mostly a review of the kids section. It's not huge but has a good selection. The children's books…read moreare lined up facing outwards which makes it easy to browse. There is lots of natural light and plenty of nice cozy areas to read together. It does get loud during busier times. Also the bathrooms are nice and clean. The parking lot is smaller but I've never had an issue getting a spot.

Evanston is a small suburb on the north shore. It has some good shopping and my favorite bakery…read more Downtown Evanston started a Plein Air Festival this year and it was really cool. I didn't get a chance to see the artists at work throughout the days of the festival (Evanston Made, the organization that sponsored the festival, posted throughout the days where artists were working so people could watch and engage with them). On the last day of the festival there was an art show and community judging. Artists had their works for sale, and I found a piece I liked as I was trying to choose which painting to vote for. I ended up buying it--I decided to do it right away because I was afraid someone else would snap it up--and it was a good choice because the artist won an honorary mention. I think the Plein Air Festival is one of my favorite things here Evanston is also home to Northwestern University, one of the most highly respected universities in the country. Between Northwestern and Garrett Theological Seminary, there is a Shakespeare Garden which is a neat, somewhat hidden gem. The Dearborn Observatory is just down the path from the garden. Merrick Rose Garden is about a half mile from the university as well, just a block or two east of Ridge; it's an idyllic place to enjoy a picnic, a wedding, or just stop and take some time to enjoy this lovely garden. A mile or so from the university on Sheridan Road is Grosse Point Lighthouse, which is something I need to explore one day (they do tours!) The CTA Purple Line goes through here; it's my favorite of the CTA lines because it runs express from Howard to the Loop. The UP North line of the Metra goes through Evanston as well. Downtown Evanston is near the university, in the Davis-Church-Chicago street areas. But Central Street is a cute area where there are shops and parks. Hewn is one of the shops along the section of Central east of Green Bay Road, and that's where I tend to be when I'm in the area. I also recently found Backlot Coffee here, on the other side Green Bay Road. I agree that the parking thing (mentioned in a prior review) is a problem. In Chicago, they have parking meters at which you can pay by card or coin, so I'm not sure why Evanston thought it was a good idea to do their parking by app only. But generally, I like Evanston.

The city is filled with vacant business storefronts yet they got rid of parking meters and…read moreencourage everyone to use their parking app to pay for parking. Parking is EXPENSIVE and the parking app often times does not work correctly, but do they care..... NO. Because the city is making money will the stores suffer. Last Christmas season they had free two hour parking, but you had to go through the app and attempt to find out how to use it then enter some code. Im computer literate and even I couldn't figure it out....so imagine all the older people. It was really a waste and just encourages me to not try to park, shop or eat in downtown Evanston.

I finally found my way to the Grosse Point Lighthouse. I wasn't sure where I was actually supposed…read moreto go at first--Google Maps sent me to the driveway to the homes just south of the lighthouse--but finally found my way. There's a lighthouse next to this area that's shared with the beach just to the east, so I think it could be tricky to find a space if the lighthouse is your primary stop, given the hours that the light house is open. I haven't had a chance to explore the lighthouse itself, but I have wandered the grounds, which are maintained by the Garden Club of Evanston. There's a lovely little trail here and a trail that heads down to the beach. I'm looking forward to visiting the lighthouse and checking it out sometime soon.

Nice place, gorgeous lake with a beach nearby. Very pretty. The grass is little wet due to…read moreyesterday's rain. Parking is free for Evanston resident, but I'm coming from out of state, so i paid 3 dollar for one hour. Played balls with my daughter's dog. Beautiful place.

Everyone there knows their job and is very helpful and friendly. I'm glad the building was…read morerepaired.--Kathy M.

Took over an hour for something that should've taken 5 minutes. The people working there do their…read morebest to not work. Its bizarre

I usually don't visit the civic center on the regular but when I do... I have a dos Equis.... LoL…read more I come here simply to pay bills (I could easily pay them online via their website) but old habits die hard and I'm just used to paying bills the old school way.... Anyway, I'm rating the civic center for 5 stars due to their swift customer service and I commend the city for reminding their residents about upcoming dues weeks in advance via email so that residents remember to actually pay the city ON TIME! Since I've left the civic center, the lines have grown but if you do visit, come early and come on a weekday. The lines are less busy and your chances of a long wait time decrease.

Would be nice if the announcement for vital record was at the entrance of the building indicating…read moreyou need an appointment. Super frustrating that you get there hoping to be serviced. People walking out being served WITHOUT an appointment. And when it's your turn the clerk tells you no that you need one. I clarified with so many people being served if they had an appointment and they said no. Thanks for nothing.

I needed to get copies of my daughter's birth certificate and visiting the downtown Chicago…read morelocation of the county clerk's office, although much closer, would probably have been incredibly frustrating. Skokie isn't that far away and just the availability of parking would make it an easier place to visit. This location of the county clerk, inside the Skokie Courthouse, is maybe a mile from Old Orchard Shopping Center (I guess I've never driven in this direction on that road because I had no clue it was here). There's ample parking at the courthouse. Obviously lots of court proceedings take place here but there's also offices for the Cook County Sheriff and other offices, including the clerk. It was a pretty quick visit for me--I was in and out of the building within about ten minutes. The woman who helped me seemed like a pretty unfriendly human, so that was too bad (I never understand this--it's not my fault that you work where you do or that you hate your job or whatever, so I'm not sure why people act as though they hate the fact you're making them do it). As of 2023, copies of a birth certificate are $15 for the first copy and $4 for each additional one. There's a cafeteria here though I don't know if they actually serve food here, at least anymore--maybe that changed during the pandemic. But they do have a lot of tables in the cafeteria. There's also at least one ATM in the building just past the security station. When you visit you'll have to put all your things through the security check so I'd suggest packing lightly.

Zero stars. Never park here. The parking process is designed for entrapment. And then they won't…read moreactually provide a means for you to pay your ticket (electronic tickets mysteriously aren't available in their system online (even though they're electronic) so you have to mail in your payment). Then, after mailing in your payment you will be repeatedly told that your payment was lost in the mail, during which time the amount owed will continue to escalate. And because someone thinks it's 1972, you can't pay electronically. During which time you will waste hours and hours talking to different unhelpful people who transfer you to lines that cut you off or to hold music from which no one ever picks up. All just trying to pay a parking ticket. Incompetence and entrapment at its worst. A lovely place otherwise but not worth the ineptitude and bureaucratic hell that comes with a visit.

The Winnetka park district offers amazing facilities like the ac Nielsen tennis center and…read morecountless number of parks in the Winnetka town. They have parks that are pretty clean and very great looking and that once you get to something from the Winnetka park district you will be like wow! I know parking can be a pain in the ass, but everything else in this park district is amazing!