I've lived in the area for a bit and FINALLY made my way to the Laugh Factory. My friends and I…read morecame for a late night stand-up show. Tickets were free!! Honestly a great show, I've been to some really bad stand up before and I was impressed by each of the comedians. There is a two drink minimum per person - alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Not a big deal to us since we were in the mood for a drink and didn't pay for tickets, but something to note if you're coming to a paid show. There's a lot of open seating as well, and all were in great view of the stage. The venue is fairly large while still feeling pretty intimate. If you're a fan of comedy I'd definitely recommend a stand-up show, and I'll probably be back to check out one of the paid ones!

3-4 out of the 7 comedians were decent or better. Tickets were cheap at $25/piece but the 2 drink…read moreminimum is stupid. Just include it in the price of the ticket. My wife and I don't drink but we ended up spending $50+ on mocktails which was about the same as the tickets and was an unexpected surprise. Stupid policy. The chairs are also very uncomfortable. Try to get a booth - they looked comfier.

First time visitor. Loved it! This is an older smaller…read morevenue but that adds to the experience. They do have cashless snacks and drinks for sale. Staff was so polite. Actors were great. Show is a must see. The story of Bernadette ! They do sell merch as well after the show.

The Athenaeum Theatre is nicely located on Southport and I appreciate the quality of acts they…read morebring in. We saw Bernadette the musical and enjoyed the show. Picking up tickets at the box office was easy and the service was good. However, the venue itself is showing its age. I was seated in the upper balcony and noticed ripped seats, cracking walls, and broken lamps. The theater needs some restoration work but still a great spot to catch a show!

We attended Trickery on Saturday 04/18/26. Aaron was adept at working with a diverse audience to…read moreinclude them and maintain control of his performance in a very intimate setting. Because it's BYOB you'll get the 20-somethings that feel they have to get loaded beforehand and then act the fool while attending (do you hear that "Neil"? No one wants the focus on you acting like it was your first experience with alcohol) but Aaron was skilled at bypassing them without causing tension or escalating bad behavior. Aaron's attitude is one of someone who has worked hard to make this little venture work, and he deserves respect and recognition for his obvious commitment and work ethic. His act included variations of tricks performed by other magicians, with his own twists. He is an expert at sleight of hand and distraction, which is considerably more difficult in a room about the size of an average residential living-room. He had an appropriate sense of humor aligned with an audience coming to Boystown, an overtly gay neighborhood in Chicago (if you're not familiar). However he wasn't garish, flaming, flamboyant, or offensive; he managed a perfect balance of innuendo humor and audience engagement without being cheap or ingenuine. The snarky one-liners will likely go over your young kids' heads (although bring them to an early show, your 9 year old doesn't belong in Boystown at 10 pm on a weekend), and he carries himself with class avoiding the use of profanity or graphic terms. Again, I can't overstate that his tricks were amazing, impressive, and captivating - as magic should be. You leave the show shaking your head and wondering how it's done - which truly makes it "magic". You would be hard-pressed to spend $36.36/person for an hour of live entertainment that can match Aaron's performance. Pro-tip: If you're driving there you will need to use an app to reserve parking, as there aren't garages like downtown Chicago and every street is filled with so many signs there's no way you will return and find your car not-towed or not-ticketed. Chicago does this on purpose to generate revenue; you'll see "street cleaning" on Tuesday from xx hour to xx hour, no parking when snow is over 2 inches OR any time from Dec 1 through April 1, loading zone, 15 minute stopping/standing with flashers, no parking, residential permit zone only, bike lanes, bus stop restrictions, etc. If you find street parking and think you've beaten the system, think again. Nobel Prize Laureates, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy League PhDs, Mensa members - you can meet them all at Chicago Central Auto Pound retrieving their vehicles. Stephen Hawking couldn't drive, but if he could and he parked in that neighborhood all the quantum mechanics in the world wouldn't make his towed car reappear from the Chicago Parking space-time continuum. The nice thing is if you do reserve parking and give yourself enough time you can walk to many, many restaurants and bars in the area that are open even after the 10 pm show ends. Thank you Aaron for a wonderful experience, you made my wife's birthday memorable for both of us.

We were at The Trickery last weekend for a magic show - our age group ranged from teens to senior…read morecitizens and we all had a blast. The highlight of our weekend in Chicago. Aaron and Steve are truly amazing magicians and performers - highly recommend!

Nice theater, small and well managed. Went to watch young Frankenstein with our 15 year old which…read morewas a mistake. The musical should be 18-+ because of some content. If our daughter didn't tag along my husband and I would have enjoyed watching it to the end . We left in the interval because we didn't want our daughter feeling uncomfortable. So many wasted $$$

One of my favorite mid sized theaters in the city. I've seen a number of shows here and they all…read morehave been excellent.

I am taking a metal jewelery class here. I kind of feel like a badass working with power tools and…read morewith metal. The class is $115 for 10 weeks. What a fantastic deal! There are so many things to learn, like using a saw to cut through metal. And welding! (Using fire!) Lots of different techniques and tricks to use, lots of things to learn. The class is very rewarding, as I get to wear my jewelery as soon as I am finished. I am having a ton of fun!

My niece has a play group here once a week. It is in a basement room filled with fun toys and…read moreother kids. She has a blast and the staff is great. She is constantly singing the songs she learns here and is enthusiastic for all the activities.

The International Museum of Surgical Science ended up being way more interesting than I expected…read more It's inside this gorgeous old mansion on Lake Shore Drive, the kind of place you walk into and immediately think, "Wait... surgery happened here?" The whole building used to be a private home modeled after a French chateau, which makes the contrast between crystal chandeliers and antique bone saws kind of fantastic. I'd say 1.5 to 2 hours is the sweet spot, depending on how deep you want to go into the placards. You can easily stretch it longer, because every room has some wild piece of medical history to learn. There's everything from early anesthesia equipment to an iron lung, to old surgical kits that look like something a pirate would carry. It really hits you how fast medicine has evolved , I mean we really went from "bite this leather strap and hope" to modern surgery in basically a cosmic blink. Makes me wish I could time-travel forward to see what medicine looks like in 200 years...though I'll be very, very gone by then:( One thing to know: there is absolutely no place to eat or drink inside. No cafe, no water bottles for sale, nothing. Just a tiny gift shop with some quirky souvenirs. So show up hydrated or plan to escape for snacks afterward. Overall, it's a great stop if you like history, science, or simply marveling at how humans figured out how to keep other humans alive. A little eerie, very educational, and surprisingly beautiful.

I went there for an event last night, but we got full reign of the museum. We did a scavenger hunt…read moreso we got to see every inch of this place. Chicago has a bunch of these smaller niche museum, but I thought this one was one of the better ones. It's an an historic house that would have overlooked the Lake before LSD existed. The exhibits were all pretty good, but my favorite was eye care. They had some great optometry artifacts and a collection of sunglasses over the years. They also have quite a bit of original art, mostly in sculpture form which is both odd, but still important. Another thing I liked was that it wasn't overly graphic. There's a plastic surgery section that has a few slightly unsettling portraits of people maimed during WWI. I mean, I kind of felt more bad for those poor people which I think was the point. If I were to give it all a rating, it's a light PG13. If there are any downsides, the place is a little on the expensive side for its size, but they're constantly running events that include admittance. They also seem to lean on some kind of artist or researcher that does a lot of dream stuff. I didn't like his stuff as much. Also, the sections are a little disorganized, but that might be spacing in issues. Either way, this was a pretty interesting place. I'm betting they do an awesome Halloween event because it's a little spooky, but all educational. The gift shop is neat too!

I went to the Japanese Cultural Center to take free trial class from Grupo Capoeira Brazil. Not…read moreknowing what to expect, they quickly welcomed me to the group and got me working up a sweat almost instantly. I came into the class with some martial arts experience, which really helped when it came down to footwork, kicking, and coordination; however, I began to learn techniques that helped me understand my body's capabilities that I couldn't really have developed in other forms of martial arts. Who knew that I would thank my younger self for taking the time to learn how to cartwheel! And even if you're one of those individuals who hasn't taken a day of Capoeira class in their life, I highly recommend you come in for a class just to try it out. The dojo is always filled with friendly faces that will take care of you and provide you with a safe learning environment. There are two floors padded with floor mats to practice martial arts so there's plenty of room. Just don't forget to take off your shoes before you enter. :-) Formanda Colibri is the instructor over there and you can just tell that she is just so passionate about all aspects of Capoeira. She works very well with beginners, and you will never feel left out of the class for being a novice. She is also constantly challenging her students to become better at Capoeira during every class, and you will never forget how amazing she is when you first see her play Capoeira. Class sizes range from a personable size where the instructor can work with you and the other students one on one to a room packed with capoeiristas filling the center with crazy energy! Capoeira is a great form of exercise that will make you leave the class feeling relieved and thankful that you got up, took a chance, and spent an hour and a half working practically every muscle in your body. One of the best things about Capoeira is that you don't need to bring anything to class! (well, maybe a water bottle because you need to stay hydrated!) They provide the music and floor mats. All you have to do is show up, have an open mind, and willingness to learn.

I had taken the beginner introduction class. I can say it was a great excercise workout with…read morestretching all of the leg and back muscles. The instructor was great, professional, and encouraging. She definitely is dedicated to this martial art form. I enjoyed watching the advance students jump and do cartwheels all over the gym. I just wish I can do it. The class size is small with great opportunity for special attention on your needs. Pricing is inexpensive and affordable. You can pay as you go per class which is $25.00 or you can pay all the classes per month or week.

I started learning piano as a young child, and after a (20 year) break, decided to seriously study…read morepiano again. I interviewed several teachers in Chicago and Betsy was the only one who came prepared with a propose course of study. That said, while she takes the lessons seriously, she is unfailingly kind. I've been taking lessons with her for five years now, and while we've often taken detours from the original lesson plan, I've improved greatly. What's more, I have a rekindled joy from the piano and music generally. Betsy loves teaching piano, and you'll love taking lessons from her!

Betsy is an incredible piano instructor. Our 6 year old daughter has learned several songs on the…read morepiano and gained some great knowledge. Our daughter looks forward to her lessons every week and Betsy is always very welcoming and kind.