Poop Fountain was everything we expected and more! A special highlight for us was talking to the…read morewonderful lady next door. She was so neighborly, and we spoke for a solid thirty minutes about the artist who made the Fountain, her neighborhood, and other pieces of public art. She made us feel right at home and is a wonderful lady. It seems like some of the other reviews criticizing her behavior may not be telling the whole story. As I understand it, some visitors were disrespecting the public space by coming at odd hours and making large amounts of noise, or posing with the fountain in obscene ways. Calling her a Karen is a total misnomer-- everyone deserves peace and quiet, even if they live next to Shit Fountain. Come here for serenity, come for excellent and warm conversations, come with your heart open.

The heart of the city. Better and less crowded than the Bean…read more This fecal fountain is a fun little photo op when you're in the city, and it's right down the street from Kasama, making them an unlikely but excellent pair.

So the fest was this past weekend, and it far exceeded my expectations…read more Unfortunately for everyone in attendance, it was a sweltering 95+ degree summer day, but the delicious food, music and huge amount of beer options made the sweat dripping down my neck and back bearable (Brew Fest Organizers, pleaseeeee consider making it an Oktoberfest!)   The sample punchcard was printed on the back of the paper map of the fest that you get when you arrive.  Another fest I went to had a lanyard punch card, which I thought was a nice touch...but not as green as this was.  So, yay for recyclables!    It really didn't matter if you had a punchcard once you were inside...because no one marked off your samples unless you literally put it in their face and asked them to.  Not that anyone needs more than 20 beer samples, but they almost seemed offended when I asked them to mark my card!   The music was good, the food was fabulous and I especially loved the Bravazzi Italian hard sodas. I saw them at Caputo's the next day.  Now I know where to buy them next time I'm craving one. My MOST favorite-ist beer of the entire night was Roaring Table's 5:00 tap special - a fruity/berry sour with whipped cream on top.  What a way to finish off the night!!!

I had the fortunate pleasure of attending the 8th Annual Barrington Brew Fest this year (2011)…read morelocated strategically directly in the North lot of the Metra train station (perfect for stumbling back to the train for an easy ride home). We decided to make a day of it, starting out with a wonderful lunch in the French Market adjacent to the station. What a delightful way to start off a cool saturday morning before an afternoon of heavy beer drinking. Sandwiches from Pastoral, modelo tallboys from the CVS located within the well air-conditioned building, and hot crispy frites from the belgian shop, SCORE, great start. After the luxuriously delicious meal, we bought our $7 weekend passes (super-cheapo bonus) and hopped aboard with previously mentioned tall-boys and played a game a Yahtzee while the hour quickly passed. Arriving at the station around 3:30, the festivities were well underway with several hundred beer-fanatics vigorously imbibing. The free t-shirts were long gone, but they offered past years T's for just $5 if you pleased. I paid my $40 ($35 before), grabbed my tasting glass and had at it. Some notable attendees included Floosmoor Station with two specialty kegs tapped early and dry soon (everyone love FS), as well as Lucky Monk's Oatmeal Stout and Wheat WIne (WOWZA WAS THIS TASTY). I also thoroughly enjoyed selections from Limestone Brewing, Half Acre, and Wild Onion's Hop Slayer was down-right awesome. I love me some IBU's and this packed in the hops. The brews and patrons were all top-notch and made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon (3-7PM). Best part (besides the beer of course: proceeds from the Barrington Brew Fest go to the Barrington Area Council on Aging serving seniors and caregivers. After a great day of craft-brews, we headed back one minute to the Metra and rode home, arriving before 8PM, just in time for late dinner and ready for round-2. The cold-hard facts: * Three Dozen Brewers & over 80 samplings * Bean Bag (Baggo) Contest * 50/50 Raffle * Live music by Second Time Around Food available for purchase from McGonigal's Pub, Cooper's of Barrington, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

The nicest thoroughfare in the area. This is a great and often scenic place to sit and relax or…read morejust pass through. There is typically art on display so it is usually a fairly interesting route or destination. Overall, a nice place to enjoy your beverages and snacks from home (or wherever else) and appreciate artwork in the outdoors.

This was our first time attending the Dupage Native Plant Sale. It is now held at the Dupage Event…read moreCenter and Fairgrounds. Parking and admission were free. This is a 2 day event selling over 150 different types of native flowers,grasses,shrubs and trees. There were many volunteers around to ask questions and get recommendations. Plants are not restocked daily so best is to go early on the first day. It gets crowded and with so many people pulling wagons and carts,patience is required! They do have a few trays to use but best is to bring your own boxes. Cash,check or credit cards are accepted but I wish the checkout area was in a different location than where the plants were being sold as the lines for checkout were very long. Proceeds benefit the Dupage Forest Preserve.

Amazing! Loved checking out all the 4-H projects! Special shout out to @ikonicglass for an amazing…read moreglass blowing experience!

Did a workshop with them through Critical Grind Board Game cafe in Shorewood. It was a phenomenal…read moretime! Our teacher was very knowledgeable and made the workshop a very fun time, encouraging all of our ideas and helping us bring them to life.

From the owner: We’re not just an art company—we’re your guide on a journey of self-expression, creativity, and…read morejoy, brought directly to you through our traveling painting workshops. Our mission is to empower individuals of all ages to embrace their creativity, experiment with different mediums, and proudly take home their very own masterpieces. Dive into a world of colors and inspiration at our interactive art workshops. Discover your inner artist and create beautiful masterpieces with guidance from experienced instructors. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your skills and connect with fellow art enthusiasts!

If you have never visited Elgin or haven't been there in a while you need to come take a look! My…read morehubby & have lived in Elgin for 6 years & they have putting a lot of effort into the downtown revitalization efforts...there's a lot more to Elgin than just the riverboat casino! There are plenty of neat places to check out so if you are looking for a new place to visit for the day or afternoon come take a look. You can check out my Yelp List, "I Heart Elgin" to see my reviews on the various great restaurants (oh so many I love!) and a few stores in the area we are fans of. The other non-eatery places I love in Elgin (but perhaps haven't gotten around to reviewing quite yet): -The Fox River Bike Trail (Algonquin to Aurora -you can go for miles, and miles and miles...) --The Fox River - plenty of nice easy areas to kayak -Several excellent parks, some along the river and some not, just to name a few: -Lords Park - one of my favorite places to relax (they have an area where they help rehabilitate injured wildlife so you can check out some deer up close along with foxes & a couple of buffalo, even!) -John J. Duerr Park (aka Blackhawk Park, aka 5 Islands Park) - it's along the Fox River Bike Trail -Walton Island Park (just across the street from the library -Festival Park -The Gail Borden Library (the second-best library ever- sorry the first one is in Columbus, OH) -Elgin's Historical District - love those big beautiful Victorian homes -A whole block downtown with at least 4 different antique shops -Mexican Bakeries - we have several, and yes that entire tray mounded full of cookies will only total $5! -ReStore -the Habitat for Humanity home store! -The Hemmens -Harvest Market on Thursdays (it's small but still nice)

Elgin is the best city in Illinois and should be rated on a national list. The only thing holding…read moreit back is the school system. I believe the school system is superior, but teachers and the community believes it is not up-to-standards. Otherwise, the parks are big and have plenty of space to fly kites, play soccer and enjoy life. Elgin has a big Hispanic and gay population, which makes us a very diverse community. The best part about Elgin is seeing all the families enjoying the community events, supporting the awesome government we have and loving each other! This city is a hidden secret!

It's the kind of place where you can catch incredible up-and-coming bands one night and seasoned…read moreindie legends the next. The sound quality is excellent for such an intimate space, and the atmosphere is pure rock-and-roll -- raw, unpolished, and full of energy. Drinks are affordable, the lighting sets the perfect underground vibe, and the crowd is always lively and diverse. It's a place that celebrates real music and creativity without the pretension, making every show feel like a genuine Chicago experience.

October-April. It is…read morethe second Saturday of the month. noon to 4:00 PM free to the public 21+ and parents with kids (same goes for sellers) Parking: Street Transit: #49 Western bus - http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/busroute.aspx?RouteId=198 Transit Chicago - http://www.transitchicago.com Handmade Market is a unique event to connect the makers of beautiful things to people who appreciate the unique and handmade. Featuring more than 30 amazing sellers at the market, selling jewelry, purses, knitted items, clothing, paper crafts, and more! The Empty Bottle starts serving at noon, so feel free to shop with mimosas in hand. (We do encourage relaxed shopping.) You can also grab brunch at the tasty Bite Café next door. Markets include funky jewelry, glass pendants, knitted items, handbags, clothing, paper crafts and more. Did you know that in the city there are many makers who create jewelry, clothing, scarves, handbags, journals, greeting cards, and more? Do you want your money to go directly to the people that make the things you buy? Here you can establish a personal connection, and our makers are even encouraged to demonstrate or make their products during the event. Sustainable crafterness this is a regular monthly event. We strive to create a crafter's market, with affordable handmade, mostly local items. There are a ton of crafters in the city, and we try to make this accessible to up and coming designers, jewelry makers, and others. Come out and help support your monthly crafter's market.

Not sure if this is the page for the whole town, but if it is you must know, I truly love it here!…read more We are from out of state, and Schaumburg is great! Has basically every restaurant & store you could want! Woodfield mall is here! Busse Woods is great, lots to do in Schaumburg! I really, truly love this village/town/city and was told that decades ago they fitted it to have the power capability of 3 times that of Chicago, because they were expecting it to out grow downtown Chicago! Schaumburg is great, and definitely has even more potential! I love love love Schaumburg-town!

This festival ran for 4 days until Mon, Sep 7. Parking wasn't so bad... parking in the neighborhood…read moreand took 20 mins to walk to the stage. I listened to the LP Vinyl band and they were pretty good playing rock music. There is no admission charges. Food trucks were around a few appeared popular, and the lines were not long. It's a super nice neighborhood surrounded by Mike Rylko community park with lots of police presence. Note that the pool toilets are closed so you have to use the porta potty but at least there are the touchless water and there is soap. Worth attending if you live close by.

Another typical suburban festival -- carnival rides, mixed with music stages, and food tents, and…read moresometimes, business vendors. To be honest, I enjoy em, and this one, called Buffalo Grove Days, or what the cool kids call it -- "BG Days" is A-OK with me. I do like how this is well laid-out. There are shuttle buses to take/drop you to where you need to be. I didn't bother looking for parking and ended up parking at wherever the Buffalo Grove Days parking signs pointed to, which ended up being at the Buffalo Grove Metra station, which was free. I do have to say that the offering of carnival rides BG Days have, compared to the other copious amounts of suburban festivals, was less. It was actually hard to use up our 22-tickets (this year it was 22-tickets for $25) and I'm glad I didn't go with the unlimited rides for $25 each. The carnival games included pop-a-shot, lucky ducks, and other typical games. Food-wise, the food tent was actually pretty big. Lots to choose from, from pizza, to Mexican, to Dairy Queen. Food prices were A-OK and definitely not like the $40 for a piece of lettuce prices you'd find at the Taste of Chicago. BATHROOM REVIEW: The couple of port-a-potties we visited were actually pretty clean! Many to choose from and there was no line on the evening we went. Sit or squat? It's still a port-a-potty after all. Squat.

Talk about environmental stewardship in all the right places. Visited your property for a TedX talk…read moreand able to tour your property. Enjoyed learning of your local levels of conservation bridging the way for others to learn. Thank you for your educational layers, your land use and your kindness to those who visit. Hands down a great place to come whether adult or to guide the young. What a beautiful way to leave a positive imprint in this world. Thank you for being inclusive to community coming your way!

McDonald Farm is a simple self discovery landscape with exhibits that demonstrate land useage and…read moreconservation. The volunteers are friendly, but not immediately helpful as they go about their daily duties. Nice place to bring a lunch & eat. I didn't check out the restrooms, so no review there. Quite a pleasant place to visit for a short time. Great for kids!