This was my first time at this fest and we had a great time. There was a great selection of…read morevendors who had a wide variety of dogs and most also had a traditional Chicago dog as they should! We were there for 16 Candles and they are just pros at the festival circuit. I loved the Depression Dog from Enzo's, the Rahm and Obama from Chicago Doghouse. The Snoop Dog from flashy was good but I felt they were a little skimpy on the toppings and their lines were very confusing as they made people wait to order. And don't breeze past Taco in a Bag as they have fun takes on dogs! We did not go to the bouncy houses but that are looked awesome! There does need to be more porta pottys. We hit them at 730 on night one and was almost full and no tp! Would also love for there to be hand washing stations especially since hotdogs are eaten with your hands. Signage for having to purchase dog dollars and where to do it need to look different than the rest of the signage so people notice, or have it mentioned an beverage tent signage. I saw so many wait in line order drinks to have to leave them due to no dog dollars (although I also thought "have you never been to a festival before?"). All in all fun event! Glad there was Goode Island Green Line and happy to see the Chicago Dogs baseball team doing marketing there. Hope to be back next year!

This was my first time at the Chicago Hot Dog Festival, and I'm so glad to have checked it out…read more PARKING: It's close to Lincoln Park Zoo, so street parking is pretty much non-existent unless you get lucky. There IS a $20 lot directly across the street. We used Spot Hero to find something cheaper. EVENT: There is a $5 SUGGESTED donation. We didn't. :X Highlights: - Many jumpy/climby houses for the kiddies - Some craft/goods vendors - Live music - Tables w seats/umbrellas AND tall standing tables - FOOD, incl. ice cream, but c'mon: hot dogs. Duh. Aforementioned FOOD: Lines varied Sunday afternoon. The longest wait time was 10 minutes or so. 1/2 size hot dogs are usually $4-5, with fulls $8-10 (except Fatso's $5 Veggie). Bottled water is $2. Tip: as with any fest, bring your own water to cut costs. I had two halves: + Char Dog (Fatso's) - 4/5 flavor, 3/5 value Standard Chicago-style dog but charred. The char taste was great, but the size? An absolute teeny tiny "half." I'd argue the dog was 1/3 size a regular link. + Momona (Chubby Weiner) - 4/5 The dog was wrapped in BACON and topped with pineapple, bleu cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of some sort. Very good. The line backed up easily, though, since the two girls taking orders ignored customers and just meandered for a while. No joke. Very annoying. The only full-sized dog I ate: + Veggie (Fatso's) - 3.5/5 Panko-crusted eggplant, sweet potato, and bell pepper hotdog, Chi-style. It had good flavor, but was total mush to eat. That's not atypical since some veggie burgers can be like that, too, depending on the ingredients used. The amount of mustard and onions they put on overwhelmed the "dog" flavor. It's nice to see veggie options, though - and for only $5! I shared some fries ($4 for a massive portion at Edzo's), water, spent UNDER $20, and left STUFFED. I'm not quite sure how people can drop $50 unless they're spending it on alcohol (it's about $6 per beer) too. OVERALL: Great event to get your encased meats fix!

I was at Taste of Orland Park for this year's Taste that runs this weekend only. so tonight they…read moreare open untIl 11 pm, tomorrow 3 to 11 pm, and then Sunday 3 to 9 pm. I got pizza from Papa Joes, Barraco's and Jets pizza which is 2 half slices that is in a box. The drone show scheduled for tonight is postponed because of rain and instead 11 pm tomorrow night. This year before the veterans ceremony Jim Corinelson who performs the nat Anthem at Blackhawks home games, will sing the national anthem on the main stage tomorrow night at 6pm. The update is because of the weather and status of the grounds, the village has canceled Taste of Orland Park after delaying the gate opening to 6 pm. This is for today August 1st, but they are hoping to be open and see you tomorrow. If any wants Jet's Pizza, it is in the same row but further down that Papa Joe's.

Well it's moved again ... this time to the brand new Centennial Park West venue. The review…read morecomments from the past still apply, but this new venue is roomier and allows for more patrons and food tents. Now in its 21st year, Taste of Orland is a fun outing. Bring your own chairs to be sure you get seating. The permanent stage allows for much better audio performances. Fun outing ...

I had such a wonderful, fun experience at the Steel Yard last night!…read more I was at a San Francisco Giants game a couple of weeks ago and I honestly had more fun last night. It is a much more intimate and a community oriented experience. The stadium is beautiful. There were a lot of fun activities and events including dizzy bats, a tricycle race and my favorite thanks to two very enthusiastic participants ...the bubble balloon fight. It was also great to see so many kids participating in fun activities throughout the evening. The game was great and it was cool to see the Railcats put on a show and exit with a win. The food was excellent and I was surprised by the quality and variety. The staff were so welcoming and helpful. The owners are doing an amazing job involving the community and creating such a endearing and fun experience for everyone in the area.

Most importantly I'd like to share what I enjoy most about the park:…read more The architecture is terriric and especially the proximity to the Southshore train track which trains pass by every game, the spacious seating, the amazing outfield seat section, free parking and skyboxes. Its indeed a great field and always enjoyable so comes highly recommended. So it goes without saying that before my last experience and sixth game I would have gladly given a five star rating to the Gary Railcats stadium. However, after leaving my wallet at the consession stand this past game and it having been turned in within minutes without my cash it was dissapponting. I luckily asked enough staff members and was able to speak to the staff employee who found it and turned it in but believe he also stole my cash(it was either he or the manager in the box office). So despite being such a nice ball club, polite staff, great daily specials, nice gift shop and more its saddening to say the least.

No Music, selection of beer wasn't that great, cold and wet out, on concrete parking lot, so…read moreVendors didn't even show up. Was it worth it? No. Summer is way more better with it being on the grass, but hopefully they have music again the in Summer.

A bit disappointed, claimed to be a "WINTER" ale fest featuring winter ales…read more Weren't many - possibly 5-10 out of the 125 beers they claimed to have. Many of which were cans out of a variety pack. No water stations, and only one barrel burning wood for taking the chill off. The group that runs this sure rakes in the $$$.

La Palma by Chef Antonia is the best Puerto Rican food around! Always fresh and delicious authentic…read morePuerto Rican steak Pasteles plantains goat you name it they got it

If you weren't at the spot, I don't know what you were doing. Every year, the Puerto Rican Fest…read morebrings it! First things first about the Fest, it's free. That's right. No matter where you happen upon the Park to enter into a boricua wonderland, you won't have to pay a penny for the privilege of having some world class fun. You hear that, Art Fairs and Neighborhood fests??!! Here at the FP, there are no jack booted Chads and Trixies shaking folks down for a $20 'donation' just to enter the 'free' festival aka public streets and walkways [but what a great scam that is; wish I'd have thought of it]. If you're not a fabulous jet-setter like Vamsi or Preet (mm-hmm, that's right; I called you out for going to Puerto Rico and not taking me), this might be the next best thing. I like to enter the Park/Fest at North & California. I walk south down California, past the shirt, corn and other vendors and then cut up into the Park at the first closed gate. This route will also let you gaze into one of the many water ways of Humboldt Park and marvel at its beauty. Walk past the big rig trucks and you'll come upon the midway. Remember when you were a kid and went to the state fair? Well, all the awesome rides of your youth are here for you to enjoy: haunted house, tilt-a-whirl, bumper cars, etc. But watch out: there are plenty of youngsters and families about and, apparently, it's bad form to push the little kids out of the way so you can cut in line. Who knew? You need tickets to ride the ride, but there are plenty of booths that will trade your money for tickets. After you've thrown up from the rides (or been escorted out of line by the CPD, potato potatoe), play some carnival games (whack a mole, ring toss, dart throw, that water-gun-horse-game that makes no sense and a host of others) or get some grub! Games are everyday. Corn pancakes with melted cheese inside only comes once a year. There's so much food! Rice, pork, sweet plantains, pinchos (pronounce the "p"; otherwise it'll sound like you asked for a bicho which will get you either a slap or a date), empanadillas, pinonoes, alcapurrias and other fried deliciousness. As tempting as it will be to get food at the first booth you see, don't. Window shop, compare prices and go for the places with the longest lines. Some people walk and eat. Um, no. I need a seat. You can try to blend in with the bingo-playing grandmas (prime real estate with a tarp, chairs and everything) but they tend to side-eye you if you aren't playing. There are plenty of grassy tree lounges or benches. I don't do dirt, so I rec. the bench. Be aware that they are hot and you will burn your culo. Be prepared. Has all that food left you thirsty? If so, grab a hollowed-out pineapple filled with pina colada. They look great and are re-fillable. They're also huge (around $8). I heard that this is an alcohol-free event, but I also heard someone got a $10 strawberry daquiri that was 60% rum, 35% ice and 5% strawberries. I also heard this person fell down after drinking half of it. No, I don't have a bruise. While you sip your fruity beverage, tour the various booths. Register to vote, buy a quality knock-off (no Fendis out of trunks at this Fest), get some body oils, various Puerto Rican flag clothing or people watch. I saw a little kid with a tricked out tricycle that played, no, BUMPED, music and had a chrome box on the back. But for the witnesses, I would have jacked him for it. It was really nice. Still anxious for more? Good. The event producers are on top of their game and they have a ton of corporate sponsors. That means money for great music acts, quality sound systems, corporate tents (the Wrigley tent has Wii games to play, flavored oxygen to breathe and cooling centers) and various contests. My favorite contest is the reggaeton dance-for-concert-tickets contest which always devolves to an ass-shaking competition. It's awesome. There's plenty of popping, dropping, toe touching, wiggling, shaking, stripping and floor humping - and those are the men; seriously. But male contestants have to leave their shirts on. "There are kids in the audience." I've never stayed to see the night concerts. Invariably, I am sunburned, tipsy and in the early throes of a food coma. From what I hear, the night concerts are a lot of fun...but the frolicking family atmosphere of the day is replaced by the tomfoolery of teens and young adults. Since I am a brownstone stoop away from beating those self-same youngsters with a cane, I leave before dark. But the really good reggaeton, bachata, etc. acts are at night so...choose wisely according to interest. Forget what you heard about how 'scary' HP is and get to the Fest. It's so much fun. For a week, everyone is Puerto Rican. Get your flag, attach it to your car, cruise the circuit, honk your horn and viva boricua/Puerto Rico.

The food and the music were great. The disorganization and confusion about how to load the…read morewristbands made it less fun. One person in our group bought wristbands for four of us, but there was no way to load the individual bands, so he had to make all our purchases. Also, if you ran out of money on your band, you had to wait in a long line again to add funds. I'm not sure why Cashapp or some other app couldn't be used. It seemed very unorganized. They also had two tents for loading funds right at the entrance, so there was a lot of congestion when you first got into the park. Might have been a good idea to have a loading station toward the back. And it would've been helpful to have someone directing us to the correct line.

My family and I attended Vegandale for the first time in June 2024 at Chicago's Grant Park. The…read morefood and vibe where the best parts of the event. We did have a challenging time with figuring out how to load the wristbands and staff was hard to come by amongst the people. Also, 5 free samples were advertised but none of the vendors seemed to know about this offering. Overall, it was an ok experience. Edit: The free samples were indicated on the interactive map. Not all of the vendors had this offering.

Very cool, friendly place , Casino Gaming Room. They have a nice new fresh look. Comfortable…read moretables and chairs inside. Free snacks and drinks while you play. Alcohol beverages are extra . Several machines inside. Polite service. Open late, after midnight. Located in the Pershing Plaza. West side of street Harlem, South Side of Pershing. Next to the Hotel, Wing-stop and across from a couple gas stations. Zacatacos across street , best chicken tamales on the market ! Best deals over here. Nice people in a busy area ! Across from Jewel Osco and next to Aldi

I can not say enough good things about this place. Went there with a group of 8 adults in late 30's…read moreand we all had the best time. We played the Mall zombie one and experienced everything you think you would for a VR experience. Will definitely be going back. The guy told us they will be moving to Highland VERY soon. Will definitely be goin back and recommending this place!