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 is one of my favorite summer festival to come and enjoy with my family. Great Food,…read moreEntertainment and Good Vibes. I have been coming here for many years and the vibes have always been good. The food prices are very reasonable. Food & Drinks range from $3.00 to maybe $6.00 if that much. Very inexpensive and budget friendly. This festival is a place for you to try different authentic foods, music and good vibes. You can shop the vendors tents and find some cool things to purchase. There are several stages where you can enjoy a live concert. There is a carnival with a few rides for the kids to stay entertained. I always look forward to coming here year. Taste of Melrose Park is always around the first week in September.

A bunch of us checked out the Taste of Melrose Park during Labor Day weekend. This is a food fest…read morewith free admission. Amazingly every food item was priced at $3 or less. It was fun to try all sorts of tasty foods. Many of them were Italian bites but there were other Mexican-style foods as well. We enjoyed items such as Italian beef, arancini, flat "fried meatball" sandwich, a "salad sandwich" that was quite good because of the fresh bread, cheese fries, cannoli, root beer float, slushie and a lovely serving of sfingi (freshly made "donut holes" made by nuns, how can you top that?). There are fair faves such as promotional freebies, carnival rides, a guy on stilts, and a clown pushing a mini-clown in a stroller (wha wha??). There is some entertainment as well (we heard bagpipers after someone belted out the Star Spangled Banner). This was sort of a folksy food fest, and the price was right. If you are looking for something fun to do next Labor Day weekend in the 'burbs, keep Taste of Melrose Park in mind.

The Farmer's Wife Cafe is the food service at Goebert's Pumpkin Patch in Hampshire, IL. You'd…read moreexpect overpriced, crappy food at a place like this. But I was very impressed. I thought the food was far above average for a joint like this. Sure, its your basic fare -- hamburgers, beefs, brats, hot dogs, chicken strips... But all were prepared well and freshly. Their cider donuts are *awesome* if you get them while they're hot. Their ordering system is a complete tragedy and is just about as inefficient as possible, but oh well. Fresh roasted corn on the cob is available from a separate vendor in another part of the farm.

My family loves driving through this neighborhood to see both the uniqueness of each home's…read moredecorations as well as the design and style of the exterior of the house itself. We even saw some Hanukkah decorations, so cool!

A little off season now, I know - I had been wanting to finish this review during the holidays but…read moregot a little bit busy. So here it is, if you're wanting the experience of enjoying Christmas lights, at a really slow pace while you're in the comfort of your car - come here and drive around the Lincolnwood Towers Subdivision (still thinking of Rush). But of course, come in the evening to get the full effect. I promise you that it'll become tradition, especially if you have little kids or even big kids. They in turn, will eventually take their kids. It only takes about 20 minutes, at the most. I've actually picked up folks at O'Hare from outta the country and have taken them directly here for a quick tour - before going home. They were amazed!! The decorations and displays are over the top and my favorite of all time...drum roll please...is the house with the Christmas tree seemingly protruding through the roof. How clever!! Ahem, these are our Lincolnwood neighbors sacrificing their privacy and convenience, so please be courteous to those driving their Range Rovers and G Wagons. Pretentiousness aside, this is a really nice neighborhood that puts on a great display of the Christmas spirit and therefore, a big thank you to these folks!!

It has become a tradition to come, meet friends, drink a beer, eat a thuringer and enjoy…read more Crowds can be large on nice days but for the most part everyone is relaxed and happy. Sunday afternoon is a great time for families.

Maifest is one of my least favorite fests in Chicago, but it's close to home so I find myself here…read moreevery year. The problem with Maifest is it is so insanely crowded. There is a thin row of standing tabletops, and other than that, there's just lots of people congregating on the (closed off) street. There is only one food stand offering sausage, pretzels, sauerkraut, etc. There is also only one beer stand offering one type each of domestic or import, the latter being $2 more. Expect long lines as there is only one tent for each. Music is lively and gets the crowd pumped. I'm always surprised how many pregnant women and babies are there; I get nervous they will get pushed or trampled. And definitely expect at least a little beer to get spilled on you, as a lot of the songs call for lifting your beer in the air, and you're surrounded by drunk people... #gross Overall, come for a beer, explore the neighborhood, and don't expect too much, otherwise you're sure to be disappointed.

The zoo lights are beautiful some of them are synchronized to music. This is a very nice experience…read morethat I think every Chicago visitor should see. There is plenty of places to pick up a drink or two and some light food. While you are there you can also stop by the lion house or the reptile house and visit with some animal and warm up if it's a very cold day.

I had an amazing time at Zoolights at the Lincoln Park Zoo! This is a fun Chicagoland holiday…read moretradition and there is so much to experience ! From the ferris wheel to the sparkling holiday light tunnel, there is something for everyone! Perfect holiday outing!!

Back in 2005, there was a giant wave of rain that rocked Chicago leaving a mysterious water stain…read moreunder the viaduct at the Fullerton exit on the Kennedy Expressway. A passerby declared that it appeared to be the Virgin Mary, setting off a media frenzy. Flocks of the faithful gathered around the stain, leaving a vast array of flowers, prayer candles, wreaths, and all manner of offerings for the blessing of the Virgin Mary. The crowds went on for days if not weeks with many of the believers praying and kneeling with full faith that they were indeed peering at a veritable miracle. Driving past, you could see the impressive display of floral arrangements and wonder if something special really did materialize out of nowhere. Of course there were skeptics, but that did not turn away the crowds who stayed relentlessly guarding the stain. Skeptics on the other hand, remained unconvinced that this stain was of supernatural origin and ridiculed those who stood watching the mysterious stain. With all the hubbub about the stain, city employees decided to take matters into their own hands and in a stealth operation reminiscent of the bulldozing of Miegs Field, painted over the stain of the Virgin Mary with dark brown paint. As I struggle to recall the details, there were a pair of brothers who worked on cars nearby who heard that the stain had been defiled and quickly went to work expertly removing the last of the brown paint. With the last of the paint removed and public outrage, the city decided to leave the stain alone. Fast forward five years and you'll find that a seesaw battle has been raging on between the believers and non-believers as the stain has seen days of vandalism and restoration. Making my first visit to the shrine, I found candles still lit in the middle of an idle Tuesday afternoon. Flowers laying near the shrine were fresh and there was a garbage can and broom left next to the shrine for its anonymous custodian. There's certainly a mystic aura with all of the scribblings left behind and pictures along with the candles and flowers. It's quite remarkable and while I can't profess to say if the Virgin Mary is there or not, the stain is well worth a closer examination. Looking up close, you'll see that paint still marks the perimeter of the stain. Around the stain is a wooden frame bearing the picture of the stain in its former unblemished state while a ledge of candles lies directly underneath. The homeless take shelter on the opposite end of the overpass, but as I approached the sleeping bags and bags of garbage I didn't see any people sleeping. It's not up to me to say whether or not the Virgin Mary can be found here or if the stain is the result of rain or some miraculous act. All I can say is that it was a neat trek to take a close look at one of Chicago's most obscure landmarks.

100th Review!!!!!!!…read more ...And the honor goes to, drum roll please... THE VIRGIN MARY VIADUCT STAIN!!!! Every year around the globe countless visions of the saintly Virgin are brought to the attention of those devoted to her. Rightly so, Chicago has its very own Miraculous Vision of the Virgin. And how, might you be asking, is this image brought to us but in no other way than In the form of a stain underneath the Kennedy expressway at Fullerton. Tens of thousands of people have flocked to this holy site since its discovery in 2005. Some say its the rocks long exposure to moisture, while others claim its saintly form is derived from winter salt laid by city trucks. Me... I'd like to believe this divine image sprung forth from the well of one of gods lowliest of servants, the urban transient. For it is written that the meek shall inherit the earth, and the underpass his holy water. To this day you may still see this wonderful incarnation and lay flowers, with the others already there, to pay the respect it deserves.

This review is really late, but I wanted to thank the staff at BloOuts for a wonderful Ladies…read moreNight. Sometimes it is nice to go out with just the girls! I had fun getting my hair curled and going out for dinner afterwords with Michele B and Valerie W. I loved the ice cream that had alcohol in it. I am going to have to contact the lady who makes it!

Very lovely and low key event…read more They took my hair from frizzy to fab and the results lasted all evening and the next day! My stylist asked how often I wash my hair and I told her about every other day or every day when I workout. She told me not to work out the next day (Friday), so I listened and waited two days. I'm pretty sure my hair would have remained flawlessly flat on the third day if I hadn't worked up a sweat on Saturday. Their Oribe products smell great, too! I couldn't stop sniffing my hair. Lots of cheese and fruits to nibble on. Drinks of the bubbly, boozy and non-alcoholic variety. Jenny S. and I combined champagne with the juices they offered to make a tasty mixed drink. They also provided Miss Dottie's Pound Cake samples and spiked gelato. Only touch-up services were part of the event. Normal blow out services are $35 and include a shampooing beforehand, so perhaps what we were shown was not the most accurate representation of what you would get. However, if they were able to make us ladies look this great without washing our hair, I imagine the results would be even more stunning if you came in as a paying customer and got the full treatment. They also offer Up Do, Braids and Ponytails. There are different prices depending on whether or not you have your hair washed and if you are under 14 vs adult. I could see this being great for anyone who needs some hair help, and as a particularly useful and affordable option for teens. Thanks Angela S. and BloOuts. I had a wonderful time! I don't live nearby, so I don't know when I'll have a chance to come back, but I'll definitely keep them in mind if I have a special event to attend in the area and I'll recommend this place to all of my local friends.