There's another game in town…read more Unlike our city's baseball rivalry, you don't have to pledge your allegiance to one of our two local leagues; you can love them both, equally and unabashedly. In fact I saw several Rollers at the bout supporting not just the sport, but The Outfit. However, their recent admittance to the WFTDA might change that; I have an inkling there will be some cross-town bouts in the future, until then I'll remain Switzerland. The Outfit is how I imagine the Rollers about 3-4 seasons ago, before they were packing them in at UIC. There's something a little grittier about this team and I dig it. Two things that aren't different though are the diversity of the crowd and the hard-hitting roller girl-on-girl action from the likes of Queefer Sutherland, Suzie Crotchrot and their cohorts In case you're imagining something like G.L.O.W. on wheels or the theatrical, almost comical, women's roller derby that aired on weekends (at least when I was growing up); think again, this is real deal. No scripted routines; but real rules, real competition and real injuries. Most importantly these girls are skating because they love it, they're not paid performers. Check out the next home bout, it's a fun, cheap way to spend a Saturday evening. Just get there early, seating options are folding chairs or the floor and the front rows fill up fast. Details: Venue: Windy City Fieldhouse (next to the Elston Target) with FREE parking Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door Beer: $3, cheaper if you buy beer tickets in increments of $10

What wild FUN! Chick Power!…read more With fourteen stars divided equally between my two indispensable companions, we went out that night to see some chicks kick ass. And kick ass they did - on the other team. They even had a little demo at the beginning of the match to help Roller Derby newbies like me understand what was going on. And you can drink a beer. Rock. The Roller Derby girls' names - Mon Dieu, really hilarious and imaginative. And the women themselves were really personable and very sweet to all the little kids who surrounded them like infatuated fanboys after the game, jostling each other for autographs - super cute!!! Really fun night. I think I manufactured some extra estrogen that night watching this display of Ultimate Chick POWER!

I have three children who currently attend school here. You really can't beat the sense of…read morecommunity and the commitment of the teachers and staff. The Performing arts teachers are top notch! The parent community is committed and involved. It is an excellent option to consider for your kids!

This is our second year as a Tubman family and we are extremely happy! Tubman has checked all of…read moreour top "wish list" items for a school for our kids: great academic program (wall to wall IB program), different electives, diverse groups, strong parent-admin communication and, most importantly...an amazing community!!

My baby girl takes a music class here and she enjoys it. The room for the class is well lit. This…read morepark district is on the smaller side but it has all the essentials. There's also a fitness center which is pretty busy whenever we visit. If utilizing their website, it is easy to navigate. Staff members here are very nice and helpful.

Your body is a temple and you should definitely take care of it. This is one of the first places I…read morewent to in the Chicago Area. I was a habitual runner and all around work out person, so I tried to find a gym and it so happened it was right around the corner. I can say be sure you are a resident or not because that does make a price difference. I am not but it is still inexpensive. Not many people are in the gym so if you go from 2 to 26...27... when the girl in spandex comes around, you are wasting your time. I like that it is small and empty most times, because I get my workout and can even do circuits without having to wait on machines. Basketball court... where people play in the winter. Also, Volleyball on Mondays is quite fun! If you work out for yourself and don't use heavy weights this place is for you. Minor downside is there is a daycare there and little kids are running around the hallways sometimes if you go mid-day.

As a beginner and having no experience, I found Gingarte to be the place for me. My first class I…read morehad no idea what to even expect. The classes are usually small, which I like, and the instructor is always willing to help you develop and catch on if you are lost in any part of the practice....and he's VERY patient. (Like I said, I had no experience so I would get confused every now and then.) Every time class is over, I want to do more. I really like Gingarte. Now, I just wish it was closer to home!

What an awesome workout! Millenium Park hosts free workouts on the field on Saturday mornings - tai…read morechi at 7, yoga at 8, pilates at 9 - and the 10 am class is always different per month. In July, the class that was offered was capoeira. The instructors were efficient, friendly, and got the crowd going. This is not an easy workout by any means, especially for those of us who haven't done a cartwheel since the early 90's, but it's definitely effective and gets you moving! Towards the end, they engaged us in a bit of Brazilian culture - singing a song and doing a handshake that ensures that everyone in the class has acknowledged one another on a good work out. They even have a stage demo / performance by the instructors as well, always fun. I'm sorry to be missing their show next Friday as I'm not from the immediate area, but this was definitely worth partaking in!

I attended four tango classes at Tango 21 in April/May 2011 with a Living Social. I wanted to meet…read morenew people, learn a new skill, and (yes) maybe even impress a girl down the road should I ever be caught in a tango dance situation. The first three classes were tough, but I was encouraged by Liz Sung, who was very patient with me. I'll always remember that because we were also the only Asian people in the room. By the fourth class, though, I remember the director Jorge Niedas becoming unhappy with me. After doing my best through a piece, he hovered criticizing my every move and complimenting my partner when we weren't doing anything differently. I was persevering as best as I could when he cut in front of me with my partner, said "You're terrible at tango" and danced the rest of the piece with my partner while I stood there shocked. I tried to put on a smile, but I was miserable and humiliated standing in the corner while all the couples went on. When I started getting emails about future events, I told producer Dinah D'Antoni I wouldn't be returning. When she asked why, I said "I felt that the class was too serious and overly critical to be fun. I was also interested in meeting new friends, but there were just too many dating/married couples." It was so hard to summon the courage to go to a dance studio, especially both as a male and single around all the couples, and with the unprofessional and inappropriate feedback I got, I don't think I'll ever dance again. Why would I subject myself to treatment like that? It's just not worth it. Lesson learned: Life is better as a wallflower.

I have taken Argentine tango classes with Jorge and Liz since 2007. They are amazing teachers, and…read morethey really love what they do. When you come to Tango 21, you don't just take classes, you become part of the tango community that is international, cool, and passionate about this dance. You make friends and you find a new amazing pass-time. Jorge's classes inspired my boyfriend and I to go to Buenos Aires and explore the argentine culture. After we got engaged, we decided to dance tango as our first dance. We took private classes with Jorge and LIz, and they created a beautiful routine for us that wowed all our guests. Tango 21 feels like home, and is one of my favorites places in Chicago. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Came across this small park while going by on a bicycle. It has many access points to The 606, the…read morebicycle trail that goes along Bloomingdale Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Julia De Burgos Park is one of the parks along this. Even though it's a pretty small one, it still has a lot. The playground includes a spider sculpture and a climbing web among other stuff. A convenient stop along this hip bicycle trail that goes along Bloomingdale Avenue. It's one of the many parks that access it. The park is known for the playground. Has a lot to play on. This was named after one of the greatest Latin American poets. She was born in Puerto Rico, and published 3 books of poetry in 1938. Then she moved and worked menial jobs, but she continued to write. It's not a park that has a ton of features, but there's some pretty cool ones. This is one of the city's newest parks. Land was acquired in 2009, and it opened pretty soon after. This park was renamed after her a bit later. Good way to get here is on a bicycle. It's also a good place for area residents to bring children. There's a pretty well taken care of playground.

This is a cute little Park that is off the Beaten Track…read more In the middle of the park is a spider web-like structure with a small trampoline in the middle. I have seen children and adults alike using this as their playground. Thankfully the ground underneath is a cushioned rubbery surface so anyone who may tumble out of this is not likely to get hurt. There also is a small climbing structure that can be very popular at times. During the week this part is not that crowded, acid is mostly used by locals in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there is now an entrance and exit to the 606 Bloomingdale trail, so a lot of runners, walkers, bicyclists and disrespectful pet owners have discovered it. If you want to enjoy the park come during the week, forget about the weekends as it is overrun with too many people who do not respect or clean up after themselves or their pets.

This is a great race that visit some of the great west side parks that are [art of the Chicago…read moreBoulevard system. Much of the race runs along these boulevards visiting Humbolt, Garfield and Douglas Park. This is a different view than the Chicago Marathon. The 13.1 race has improved since its first running. It was great to see Carey Pinkowski starting us on and cheering a little before the half way mark. In 2025 it was great to see Ted Metellus in the finish line VIP area after he ran the race. The start was well organized and there was no trouble with crowding. The signage was a little misleading making you take a roundabout way of getting to the bag drop. Found water stations plentiful, course easy to follow and crowd and runner support great. The postrace activities were better than the Chicago Marathon's. The music and the party were great. The only trouble I had this year was not signing up before they closed the registration. I think it closed early because many signed up for the benefit of completing the distance classic and guaranteeing a Chicago Marathon bib the following year. It would be nice to allow bibs to Chicago marathon legacy runners.

I just had to register for Bank of America Chicago 13.1 being that the start/ finish line is in my…read moreneighborhood. In time we will see how much this event grows but the opportunity to run this inaugural event was hard to pass up. The course also runs through some of the parks on Chicago's West Side that I am very familiar with like Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, and Douglass Park. The health & wellness expo was held within the Roosevelt Collection Shops, a beautiful location in the south loop of Chicago. The expo was very organized with the main stations highlighted. With it being organized, it did not appear too congested in the process. The volunteers were very helpful and kind at this expo. Packet pick-up went smooth after I identified the corral letter sent via email. After that, I went to the booth section with that particular letter to pick-up my shirt and bib number. Prior to the day of the run, I smiled every time I looked at the t-shirt because it reminded me that this is an inaugural event. Running an inaugural event is something that nobody can take away from you. Starting in Garfield Park, the course ran through Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, and Lawndale neighborhoods. My favorite highlights along the course were of course seeing the Garfield Park Fieldhouse, running through a peaceful Humboldt Park, and seeing locals on their porches waving. I adored the older women nearby Garfield Park on their porches waving, cheering, and greeting us with "Good morning!" as we ran towards Lawndale neighborhood. It is a memory of this event that I will always remember and cherish. There were a decent number of spectators and supporters along the course. Most were there to cheer on their supported runner whether it be friends, family, or runners' part of their particular running club which were mostly from either Three Run Two, or Chicago Road Runners. The majority of the course was flat with a slight decline and incline mostly within the viaducts along the course, but nothing too excruciating. I have to say the rough parts for me where the mental games started were from mile 8 to 12. There was a lack of spectators in the majority of the area plus I felt a nagging pain in my left ankle at the time. The course had enough medical personnel and police officers along it. There were also plentiful water stations with a combination of Nuun Hydration followed by water! And both were identifiable! It warmed my heart seeing the 'Biofreeze' set-up along the course which I just had to run through; running through it helped ease the pain I felt in my left ankle. I would definitely run Bank of America Chicago 13.1 again because its presence brings positivity to Chicago's West Side, plus, I would love to see and be part of the event's growth in time. ~Blessings~   Thomas G

Amazing!!!! Wow! I love ice skating and this was my first time on a ribbon and now I'm ruined for…read morelife and can never return to a tiny circular holiday rink again. This is way better! So freeing! So much more room and it's a fun course. I think the course is almost a half mile long. Beautiful downtown views and it's such a nice course in Maggie Daley Park. Friendly and helpful staff. Lockers available to rent. Refreshments available outside. I have my own skates so it's free if I skate during the first session, and only $5 any other time. I came here last week on my birthday and it was the perfect start to my special day. It brought me so much joy and I can't wait to return.

We went during Christmas break. You need to book your visit beforehand. When I book the only time…read moreavailable was from 8-10am. If you bring your own skate it's free. I like this place has railing all around and it is not the traditional round more like a trail. Feel quite iconic to skate here during our Chicago visit. I had been thinking about this since I cam in the summer.