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.

Exactly what you'd expect: a statue that looks like poop. There was also a super friendly outdoor…read moreorange cat nearby named Mister that made my entire day. He was so cute and so worth the visit to the Shit Fountain. It's also near Kasama, so you can definitely make a trip out of this or take a quick detour if you're in the area.

Sunnyside Mall is a fantastic outdoor community space in the Sheridan Park neighborhood of Uptown…read more I understand it used to be a questionable area, but the neighborhood association has revitalized it in recent years. It's a pedestrian strip between Beacon and Magnolia, paved, with several seats built in various placed around the mall. I'm sure the neighbors use this for all sorts of events. I've been here because my trainer, Dana (see my WHPStudios review), has been doing Saturday morning body strength classes here. Since they're super affordable ($15) I finally made it over here. Today there were just a couple of us but I know in other weekends there's been as many as 10 people at the classes. It's a really lovely, peaceful setting--quiet, with lots of shade from all the trees, and the weather has been great so for someone who doesn't love to work out, it made for a nice morning.

"You Know What You Should Do" by artist Jeff Zimmermann…read more This mural is located at the Oak Street Beach underpass entryway and covers the length of 260 feet of space . It was partially funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2011 to "promote environmental awareness" and "beach preservation." It is a bit on the abstract side with a hand holding a piece of popcorn in the air as an example of not littering. Images of "Uncle Sam," a Chicago-Style Hot Dog, and Bird Wings around and individual's face are just some of the images utilized in this mural. FYI-Apparently feeding seagulls at the beach allows flocks to be attracted to the beach and then their fecal matter contaminates the beach water causing it to be unsafe for people to swim. While good intentions-I am not sure most people would get that message.... Here is what the Chicago Park District stated: "In 2011, a mural was created by Jeff Zimmermann entitled "You Know What You Should Do" located along a wall running parallel to the Lakefront Trail and is the access point to the Oak Street Beach underpass. The mural, measuring about 260 feet in length and 9 feet tall at the very center, helps raise awareness of beach health and water quality issues. Its message reminds the public to help keep the beaches clean by not littering or feeding wildlife. The project was funded through a grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Studies have shown that seagull fecal matter could be a contributing cause of swim bans. Feeding the birds and littering attracts the seagulls to the beach." Source: https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/oak-street-beach

Stunning restored and/or maintained home with interesting exhibits. Great staff-very helpful, and…read morefriendly. Free Wednesdays from 4-7, but easily worth the price of admission.

This is a relatively small museum in Near North Side. A small auditorium will greet you upon…read moreentering. The first floor showcases beautiful rooms including the receiving and dining area and more. Fine furniture, statues, and other fixtures have interesting stories. They have a grand staircase that leads to the second floor which houses mainly the Tiffany lamps in different rooms. The third floor has a small Wizard of Oz exhibit with a part where you can take your pictures with some wearable items like a headband with lion's fur and ears, an axe, wands, etc. The small gift shop is also on this floor. You can finish the entire museum in 45 minutes. If you only have limited time in Chicago, you may want to skip this.

Took the Art Deco tour yesterday, what a great way to learn about some of the history of Chicago as…read morewell as the gorgeous buildings!! Our guide was knowledgeable and kept the tour interesting. Unfortunately I flew out yesterday afterwards, but will definitely be back to check out the Center as well.

This is a rather small museum and when I was there there was like two exhibits to check out. The…read morefirst floor is 1/3rd gift shop 2/3 the Chicago exhibit. This exhibit has a cool model of the city and interactive screen that you can highlight different buildings. It's really amazing. However, there's multiple computers and if there's a crowd, as soon as you highlight the building you want someone else highlights the building they want and becomes really hard to really take it all in. There's a small series of panels on Transit orientated development which I really enjoyed. I'm not sure if those are always there or just currently there. They seemed rather new. There was also a piece on regular field with a model of the stadium and some interactive stuff to play with with a scoreboard. Overall the first floor was pretty good. Second floor is where I disappointment kind of hit. I guess they were in the middle of changing exhibits so there was only a small section to see and that exhibit didn't really resonate with me and didn't flow very well. It's worth checking out, especially if you have some sort of discount tickets like I did.

I think mural paintings are so creative on a large scale. It seems that no matter where you…read moretravel, you can always see a mural or two that may be cultural or simply a message to others. As many artists use spray cans to paint on the huge canvas, it takes a certain skill to get the proportions correct. While many sketch their theme before spraying, I have also seen artists just do their thing. Creativity at its best provided it's agreed upon prior to display.

11/2/2025- My first…read moremural pic and review.. On my daily morning walk last week-.. I remember seeing this one behind our Chevron..and Tahoe Natural Cafe-.. Our murals depict our city and the creative artists in town!

A beautiful exhibit, it was different, it was sad, it was full of queer joy and romance. It was…read moreeverything every person who identifies with the LGBTQ+ community should see. It was well worth the price of the tickets, it was definitely worth scheduling a slot to go and see all of the pieces. We spent about 2 hours inside looking and taking in all of the work. The docents were knowledgeable and kind, some talked more than others but they were all lovely and polite. You must go see this exhibit if you have time, everyone needs to see queer art!

I had to go because my husband is an architect. Even though some of the staff was friendly, the…read morevibe is so pretentious. You have to be buzzed into the gate, and when my husband touched the corner of a concrete wall, he was admonished- my eyes about rolled out of my head. It wasn't a white wall, and wow, this place is that precious, eh? The exhibits were fine if the subject matter is your jam, but the vibe just reeks of snobbery, which just turned me off.

One of the best toy stores in Chicago. If you like these types of collectibles I'd say it's the…read morebest store frankly. They also have rotating art shows. I like the seating are and also their policy to trade figures with the open model if you want that one instead. Major fan here. Keep doing you Rotofugi.

What a fun experience! They had the rainy days Sonny angel blind boxes which is why I came. Price…read moreis reasonable and they always have different stock every time. A blind box heaven! Service was great as well!

I wish I had the time to actually stop and fully experience each of the exhibits more clearly. I'll…read morehave to take another trip. The kiddos enjoyed the sensing Chicago exhibit. I enjoyed learning more about the Chicago fire, the world fair & about the history of Uptown Theater. There is a cafe with coffee and other Chicago staples. I didn't eat there but I love the attention to detail on their menu offering. The kiddos said they love seeing the old trains & thought they looked better than the current or new ones.

If you've been to Field Museum, MSI, Institute of Art, Shedd Aquarium, and are looking to satisfy…read moreyour museum craving, this is a great option. You can get a discounted ticket on Groupon, and they also offer free tours to the public. The museum has two levels - the first one is mainly a theater and a diorama exhibit, while the second floor has a lot of artifacts about the history of Chicago from 1600-1700's and into the 21st century. What I liked in particular is that it covered multiple aspects - immigrants, industry, fashion, art, commerce, civil rights, architecture, famous people, and so much more. You'll definitely learn a lot - plan at least 3 hours. The only thing that could have improved the experience would be better designed plaques with text (or lighting). Some of them were hard to read because it was either too dark in the room or the text was white color on yellow / pale-blue background which didn't provide enough contrast. Other than that, this museum is definitely worth visiting!