The Kluczynski building is part of a larger federal complex. It shares a plaza with the downtown…read morepost office, and across the street is the Dirksen federal courthouse, with the three forming the Federal Plaza. It is architecturally significant because it is a building designed by Mies van de Rohe, along with the other buildings. One thing that is somewhat distinct, and pleases the part of me that likes things symmetrical and neat, is that the seams of the building line up with the stones used in the plaza surrounding each building. My understanding is that this was done to establish a cohesion between the three buildings, even though they're separated by Dearborn Street. I absorbed some Mies history during the 11 years I worked for the university at which he remains the most famous person associated with it (even over 50 years after his death). The Kluczynski building is classical Mies architecture. The first floor is recessed from the rest of the building, and is fully wrapped in glass. There's no offices really on this floor, as is the case in so many of his other buildings, where the first floor is almost always a common space. Black steel and glass that rises 45 stories into the air is typically Miesian. In addition to being a Mies building, the Flamingo by Alexander Calder--one of Chicago's most recognizable pieces of public art--is located in the plaza between the Kluczynski building and the post office. This building houses offices for several different federal organizations: Labor, the Passport Agency, the federal credit union, the offices for the senators for Illinois, OPM, etc. You'll absolutely need ID when entering this building so come prepared.

Me and my wife recently checked out this place to see what all the buzz is about. This place was…read morereally great especially after passing it up all these years and not realizing how interesting this place was. It's a miniature version of the leaning Tower of Pisa and it looks like by seeing all the security cameras that you were able to go to the top of this place.. It's a great place to visit for about 10 minutes before getting bored and just leaving. I do think that the maintenance is lacking about this place as well.

Excellent roadside attraction. Completed in 1934, this is a water tower in disguise. Added to the…read moreNational Register of Historic places in 2019 the tower is closed for tours while the tower itself, the grounds around it and the parking area are getting a face lift. Keep an eye on their social media and/or website for updates on when tours will begin again. The tower bells ring out a song at 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm and gives a single chime every quarter hour. The bells are lovely. At the time of this review the parking area is unavailable during renovation. The Aldi's parking lot next to the tower would be a good option until their lot opens again. The gardens around the tower are filled with beautifully scented flowers. The reflecting pool in front is very nice and there are two tiers of seating facing the tower with gardens between the tiers.

Uptown is a neighborhood in Chicago. My husband and I have been there many times. On a recent trip…read morethere we went to Stan's Donuts Uptown for donuts and coffee. Stan's Donuts Uptown was a great place to go. We parked two blocks away and walked to the restaurant. Parking was easy as paying for parking. I felt safe the whole time I was there.

I live in the section of Ravenswood where one asks: Is it Lincoln Square? Is this Uptown? Are we in…read moreEdgewater? We're the little section of Ravenswood that's Uptown due to a location just east of the UPN Metra. Uptown has its challenges, but like many places in Chicago there's more than meets the eye. Edgewater, which is the newest of Chicago's 77 community areas, was created out of Uptown in 1980 so was once much larger. Uptown was once even more an entertainment hub than it is today. Perhaps one of the coolest bits of history related to Uptown is that it was the home of Essanay Studios, which was owned by Charlie Chaplin during his brief stint in Chicago in the early 20th century. Today there's the Aragon and Riviera as the major entertainment attractions, with the Green Mill down the block from both. The Uptown Theatre, a Balaban and Katz masterpiece, has been sitting quietly for decades until it can finally undergo repair (I truly hope this happens). Uptown Art Week is also a nice celebration of the neighborhood and it's great fun to walk along Broadway to watch folks working en plein air. There's also the Clifton Avenue Street Art Gallery with some interesting and beautiful works celebrating the area, or whatever the artist was moved to create. Downstate Donuts is in Uptown along Wilson and you need to stop here. If you've heard of them, you'll know that they are the place that makes donuts out of potatoes. I'm not exactly sure how it works but whatever it is, it's deeeeeelicious. They're super creative with their flavors; I have to say that the miso honey butter is my favorite flavor. Terrace (once called Hearthstone & Terrace) is a cool shop a few blocks west on Wilson. They specialize in home furnishings and also have a large collection of plants (houseplants and otherwise). The owners are cool as are the other employees. I've bought some lovely plants here and some great photo frames. Uptown is pretty cool and I thought that even before I realized we actually live within the boundaries of the neighborhood. You'll find something to do or somewhere to shop if you visit.

This site is part of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. It's a Native American burial…read moreground, which was altogether unexpected. Alexander Robinson helped establish relations between the Native peoples and white settlers here prior to the founding of Chicago. Robinson was leader of the Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa. Though this land was deeded to the Robinson family in perpetuity, their memory has all but disappeared. The other tombstones that once were here are no longer, and all that remains is a large stone for Alexander, and a small bulletin board that explains some of the family history. There are no services here, but there are a couple of benches near the marker. There is no parking lot at this site. However, there is a small wayside just in front of it where up to three cars can pull over, along East River Road. I've seen deer in this area almost any time I've drive along here, including today when I visited.

I finally found my way to the Grosse Point Lighthouse. I wasn't sure where I was actually supposed…read moreto go at first--Google Maps sent me to the driveway to the homes just south of the lighthouse--but finally found my way. There's a lighthouse next to this area that's shared with the beach just to the east, so I think it could be tricky to find a space if the lighthouse is your primary stop, given the hours that the light house is open. I haven't had a chance to explore the lighthouse itself, but I have wandered the grounds, which are maintained by the Garden Club of Evanston. There's a lovely little trail here and a trail that heads down to the beach. I'm looking forward to visiting the lighthouse and checking it out sometime soon.

Nice place, gorgeous lake with a beach nearby. Very pretty. The grass is little wet due to…read moreyesterday's rain. Parking is free for Evanston resident, but I'm coming from out of state, so i paid 3 dollar for one hour. Played balls with my daughter's dog. Beautiful place.

Another brilliant summer afternoon spent people-watching, reading, sun-tanning, chilling, in…read moreGiddings Plaza, the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, and realizing that this is definitely the best neighborhood in Chicago. Giddings Plaza is the center of the area. On a beautiful summer day like today, it is filled with parents and babies, children playing, people having lunch, and even someone like me, who uses a day off to enjoy the whole panorama. Lincoln Square has a diverse population that's best seen on Thursday evenings when the farmer's market is operating, and the free concerts take place in the Plaza. It really feels like you're in a small, friendly town. The area has restaurants (many, many), an independent bookstore (BookCellar), a fantastic deli (Gene's Sausage Shop), independent and unique stores (Merz Apothecary, Eclectricity, Gallimaufry Gallery, and more), coffeeshops, a wine shop (Fine Wine Brokers), entertainment (Davis Theatre, Old Town School of Folk Music, free events sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce), a large park district (Welles Park), a big public library (Sulzer Branch) -- just too many pluses to list here. The neighborhood features plenty of housing, without feeling like you're living in one of those high-rise caverns alongside Sheridan Road. There are apartments, condos and single family homes. And the neighborhood luckily escaped the worst of the housing boom - there are a few McMansions around here, those hulking monsters that fill up their lots with not enough land left to place a flower pot - but not nearly as many as in other neighborhoods or suburbs. It still maintains the old Chicago 'hood character. The one thing that may develop into a problem is parking. Thursday night is already challenging in the area, since the Market fills a parking lot. Now that Lincoln Square Athletic Club has opened, there will be a lot more people coming into the area with their cars. On the nights when Old Town School has a big concert, parking is already an issue. Old Town School is expanding into a much larger, new building across the street from its current location, and you can be sure that will add stress to the parking issues. But for me, I love it. Nights on our block are quiet and peaceful. But when we want action, summer or winter, we can find whatever we want in Lincoln Square.

Out of all of Chicago's 77 unique neighborhoods, Lincoln Square is truly my favorite. This is also…read moreprobably why I chose to live here. It's far enough north from much of the city congestion, has a true neighborhood feel amongst an urban surrounding, and still manages to maintain a good amount of it's German culture. It's truly "A village in a city." Several German businesses are still alive and booming with pride: Chicago Brahaus, Merz Apothecary, Lutz Continental Café, Huttenbar, the Chicago branches of DANK HAUS (The German American Cultural Center) and the Niedersachsen German Club, to name a few. The Chamber of Commerce does a lovely job in making sure the neighborhood maintain's this "life" with many festivals and events like the SpringRavenswood Run, May Fest, Fold & Roots Festival, Apple Fest, German Fest, and the Christkindl Market. I love exploring the neighborhood whether it is sitting in a lovely cafe reading a book, strolling past the many shops or watching the kids play by the fountain Square.

This Avondale structure, housing Payless Shoesource, towers over the Gap and the Footlocker…read morebuildings across the street in Logan Square, evidence of Avondale's inherent superiority over Logan Square. Also known as the "Sears Tower of Avondale," it is not uncommon for residents of Logan Square to claim that this building is part of their neighborhood. But it's not, so get back on your side of the street.

Food was ok. Lockdowns sucked. The rooftop rec was cool- nice views. Also great " shows" on the…read moreparking lot. Units have on demand cable TV which I enjoyed. Commissary has rare items. It was not the worst place

In the category of detention centers, this one is a very nice one . . . by comparison…read more The guards are the guards everywhere you go and they have jobs to do but these guards actually smile and mingle will with the inmates. I see it in person. There is a gym, a library, highly competent psychologists on staff, and an actual offering of rehabilitation and education choices. This is phenomenal!