ここのショッピングモールはシカゴで1番好き。 用もないけど行く場所。…read more 土曜日にシカゴダウンタウンの宿をチェックアウト。 近くのハーツにレンタカーを取りに行く。 返しは2日後の月曜日に空港で。 ダウンタウンから空港に近い郊外宿に移動。 数年前から中心地は異常に高くなり避けてた。 今回は好きなお店、好きな場所でゆっくり過ごすのが目的。 それでダウンタウンにしたが正解だった。 郊外宿に移って2日目。 行ったのはミツワで歌舞伎揚購入と名物ピザ屋さん。 何もせず宿の部屋で映画見て、ジムで運動して、 後は部屋でぼーっと過ごして、 16時に宿を出てショッピングセンターへ、 ここでトラブルが発生。 今回、トラブルに遭ったのでは無く、 私がトラブルを起こした張本人。 駐車場の止まれの停止から動き出した時に、 カーブで感覚が掴めず、隣のラインに入って隣の車とぶつかってしまった。 私の車線超えミス。 18才で免許を取って事故を起こしたのは初めて。 あーやってしまった。。、私何やってんだろ。 相手の女性ドライバーが凄く良い人だった。 心配しないでと私の手を両手で握ってきた。 よっぽど私が不安そうな顔だったのだろう。 彼女はパトカーを呼んで、私はハーツに連絡し、 警官が入って3者で事故検分が始まる。 停止からの1メートルもない数秒の動きなので、 互いに歩く速度。 傷は擦り傷が互いに30センチくらい。 2台ともこのまま運転しても問題ない。 別れ際も大丈夫、心配しないでと言って、 最後に手を出して握手を求められた。 私がごめんなさいと最初に謝った事が、 アメリカ人にはかなり新鮮だったのかもしれない。 こう見えて私とても素直です。 夫婦で互いにノミのが心臓と認定してます。 自分が悪い時には最初にすぐに謝ります。 相手が悪い時には一歩も引きませんけど。 現場で彼女の優しさに救われた。 私も彼女の様に余裕のある人間になろうと強く思った。 車を傷つけられたのに、微塵も怒っていない。 それどころか相手に優しい気遣いができる。 多分40代くらい、かなり年下、 冷静で大人の女性だと強く感じました。 ハーツは数年前から本土でも国際免許がいらなくなった。 雛形に自分で打ち込んだ英語文を印刷すれば良い。 借りる時は日本の免許証の写真をデータに収めそれで終わり。悪い事が重なり事故時英語文を所持しておらず、 日本の免許証のみ。 宿に帰って警察官にメール添付で英語文の写真を送る。 警察からレポート番号が出たら、 ハーツにオンラインで事故届出書を提出する必要がある。 バックナンバーの写真、オドメーターの写真、 傷の写真の３枚の添付が必要。 午前2時、宿の駐車場で暗い中、 外灯を工夫して写真を撮る。 もう不審者である。 提出書類は英文でいろんな質問事項が次から次に出てくる。 書きながら彼女の名前、住所を知った。 朝の車の返却前に仕上げたくて寝ずにやった。 本当に疲れた。 朝8時発でロスに向かう。 宿を4時前に出た。 好きな場所を巡り癒され楽しくもあり、 苦い経験となったシカゴ滞在。 人を傷つけず、不幸中の幸いだったと思う。 それに安堵した。 そして出会った女性の対応に感動した。 　　 海外旅の大昔は必ず日本手ぬぐいを２本常備してた。 優しい人達にたくさん出会って助けられた。 田舎道でガソリンが心細くなった時、 先導して数キロ先のスタンドへ連れてってくれた 2人組の女の子。彼女の車はスポーツカー。 手ぬぐいをお礼に渡すと声を出して、 飛び跳ねてメチャクチャ喜んでくれた。 ただなぜか、その場所をまったく覚えてない。 20世紀末頃。 ＄をほぼ使い果たして街で銀行を探した。 ビジネスマンに聞くと、 彼は5分位の徒歩で連れてってくれた。 服はバリッとした仕立てのいいスーツ、 髪も決まってる。でも足元はビーサン。 このパターンはニューヨークでよく見かける。 この時も手ぬぐいがお礼。 これははっきり覚えてる。 場所はコロラドスプリングスだった。 この時は夫と一緒だった。楽しかったな〜。 Googleマップも無い、ネットも脆弱の時代。 もちろんWi-Fiもない。 未知の世界にワクワク。本当に楽しかった。 ハーツの保険で対応できるのでひとまず安心。 でも落ちついて考えると、 これが年というモノかと過ぎった。 高齢ドライバーが問題になってる。 私もいつまで運転出来るか。 少なくとも海外都市部での運転は60代までかも。 あと数年の一桁しかない。70代までできたら本望。 すでに都内に車で出るのが億劫になってる。 昔は小田厚をバックミラー見ながらかっ飛ばしてた。 若気の至り。すみません。 次のロスではいつも以上に慎重に運転しました。 野球観戦はやっぱり面白い。 ひとりでも充分に楽しい。 自分が時に監督、時に審判員と化してる。 流石にヤジは飛ばさん。 ダグアウト観客にヤジは似合わない。 今年はこれが最初で最後の野球観戦になりそう。 8月のボブルヘッドデーにも行きたいけど この円安物価高のご時世じゃ考える。 ちょっと食事するにも円換算すると驚く値段。 けど、来年も必ず1度は応援に行きます。 日本帰国。 家はやっぱりいいなー。夫が居る。 私の最高の居場所。 早速。夜が明けたら丸亀に口直しに行こう。 帰りにセリアで次の旅の手ぬぐい調達だ。 おしまい。

I honestly really like going to Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, it doesn't feel like your typical…read moremall at all. It's actually a nice place to just walk around, especially when the weather's good. The whole area is clean, well-kept. There's a really good mix of stores too. You've got higher-end spots like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, but also everyday places like Apple and Zara, so it doesn't feel too exclusive or overwhelming. I've had good experiences at The Cheesecake Factory, and there are plenty of other options depending on what you're in the mood for. It's easy to spend a few hours here just shopping, grabbing a meal, and hanging out. I'd definitely recommend it if you want something a little more enjoyable than the average mall.

Great spot downtown with so much variety! The space is so beautiful too. I was downtown and hungry…read moreso I stopped by Sterling for a quick and easy lunch. It was bustling with others doing the same but because it's so big it didn't feel overwhelming. They really have something for everyone here. I decided to go with the Fat Shallot for a BLT. The servers there were super nice and the food came out super quick! The sandwich was fine, but the fries were my favorite. I ate lunch, got some emails sent out, and was on my way. It's a super convenient spot downtown with lots of options. Highly recommend!

Came here over the holidays and it had some simple, cute decor. I was surprised by how empty the…read moreplace was since there's a nice variety of options here. Tried 2 places here: 1 was really good and 1 was not good at all. Multiple stands were closed early for the day, but it could be cuz of the holidays. Not the best food hall I've been to, but also not the worst

Coming from Boston, I had heard the news that Time Out Market is closing its doors (in both…read morelocations!) in the next week, and I was looking forward to seeing what the Chicago food hall looked like. I was surprised to see that the website does allow reservations for large groups, so we booked through Resy a few days before coming. When we arrived at Fulton Market, it took a few tries but we happily found street parking. It was a little bit overwhelming when we first walked in. It feels "bigger" than the original food hall in Lisboa or the one in Boston - not necessarily in square footage, but primarily in energy. It was very busy and especially loud, and there was a DJ booth in the corner that felt closer to a club than a restaurant. I'm guessing part of this might be because it was a Friday night, but curious if it's been busier than normal since the announcement of the market's impending closure. The "reservation" system felt nominal at best, as there weren't any tables set up when we got there - by the time I was able to flag down staff for the food hall, it would have taken quite a while for them to find seats and move them together. In the end we were able to find a corner that worked out pretty well. Similar to the Boston location, you can order online. It didn't feel prominently advertised, as the food stalls themselves all had long lines and were pretty understaffed. In addition, after ordering online, there was no notification that the order was ready for pick-up (for several of the stalls). And while TOM is in a pretty central part of Chicago, the food felt spectacularly expensive for what you were getting. Pretty much everything was over $20 (before tax + tip) for an okay amount of food. On top of that, in our large 15+ person group, the vast majority of us felt that the food was definitively below average quality. Mine in particular was Bill Kim Ramen Bowl's tofu rice bowl. It was a depressing mix of unseasoned tofu cubes, dry arugula, kimchi, plain white rice with no sauce, a handful of pickled veggies, and a half-avocado that wasn't even sliced. It tasted about how it looks. None of that surprises me, but it felt like a far cry from the Lisboa concept, where I was a repeat customer for the high-quality food by distinguished chefs at extremely affordable prices. I'm glad I went, but won't be especially sad to see it go.

It was great! Been to their location in Barcelona, New York, and Boston. Love the local food…read moreoptions they have. Tried the dumplings and cupcakes. Both were delicious! The ambiance is nice per usual. Highly recommend!

Southlake is hanging on by a thread. An increasing amount of dead-malls are the standard across…read moreAmerica. Southlake has lost quite a few anchor stores including Sears, Forever 21, Carson Pirie Scott and Dick's Sporting Goods. Macy's is left all alone and is struggling as well. However, this mall still has average interior stores. JC Penney, Bath and Body Works, American Eagle, Children's Place, Champs, Foot Locker and Cooper's Hawk are still going strong. There are options for massage chairs and kids trains throughout. I've come across photo booths and vending machines as well. I hope Southlake can bounce back and earn more quality stores like Gap, MAC, Apple, Aldo, Cheesecake Factory? Maybe I'm asking too much but I have a dream. lol.

I'm going to be really sad if the mall doesn't pull through because it's still great to stop in and…read morevisit. Sad they don't have Carson's or Sears anymore, but I stopped by the other night to get some stuff from Macy's and JC Penney. The food court has really changed since I last went, and there's some pretty yummy options around.

Not a lot needs to be said but I am, surprisingly, pleasantly surprised…read more Ownership clearly has made an effort to clean up the place, improve lighting--and keeping it clean! I have not come here for years due to its steady downward slide. The interior is clean, bright, with virtually no dark storefronts. The place was actually packed. There are the name brands you will recognize, some newer names but all seemed vibrant. If you haven't been here in a while, give it another shot. It's good to see physical locations again.

Old stomping ground when I was a kid. The mall is very clean. Felt safe during our visit. Plenty of…read moreparking. If you are looking for ot moat likely it's here. Tons of options throughout the mall. Friendly staff. Good variety of stores. JC Penny, vitorias secret, gap, express, and many more

Fantastic Find! I feel lucky. I was nearby at the Sec of State Business affairs office, and I…read morewalked Past this on my way to Primark! Wow. Across The street from Morningstar. Excellent find. Stans Donuts and Coffee, who doesn't love Stan's. They make creative and a wonderfully tasting donuts. It's about $3.50 for a gourmet Donut, ok, not bad. Their logo is the best ! So friendly . Over to get a Delicious Roti! It's an Indian Taco, for those whom don't know. You must try it! Bhomi modern Indian grill. Scrumptious beef with a cabbage mix and a lovely chutney with olive oil herb/garlic mix. $8. So good so good. What a wonderful place for a nice lunch. Stan's Donuts and Coffee is open 7a-5p, Closed Sun. The Bhomi , 11-7 basically. Verify hours please to make sure. There was a bar at the entrance to entertain people. Great potential for other businesses. A bbq spot , a traditional taco spot, Don Javi's would fit here well. Maybe a Chi-SHACK and a Happy Chef. Maybe a classy Mr Sub! These are really Chicago classics. It would be great to see these open more now Covid is over ! Get people out to enjoy more and see what life is like .

Have any of you amazing, wonderful, and lovely humans seen my review for Sterling Food Hall…read more(formerly Revival). In said review, I docked them a star for a disproportionate number of spots having sandwiches by any other name. I even went into Excel and made a pie-chart (true to form as a man in finance!) With Washington Hall, I could create a pie chart, but I don't see a reason to. Their offerings are still growing, but even with what's available now, the selection is awesome. Just going from memory, there is Indian, pizza, wings, hot dogs, Latin-American, Greek, and a Stan's Donuts (and probably a few I missed). The hall, including the restrooms are clean, and there is ample seating, plus more upstairs. The vibe is open and airy. Not as pretty or unique as Sterling, but I'm not really complaining - as long as it's clean and not depressing, I don't care that much. I am looking forward to making my way through trying all the spots within, and giving the bar a go when it opens. Hopefully most of the food vendors will be open in the evening.

Food was so good. I never write reviews but it was so tasty that I'm inclined to write one. Got the…read moreAl pastor burrito and guac and chips. Chips were so crunchy, hard to explain. Tried my mom's shawarma wrap, also delicious.

been here quite a few times now. the food is a little inconsistent (like the scalloped potato…read moresquare was rly good once and rly bad the other). i do appreciate the variety of food items available though

Needed to unload some Joong Boo $3 coupons and this place (unlike K Grill) accepted multiple so…read morethis smoothie was free! Excellent and friendly service from the adorable cashier... man Im old when I'm thinking younger Gen Z are cute kids ... anywhoo... I like the vibe and menu... I think this is my fave spot in this long line of varied Korean cuisines here at the JB food court

Tucked into the food court of Joong-Boo grocery store, KCafe & Eats is one of the food court…read moreoptions and absolutely delicious! I needed to go grocery shopping, but before the tasks begins hubs and I needed lunch! We walked thru the choices available at the food court and decided that Korean wings would be a tasty lunch meal. We were there just before 3:00 so we ordered the KPopcorn chicken lunch special. It came with tater tots (my fav), popcorn chicken with ddukbokki (ttekbokki) in the OG sauce, and a soft drink. We also got a 5 piece chicken wing in honey sauce and a taro blended smoothie. The popcorn chicken with dduk-bokki was plentiful for a lunch special. The OG sauce is DELICIOUS! It's slightly spicy, sweet, umami, and covered everything well! The popcorn chicken was crispy and juicy, nice plump sized pieces, and the dduk-bokki was nicely seared, chewy, and fresh! The tater tots were fried well and we dipped it in the OG sauce. The wings were larger and juicy, sooooo crispy, and covered in plenty of yum honey sauce. It wasn't a sickly sweet honey sauce, it was well balanced! The taro freeze tasted like taro which is good. I've had it at other places where it just tastes like a cup of slushy ice and a hint of something. The owner (I think he was the owner) was so sweet and was patient while I tried to figure out what we wanted. Because we were there just before 3:00 on a Monday, it wasn't very busy. There are plenty of tables for seating and enjoying your food. They're spaced nicely apart and all kept clean. The food court area is separate from the grocery store and has its own entrance (far right doors as you face the front of the store). To get to the grocery side you'll have to leave the food court and walk over to the other entrance. Craving some delicious Korean wings, dduk-bboki, or even bingsoo? KCafe will really hit the spot and it's so affordable!

What was once Yorkshire Plaza is now Pacifica Square Mall, just north of the Fox Valley mall, and…read moreit's becoming quite the Asian-centered shopping complex. The grocery store Park to Shop has opened at last, and is surrounded by restaurants: Vivi Bubble Tea, Lao Szechuan, Levee Karaoke bar and grill, A Tasty Hot Pot, and others. I can only hope we'll get a Daiso/Hello Tokyo here (hint hint!) because Niles is a far haul from this side of town, and if we had one here I would be there every week! Would be the perfect place for one. Looking forward to seeing what else is added to this new endeavor and wishing them success.

Pacifica Square is beautiful -- I love the growing pan Asian community here in Aurora. My favorite…read moreis the food court inside the Park to Shop supermarket. I came here for lunch with my friend and her boyfriend. We were looking for some authentic Chinese food and was able to get that at Red Pepper. She was able to find roasted duck at Ah Yin's BBQ. It was a fun time catching up with her, and the food court had a ton of great options -- we were happily overwhelmed. I'd recommend Pacifica Square to anyone in the area looking for a hub of pan Asian owned businesses to support. It's really a one stop shop, you can get a bite to eat, get your essentials, and bubble tea -- this Asian girl's heaven on earth.