They made book a group trip with my girlfriends so convenient. They managed and booked all aspects…read moreof our weekend to New York city it was so relaxing. We had everything from flights, hotels, dinner and even spa treatments. It was incredible and was so relaxing to have everything taken care if ahead of time. It was well worth it to use a travel agency. I will definitely be back!

Evelyn Thompson is a great tour guide…read more We decided to stay in the Rogers Park area, but she said that she would do South side tours or Polish and Chinese grocery stores depending on what people were interested in. The tour started with the Rogers Park Fruit Market. This market caters to Jamaican/Caribbean clientele. Here we learned about some of the different types of white breads. They were half-leaven bread since when the bread and yeast was first introduced to the Caribbean the yeast did not do so well in the hot and humid conditions. The bread was pretty heavy and dense. The butcher had different cuts of goat for the locals. We tasted some epizote as well as saw some yucca and cactus pears that seemed to be common theme of all the markets. Two things we bought were a sweet lemon and a sour orange to try later at La Unica Supermercado Chapala was the second stop of the tour. This Mexican grocery store sells fresh produce, memorable guacamole and specialty items such as Mexican sour cream. There is an eating area with about 10 little booths where you can eat some the best carnitas around and roast chicken. They also have a selection of tacos like cabeza tacos. The store was packed when we went in on a Monday morning, it might have been due to the heavy thunderstorm, but people looked pretty happy to be there. The next place was La Unica that has food for all types of Latin cuisine. Some of the unique items I saw were the quince and mango jellies that were sliced and place on crackers with cheese to provide a sweet contrast. Block and cone sugar and chocolate was interesting to see as well as purple corn. People of the Andes make a refreshing drink from purple corn called "chicha morada" which is now recognized as a nutritive powerhouse due to its phenolic content. The interesting thing was the eating area to the side. Walking past the store front, one would never know that it has a restaurant in the back. We took a little break and tried a few foods; yucca (pan fried?) with some picked onions and two types of plantains. The yucca was very starchy and dense. It tasted like a potato, but was a little grainier. I could see how the yucca could make food go a long way because it was filling. We also had a fried sweet yellow plantain that was tender almost creamy. The green plantain was lightly fried and then pounded flat and fried again. It was like a very dense potato chip with just a light hint of sweetness. The sweet lemon and a sour orange we bought from the Rogers Park Fruit Market added a nice amount of acidity to the plantains and cut some of fat. The rest of the menu was pretty varied including Cuban sandwiches and some Peruvian dishes. The next stop was the Devon Market that caters to mainly Eastern Europeans. Here we see a lot of the same fruit and vegetables. They have a wide variety of wines form Eastern European countries such as Romania. The great thing about this market is the freshly baked bread. As you start to approach the bread section, the scent of freshly baked bread begs you to take a look. From what I remember a huge loaf was about $1.59. They also had fresh bread stuffed with cheese, meat, spinach or a combination of the three. Thai Grocery store was next. In the back, they have a place where you can buy freshly fried fish. Other things of note that I saw were Thai eggplant and Luk Chup (fruit-shape desserts made of mung-bean flour with natural coloring). As we were walking out of the store, we saw a stack of the infamous durian. There were quite a few so I wondered who buys this on a regular basis. Middle East Bakery was the next stop. Here we got to see all sorts of interesting grains and lentils. This was the first time I saw red lentils and red rice. We sampled Za'atar which I had only seen on Iron Chef America. They were many interesting desserts like a jar or nuts filled to the brim with honey and raisin and walnut sausage. Yes, I said sausage. They string raisins and walnuts together and dip it in honey to form multiple layers. Lastly the sample of fresh savory pastries stuff with chicken, broccoli, cheese, olives or a combination of the three was great. I hear that he sells these to Whole Foods. So you can actually buy from the source. The next two stops were Fresh Farms and Patel Bros on Devon. As you walk into each of these store you are bombarded with the scent of spices, it almost knocks you over. They had things that I had never seen like fresh red and white (no blue) tumeric, black radishes and fresh dates. From looking at the freezer sections, it seems that you can get just about any For $35 you get to have a fun 4 hour tour, learn some new things, enjoy great company and best of all eat and experience new food. To top it off Evelyn drives so this is a great value. I would highly recommend this experience.

This was our first time in Chicago. We came for a concert, so we thought, let's see as much as we…read morecan. We booked the 4 hour private tour and upgraded to an SUV (highly recommend). Ellis was in contact during the morning and punctual at pickup. We really had no idea what we wanted to see, so we gave Ellis full reign. We weren't expecting that much, just an enjoyable trip. Wow, were we surprised. Ellis asked just enough questions to get an idea of our interests. I've lost count of the places and sights we saw! The beauty of the architecture took my breath away. Ellis never ceased to amaze us with his knowledge of each sight. So, we honestly cant recommend this trip enough. We think we'll do it again next time were here to see to sights we missed. Oh, ask for Ellis, he was AMAZING!g

We booked a private 8-hour tour with Chicago City Tours for January 23, 2026. About 90 minutes…read morebefore the scheduled start time, we received an email that the guide was ill and there was no backup available. While we understand emergencies happen, we were disappointed there was no contingency plan and no earlier communication. After being told we would receive a refund, we followed up when nothing posted but received no response so had to initiate a chargeback. If you book with them, make sure you have a backup plan and follow up carefully regarding refunds.

Renee is such a delight to work with! From the very start, she was friendly, helpful, and took…read moreinitiative to create unique and wonderful experiences for my clients traveling in Puglia and the Amalfi Coast. She has so many amazing connections and partners throughout Italy and has the best ideas for ways to make memories. She is professional, responsive, and detail oriented. I'm already working with her on another few trips and she will be my go-to for all things Italy. Highly recommend utilizing Discover Italia for any of your trips to Italy.

If we could give more stars, we would. Renee was the ultimate professional and friendly face as we…read moreplanned our first Italy vacation. She adapted seamlessly to our needs and was always in contact by email and/or available (if needed) by Zoom. She tailored the vacation to our likes and planned them perfectly. The 5 private tours we took were incredibly "personal" to us, from the awesome private drivers to private tour guides. We were treated as celebrities and we could not have asked for a better experience. Discover Italia is worth every penny you invest to allow you to experience Italy as you should.

Convenient train station nearby lots of restaurants and shopping with a simple station building…read morethat gets the job done. I like this spot more than some other local metra stops due to a pretty large amount of available parking (some only have street parking nearby)

This station also houses the Edison Park Chamber of Commerce and has a table out with information…read moreon local businesses. There is not a place to purchase tickets here. The benches in the space have a middle arm so really only 2 people can sit on one at a time unless you are a big fan of awkward closeness to strangers. It is a great place to keep warm in the winter or sit out if the sun in the summer and many times the Chamber has events starting from this space or info pick up here.

Great old school Moose Lodge! Immediately one of my favorites! If you're in the area, stop in!read more

So friendly and welcoming. Slots and cheap drinks. Friendly people and good times. If you're a…read moremember worth coming by to say hello!

All aboard the Skokie Swift!…read more This two-car train serves the Yellow Line, and makes 2 service stops: from Dempster-Skokie to Oakton-Skokie to Howard and vice versa, with a connecting service to the Purple or the Red Line at Howard. Note the weekday and the weekend schedules for times and any service alerts. Right off of Dempster, there are parking lots and indoor bike parking available, with also connections to the CTA and the Pace buses. Super convenient for those who are commuting from the North Shore 'hood. +vehicle and bike parking available

Nothing glamorous ... have been using this location on and off for many years. It is probably the…read moreeasiest way to get into the city from North Suburbs. Parking is generally available and reasonably priced. Skokie is also quite a diverse area, so a lot of restaurants and such nearby as well.