It's always so much fun going to the zoo. This is one of the more bigger shoes here in Chicago. And…read moreI think it's the first time I've been here again in like 8 years. I was so happy that I was able to experience feeding the giraffes and that they actually feed them a whole Leaf of lettuce it's a bit of a on the pricey side $15 you get about half of a bunch of lettuce but to be able to feed them the whole Leaf it was amazing because other places you would only get like strips of carrots. We were there a bit early and so most if not some of the animals were all out and that was so nice to see so I did enjoy it a lot. The only downside was the food the food trucks were closed and so the only choice we had was the outdoor one in the cafeteria until we did choose the outdoor one and the line wasn't even that long but the two boys that were there I guess they were new and it was a part-time thing it was so disorganized that we waited almost an hour for our food. The food was okay for Zoo food but I would eat it again it's just the long wait. But this suit was amazing I highly recommend feeding the giraffes I wish they also offered more animal encounters like feeding the goats and whatnot but I would definitely be coming back. Happy exploring!

Brookfield Zoo is a staple attraction in the Chicago Suburbs. When I visited, they were doing a…read morespecialty dino exhibit with animatronic dinosaurs sprinkled around the zoo. They were also doing Boo at the Zoo to encourage guests to wear their Halloween costumes. The maps at the park were great for navigating to the different exhibits but also for knowing where the specialty attractions are. Pricing is now about $30 for kids and adults and $21 for younger kids. Parking is $17-20. These prices are a bit steep for a one-day visit and it may make more sense to get a family membership for $200. Most of everything around the park was the same as when I visited about 10 years ago except for the primate area. They have done extensive remodeling to create indoor/outdoor areas for them. Overall, the park is nice and the staff is friendly/helpful. If you have kids, this is a great place to get the wiggles out! As an adult, I recommend trying to plan your visit around a specialty event like Zoo Lights.

The taste of Polonia is always a very festive affair. The food is good and the entertainment is as…read morewell. However the gate fee has now risen to $15 save for Friday night when it is $10. There is no senior discount at all. In these strained economic times where the wallet doesn't stretch too far.. this is a very steep entry fee.

The last time we attended this neighborhood festival was eons ago, when it was smaller and…read morerelatively inexpensive. This year, having received free admission tickets from a friend (valid only for Friday evening), we decided to revisit. This event provides little or no accommodation for the elderly and handicapped. We wouldn't have gone at all except that a friend offered us free tickets. General admission is $15 across the board ($45 for a 4-day pass), with no Senior discount. The shuttle between the remote parking lot and the event has a very high first step and my Missus had a hard time with boarding and alighting. And, once we got our food, we found absolutely nowhere to sit. Only standup tables are provided. We anticipated enjoying some traditional Polish music; polkas or whatever. Ha! All we heard was over-amplified hard rock. One band was banging out music of the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger is about as Polish as Yoko Ono). The entertainment stages are close enough together that the bands were drowning each other out, making conversation difficult. We explored a row of vendors' booths: Mostly mobile phone, financial and travel services, cheesy jewelry and accessories, and T-shirts. Blah. My shopaholic Missus found nothing to buy. Well, that leaves food and drink. If you leave a Polish festival hungry or thirsty, there's no one to blame but yourself. We were starving, and boy, did we stoke up. My Missus devoured a Polish combination plate heaped with stuffed cabbage, potato pancake, Polish sausage, 3 pierogi, and sauerkraut. I tackled a fat, garlicky Polish sausage that must've measured at least a foot long, after which I managed to bolt down a humongous freshly fried potato pancake. We had no room left for paczkis. All told, we spent $54 on food and drink, which is around what we spend on a typical restaurant meal. In truth, we've had better Polish food at restaurants, but we were satisfied. Afterwards we really needed to sit down and cool off, so we waddled into Copernicus Center. The auditorium, formerly the Gateway Theater (opened in 1930), retains its movie palace splendor. Seeing this was a treat! The free admission tickets, the theater, the food, and the camaraderie - strangers chatting with each other - are what made our visit to Taste of Polonia worthwhile.

The tickets are a bit pricey, but well worth the memories. You also have to get tickets early if…read moreyou want you choice of dates and seats. I recommend liking their FB page so you are updated as to when tickets are going on sale. The pre show setup is great. The PE locomotive backdrop/display is awesome. A absolute hit. There is also a place that the kidos can watch the movie, color, or write a letter to Santa. I have been to other PEs and this one surpassed the other ones by far. Everything was smooth and the trio was well organized. The cast on our car was very talented and also friendly. Their singing and acting was awesome. They made all the children feel special and you feel like you are part of the movie. They remembered our daughter's name and referred to her by it all the way through the show. The ride is more of a show that you would find at a Disney Resort. My 3 year old got to participate in a Rudolph the red nose reindeer song where she got to march down the aisle of the train and she absolutely loved it. She cried when she was not chosen to do the Frosty the Snowman song. The train moves very slow and seems like it just goes back and forth before ending back where it started. I recommend this PE train ride. It is a wonderful time and you will have memories of a lifetime.

Such a cute experience for children! The actors do a great job interacting with the kids on the…read moretrain. You will constantly be busy watching songs and dances. Very fun for ages, particularly 3 to 8. Fun to watch the kids having so much fun. Great voices on the performers.

Hosting a recent United Airlines team event here and we could not have asked for a better…read moreexperience at Angry Cactus Lounge! From the very beginning, their team went above and beyond to make our team offsite exceptional. Their pricing was incredibly competitive, communication was outstanding, and they were genuinely some of the most responsive and accommodating people we've ever worked with. They even transformed a separate area within the venue into a dedicated conference space for us and arranged Wi-Fi specifically for our meeting that day. Every detail was handled seamlessly, allowing us to be productive while still having a genuinely fun and memorable experience. The entire event felt effortless because of how much care their team put into it. It was easily one of the best team offsites we've ever had, and we cannot recommend Angry Cactus Lounge highly enough!

This was our first time at the Angry Cactus. We received an invite to participate in. Pluto TV…read moresponsored Rage Room. When we arrived we were immediately greeted by the nice ladies working the check in. They have reservations for rage rooms (30min rooms you get a bag to destroy all kinds of stuff!), billiards, and axe throwing. The decor is trendy and lively. The music wasn't too loud. The drinks are pricey... $16 for 2 drinks. We got a burger and chicken tender dinner, 2 drinks for the same price down the street. The staff is very helpful and nice. 5/5 stars. The rage room was so much fun. 30min was definitely enough, we were pooped lol. Overall, the venue is small but really fun. Drinks were excellent (not to weak or strong). I got a Long Island and my wife go an Old Fashion. If you are in the area definitely check them out!

I'd call it a rinky-dink festival but it was actually really fun and the musical acts were nothing…read moreto scoff at, especially for the price (FREE!). I really liked it because not only did they put on a great FREE fireworks show on Thursday (July 3rd) evening, but even during Saturday's headliner (Howie Day) it wasn't even close to mildly crowded and the sound was actually really good. We liked the music acts so much that we actually came by twice in one day to catch this ZZ-Top sounding band along with Howie Day and a fun girl cover band that all play in the Fred P Hall outdoor Amphitheater (Palatine's hidden gem). The fest food is nothing to write home about beyond the slices from JJ Twiggs. Otherwise you're stuck with like 6 different quesadilla and fried food vendors. Soda and water is $1, and there's a beer tent with various Miller and Mike's Hard products. We chose to BYO in a discreet thermos, but I don't actually know if that's allowed or not. There are some vendor tents but we avoided those altogether- seemed like a few church things and pampered chef vendors, homemade loom type things. There was this really cool wood carving guy but since I'm moving soon we tried not to fall in love with any extra wares. I think the biggest draw of the fest is the kid-friendly factor teamed up with the rides, which ranged from tot-friendly to downright terrifying, but I really have to give it up to this fest because I did not think it was possible to transform this park in to such an massive entertainment and amusement park.

This is a great local community festival 4th of July weekend paid for by a local community…read moreorganization the Palatine Jaycees for the residents of the community. My family and I have attended the festival each year for the last 10 years. This event is over 50 years old and gets better each year. There is food vendors, a carnival, beer booth, and great local bands. Tip don't set up a blanket on the field for the fireworks prior to 8AM on the 3rd.

If you want to go to a true comic convention, one that feels it is about the comics and the…read morefans.... atleast close to how it was when comic conventions began hitting the scene... this is the one you may want to attend. I've been here as attendee and exhibitor for different capacities through the years. This year I am here as an exhibitor supporting a Game of Thrones Illustrator from Hawaii. We are welcomed with as much Aloha and are appreciative. The con has been around for awhile. The years of experience has allowed maturity to settle in becoming one if the best comic cons in the country. We decided to check in a day before the 1st day. This allows us to avoid some of the confusion that occurs when the masses appear. Also helps to correct any mishaps that could happen and do with a large event like this. The time is also used to check our displays and setups to conform to the rules and regulations, not interfering with other artists and we have a way of getting in and out. It is a well run show. Security here is not relaxed. They are very strict in enforcing their policies especially making sure attendees can get to areas where they are allowed. They do a security sweep at the end of the day which I really like. Staff is well informed and know their job. They provide a hot text line in case you need immediate attention to getting a resolution during the show. The contact agent, Alex, came by a few times checking to make sure we were doing okay and even gave us a complimentary godie bag. Inside were post its and a pen. Those came in handy. The show itself is filled with star studded actors and actresses from some of the hottest shows currently running and from the nostalgic past. Some of the best artists in the comic industry were also there easily accessible for photos and autographs, and if you had a few questions loved answering them. Cosplay, like many related conventions, is big here. Abounding from everywhere donning some of the most elaborate costumes I've seen ever. Creating those outfits and costumes truly is a work of love. Taking pictures with them was so much fun. Hence several pics of. The numerous panels held were so exciting to go to and learn more. I wish we had time to attend more. They featured some of the guests attending, some were informative on how to get started in the industry, how to do something or gain a skill, and some gave a good insight into the industry. There is money to be made in these industries people, lots of it too, if you know how to tap into it. It was great to meet fans from Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Philadelphia and Vermont to name a few. We had a great time and look forward to returning again next year.

As others have said, this convention is a mixed bag. While it does have the promise of bringing…read moretogether lots of of your favorite actors, actresses, and writers in one spot -- it really is very commercialized. If you don't intend to pay for pictures, memorabilia, signatures, etc. the appeal can be quite limited as this isn't just a place you can walk in and take lots of great selfies. What helps to counteract this though is the great fans of these franchises who really make the conference fun. Probably worth a visit at least once in your life, but not exactly an event which needs to be attended every year. Make sure you pay attention to the schedules for when certain people will appear as the most famous guests are only there for a limited time.

This is my second time here and it is such a fun place to visit. We went right as soon as it opened…read morein there was no one but us and so we basically got the place to ourselves. We did 15 or 20 minutes of the rage room and ax throwing which totaled like an hour. The Red Room is really tiring it's time to rage lol. But it's such a great experience and it's also good to release some of pent up anger or stress that you have. I do prefer the ax throwing it's really fun and they do have a scoring system for games that you can play with your group. I would definitely come back and this is the kind of please that the more people you're with the more fun you'll have. Happy playing!

I have always wanted to do axe throwing and a rage room and this place has both in one stop. They…read morehave different package deals for your different needs. We did 15 minutes rage and then 45 minutes of axe throwing. They provide all the safety gear necessary to safely rage. They even provide a Bluetooth speaker you can blast music to. We were given to large items and a good amount of small items plus you can smash the already smashed things in the room. Axe throwing was humbling. It was a work out but by the end of it I was starting to get the hang of it. Clean space, friendly employee. BYOB if you'd like for a small fee. Overall I had a great experience. Plenty of parking with the free parking garage nearby.

Saturday October 24, 2015 marked a new tradition in Chicago: The first "Halloween Gathering" took…read moreplace on the Chicago Cultural Mile. The event consisted of tents scattered in Millennium Park, Grant Park and Maggie Daley Park; and an evening parade along Columbus Drive. It was the first year, and granted there were a few hiccups: I could not find the TheaTRICKS stage and there were not enough volunteers to help me find it, the parade started about 10 minutes late. But otherwise it was a great event for all ages. The main venue, called the Conjure Creative Tent, had free product samples (Mamma Chia drinks, Smartpop popcorn, and candy corn), free arts and crafts (create masks, lanterns, artwork), live music, and live entertainment. Maggie Daley Park had a kid's costume procession, dance performances, and hula-hooping. A couple other booths along the east side of Michigan Ave had things like magicians and tarot card readings. The nighttime parade was scheduled for 2 hours. The announcer mentioned the parade had 70 floats, but we only stayed for the first hour. There were entries from museums (Art Institute, Field Museum), schools (DePaul University, School of the Art Institute), dance companies (Joffrey Ballet), and various other cultural communities. There were a few marching bands, dance performances, and some cars with interesting hydraulics. It was great free event and I look forward to see how it will look in years to come!