Only open four a few hours on Sundays during the summer Deerfield Historic Village is a fun place…read moreto go. There you can see a collection of historic homes, a coach house, farm, and a schoolhouse. There are docents stationed in every building and throughout the grounds to explain, guide, and answer any questions a visitor might have. It's a great time to learn and experience history. There is convenient parking in the school district parking lot. I highly recommend Deerfield Historic Village.

It's unfortunate that Deerfield Historic Village has such limited hours as the buildings have great…read moredisplays within them with lots of details about the history and a broad timeframe of history covered between them. The Caspar Ott Log House really takes you back to 1837 with an impressive array of items such as a bed, dresser, toys, chairs, table, and other items from the area. This is definitely impressive in the comprehensiveness and presentation, as well as being the oldest standing building in Lake County. Outside of Volo Auto Museum, I'm not sure if I've seen as many antique vehicles and farm equipment as there is in the Carriage House. It's a really great experience to be able to view these magnificent vehicles up close and see all the unique details that went into their construction. I also enjoyed seeing the large selection of historical farming tools. The Sack House has a wonderful assortment of items from the early 1900's, once again really giving me a feel for what life may have looked like back then with an impressive assortment of art, common household items, fully furnished bedrooms, and lots of signs with explanations The Brand Luther House has a nice visitors center with a neat set of displays that show an eclectic mix of history covering everything from music to Sara Lee. The volunteers here were very helpful in explaining some details in different buildings. Finally, the Little Red Schoolhouse is a neat replica of a one-room school house complete with small desks, a stove, old books and map. Though it was built in 1981, the old furnishings and items really give a feeling of stepping back in time. Overall, definitely worth a visit for any history lover. A great free experience with well designed displays.

I had jury duty today and was very nervous because I hadn't served in decades. Thankfully, the…read moreexperience was much better than I expected. Parking was easy--there's a FREE parking lot for jurors directly across from the courthouse, and there was plenty of parking available. You just need to show your ID before entering the lot. All of the security staff were friendly, kind, patient, and helpful. It was easy to move through the security process to the elevators, which took us to the floor where another staff member asked us to have our jury summons ready. Anyone who hadn't filled it out yet was kindly asked to step aside and complete it. We then entered a large room where two more staff members were waiting to check in jurors. We handed them our summons, answered two quick questions, and found a seat. The room was huge with plenty of seating--tables with chairs, rows of chairs, and even designated areas where you could talk on your cellphone if needed. Everyone was respectful of one another and gave each other plenty of personal space while choosing seats. Another staff member welcomed us and showed us a video explaining what to expect. She also called jurors when they were needed in a courtroom. We had a lunch break from noon to 1:30. The courthouse has vending machines with lunch items, a rotating restaurant on the third floor (I think), and there was even a food truck parked outside. At the end of the day, we left in groups using the elevators. The entire process was very organized, with staff members guiding us every step of the way. Once we reached the ground floor, one final staff member lined us up, distributed our checks for jury service, and thanked us for serving. The entire staff was wonderful and made what could have been a very stressful experience much more manageable. The courthouse was also exceptionally clean--I even saw someone cleaning the restrooms during the late morning. And for anyone wondering, the building was well air-conditioned!

This is specific to Deb Chodorowski. Thank you for helping me with the TRIP program. I appreciate itread more

We had such a wonderful experience with Jessica at the Maine Township office in Park Ridge while…read morecompleting our passport applications. She was incredibly kind, patient, and helpful throughout the entire process. My husband and I came in close to closing time, and despite that, Jessica never made us feel rushed. She truly went above and beyond to make sure everything was completed correctly and answered all of our questions with such a positive attitude. It's rare to find someone who genuinely cares about helping people the way she does. We are so grateful for her professionalism, warmth, and willingness to stay and help us finish our passport packages. Thank you again, Jessica, for making what could have been a stressful process so easy and pleasant!

I have to be honest; I don't really understand the township form of government. It's not something…read moreI'm familiar with having grown up in Oregon, and in Chicago it has little meaning (even though my home in Ravenswood was in Lake View Township). However, in the areas of Illinois where there is a township and it's actually a functional form of government, it seems like the purpose is to provide services specifically to those who live in unincorporated areas of the county while also providing service to others in the township's borders as well. Maine Township has various programs ranging from young to seniors, in addition to providing government services. The building is particularly interesting. When I saw the building, my first thought is that it looked like a church, which was a good instinct because it began as the Good Shepherd Community Church. What's interesting about it is that it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. in 1961 and is an example of Mid-Century Ecclesiastical Style. It is one of only two works by the younge Wright here in Illinois, and was made a local landmark.

There are so many activities that Pui Tak Center runs for the community, it's mind numbing…read more Mostly services are for Chinese immigrants learning ESL (English as a Second Language) but they also offer affordable music lessons for children and adults. You don't have to be Chinese or an immigrant to sign up for the latter. My daughters have been taking piano lessons for almost five years now and there are two recitals a year (also hosted in the building.) It's great to see their development throughout the years due to their teacher's help.

Begun in 1926 as the On Leong Merchant Association Building, this large complex near the Chinatown…read moregateway is perhaps the most attractive Asian-style architectural project in Chicago. Now the Pui Tak Center uses it as a church-related community center for the Chinese population in the city.

This office is simply the best. Staff is friendly, professional, and helpful. Wonderful environment.read more

http://www.uintacounty.com/ A nice sweet small town County…read morebuilding with a beautiful and honorable memorial for all men and women who served in the military from Uinta spanning WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War... brought tears to my eyes for those who gave their lives for freedom and compassion for justice and saving people from greed and evil. I loved this walk and remembrance. Great job Uinta County! And the people were so nice and friendly too.

Here is yet another memorial about Chicago events. It's easy to come across many random ones, but…read morethis one is especially important. The Haymarket Memorial is a reminder of one of the most important events in the city's history, where many people lost their lives. Many died or got hurt for a good cause. Worker's rights advocates will especially appreciate this as well as anyone else who enjoys history. A bit of knowledge about the event helps one to appreciate the memorial about it. In the 1800s the Haymarket was a popular produce market. This was the city's main source of produce. A protest against the unfair labor practices led to a confrontation between them and the police, and there was chaos. Several people were killed when a bomb went off. It led to many of the protestors being arrested. There were a few sentenced to death. Overall quite a few people lost their lives either in the market or after. This apparently is on the actual site of the protest, so that's a cool thing. Good history lesson, and the memorial itself is simple but impressive. It's on Des Plaines close to Lake. This is a good way of getting attention to an important event for Chicago and workers.

The Haymarket district was the city's produce market in the 19th century. An impromptu meeting was…read moreheld to protest the treatment of workers, and when a huge contingent of policemen arrived (nearly 200), a bomb was thrown and several lives were lost, about seven policemen and at minimum four bystanders. In the aftermath, however, organizers and others with unfavorable political opinions were rounded up, mistreated, and in some cases sentenced to death. All this even though the identity of the person who threw the bomb has never been discovered. The sculpture commemorating the event is placed on the precise location where the speakers held their meeting. They used a wagon as their platform when speaking to those assembled, thus the wagon is an important part of this memorial. The Haymarket Riot is now emblematic of justice (or injustice), worker's rights and labor, rights of speech and assembly, and other important principles of liberty.