I was very disappointed in the travel show. It's an event I've planned to go to for many years, and…read morehave actually purchased tickets for at least once, but haven't been able attend. This year a friend and I went with the little ones in tow and it was incredibly underwhelming. Upon entrance we were given a ticket and because we're newbies we did a stupid thing and went to the booth, where the guy tried a hard sell to get us to sign up for a weekend at one of their properties. As we walked around to the other booths, it was little more than picking up travel brochures from a bunch of booths. There was a section that had several folks selling cruises, which we skipped altogether. There were a surprising number of Native American nations represented, which was pretty cool. But besides Croatia (a major sponsor) and maybe Ireland (I think--we passed a booth that I think was Ireland) there were no European countries here. Alaska had a booth, as well as maybe one Arizonan community and a Montana booth, and beyond those there was no one west of Oklahoma. There were a lot of midwestern and southern towns. A smattering of Asian and African countries, plus one or two from South America. Some speakers were presenting throughout the day. There were a couple of giveaways, one to the Apostle Islands that I actually entered because I've long wanted to visit (not a winner though). But we left with a lot of stickers for the babes, so if that is a sign of success then I guess it was a good day. One thing that surprised me was that the speakers are pretty accessible. I thought that some of the more prominent ones would be in separate rooms that required you to wait in line for an hour before the doors opened to get a seat, but that wasn't the case. So Andrew McCarthy and Rick Steves would practically be up close and personal. Might I go again? Well, if my friend wanted to then yeah, I might. It's better than sitting at home and it's something to do if the kids are willing. But don't go expecting to find a large swath of places throughout the world to help plan your next vacation.

**This visit was before COVID-19** The Travel and Adventure Show was held on 2/8 & 2/9/2020…read more Don't miss the Travel and Adventure Show @travadventure #TheChicagoShow this weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in #Rosemont. With thousands of vacation options from all over the world, you can find, plan and book your next vacation. There will be travel experts, educational seminars, as well as cultural performances, camel and segway rides. @carolfoxassoc It was so exciting to meet my Instagram and Twitter friend @thelocaltourist Emmy award-winning author Teresa L Goodrich author of Two Lane Gems volumes 1 and 2. She is an expert on Chicago and surrounding areas and shares her love of travel with everyone I received so much information on different destinations at the @travadventure #TheChicagoShow and had a lot of fun too!

My experience with Flash Limousine could not have gone better!…read more My girlfriend and I used Flash because we had a concert to go to in a sketch location that we didn't want to walk to. So, we got a car from here. Our driver, Mike, was fantastic. He was right on time, on the dot. He texted me to let me know where he was parked outside of our hotel, and what kind of car it was. Once inside the car, he was super friendly. He made small talk and asked us about the concert. We told him that it was at a studio, and we weren't really sure where it was because we hadn't been there. He went above and beyond. This location is in a safe but industrial, empty area in town. He knew that, and was surprised that's where we were going. When we got to the still very dark location, he told us to stay in the car, got out, and investigated to make sure it was the right location and safe for us to disembark. I was thoroughly impressed, and I appreciated his genuine concern about dropping two girls off randomly in the dark. Before we left, he told us that if the concert ended early or late, just to text him a head's up so we could coordinate. The concert ended about an hour before we thought it would, so we texted Mike to let him know. By coincidence, he had just dropped someone off not too far from where we were, so he was there in about 15 minutes so we didn't even have to wait long. Everything about our date night worked out perfectly, and I would DEFINITELY recommend them to a friend or use them again in the future! Thanks, Mike!

Flash can comes driving up right side of the road and cuts me off at Lincoln and Winona. This is…read morehow they drive? And they pick up passengers?

As of Jan. 4, 2009, Chicago's Free Trolley service has ended…read more I heard the inevitable news of your passing this weekend. (See the link at the end of this post to see the official announcement from the City of Chicago.) I was in such denial and did not want to believe it was all true. I was with you on your last day and didn't even know it was your last. I didn't even get to tell you in person, that ... I .. LOVE.. YOU... Thank you for keeping me warm in the freezing temps of winter, carrying my shopping bags, and my suitcase (whenever I came from Ogilvie) without charging me one cent. Thank you for the cheery music that made the ride all the more pleasureable. R.I.P. Chicago FREE Trolleys. You will be missed. He is the information from the City of Chicago (sorry for the long link as I couldn't use html codes in Yelp! reviews): http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalDeptCategoryAction.do?deptCategoryOID=-536896557&contentType=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&entityName=Transportation&deptMainCategoryOID=-536896085

Sometimes free isn't that great- for instance a free taste of stinky cheese at a fancy supermarket…read morewhen you are lactose intolerant; You have a possible situation on your hands instead of being able to bask in the glow of FREE! My friends- the free trolley is a chance to bask. I randomly came across this free trolley and I was certainly glad I did. Instead of arriving at the Navy Pier hot and aggravated after a long walk in the heat, I followed the signs, waited a few minutes and hopped right on the train. The driver was extremely pleasant, the seats were clean, the trolley is well maintained, and there were no noxious toxic smells to complain or report about (thank goodness). There were plenty of seats available, and everyone on the train was in high spirits. We arrived at the Pier in no time at all, and I was able to experience this Chicago highlight in full tourist fashion, well rested and excited. At the end of my excursion, I was able to get back on the trolley- not the same one, but just as immaculate, and the driver was equally as inviting- and returned to where I began. Thanks Chicago!!

You all were amazing. Even though we went over our time, your bus drivers were perfectly great and…read morethe busses were incredibly comfortable and clean. They also were punctual and friendly! You made our wedding happen without any problems. Thank you so much, we truly appreciate it!

We have reserved airport transportation from Indiana to Midway two years in a row for our dance…read moreteam to travel to nationals with Bus Connection. They were the best price out of countless places we called for pricing. They were very quick to respond with a quote. They were also very communicative within one day of the quote to see if I had questions. Very accommodating to the changes we needed to make since our flight was changed by the airline. Early for each pick-up and very friendly drivers. Very clean bus as well! Thank you so much! We will be reserving again in the future.

I take the blue line at Belmont every day to go to work. I live close by so it is a pretty quick…read morecommute to get from here to the station. This station is better than most as it is underground and has a cover on the above ground area so that on days when it's raining, you won't get soaked coming out of the station. It definitely needs an upgrade soon as there is rust and mold in many areas in the station. If you're looking to go to O'Hare, I would definitely recommend taking the blue line.

There is no accessible entrance, only stairs and upwards escalators. There is only one exit and…read moreentrance unlike other stations where there are 2 exit points on each end. I like this station it's small and easy to go in and out.

My GF and I purchased a Groupon for the Chicago Photo Safari and we chose to shoot at Millennium…read morePark. Unfortunately, about 15 minutes into the session, it started to rain so the group (around 10 of us) fled into the Chicago Cultural Center for the remaining time. I thought the CCC was interesting for about an hour but definitely did not have enough interesting areas to fill up a 3 hour photo shoot. This brings me to one of my complaints-the safari was supposed to be 3 hours, but it was only about 2 hours and 20 minutes. I'm sure it would be a better experience in Millennium Park but if you are planning to make the safari rain or shine, you should have a better back up plan. Also, b/c the CCC isn't brightly lit, this limited the settings people could use while taking pictures. Our instructor - Scott - is a student at Columbia and he had a good personality and did his best to engage the students and help them. I thought it was helpful that he had an iPad that allowed him to pull up a picture that illustrated the concept that he is explaining. He also was knowledgeable re photography. The one complaint regarding Scott is he clearly was out late the night before and still smelled like stale beer. Not a big deal to us, but I can see how that might bother some people. I think this class would be useful for someone that has a DSLR and only shoots in automatic mode or in program mode without understanding what is actually happening in the program mode. I'd say the majority of the class fit into this description. But, if you have a basic idea of how to set the exposure, what depth of field and what ISO are, I'd skip the safari and just walk around Millennium Park. The 3 stars is based on the Groupon price and if you are an absolute beginner. If you paid full price the rating would be a 2 stars.

My Mom and I bought a Groupon and did the Millenium Park daytime safari. I live out of town, and…read morethought this would be a fun way for us to spend time together while I was visiting for the holidays, and it was! The MP safari was beginner level, which worked well for my mom who was borrowing one of my DSLRs for the first time. As a more intermediate DSLR photographer, I got more familiar with my new camera and was able to talk lenses and other advanced topics with the instructor and students with the same DSLR Rebel I had. But the most beneficial thing for me was the fact that we spent so much time photographing the same subject (the Cloud Gate) over and over. Other yelpers lamented that there wasn't enough subject matter to photograph, and although that is true, the real benefit to the repetition is that you can take the same shot over and over and adjust your settings each time. Then when you go home, you can load the shots into the computer and compare the settings for each picture, and try to learn more about what settings work in which conditions. "Setting intuition" is something that I struggle with and having a slow tour through MP has already helped me to better predict how to set my camera for different lighting conditions. I would certainly recommend Chicago Photo Safaris to (1) beginners who own or have access to a DSLR camera or (2) intermediates who are either looking to become more familiar with their DSLR or use the safari as a way to experiment with settings, take home the shots, and critically evaluate them. The MP safari was NOT for folks who (1) want to take a bunch of pictures of different things, (2) don't own a DSLR or other digital with shutter speed and aperture controls, or (3) are easily bummed out by being outdoors on one of Chicago's many less-than-perfect days or indoors in one of our many old, under-lit buildings. As for me, I would seriously consider another Chicago Photo Safari when I'm in town in the future.

Now, I like to think of myself as a classy gal. But there is nothing more classy than a classy gal…read morein a classy limo. Honestly, I didn't book the limo, my best friend did, but I'm SO GLAD SHE DID. Our driver was funny and super nice. The limo was clean and, did I mention(?), CLASSY. Couldn't have asked for a better night or a better ride. If you want something reliable, fun, clean, and affordable, Luxury Rides is where it's at.

I was looking for a limo to get my groomsmen to my wedding. After doing some comparison shopping, I…read morereceived an email from Jason at Luxury Rides Limo with a discount. I booked the ride, with the discount and things seemed good. I called Luxury Rides to confirm because I had had a couple companies' websites confirm and then subsequently cancel. I spoke with Jason who explained they couldn't honor the discount and said I was lucky they were even honoring the reservation because they usually don't serve Naperville. I asked JASON why HE emailed me a discount code for a trip that it didn't qualify for. He wouldn't answer. I decided to go with them to get it over with. The were still cheaper than most other places. We were supposed to be at the church by 1pm. They were supposed be at the hotel by 12:45 for the 10 minute ride. At 12:35, I got a call from the driver telling me he couldn't be there until 1:50. He was unsympathetic about being over an hour late. I would've appreciated more than 10 minutes of notice so I could find alternative transportation. Luckily, the hotel came through and used their shuttle to get us there on time. Luxury Rides only refunded my money. They thought that was appropriate compensation for screwing up my wedding day. Avoid this company at all costs! UPDATE: I felt the need to respond to the owner's response. "if your wedding was so important to you you should have reserved your limo 2-3 weeks in advance..I'm just saying...." - I honestly don't think anyone has ever said anything so rude to me. "I want to say that I'm sorry that you did not understand our reservation page, but it says clearly on our reservation page one-way transfer might not be available on the weekends." - I assumed that wasn't true for this weekend because THEY emailed ME after I put the date, times, and locations into a limos.com search. I think it's perfectly reasonable to assume the email, signed by an actual person, was a better indicator than a generic disclaimer on their website. "But you did still want ahead and book it, and you booked 2 days before your wedding day" - That's false. It was 5 days before. I booked on Monday for a Saturday ride. Admittedly short notice, but I only needed a ride to take the groomsmen the 6.8 miles from the hotel to the church. The rest of the transportation for the day was taken care of. By the time I had spoken to Luxury Rides Limos, another company had offered me 2 SUVs for slightly more money than LRL. I had other options. "and once we saw the booking we called you right away we confirmed with you that we do not have any availabilities for the time you picked ..." - Also false. I called THEM to make sure the reservation was fine and they said they had availability, but couldn't honor the promo code. "But you told our dispatcher that,it's your wedding and you really need the stretch limo..and Jason told you that it may be late to get you the limo" - As I mentioned. I didn't NEED the limos. Another company had offered me SUVs and, honestly, 2 Ubers would have sufficed. All better options than BEING LATE TO MY OWN WEDDING. It's absurd to suggest I was "totally okay" with that. "And you are mentioning a promo code, that promo code was for three hours" - Also false. If it would help, I can post a image of the email, which doesn't mention 3 hours at all. "you didn't want to get the limo for three hours cause you want to save some money...needed just for a point to point." - Nope. Never said I needed to save money. I don't. I MIGHT have said I wouldn't go with LRL if I had to pay for 3 hours, because I had other options that were cheaper. I also don't see how this is relevant. If they couldn't get me a car on time for a 1 hour ride, how would adding 2 more hours have helped? "so I think we did everything we could to get the limo for you but there was nothing available for that time" - If there wasn't anything available for that time then, DON'T solicit me through email when you know what time I need and DON'T take the reservation.

It's ok as far as CTA stations go. It's one of the major stations in this part of town, and the bus…read morestops here as well. The station has a Dunkin Donuts inside, but what really makes it unique is the memorial in the southwest corner of the station. The Berlin Wall Monument is a large section of the wall which once faced West Germany, and that side is filled with graffiti; the side facing East Berlin is blank. This makes sense when you consider that East Germany was under communist rule, but West Germans were free to express themselves and not face the sort of severe consequences their counterparts across the wall would have. The monument has a plaque expressing its dedication to Chicago and the gratitude of Germany toward the United States for the support of destruction of the wall.

Regardless of my option of this CTA station, I live very close to here and this is the closest and…read morebest station to get downtown and to points South in Chicago. At the time of this review, I have been living in Lincoln Square and using this station almost everyday for about seven months. First, it's dirty. You will often find trash inside the station or on the platform. Also, the platform is often covert in bird poop that is rarely cleaned. Second, it smells. I've smelled worse things on the CTA, but it a constant low level damp bad smell that is omnipresent. Third, the escalator is often broken. Recently, at least, it seems the escalator had been out of order more times that not. It makes the long walk up the stories tiring. There, however, some good points. First, the station has some amenities. There is a piece of the Berlin Wall located on the ground floor. It's worth popping in to view this even if you're not catching a train. There is Dunkin' Donuts on the ground floor. The downside is that it closes early (6:00 pm). Also, you can catch the the 49, 49B X49 and 11 buses here. Third, the platform is wide and accommodates a good number of people. If you live in, or want to visit, either the North Center or Lincoln Square neighborhoods this the best and most convenient L stop to use. I just wish they kept it in better repair and much cleaner.