My family loves driving through this neighborhood to see both the uniqueness of each home's…read moredecorations as well as the design and style of the exterior of the house itself. We even saw some Hanukkah decorations, so cool!

A little off season now, I know - I had been wanting to finish this review during the holidays but…read moregot a little bit busy. So here it is, if you're wanting the experience of enjoying Christmas lights, at a really slow pace while you're in the comfort of your car - come here and drive around the Lincolnwood Towers Subdivision (still thinking of Rush). But of course, come in the evening to get the full effect. I promise you that it'll become tradition, especially if you have little kids or even big kids. They in turn, will eventually take their kids. It only takes about 20 minutes, at the most. I've actually picked up folks at O'Hare from outta the country and have taken them directly here for a quick tour - before going home. They were amazed!! The decorations and displays are over the top and my favorite of all time...drum roll please...is the house with the Christmas tree seemingly protruding through the roof. How clever!! Ahem, these are our Lincolnwood neighbors sacrificing their privacy and convenience, so please be courteous to those driving their Range Rovers and G Wagons. Pretentiousness aside, this is a really nice neighborhood that puts on a great display of the Christmas spirit and therefore, a big thank you to these folks!!

I am such a huge fan of public art. I am not an artist, I don't understand most art, but I like to…read morelook at and experience it. I drove down here once and found all of the murals along Clinton, each with a sign, but didn't have the chance to look at them any longer than the time it took for me to drive down the street. Today, the block was closed for the block party that took place yesterday. Since this is one of the few times to be able to wander that block with almost no cars and definitely no traffic, I took the opportunity to wander and study them in greater detail. Along this short strip of Clinton, form Broadway to Wilson, is a collection of nearly 40 murals. The works range from the size of a door to multiple stories tall. Most of the murals were painted on wooden board, and transferred to their permanent spaces, but there are a few that are painted directly upon the buildings. They range from whimsical and silly (in a good way!) to more somber and thought-provoking. All are beautiful and make this easy-to-miss street into a destination. Fortunately, this open air gallery is steps from the Wilson stop on the CTA, so you can stop here easily if you wish and parking can be okay sometimes too, with permit parking being free on Sundays, so take a little time to visit yourself. It would take maybe an hour to wander through.

I asked him to print a poster on glossy paper, and the quality turned out excellent. The price was…read morethe lowest I could find in Chicago, which was a great bonus. He even replied to my email over the weekend, which I really appreciated. Highly recommended!

Highly recommended. The business made me static-cling vinyl race car number decals. They came out…read moreperfect, within the tight deadline I needed, at a very reasonable price, and pickup time was super flexible.

Sunnyside Mall is a fantastic outdoor community space in the Sheridan Park neighborhood of Uptown…read more I understand it used to be a questionable area, but the neighborhood association has revitalized it in recent years. It's a pedestrian strip between Beacon and Magnolia, paved, with several seats built in various placed around the mall. I'm sure the neighbors use this for all sorts of events. I've been here because my trainer, Dana (see my WHPStudios review), has been doing Saturday morning body strength classes here. Since they're super affordable ($15) I finally made it over here. Today there were just a couple of us but I know in other weekends there's been as many as 10 people at the classes. It's a really lovely, peaceful setting--quiet, with lots of shade from all the trees, and the weather has been great so for someone who doesn't love to work out, it made for a nice morning.

It has become a tradition to come, meet friends, drink a beer, eat a thuringer and enjoy…read more Crowds can be large on nice days but for the most part everyone is relaxed and happy. Sunday afternoon is a great time for families.

Maifest is one of my least favorite fests in Chicago, but it's close to home so I find myself here…read moreevery year. The problem with Maifest is it is so insanely crowded. There is a thin row of standing tabletops, and other than that, there's just lots of people congregating on the (closed off) street. There is only one food stand offering sausage, pretzels, sauerkraut, etc. There is also only one beer stand offering one type each of domestic or import, the latter being $2 more. Expect long lines as there is only one tent for each. Music is lively and gets the crowd pumped. I'm always surprised how many pregnant women and babies are there; I get nervous they will get pushed or trampled. And definitely expect at least a little beer to get spilled on you, as a lot of the songs call for lifting your beer in the air, and you're surrounded by drunk people... #gross Overall, come for a beer, explore the neighborhood, and don't expect too much, otherwise you're sure to be disappointed.

I feel a little catfished by this mural project. Looking online, there appeared to be more to it…read more But it's literally about a mile of murals, up and down the overpasses, in Rogers Park, a neighborhood of Chicago. The murals focus mainly on Chicago history, history of the Rogers neighborhood, Audubon birds, and a few other subjects. The murals are nice overall, though some are poorly kept. I don't think they've been updated in a long time. My favorite was the Barack Obama mural. It's easier to walk them than drive them because there is very little parking and a ton of one way streets. I drove quite a ways out to this neighborhood, through Lakeshore Drive traffic. If you're in the area, go for it. There is a cute little pedestrian only street with a tavern and quaint shops. But don't drive from the outskirts just for this.

The Mile of Murals is a unique work of art in Rogers Park. Started in 2007, over the years the…read moreproject has commissioned a number of works: There are several that span the entire block, and there are several viaducts that have murals as well. The goal of this project is to paint from Estes to Pratt, covering the retaining wall along the Red Line in artwork. There are still five block-long sections of this project remaining to complete. All of the works are cool. My favorite, however, is "Connect Origins to Destinations: The History of Rogers Park". It tells the story of Rogers Park from its early days as a home to Potawatomi. The Indian Boundary Line, for which Indian Boundary Park is named, is located at Rogers & Clark... unfortunately, there's a commemorative plaque praising the negotiation skills of white men with the native peoples to cede Chicago to them, but that's a story for another time. I loved learning things about this neighborhood I never knew before through this large -scale art project.

I honestly did not know what to expect, but this food tour was amazing. Our tour guide was very…read moreknowledgeable of Chicago and gave us a wonderful history of each place we stopped by. Being a foodie himself, we even got to talk about where some ingredients at the various restaurants come from (like California tomatoes at Lou's!). The River North Food Tour did NOT disappoint. I thought our only focus would be on food, but we even went over some architecture and history of various buildings. It was a great way to start our journey of Chicago and I absolutely loved this tour! Definitely recommend it for anyone who's coming to Chicago for the first time!

Fantastic tour! Great value for the price you pay…read more I was shocked at how generous the portions were. We had a whole doughnut, slice of deep dish pizza, half a torta, chicken skewer with rice, and a nutella cookie. I saved the cookie for later I was so full! The food was really tasty! As a chicago local, I was happy that 4 out of the 5 places I have never tried before. The guide was very knowledgeable and kept a great pace. I did their River north tour but will definitely do the wicker park tour in the future!

Edgewater is one of the 77 community areas within Chicago, and the newest of them; it was created…read morein 1980 when Uptown was divided and Edgewater established. As the name suggests, it is a neighborhood that borders Lake Michigan. It's home to one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city, Andersonville--the Swedish neighborhood home to lots of eyewear shops, restaurants, and so on. It was once one of the most desired neighborhoods in the city; there were many a mansion that lined the lake in this city. Hillary Rodham Clinton was born in Edgewater at Edgewater Hospital, and their family lived here for a few years of her childhood before moving to the suburbs. The notorious John Wayne Gary was also born at Edgewater Hospital. The hospital itself was a sordid history; due to medicare fraud, it was closed essentially overnight in the 1990s and sat empty for decades--it was only demolished about 10 years ago, when condos were built on the site. I saw some photos from urban spelunkers who broke in and explored the building, and it was honestly quite eerie. The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce is very active, and there are lots of activities and events that are planned throughout the year. Those include Midsommerfest, trick or treating along Clark, the Andersonville Farmer's Market, and other events. The Swedish Museum hosts a celebration for Santa Lucia day every year. Lakewood Balmoral Neighborhood Association hosts a yard sale every year that is huge, with at over 40 homes participating when I went last year. It's a nice neighborhood with a good deal of diversity.

It was a nice sunny day, so I thought I'd check out the Edgewater neighborhood. My goal is to…read morebecome more familiar with more of this great city's neighborhoods. Edgewater is very easy to get to; you can take LSD or the Red Line which I did. Like many neighborhoods, it liked parking is at a premium so take public transportation. From my relaxing stroll on Bryn Mawr, Broadway and some of the side streets, I noticed a variety of restaurants from the small mom & pop restaurants to very upscale restaurants such as Francesca's. I wish I had more time in the area but I will return to check more of this 'hood out.

I love Ryan Tova Katz murals, and love stumbling upon them at random! I saw this one on her…read moreInstagram the other day but just happened upon it when I was driving down Lawrence. It's definitely made for kids, but I don't care; I love an interactive mural. It has a couple people in silhouette, and then a black umbrella and a bouquet of flowers. You can place your hands such that they look like they're holding those two items. Like I said, it's more scaled for kids, but I couldn't help myself!

Well, after dissing the Pilsen "Chicago Arts District", and suggesting that those looking for an…read moreedgy, stimulating and diverse arts district with street action come up to Glenwood/Morse, I discovered that this IS a designated Arts district with its own summer arts festival. So, the cross which is formed by two blocks of this intersection is The Glenwood Ave. Arts District. Some of the destinations include art galleries, an outdoor sculpture park, The Heartland Cafe (gallery, store and cafe), Morseland (live music), a number of little pubs like Duke's Hideaway and No Exit Cafe, with the ghosts of beatniks still haunting them, The Ubique Theater and Lifeline Theater, and what appears to be a renovation of the old Morse Theater just east of the "el." And with just enough of that watch-your-back neighborhood street traffic to make it an authentic "edgy" arts district. Bring bongo drums and wear your dark glasses. This may be a destination in the making.Another little Chicago neighborhood enclave with a unique retro vibe.