I love driving Lake Shore Drive. It's simply beautiful, and can be incredibly peaceful. In the…read moreevening you get to see the lights of the city, and during the day can watch the lake cycle through one of its many personalities. And you'll have the opportunity to see the Drive in all its glory, and be annoyed by its gridlock. Near Oak Street Beach you'll see dozens of boats floating in the area partying. It can be incredibly frustrating going north when there's a Cubs game in the summer. If you find yourself cruising Lake Shore on the day of the Chicago Air & Water Show, you have to be a masochist. And even on they south end, when you're driving down Lake Shore nest the South Shore Cultural Center (especially in the summer) it can be trying. But it's emblematic of Chicago, and in the summer it almost doesn't matter if it takes you an hour to drive from Hollywood to Roosevelt because you have something to look at in any direction. I'd take LSD over the Kennedy any day. Lucky to live a mile and a half away so that it's my main thoroughfare through the city.

Happy New Year everyone, this is my first review for 2021!!…read more I love Lake Shore Drive (LSD), how it connects Hyde Park and Rogers Park, in just 30 to 45 minutes. You can see the complete beauty of our city by the lake, by using LSD. I have childhood memories of playing baseball by Weiss Hospital and having to run across LSD to retrieve baseballs. Looking back, if my parents had found out...ouch... It's scary to look back at that but that was part of the fun of childhood. Back to LSD, it's my preferred way to get to and from the loop, the sunrise views coming into the downtown area are incredible. The views in the evening and sunsets can melt the day's worries away. Watching the runners, walkers, dogs, boaters, fishermen, volleyball players, sunbathers and bikers along LSD shows the vitality of the city. If you use LSD daily, you may lose your passion for the drive. Since I don't use it too often these days, I like to take it all in - seeing the waves, the ice in the lake, the parks and architecture. It's just a wonderful experience - I make it a point to follow the speed limit so that I can smell the roses. I just hope that they don't charge a toll for using LSD, which is on the table because of the city's finances. As for speeding, watch out for the speed cameras going up - 6 mph above the speed limit will result in a $35 ticket.

The Clark Street Bridge, completed in 1929, is actually the eighth bridge to span the Chicago River…read moreat this location, highlighting the long history of this crossing The Clark Street Bridge is a significant part of Chicago's history and infrastructure, spanning the Chicago River in downtown Chicago and connecting the Near North Side with the Loop via Clark Street. The Clark Street Bridge is a bascule bridge, specifically a double-leaf Chicago-type trunnion bascule bridge. This "Chicago Style" is characterized by its leaves being suspended on axles (trunnions) with massive concrete counterweights located below the bridge, often in a riverbank pit. This design allows the bridge to open and close efficiently for river traffic. The Clark Street Bridge has also made its way into popular culture, notably in Carl Sandburg's poem "Clark Street Bridge." The Clark Street Bridge... - Opened: July 10, 1929 - Clear Span: 215 feet - Trunnion-to-Trunnion Span: 245 feet - Leaf Weight: 1,400 tons - Height above water:  20 feet - Construction Cost (1929): $1.4 million Bridge Tender Houses: Ornate Beaux-Arts styled bridge houses are located on the northwest and southeast corners, similar to those on the N. La Salle Street bridge.

It was a great experience to see the Clark Street bridge from underneath while taking a river boat…read morearchitectural Cruise. Admiring the structure itself with its counter weights and bridge tenner towers. The counter weights are huge concrete blocks that help the bridge raise for boat traffic.Then it was cool driving over the bridge on the way home.

Which cities have the best bike path networks in the nation?…read more - Austin and second place - Sacramento, although this may have changed - please fact check me. And Chicago has made headway little by little - with each new bike lane and bridge for bikers. And sadly - with each bicyclist's death to remind us how far we still need to go. But Lincolnwood did not wait for a bad accident to happen before making any changes - they plopped down $4 million to build this bridge. And it connects Sauganash, Lincolnwood and Skokie and it's truly wonderful. As a runner and bicyclist - thank you Lincolnwood!! Skokie - you need to replicate this somehow for sculpture park off McCormick and for this trail (Howard and Main streets). We can do this Mayor Van Dusen!!

This tower was NOT supposed to be built with taxpayer money. After it sat uncompleted for several…read moreyears, the taxpayers of Naperville bailed it out. Then, just 15 years later, this tower is crumbling. And no one is responsible? Really? Naperville has decided to spend 2 to 3 million dollars to repair it. (I bet it ends up costing more.) And no one is responsible for this thing falling apart after just 15 years? When it was supposed to last 100 years? By the way, it's ugly.

I was enjoying a summer day in downtown Naperville when I heard the carillon concert in full swing…read more What a treat! People gathered on the lawn to enjoy the soothing sounds of the bells in the air. The concerts are free, which is a plus! Because the performer is high up in the carillon, they broadcast a live feed of him/her performing, as well. A fun discovery!

Unity Temple is another Frank Lloyd Wright design. It is walking distance from (only a few blocks…read moreaway) his house and studio. Make a day trip and see both of them. The Temple was part of a group of buildings added UNESCO World Heritage site recently.

Since I had a coupon from Groupon for the Unity Temple, I decided to take the hike out to Oak Park…read more It is defiantly a day trip. I took the Green Line train to Oak Park. From the train, you can walk to the Unity Temple, just follow the street signs to the Unity Temple. In the lobby, you will be given a pamphlet and a brief history about the temple. From there, you have the opportunity to take your time to walk around the temple. You certainly can tell, this masterpiece is from Frank Lloyd Wright. Granted, the temple is going under renovations, I would highly recommend taking a tour of this building.

Love the views from the Adams Street Bridge to see the river and so many landmarks and Chicago…read moreskyscrapers. Not worth a special visit, but a great bridge to cross when walking in Chicago.

Gold Coast Social is the BEST night club in the Chicago area, nonnegotiable!! 10/10 experience…read more10/10 service 10/10 memories! Not only do they offer alcohol & bottle service, they also offer hookah & food until late night!

Gold Coast Social is the kind of club you told yourself you're only stopping into for one drink,…read morebut next thing you know, you're there until close. The staff is amazing--welcoming, attentive, and full of energy that keeps the night alive. With great music, lively vibes, and unforgettable fun, it's the perfect late-night Gold Coast spot.

Logan Square is a continuously gentrifying area of Chicago. It's one of the "hip" neighborhoods in…read moretown. Lots of restaurants, some concert venues and the like. It's got several notable parks, such as Palmer Square Park, Unity Park, and Kosciuszko Park. What makes Logan Square special is that it's part of the boulevard system, and it has these beautiful wide boulevards which have large, park-like medians. I've seen people having gatherings, picnics, barbecues and the like here in the medians along Kedzie. I don't actually spend much time in Logan Square or its environs, but probably should. There's Emporium or Fireside Bowl if you're looking for fun (and I think Pink Squirrel is in the area, if you want to try duckpin bowling); more than one brewery, I think, though Revolution Brewing is the big one I think. Lots of great public art, from the Greetings from Chicago and Robin Williams murals to the most amazing mosaic commemorating L. Frank Baum and the land of Oz that you've ever seen (Oz Park can suck it). Worth a stroll, and get some Puerto Rican food.

Logan Square is an area on the northwest side of Chicago that is dear to my heart. Southeast of…read moreLogan Square is the gateway to downtown Chicago. Northwest of Logan Square is the gateway to the most Polish neighborhood in the United States - almost like a little Warsaw. East of Logan Square leads you into the old German part of Chicago, which once covered over a dozen square miles, had 6 German newspapers, and over 100 German stores, restaurants, bars, bakeries, dancehalls, & cultural centers. And west of Logan Square opens onto a seemingly endless stretch of ethnic neighborhoods and faceless buildings that were flung up in grids during the first half of the 20th century. Once, Logan Square was an affluent neighborhood, a rich area of the city one might say, like a late 19th century suburb on the outskirts of Chicago's center. Even today, one can find the occasional stretch of old stone mansions with carriage houses left standing, tucked in between the many 1930's three story brick apartment buildings where other even older mansions once stood, some stretching back to the Gilded Age. Logan Square offers a bittersweet memory of the glory days of Old Chicago, when Speakeasys dotted the city, Sicilian Gangsters drove the streets, and European Immigrants from Sweden, Saxony, and other cities far and wide were pouring into town daily, enriching our lives with their many cultures and their absolutely delicious cuisines. Now Logan Square is just another place among the many spots in Chicago where it's specific history has been lost. Logan Square has become a Subway Station and a Bus Depot. Today Logan Square is just a big Pillar in the middle of the street.