Pinstripes is usually where we think to get our bowling on, which is a little fancier than the…read morebowling alleys I grew up going to and loving. It's also tough to get a reservation at Pinstripes, especially on a cold or rainy day. Fortunately, there's another solid option in the North Shore: Wilmette Bowling Center. This one reminds me of the bowling alleys I visited often growing up and again in college. I did bowl thru the years, although you would never guess based on my (lack of) skills. They don't take reservations so you have to take your chances that you may have to wait. My youngest attended a birthday party here recently and had a great time! It was busy with other people bowling on a winter day, but still felt like chaotic than pinstripes, which always seems crazy to me being such a big venue. He also seemed to enjoy the pizza. In fact, he told me he wasn't going to eat at the party because wanted to eat sushi with us after, but came home with evidence of pizza (and cake of course) all over his face because he said he couldn't resist it.

Which pizza is better, New York or Chicago? I grew up in Wilmette, but live close to NYC. Even…read morebringing up the question sparks heat. If they ever have that contest between the two, Wilmette Bowling Center pizza can represent Chicago. The crust is to die for and the pizza itself is made to your specifications. I'd just let them pick for you if you're undecided on what kind to get. They take great pride in their pizza and it shows. This place should be on the National Register of Historic Places. It's old school style and history with all the modern amenities. You can't manufacture the vibe of this place. You can tell they take pride in it because it's spotless, the employees are responsive, accommodating and good natured. Definitely one of the unique cool features of the North Shore.

I first worked with Jeannette when planning my daughter's 18th birthday party. We put down a…read moredeposit then Covid hit and we had to cancel. Fast forward 4 years later, she's about to graduate college and we are trying again. Jeannette has been wonderful to work with, offering her professional expertise, while accommodating our specific requests. The venue is beautiful! The perfect size for our family/friends who are invited, plus it's close to home, has ample parking, and a nice menu with several options. (We're going with family style to enjoy a relaxing meal with our guests.) My daughter is thrilled!

Good food, service & great view! We're there for a Xmas Party w the Niles Senior Center.read more

I learnt about the Winnetka Community House when we went to the North Shore Art League for the…read morefirst time to attend the opening reception of their new exhibit -- "Summer Open".  The art league is located on the second floor of the Winnetka Community House.  The Community House was completed in 1911, and it has been expanded several times since.  That's why it was interesting for us to enter a historic building that's over 100 years old, but discovered a modern extension where the art gallery is after climbing a flight of old-fashioned stairs. Apparently, the center hosts many performing arts programs that include dance, theater, music and more.  When we were viewing artwork of the exhibit, a friendly elderly actor of the center greeted us while taking a break on a comfy couch.  We could hear music rehearsal in the theatre when we passed by. They also have education programs, youth sports programs, a full-service fitness center, classes and lectures -- all kinds of activities that help enrich lives of residents of not just Winnetka, but of the broader North Shore. When I read their Yelp reviews, I learnt that the center is even a popular weddings and events venue!  It is truly a versatile community house! As a privately supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Community House is not funded through tax dollars.  It's good to know that donations are 100% tax deductible.

If you have high expectations for your wedding venue, this is not the place. I left feeling very…read moreunderwhelmed with both the space and the service. We had a tour scheduled with Sahra, but it was moved to a different time, which seemed like it may have been to accommodate another group. When we arrived, the front desk gentleman was very kind, but we ended up waiting about 20 minutes while Sahra continued speaking with the previous tour group. She clearly saw us waiting but didn't acknowledge us or apologized when she eventually came over. Once the tour finally started, it felt very rushed. The entire walkthrough lasted maybe 15-20 minutes, and there wasn't much opportunity to ask questions before she quickly moved on to the next area. At the end, I asked if she could send photos of the space set up for weddings so we could better visualize it decorated. Her response was, "I won't remember, just email me--I had three tours today." We were the third tour, which made the comment feel dismissive. What stood out even more was that the previous group had asked about placing a hold on the space and did not receive that same response. Overall, the experience felt unprofessional and unwelcoming. After touring around 20 venues, this was by far the most disappointing experience. As for the space itself, it felt very small and somewhat outdated. The bridal and groomsmen suites were essentially small conference rooms. In my opinion, the venue may be better suited for smaller events like a bridal or baby shower rather than a full wedding. Unfortunately, due to both the service and the space, I would not recommend spending your time touring here.

It was ok for a suburban festival. We stopped in an hour or so after it kicked off on Friday night…read moreand the crowd was very manageable; it wasn't packed with people, there were lots of spaces to sit, and the booths didn't have unbearable lines. From the side we entered, there were community booths and vendors selling stuff along the way to the food, which must be a purposeful setup to ensure people walk through those businesses. (The food booths are set up closest to River Road, where there isn't any parking available.) I could have done without the booths trying to get you to sign up for windows or chiropractic services, but they were easy enough to ignore. There were a variety of food booths from burgers to Chinese to Mexican and of course lots more. Nothing really called to us, though, so I bought an ear of corn on the cob for me and my kiddo. They have a couple different stages located along the way. There was one that had folks from a local improv group doing some performances, and later the vocal School of Rock. There was another stage with a live band and a surprisingly large number of people dancing. The band was not good, but at least folks were having fun. Taste of Des Plaines is a free festival, and I think even parking is free in the town lots. We parked across the street at a surface lot which had free 90 minute parking. Of course Metra is a great option, since it stops literally right next to the festival. And what I like best is that they don't equire you to buy tickets and then use tickets for food and drink; you simply pay the vendor directly, much less hassle.

This was our first visit to this local street fair which never really hit my radar before for…read morewhatever reason. Probably because I'm a Park Ridge resident and we have our own Taste? Well, that's not really a good reason. Taste of Des Plaines is a great event for the local community with some local vendors able to advertise and offer their products. There's not a ton of stuff, but it's perfect for a taste as the name says. It's held out front of the Des Plaines public library in its plaza and the two adjacent strip malls. The best aspect is that it's laid back and relaxed, and relatively uncrowded with 3 nearby parking garages for relatively easy parking. It was particularly nice that for apparently the second year in a row, they were on a cashless system, so there are no more silly ticket purchases for cash and you just spend with credit card as you go. We had some good food samplings from a local Cuban place, Que Bola, which included a delicious lechon sandwich and a chicken empanada, and we also had a lula meat skewer from Karavan, a local offshoot of Jibek Jolu. A refreshing draft Revolution Anti-Hero beer was a reasonable $7. They also had a couple of band stages and some good quality bands. One stage was used by kiddos from the School of Rock when we meandered by. The main stage featured on this particular Friday evening 3 bands - namely Whiskey Road, the Terry Byrne Band, and local favorite and street fair staple 7th Heaven. It was all good. I'm a fan of this fair and it's easy on the logistics, it's a good time with good street fair quality, and it's very close to home, yaay!

Great venue. Hall was very big. Was here for a birthday party and everything was clean, and staff…read morewas very friendly and helpful.

After a long search for the perfect venue to host a milestone birthday party; I came across Amron…read more This is a hidden gem that I am glad I found! Mark, the owner was extremely helpful and flexible, from beginning to end. The space Is beautiful and well taken care of. Very good options are offered to make the experience more enjoyable; from simple to glamorous, this space fulfills all celebratory needs!

DO NOT consider a winter wedding here, and absolutely DO NOT expect transparency or flexibility…read morewith any hiccups in their formula. Also, they apparently blocked my account on Zola -- I can't find them in a search when I'm logged in anymore. Thankfully I was able to leave a review without being logged in, and am also sharing here. TLDR: they can't accommodate winter weddings, despite including those months as available on their website, and they aren't transparent about their inability to do so. They can only provide half a venue, with 40% decreased capacity, but still expect you to pay full price. I was appalled by their poor communication and business practices throughout our experience trying to book them for our January wedding. -- -- The issues started when booking a tour -- their availability is challenging if you work a day job, and we were also limited with my partner's 24/48 shifts for the city. But I rearranged my work to accommodate their schedule. The day of the tour we received a vague cancellation with 3 hours notice, saying they would work with our schedules to get a new tour on the calendar. They very much did NOT work with our schedules, declined several options I requested that would work without us making major concessions on our end, and only offered a small window later than their once-a-week evening slots. We were once again rearranging our schedule to work for theirs after their cancellation. When we finally had the tour, I'll admit it's a gorgeous venue. We were excited about booking there, but concerned about how they'd handle January events. Since their website includes Jan in their off-peak season rates, I figured they had a plan for accommodating cold weather (they have a tent for the yard, but it's insufficient for temps under 30 degrees and that's a heavy gamble for evenings in January). They didn't seem to have any ideas outside using that tent. They do have an upstairs to the venue that reflects the ground floor footprint, so I asked if they would include these in the base rate (they're usually an add-on expense) because we were losing space in the yard. They said they would "compromise" by including just one of the rooms, but would reduce capacity to only 70. We had been straightforward that our guest list was 80-90, and their website advertises up to 120 guests for a buffet or cocktail reception, which was our plan. I understand they don't do a ton of events in the winter, so I thought maybe they just didn't have a well-designed plan for colder months and we could find a way to work one out. But they refused to work with us to expand capacity beyond 70 guests AND made no concessions on price. I have no idea what they would have done had we moved forward and temperatures were too cold for a tent (leave our guests shivering? cut our guest list week-of? at the door?) -- I asked and and they couldn't answer. On top of it all, they made me feel like I was a problem for having these concerns. At the end of the day, I can't believe that a venue would expect clients to pay full price for half a venue and 40% decreased capacity, especially in a season they admit having little to no bookings. They clearly do not want business in their winter months, but will jerk you around for a month pretending they do.

Exceeded our (extremely high) expectations at every step, turn, and touchpoint!…read more We worked with the AMAZING Teddy and Sarah and from the start knew we were in the right place, space and best of hands. First of all, Firehouse is charming as all HECK. This isn't your drab hotel ballroom where partition walls, lighting rigs and bunches and bunches of flowers can barely start to cover the lack of character. This space has personality and soul, every last inch. Classic Chicago neighborhood setting, we didn't want to leave the beautiful courtyard space. Everything about the venue is built to make your guests feel at home, comfortable and intimate to the party. Did we mention the firepole?! Best entry ever for a groom to make. We can't recommend enough - Teddy and Sarah listened to all our thoughts/concerns/ideas and custom built a space and flow that complimented the night in every possible way.

I had such a great experience! The space was beautiful, unique, and the perfect setting for our…read moreevent. The team was so welcoming, accommodating, and easy to work with, which made everything come together so smoothly. Our guests had an amazing time, and I truly loved the experience. Perfect venue highly recommend !

Incredible customer service, we attended an invite and it was beautiful from start to finish. You…read morecan tell they really love what they do and go above and beyond with their work.

A classic old tavern feel w tavern pizza and a large banquet hall providing awesome live music n…read moreprivate parties. I've been to hundreds of shows at Post 42 and the new sound system is great while the staff is accommodating. Prices are cheap too, and you can become a non military member as a Booster for even cheaper drinks!l