I always picked Humboldt park over Wicker park any day. I used to look at the lagoon at night and…read morethink and reflect. I loved attending the Puerto Rican fests with friends. I enjoyed walking the park with snow on the ground.

This Fieldhouse, along with the one in nearby Garfield Park is a "must visit" if you are at all…read moreinterested in Chicago history and architecture. As a community member, it's a "must visit" if you want to get involved with some cool local events and to check out what's going on in the neighborhood. If you are just interested in the fitness center, that's cool too. It's a long rectangular room that looks out over a lagoon and charges a monthly or an annual fee. When I first spotted this building against the dramatic clouds and bright blue sky yesterday, my spirit soared. I don't even care if that's silly talk because that's how enamored I was with the view. "What is this place?" I had to pull in the lot and go inside. What I found were crafty-colorful witches greeting me.... I roamed along to where some voices were coming from and before I knew it, I was standing in an "old-school" gym/basketball court/auditorium. The space looked out of "Dead Poet's Society" or so like that. I backed up toward the wall to take a photo and whoa!! radiant heat from the grate (looks original!) on the wall. I was wrapped in all kinds of warmth. Further wrapped figuratively, by the one lady employee who saw me marveling at this place. She began telling me all about the programs, the fitness center and you could tell she loved her job, the city of Chicago and the place she worked. Thank you, Chicago Park District for keeping this kind of gem alive and housing such awesome community spirit here. http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/humboldtpark/ excerpt re: architecture: "In 1928, the West Park Commission contructed a fieldhouse in Humboldt Park. The structure was designed by architects Michaelsen and Rognstad, who were also responsible for other notable buildings including the Garfield Park Gold Dome Building, the Douglas and LaFolette Park Fieldhouses, and the On Leong Chinese Merchant's Association Building in Chinatown. In 1934, Humboldt Park became part of the Chicago Park District, when the city's 22 independent park commissions merged into a single citywide agency." (I'm learning why I love Paris so much...many nooks of Chicago were based on Parisian design: the Midway Plaisance in Hyde Park is another notable area: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/Midway-Plaisance-Park/ )

The locals know to go here for the annual organic greenhouse plant sale, which was Saturday 5/20…read moreand Sunday 5/21. Get there early, as the nicer and larger plants sell very quickly. Also, it's cash only, and make sure you bring your own boxes to carry your plants. The volunteers are really nice and helpful here. Prices started at $3 for the smaller plants and went up from there. The organic green house not only offers children's and adult classes, they also have a wonderful community garden which is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 12 pm. it is also the only teaching greenhouse from the Chicago Park District, located within the grounds of Kilbourn Park. They seek to connect people to nature, teach sustainable gardening practices, and promote fresh and healthy food to people of all ages through garden-based programming. Kids can enjoy the Garden Buddies program for toddlers, plus the Harvest Garden and Eco-Explorers programs for youth. Adult gardeners can attend a continuing education series and other workshops sponsored by The Friends of Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse. Although the park is one of the smaller ones in the city, they have a soccer field, tennis courts, playground, basketball court, Kilbourn Park also offers different after school programs for kids and a summer camp that is quite good.

This is quite an extensive park! We met a group of friends here for one of their periodic bat…read morewalks, which I think was a program of the Friends of Kilbourn Park. They do have a good sized field house here, with programming for a variety of age ranges, so it's worth checking out the CPD activities schedule. There's lots of green space, but also baseball fields, tennis courts, and a nice sized playground. The playground, too, serves a nice range of ages. But what I liked most about this park was the greenhouse and outdoor natural play area. There are places for kids to sit for various activities that take place here, an outdoor kitchen, and a large greenhouse. It's called a "teaching greenhouse", and is unique amongst Chicago parks (at least as of 2026). There's a program called garden buddies aimed at toddlers and I wish I lived closer to be able to have my child participate in it! There's also a plant sale each year. If all that weren't enough, an orchard--the first in a major metropolitan city in the US!--was planted in 2008. Apples, pears, and more--including the paw paw, an unusual, native Illinois fruit--grow on these trees. Currants, berries, and more have also been planted here. I'm excited to keep an eye on their events.

Renaissance Court is located in the Chicago Cultural Center. Randolph St. Entrance is the most…read moreconvenient. Once you get past the double doors, Renaissance Court is to your right. This is one of the City of Chicago's six regional senior centers. This one is different than the other centers. If you are 55+ - you are welcome here. You have to be 60 to use the other senior centers. This one does not have some of the services the others offer, however, it seems to offer a lot more variety of classes and activities than the others. There is some info in the Chicago Dept. of Family and Support Services "Life Enrichment Programs".quarterly brochure which you can pick up at senior centers, libraries and probably some other city offices. You can also download a pdf. But the brochure only lists a sampling of the classes. At Renaissance Court you can pick up a calendar listing everything going on for the month. They also have some flyers with more info about some of the classes. Many classes are free, but some do have a fee. Some classes: chair yoga, hatha yoga, meditation & movement. Tai Chi, belly dancing, line dancing, variety of other exercise classes IMPROV, performance workshop, drawing, water color, book club and much more. You really have to pick up the calendar. On Saturday there is a Hoop Fitness class. Tried the class out for the first time. I don't remember being that good at hula hooping as a kid, so I was a bit skeptical about this. I met some ladies before the class that assured me that it is all about fun and not to worry. I probably spent more time picking up the hoop than twirling it. Instructor Andrea and rest of the class made me feel welcome and comfortable. Andrea is really nice and encouraging. Luckily, we did some other exercises with the hoop that did not include twirling it. The ladies were right - - it is great fun! On Fridays, you can get a 60 minute table massage for $30. This will be some of the best $$ you ever spend--if you can get an appointment. They can fill up quickly--Tisa is a very good massage therapist. Also, unless things have changed in the past year, you have to make the appt with the office and pay in advance. They didn't take credit cards, so I had to stop by to make and pay for the appt. My limited experience with Renaissance Court has been a good one. It would be nice to live closer and to be able to enjoy more of the activities more often. I do plan to try a few more classes and definitely to give that hula hoop another try :)

No notes on this place???? Came here for table tennis. They…read moredo have TT and it is upstairs. Although today being a holiday all activities are canceled. Nice older facility with tennis court and a basketball court. They do have activities for everyone.

We are very fortunate to have stumbled into the Chicago Cultural Center last week. My daughter and…read moreI needed a small reprieve before going across the street and the heat and we nearly spent two hours here exploring. We loved the art pieces we saw, but mostly the architecture is what we loved. My daughter loved the staircases and amazing dome. The free to the public restrooms also came in handy for us. They were clean and well stocked. The location is perfect for anyone coming or going from Millenium Park or the nearby areas. Lastly, the gift shop had tons of cool art. This place is worth a visit.

Stepping into the Chicago Cultural Center felt like walking through a masterpiece of history and…read morearchitecture. Originally built as Chicago's main public library in 1897, this stunning landmark served the city until 1991. Every corner is filled with incredible craftsmanship--from the grand Neo-Classical and Italian Renaissance architecture to the massive arches, elegant Carrara marble, colorful glass, and intricate mosaic walls. The highlight? Standing beneath the world's largest Tiffany stained glass dome. It is absolutely breathtaking and even more spectacular in person. If you're visiting Chicago, don't miss this hidden gem. Best of all, admission is free, making it one of the city's most beautiful places to explore.

This review is not for the work that that Center does, which is amazing, but for their handling of…read moreappointments when it comes to vaccinations. It is lovely that they allow you to set up appoints for certain times, but what is not so lovely is that you get to the Center 20 min ahead of time and still have to wait about 2 hours. The Queen and I arrived at 4:10 pm for our 4:30 pm appointments, but by 4:30 pm, they were just checking in everyone there. After checking in, we sat for a bit before we were allowed to line up to head up to the area to get vaccinated. While I am very appreciative of the work they do and the fact that they were giving out free shots, it still would be nice to know that when you say 4:30 pm, it means I will get in at least within 15-20 mins of that time and not 2 hours later.

A good place to get involved with is a community center. Center On Halsted is one of the best…read morearound here. It helps many of those who need it, including LGBTQ, minorities, and whoever. Besides this, it's a good place for meetings of various organizations. There's plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Community centers are, no kidding, the center of a community. If you're looking to get involved in a way, go here. This is a pretty big building with a lot of room for various groups and organizations. It has a gym. Often they have floor hockey and volleyball. Also it's next to a Whole Foods. That makes it convenient to get food and supplies. I've been here a few times for various events on MeetUp. The upstairs meeting room is pretty big and there's room for banquets and potlucks. Good place to get involved. It's good for anyone needing help or meeting open minds people. There's everything here from potlucks, sports, and whatever.

Madge Lockwood's massage works miracles. She performed multiple modalities on my aching body. First…read morelymph drainage: a soft relaxing massage which quickly put me to sleep. On my injured shoulder she had a special procedure to break up scar tissue. One treatment and what had been sore for years felt good as new! She's attentive and always on time. Her practice is giving your body real medicine. She is a true healer. I cannot describe in words the mental and emotional transformation that took place after a few sessions of working with her. TREMENDOUS! : ) ( :

So grateful to find Jen Napoli here. She does amazing work with standard Swedish massage, as well…read moreas her specialty, shiatsu. She really cares about giving appropriate pressure and specific treatments to her clients, whichever modality she is using. She is always on time for her appointments, and she makes sure each client gets his/her full time. There are no shortcuts here, like you get with the massage chains. On top of all her therapeutic skills, she is a genuinely nice person. Seeing her is always a pleasure. Highly recommended!

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.

I been planning my visit for a while Then I get done this…read moreSunday Free admission But they accept donations I take the tour And enjoy it then y have a drink Afther all I enjoy my visit My favorite the library The smell of those book Thanks Mars or max our guide

We came here to tour during the Chicago Open House Architectural tour. I have to say I was NOT…read morefamiliar with this place, or recall being in there for an event. For south side art openings, Gallery Guichard is typically THE place to go, but they are in Bronzeville, and this is South Shore, another cool south side neighborhood. I lived as a kid in a building on Crandon, maybe 2.5 miles from the place. It's a great place to showplace art, receptions, film screenings, or book launches. If there was an upstairs, it was closed off. The contemporary art exhibit (by ANTHONY GALLERY) mixed nicely with the older photography. The art was edgy but 'child-friendly'. The pictures near the bar are of stylish men and women from 'back in the day' who could have been my mom, aunts, and their friends. You can still see some of the old structures along with new additions. For history buffs, check out the Mellon Archival Innovation Program, listed on the website. It seems to be a program dedicated to preserving our (Chicago, African-American) history with slides and old Ebony/Jet issues. Sounds fascinating!

This is a nice venue, conveniently located just off the highway. We had a small baby shower here,…read moreand it had plenty of room. There's a large kitchen. It's a very good venue for private parties etc. The prices are reasonable, and there was a staff member there that helped us clean up. I would use this venue again.

I have hosted several events at this location. Convenient and comfortable environment. Surrounded…read moreby nature!