The Cook County Clerk's office in Maywood has instituted a new policy - you MUST have an…read moreappointment if you intend to acquire birth or death certificates or marriage licenses. This is a very new, and little known new rule. There is no sign prior to entry that indicates you MUST have an appointment. That means that members of the uniformed public arrive, with the expectation to wait in line for an available clerk, obtain the certificates needed, pay and leave, as has been the customary ritual. But NOW - if you don't have an appointment, you are either turned away or told to go outside, make a call to the clerk's office - in the moment - and request an appointment. That appointment however may not be an IMMEDIATE appointment. You may receive an appointment that requires you to WAIT - possibly an hour, before you can acquire the certificates you need. If that happens, you are told to SIT AND WAIT IN YOUR CAR - until your allotted time! Really? Having a appointment, however, is still not enough - you need to also have a CONFIRMATION NUMBER for that appointment. If you happen to be a representative from a funeral home that has been sent to pick up death certificates for upcoming services - the confirmation number was likely emailed to the office manager - but not the representative that has driven some distance to the clerk's office. The confirmation number is emailed to the office manager. Whether as a representative of a funeral home - or as a member of the general public - you do not expect to be turned away, told to hang out in the parking lot for how ever long it may be, or have to make a second trip, if your wait time is too long. This is not efficient, friendly, or helpful to the public. Hire more staff to accommodate the needs of the public, as you are there to serve the public.

Stopped by here to drop off my mail in voting ballot. The parking lot was well mapped out and easy…read moreto navigate through. The parking lot was also huge and had plenty of spaces to choose from. They had large signage outside to notify people which building the drop off box was and they were easy to read. There were a few friendly police offers outside the door directing people where to go. Since I was dropping off the ballot my process was super quick and simple. I literally walked into the building and put my ballot in the box. They had another officer inside and what looked like a few volunteers helping direct people also. Everyone inside was wearing masks and there was even a large touch-free hand sanitizer to use at the door. People were respectfully social distancing as well. A woman was holding some stickers by the box to have after dropping off your ballot which was appreciated. Who doesn't love stickers!? They make for the best post-voting photos too also.. everyone know that;) Anyway, super easy voting experience and it felt good to drop off that ballot!

I needed to get my application for a special event license fixed as I had mailed it in with some…read moremistakes and they were very helpful and nice and quick and my experience was truly very good especially when considering I was dealing with a state agency

So bad. The office lady provided wrong information on purpose. Experience is really frustrated and…read moreconfusing.

USPS provides amazing value. I needed to send some envelops with two to three day delivery. UPS was…read moregoing to charged my wife twice what USPS would charge, and when I needed to return the signed versions UPS was three times at much $92 UPS vs $35 for USPS - and delivered a day earlier! I rarely see these kinds of savings but here is one - use it!

Informative. Very nice not like the IRS every one was nice beginning to end gave us places to call…read moreand people to follow up with

We used another company CT to authenticate our documents with the Chinese consulate to be used in…read moreChina. They are very good but very expensive. It costs about $175 per document per step. So, it could cost about $550 just for one document. We used other services, and the document applications were rejected several times. We nearly missed the court date in China. Someone recommended U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce. The President is an investment banker by trade and has helped many companies to set up in China. He went thru steps by steps, broke down a complicated process into a series of simple steps, and at the end, all our documents were authenticated in time WITHOUT A SINGLE REJECTION. Thank you.

Excellent visa, passort and Chinese translation services. Very friendly, knowledgeable. I think…read morethat they have special relationship with the government and can expedite the services. My boss lost the passport and had to travel the next day evening to China. She went down to their office at 7:30 am, got a replacement passport by 9:30 am and they got her Chinese visa by 3:00 pm. Price is not even half of CIBT. You can always talk to a live person to ask question and check status. They even gave us their cell phone number for emergency.

It's no small undertaking to have a building that's both a museum and a community resource center -…read moreespecially for a community that's as relatively small as Chicago's Cambodians. I feel weird with Yelp giving a "Woohoo!" to a place dedicated to honoring and remembering a genocide, but this place is worth seeing both for the historical value and to get a perspective on genocides other than those that took place during WWII. I found the staff - particularly the executive director - tremendously friendly and informative and the information is well presented. Also, it must be said as part of my general enthusiasm -- they have a nice little gift shop area where you can buy interesting textiles and other things at very reasonable prices. Stuff you won't see anywhere else. Interesting that Yelp says that this is in Ravenswood. Given that's it's on the south side of Lawrence, it might be Ravenswood Manor, but most would consider it Albany Park. A really nice thing to have in a very interesting neighborhood.

Growing up in Albany Park, I had many Cambodian friends. Both my elementary school and community…read morecenter offered Cambodian ESL classes and other programs geared towards Cambodian immigrants. Throughout the years, I've learned a little bit of their culture through my friends, school, and festivals. But my recent visit to the Cambodian Association of Illinois was a true learning experience. This review is based primarily on my tour of their Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial. The museum director, Mr. Daas was my guide, walking me through the exhibits and memorial. He spoke about Cambodian Buddhism, its origins, practices, and art. There are several sculptures throughout the museum, created by their own artist (Chhoeut Tuy), and other carved wood and stone art. The current exhibit explores socio-economic, cultural, and historical issues in Cambodia. I learned about fishing, rice harvest, and silk production. After viewing the exhibits, we headed over to the Killing Fields Memorial. The Wall of Remembrance honors the 2 million people who died during the Khmer Rouge regime. Many Cambodians throughout the country come here to pay their respects and to add names of family and friends lost in the genocide. The Cambodian Association of Illinois itself was formed in 1976 by a group of Cambodian refugee volunteers to assist those who fled the war-torn country. They provide several programs for this community: education, citizenship help, employment assistance, seniors services, health fairs, counseling, summer camp for children, and cultural workshops. This place is vital to Cambodian-Americans here in Chicago. They help immigrants adjust to life in America while maintaining their culture and heritage. That's what community is all about. Definitely check out their museum the next time you're in the neighborhood.

I have never reviewed anything other than food establishments, but I had such a positive experience…read morehere that I couldn't resist. My boyfriend (a U.S. Permanent Resident) needed to get a tourist visa for a trip in March. The whole process is stressful, time consuming, and expensive. However, the staff here are extremely helpful and polite and it couldn't have gone smoother. Tips: 1. Make an online appointment in advance 2. Triple check to make sure you have all of your documents! Make copies of your passport, driver's license, green card, itinerary, everything. Give one copy to them and keep one for yourself. 3. Bring a money order. 4. Bring along a USPS express mail envelope that's self-addressed The entire appointment took about 15 minutes. They look through your paperwork, make sure you have everything, and get your fingerprints/photo. The staff who helped us was fantastic. He basically told us the visa would be approved barring any weird issues. He also gave us recommendations for places to eat in Sevilla! Appointment: Friday Passport (with Visa) received via USPS Express mail: Tuesday It doesn't get better than that, folks.

Online appointments are required. I have been here twice for the schengen visa. As long as you have…read moredone your homework, the whole process is smooth. The consulate officials are very polite and if you forget a document or two, they guide you through the process. There's a 711 in the building next door, incase you did not bring the money order along. 7/18: I had my passport back with the schengen visa in 6 days via express mail.