All the best stores are here. Too bad that Deer Park is a bit of a drive for me, otherwise I'd be…read morehere a lot more often. I do think it is confusing to find a certain store, unless you are a regular here, because they are all grouped together. Still, we were able to find parking close by. So many of my favorites are here -- I'll be back again soon.

I've been to the Deer Park Town Center many times. They have a lot of shops that I love. I've been…read moreto Barnes and Noble, Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware, and the movie theater, among others. They are also home to some of my favorite restaurants, including Biaggis, California Pizza Kitchen, and Stoney River. There is plenty of parking and the layout makes it easy to find the shops you are looking for. I look forward to seeing what shops and amenities Deer Park Town Center adds in the future. I highly recommend Deer Park Town Center!

Well, on this hot and muggy Sunday, we decided to have an atypical weekend visit to the shady Grove…read moreto do our almost daily walk. We typically only visit here on quieter weekday mornings. We were pleasantly surprised and fortunate to find the Blacksmith Shop open and that is the case only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. Alec was the blacksmith on duty and he provided some insights into his craft as well as a walk-through of their various iron products, both functional and decorative. He is one of five volunteer blacksmiths on the staff here and really enjoys his time here. Thanks for the tour Alec!

What a great surprise. Needed a little down time and a chance to relax. The Grove provides just…read morethat. Free parking and no cost to walk around. The paths are easy to walk and the native prarie plants along with wild life is spectacular. The period building are relics from a very different era that look perfectly in place in woods. Will look to see what programming they have.

This parking garage always has plenty of spots, even during busy events, like the annual Santa…read moreRotary Run or shows at The Metropolis. Choose from free parking on level 1 for a couple of hours or level 5 for free parking over 4 hours on weekends. Easy access to the downtown area from the stairs or elevator too.

It is a nightmare to drive in this garage, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. What is…read morewith the color coding? Does anybody know? Can I park in the reserved parking stalls after 6:00 pm on weekends? Who knows. The drive aisles are way too narrow. Making turns on the driving aisles is difficult because the aisles are too narrow. Too many blind corners and too many drivers driving too fast. I will never go into that garage again.

The Clove recently opened after undergoing extensive renovations.. It is where the former Buffalo…read moreGrove Town Center used to be. The Clove is now home to Guzman Y Gomez, Chick-fil-A, Giordano's, and Sushi Grove, among other restaurants and businesses. They have also added residential housing apartments and a parking garage. There is a Bowlero bowling alley just to the north, that is not technically part of the property. My husband and I frequent Sushi Grove. It has great food and is a great place to take friends or go for a date night. I can't wait to see what is added to The Clove as they continue the rennovations and more stores open.

This is a newly developed area in Buffalo Grove and offers mixed use commercial and luxury…read moreapartments still under construction. There are several restaurants already opened and a grocery store coming soon. This will be very popular and a nice addition to the area

My husband and I visit Historic Downtown Long Grove quite a bit. There is so much to do there. In…read morethe summer there are festivals almost every week, celebrating strawberries, chocolate, and much more. For a good brew, try the Buffalo Creek Brewery. The beer is brewed on site and they have a lot of exclusive and unique flavors. Our favorite restaurants are Joanie's Pizza and The Village Tavern. The Sock Monkey Museum is fun and educational at the same time. The covered bridge is pretty to look at and has been renovated many times after being hit by busses that are too tall to clear the bridge. Historic Downtown Long Grove has been featured in many movies and should be featured in your food and entertainment plans. I highly recommend Historic Downtown Long Grove!

My memories of Long Grove were always favorable, a fun day browsing in many, unique shops. It was…read morereally depressing to see what it has become. Most stores were empty and the remaining ones had very limited hours. The few remaining stores are not enough to visit. It would be great if it could be revitalized . It seems as if they are scheduling events to bring people to the village, i.e. revive handmade market, craft beer, but not sure if it is enough. It is very sad to see what has happened here, hope it can change.

This is my rating based on the potential that I'm seeing with the redevelopment of this mall. Over…read moretime, this mall has generally been a good spot to gather with a quality set of stores, though there's definitely a lot more competition nearby with good options in all of the surrounding shopping centers that cover all the different varieties of shops and restaurants. With lots of indoor malls closing nearby, this setup has become a bit more of a rarity, and personally I still like having a large spot with furniture to sit down at when I need to rest, a climate controlled area for when it's too hot or cold outside, and lots of fun spots to do seasonal pictures. With Hawthorn 2.0, I'm quite excited for what is to come. It looks like there will be a fresh set of solid anchors like Perry's Steakhouse, AMC, Dave & Busters, Macy's, etc. If this develops similarly to Randhurst, this would be a great spot to gather in Vernon Hills. Even before this is complete however, Hawthorn Mall has retained more quality tenants and has an overall cleaner and more modern look than some of the other indoor malls nearby. With the next closest similar offering being Woodfield Mall, this is still a fairly unique offering.

Hawthorn Mall used to be a go to spot, especially for Christmas shopping. I have childhood memories…read moreof going there with my mother. It's sad to see all of the empty stores in the mall. It still has some favorites like Macy's, Maggiano's, and AMC theaters. I love going to Macy's. I can always find a bargain in the Backstage area! I hope that Hawthorn Mall can attract some new shops and return to its glory days.

This is a super clean, super cute rail station on the Union Pacific North Line. It's right in the…read moreheart of downtown Highland Park so if you get off here, you have a ton of food, drink & shop options. It's actually perfect if you're going to Ravinia - just two stops passed it if you're coming from the city. I recommend taking the train out here a couple hours early to grab some food, then head to Ravinia with light drinks & bites to 'round out the evening. This train station could be slightly better labeled though. It wasn't completely clear which side of the tracks you should be on for which direction. I heard many confused people. They do have a building at this station so you can wait inside if you need to. I didn't find it to be that well maintained though, tons of trash everywhere unfortunately. They had some cute artwork and statues around though to class the joint up!

One of the nicer Metra stations along the line, the station has plenty of places to wait to catch a…read moretrain. The platform is lit nicely, well maintained, and feels pretty safe (you see HPPD drive by a lot). The station itself has nice facilities, and is always comfortable - nice heated floors in the winter, and good airflow in the warmer months. The bathrooms are clean, though only one person can use them at a time. Parking is okay, though you sometimes have to park at one of the further lots and hike a few hundred yards to the parking kiosk and station. The vending machines are nicely maintained and seem to be regularly stocked. Weekday mornings, the little cafe has some decent coffee. If you're going north, or waiting for a Pace bus, they have some stalls you can wait in to keep warm (though I wish they were a little more enclosed). Metra is one of the less painful ways to commute to Chicago (which is sort of like saying "there's a really nice scenic route into the bowels of hell"), and the Highland Park station is probably one of the better stations along the Union Pacific North (UP-N) Metra line. Still, if you're in the neighborhood and going into Chicago; I think you're better off catching the Milwaukee District North (MD-N) line at Lake Cook Rd., since the station is nicer, the parking is easier, and departing at Union Station is often more convenient. They have practically the same arrival and departure schedule.

Nice and safe and easy parking and station next to many stores so it's a very walkable town. Inside…read morethe train it's two levels and even charge stations

This is a great station to take the train to or from. It has clear signage, lots of parking, and an…read moreindoor waiting area. It gets very busy for the AM and PM commute!

Needed a new place to study and decided to check out this library. I'm someone who needs to study…read morenext to a window and feel like i'm outside getting fresh air. There are three tables alongside this wall of windows with outlets. This is all I need out of a library, so it gets 5 stars. If you're looking for a place to enjoy the sunshine, choose this library and these tables specifically.

Quite a nice public library located in Libertyville. Total upgrade from before. You can rent their…read moreNintendo Switch and play various games. There's also a vending machine on site as well as a fresh Keurig coffee maker. Very quiet here and very clean and organized. Staff is super friendly and very knowledgeable they also give good recommendations on new books to read. There's even a Teen Zone area and a digital studio workshop area. Pretty cool!