This is a landmark shopping mall in the famous Magnificent mile. Lots of stores, restaurant even…read moretheaters and museum. We walked around and enjoyed the place. We ended having lunch to one of the restaurants. The shopping mall has 4 levels. It's very clean and less crowded.

When I went to Chicago, it was raining so hard, and I'm pretty sure I even saw a cat AND a dog fall…read moredown from the sky. So I went inside here to kill some time. This place is supposedly a high end mall, and I am 100% see the vision. There are 10 floors I believe, but it's only 2-4 stores per floor. They forget to put stores on certain floors in the directory as well. The highlight of the mall in my opinion was the American Girl place. It's large, and really informative and fun. I walked around a bit and they have a decent spread of stores. Fashion. Accessories. Toys. They even have an art gallery. I didn't talk to anyone, really. I shopped at Aeropostale, one of my favorite brands, looked around and that concluded my trip. It's a nice place for people touring, but don't make way for it while planning your trip. Think of it as a plan B. If I lived in Chicago, I wouldn't see this mall as a regular place to shop.

So much to see... I…read moreusually don't visit the city's Chinatown but Chinatown Square is a fun hip yet cool vibe to see the various shops which many are Asian related biz but not just food which does includes some baked goods and my beloved teas along with gift shops and massage services as well. The area is much more compartmented so you don't need to wander too far from one another though I did manage to sneak in a cup of matcha we were here for lunch which was amazing and the vibe here is pretty calm and quite in the earlier morning part of the day. Thank you!

Went out to Chicago Chinatown via Uber. Strolled around and…read morewindow shopping for souvenirs. The square was ok. Not to many people. The store , cafe and restaurants were only open till 9 pm. Got there at 8 pm and one restaurant has full wait list . So decided to walk around the street and scout for an open spot to eat. The street was lit up with name of the stores, boba places and decorated with anime souvenirs. Typical Chinatown. This square kinda small but good enough to check it out.

This review is for Santa Arriving By Helicopter in Winston Plaza. A free complimentary Holiday…read moreevent sponsored by Melrose Park inside of Winston Plaza. I missed last years event but was able to attend this year. I arrived a little early so I could get a nice standing spot up front. There were so many people from children to adults waiting on Mr. Claus himself to arrive my Helicopter. There were activities for the kids to enjoy. There was a free hot chocolate stand set up. Face painting, and free activities for kids. If you spent $25 or more purchase from any merchant store at Winston Plaza. You were able to get a free photo with Santa. The kickoff started at noon and Mr. & Mrs. Claus landed safely and in fashion. This was a epic experience for the family.

This plaza has made some improvements over the years but it still looks outdated; All the stores in…read morethis strip mall are accessible through outside doors. One has to drive through a busy street/intersection to get to the other stores within this plaza. This is my con. Winston plaza is located in Melrose Park and has its own street name (1254 Winston Plaza, 60160). http://winston-plaza.com/home Yesterday, there was an outdoor play area and there was a Christmas tree still up. My daughter passed on the play area because there's still snow on it. I felt she was too grown to play on it anyway. Even if she wanted to, it would've entertained her for a few minutes. The play area, in my opinion, is for under 3 years old. Another con. Free concerts and family events are thrown here. According to opentable.com , there's 39 restaurants to dine in around the area. 2 stars because I had to drive around the area to get to certain stores and face weather conditions instead of being indoors for my daughter to roam around and less risk of being sick.

"One of Mies van der Rohe's final designs rises above a former rail yard that many years earlier…read morewas the site of Fort Dearborn." Planning began for Illinois Center in the late 1960's. Richard J. Daley proclaimed it as "the greatest real estate deal in history." The Illinois Center development is a prominent mixed-use complex situated between Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. It encompasses a significant portion of the skyline and includes office buildings, residential towers, hotels (Hyatt Regency), and retail spaces such as Just Salad, Burrito Beach, Potbelly, FedEx, a credit union and a dentist office. There is also access to the Pedway for underground travel during inclement weather. The concierge at 111 is helpful but sometimes busy. There is a nice selection of foods. The parking rates are a reasonable price. The view of the Chicago River and Trump Tower are a nice distraction. It's extremely difficult to get work done with the captivating panorama.

Illinois Center is not great unless you have a purpose there, like work. There's restaurants, but…read morethey actually close kind of early (at least the Just Salad does; Potbelly seems to stay open a bit later) and the LAZ parking office is in here. Chicago Architecture Foundation has a space here, which makes sense since the boat tours they run are directly across the street. It's also part of the medway. It's connected to the Hyatt Regency, which can be useful if you're staying in the hotel and park beneath the building. But in general, it's not really worth a visit.

No high-end stores will be found in Yards Plaza. (At least not at the time of this review! Future…read moreperhaps?) Anyway, unlike some other shopping plazas and malls that have a number of empty storefronts, this one seems to be surprisingly full. That's a good thing! I think it would be helpful if Damen Avenue was a "through street" between Pershing Road (3900 S) and 47th Street. Easier access from the north would probably help make this a busier shopping plaza. I know people who live in McKinley Park (neighborhood to the north). They have mentioned that they forget about this shopping area since Damen Avenue ends at Pershing Road. The two neighborhoods are somewhat cut-off from each other because Damen Avenue no longer has an overpass. The overpass was taken down about the time Yards Plaza opened up. My friends feel that if they are going to have to go out of their way and detour to get to Yards Plaza ... well, they feel it's just as easy to go somewhere else! The main entrance to Yards Plaza is off 47th Street at Hoyne Ave. When you enter at Hoyne Avenue, there is a strip of businesses going west: H&R Block, Cricket Wireless and Planet Fitness. Planet Fitness is only a few years old. I have heard it's pretty nice--people seem to like it. Some Larger Stores: Food 4 Less - it was pretty good when I shopped there a few years ago Burlington Coat Factory - can be a little messy, yet you can find some decent deals Forman Mills - was actually pretty neat and clean. Didn't find anything that I wanted however. Dollar Tree - This is a large Dollar Tree! It seemed reasonably clean and well stocked the day I shopped there. If you get hungry: Burger King - 2000 W. 47th St. Pizza Hut - 2042 W. 47th St. Subway - 4606 S. Damen Ave. Elaine's Chop Suey Restaurant - 4512 S. Damen Ave. MEMORY LANE Ask any Baby Boomer who grew up in the area near 47th & Damen and they will probably share fond memories of the "Back of the Yards Free Fair". This Fair took place for one month in the summer in what is now Yards Plaza. It was a large carnival--and-- the highlight of a kid's summer! It lasted from about 1940 to 1970 or so. https://forgottenchicago.com/forum/read.php?1,5776 Current Fair w/Free Fair History: http://www.bync.org/events/about-fiesta The Yards Plaza opened in 1990. The stores to anchor the Plaza were Montgomery Ward Department Store, Phar Mor Drugstore and Omni Food Store. All three businesses have since sunk and are no longer in business. For awhile, Value City Department Store took Omni's space. I loved the Value City. However, Value City is now a fond memory also. Luckily, other large stores have replaced the original "anchors": Food 4 Less is where Montgomery Ward once was; Burlington Coat Factory took Phar Mor's spot and later moved to part of the Value City space; Dollar Tree took up the other part of the Value City space. Forman Mills recently took the original Burlington Coat Factory location. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-06-22-8902110497-story.html WRAPPING UP THIS REVIEW All-in-all, I think Yards Plaza is a pretty decent shopping plaza. It is a convenient shopping area for this neighborhood. Parking seems to be abundant--at least when I shop there! Yards Plaza might be worth a stop to shop, if you happen to be in the area. Oh, and.. . . I noticed a website that listed Home Depot as part of Yards Plaza. That was news to me! Home Depot's address is 4555 S. Western Blvd. It is located west of Yards Plaza past the viaduct about 2200 west on 47th Street. There is an entrance to the Home Depot on 47th Street just past the viaduct. And, of course, there is the main entrance to HD from Western Blvd. It is a pretty decent store for a Home Depot. I just wish it was a Menards. Back of the Yards /New City - Review #7

Located inside the OTC, MetraMarket is a small and old food hall with a handful of options,…read moreoutlets, tables, and restrooms. If you are in a pinch, it's a great spot for food and drinks.

What a cute place. Lots of good eats from American to sushi to dessert to juices. They also have a…read morecouple of markets where you can get some fresh fruits. This is location is also connect to outside eatery. The train is also connected and you can enter thru Oliva bar and restaurant. Parking is street but not sure if they have a private lot.

3.5 stars + Yes it's…read moredownstairs in a semi abandoned mall. Yes the bathrooms are creepy--you need a key and to get a key you have to surrender ID or a CC to whatever vendor you buy from as collateral. And yes, the food is delicious, authentic, and CHEAP. I tried the last stall in the left and ordered the pan fried beef bao (8 to an order) & a beef stick. The baos were fluffy & so airy. The filling was well seasoned. The auntie was disgusted that I didn't speak Chinese, but hey, so long as the food is good.

In the lead up to my most recent visit to Chicago, the hidden food court in Richland Center popped…read moreup in my algorithm... and as someone who loves "hole in the wall"-type places, as well as checking out various neighborhoods, their shops, and restaurants, I was super excited to check it out. The problem is that once you actually GET to Richland Center, especially to try out the food court, you realize it's dingy and unwelcoming. There's 0 charm, half the stalls are either closed OR the folks working in them are either rude or paying no attention (seriously, I want to be a paying customer!), and it's just generally disappointing. It didn't really matter which stall I visited or what selection(s) I was trying to make (while wanting to be mindful of cultural norms, expectations, etc). Also, I don't know who decided to pitch the food court as some hidden gem... first of all, it's literally inside the main doors from the sidewalk and then down a (filthy) set of stairs, but secondly, there doesn't seem to be any attention paid to... well... anything. I get that the mall itself is pretty abandoned... like, I anticipated that (and, unfortunately, it seems to be par for the course in many places these days). I understand the nature of dining at food stalls too... I've frequented many in my travels and I honestly love them and have had some of my best meals, and best interactions, from them... ... but this? This wasn't it. This was not a positive experience. Maybe it's different if you live in the neighborhood, I don't know. But I've never had this kind of experience before. I wouldn't recommend going to Richland Center either, whether it be trying to dine in the food court or anything else.

Surrounded by a vibrant Lincoln park area, it's really nice to have a modern shopping center with…read moreplenty of parking in the area (for visiting suburban residents like myself). Parking isn't cheap here but with validation it isn't super unreasonable either. The shop selection definitely leans towards more fun activities like movies, cafes, higher end shopping, furniture, jewelery, and higher end restaurants. In particular, the only Canadian based Earls location in Chicago is located here. With nice landscaping, wide roads, places to sit around, plenty of parking, and nice looking exteriors to the shops, this is really a nice area to hang out and relax in a spot that feels more like a suburban shopping center. This will be a place I definitely come back to in the future when hanging out with friends in the area.

My husband and I went to NEWCITY to meet a friend for dinner at Earl's. We got there early, so we…read morestopped at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea before we met them. I highly recommend both establishments! This shopping center is quiet and calm. It's a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. It also boasts a Dick's Sporting Goods, AMC movie theater, Mariano's grocery store, Off Sack's Fifth Avenue, among other shops. This is a great shopping center and I look forward to coming back. I highly recommend NEWCITY!