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.

With one and soon to be two kids at RC4, we have only positive things to say about this daycare…read more The lead teachers/caregivers are uniformly excellent and well prepared - our daughter has loved each of them as she's grown up there. The rooms are well maintained and well stocked with appropriate toys/activities as is the small playground. The building is clean and functional but not super fancy, as you would expect from being an extension of a community church, but all perfectly appropriate for a daycare. Like most child care in Chicago the price is high but very competitive compared to other facilities in the area. We also love how plugged into the community RC4 is, specifically the weekly farmers market in their parking lot in the summer. Our only quibble is with some of the sick policies that can be more restrictive than the recommendations of local health authorities, but this is a relatively infrequent annoyance. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a daycare!

Very strong recommendation after almost 4 years of having our child attend here. High quality care,…read moretrained professionals, responsible policies and consistent support. We have the utmost trust for them.

I love how the white transplant kids get all bent out of shape about gentrification (see some of…read morethe other reviews here). Go blow. Or better yet, move to Austin or Garfield Park. You'll get your coveted grit. I want businesses to come here. I want the schools to get better. I want money to come into the neighborhood. Frankly, I've had a house here for a few years and the 30+ year residents on my street are delighted by how the neighborhood is changing. If you pine for the gang/drug-ridden BS, well...you're an idiot. I love my neighborhood. I like that it still IS a neighborhood. I like that some local merchants are tasting some success, and I think it'd be great if some of that blighted shit on Milwaukee got filled with stores of any stripe...chain or otherwise. I know..."waah chain stores". Y'know what's worse than chain stores? Empty store fronts and vacant buildings. This is where I am raising my family, where I put my stake in the ground because I believe in the area.. If all you want is a dive bar, cheap rent, and taco stand, well we pretty much have nothing to talk about since you're probably going to flee the hood at some point anyway. If you are one of those whose ideal Logan Square consists of empty community centers, free health clinics, squatters, and dollar stores, welp i am actively working to makes sure your dream does not come to pass. Get involved with the community, get to know your neighbors, start building a life here and then we'll talk. Otherwise shut your mouth.

Best place to live in the city...if you don't mind that there are no supermarkets around. Great…read morehousing, interesting mix of people, close to a very convenient el stop (if you travel for a living...so close to O'Hare, relatively speaking). A great neighborhood to commute from - 10 minutes to 290 (via sacramento), 7 minutes to 90 (via california) and 20-30 minutes via el. Neighbors are pretty friendly, lots of opportunities for dog parties if you have your own precious pooch. Reports of gentrification are both exaggerated and expected. Yeah, so rents are going up...well guess what, rents all over Chicago have gone up, so it isn't just your landlord trying to get your sorry art student ass out. And as far as I can tell, the gangs are still here (hell, the Latin Kings and their arch enemies Orchestra Albany marked up my alley pretty well last week)! And if that ain't a sign that gentrification has not completely arrived, I don't know what is. If gentrification means that art students and their parties that go until 5 am move to another neighborhood, I'm all for it. Because as far as I can tell, kids from Columbia College haven't done a thing to make Logan a better place. Also, for those of you freaking out about changes in the neighborhood: patterns of migration. This neighborhood, and neighborhoods all over Chicago, have ebbed and flowed with different immigrant and/or ethnic groups over time. You may not like it, but it is life. Not just here, but all over the US.

An indoor sports facility that is so much bigger than you think it is from the entrance. There are…read morefields to play soccer, dodgeball or kickball along with a full-size basketball court, golf simulators, batting cages (nets) and a weight room. There are also probably three or four businesses operating within. I was here for HotShots kids program where the kids play multiple sports in one day. The staff have all been very friendly and helpful. There is also a parents lounge (Glass) area to do work if needed with coffee and wifi. The entrance is on the back side of this enormous building, which is a little confusing but once you figure it out, there is plenty of parking. This was an epic find for us for the hot summer.

I love Ultimate Ninjas! It's my favorite place ever! Coach Gabe is the best because he helps me…read morewhen things feel a little tricky, like the monkey bars. Sometimes I feel like I can't make it all the way across, but he shows me how to swing and tells me not to give up--and then I do it! That makes me feel super strong and proud. My most favorite thing is the warped wall because it makes me feel like a real ninja! I run as fast as I can and try to get all the way up. Even if I don't make it every time, it's still really fun to try again and again. I also like all the obstacles because they're like a big adventure playground. I get to climb, swing, jump, and pretend I'm on a ninja show. Everyone cheers each other on, and it makes me really happy. I always have so much fun and can't wait to go back! Love, Ethan T.

Great trainers that make it a fun experience at any age! The classes are a great workout with fun…read morechallenges.

I toured 8-10 daycares in the Albany Park/North Park/Lincoln Square/Old Irving/Portage Park…read moreneighborhoods when I was looking to enroll my two-year-old son in daycare. I kept coming back to and eventually enrolled my son in KACS Early Childhood Center because I honestly believed they were the best. After he has been attending for 3 months I could not be more thrilled with this place. To start with, they are NAEYC accredited. They work on a sliding payment scale but accept private pay, which means the students come from diverse backgrounds, which is great. The teachers and staff are professional, attentive, and genuinely love the students. The class sizes are relatively small, especially with the younger age children (there are 6 students in my son's twos classroom). The center serves decent food (breakfast, lunch, snack), takes the kids outside to the park and for walks regularly, does lots of arts and crafts and even put on a wonderful holiday performance at the upstairs community center where all the kids performed dances and sang. My son constantly talks about his teachers and classmates and genuinely loves his experience here. Just one example story of how great KACS is: when my son had trouble adjusting to the new environment in the first several weeks the teachers all put in a special effort on his behalf to make him feel welcome and work with me on drop-off procedure. My son got a special star chart and prize incentive to help ease his worries -- after 2 weeks he was good. You get everything you would get at a much higher-priced educational center at KACS and more. The interiors aren't as beautiful as you might find in a Montessori setting, but I will take genuine love and affection from the teachers over Ikea furniture any day. KACS is a real hidden gem and I feel very fortunate to have found it.

This is an excellent child care center for children. Their teachers are top-notch and well educated…read morein children's development. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming to students.

Lovely park to have as a neighbor. Lots of trees around the perimeter and wide open space in the…read morecenter. Softball throughout the summer, a nice playground for the next generation, and a field house with a basketball court (limited open gym hours).

This is a great little neighborhood park with a playground, some baseball diamonds, tennis courts…read moreand just a little bit of greenery in this concrete jungle. My favorite thing about this park is when I walk a dog I'm sitting around, there are garbage cans everywhere, woohoo! There is usually some parking around the park if you're coming for a game. The playground is usually full of families and children playing which is a nice sight to see! The one thing that makes no sense is a constantly running water fountain. I don't get why it doesn't turn off. Seems like a total waste.

Free coffee!!! Childhood Fractured is Non-for profit, coffee shop art gallery and studio space…read more This donation based coffee shop is working to end childhood sexual abuse through contempary art. With the walls and ceilings covered It is a salon style art gallery. The location has many events happenings and classes, from live painting to meditation. Childhood fractued is a great place for meaningful conversation on a good cause and great contempary art. Come for the elite free Asado coffee, stay for the colorful enviornment.

From the owner: We are a FREE COFFEE shop aimed at bringing prevention and awareness to child sexual abuse…read more FREE COFFEE for Children's Rights

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.

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.