Irv's Luggage Warehouse

I was in the market for a second bag to take home the extra stuff I'd purchased on my trip to the area and had already purchased a large duffel / camping bag on Wacker Drive a few days earlier when I found this place. It looks small, but they have quite a large selection. I think If I'd found this place first, I would have picked one of the many items they had available. The quality was nice as well. Customer service was a little prevalent, but nice none the less.

Starbucks

Just like every other Starbucks across America, coldly informal and starkly unoriginal. I usually only go in because I need to use the restroom or to get coffee for my boyfriend. I don't like the coffee, it's too strong and has a funny aftertaste. I like small out of the way and obscure coffee houses that give me a warm feeling of home. That's the way coffee should be enjoyed.

Aarand Heating & Air Cond

We all went in a group up to the Taste of Chicago and decided to stop into one of the girl's boyfriend's place to see how he was doing and convince him to brave the incredible heat wave to join us. As we aproached the condo we noticed that he was arguing heavily with someone standing in front of his building. As we got closer we listened in and heard they were arguing about pricing that was agreed upon and other such things. After the man had left (he was paid), we asked him what happened. Apparently he was given an already unreasonable quote before the work was done when the guy uped the price once he'd completed the work.

Genesis Paradise

I was in to pick up some flowers on one of the last days of my trip for my hosts. The woman who assisted me was so pleasant, it was fitting for a floral shop. We chatted a bit and even though I'd selected a few groups of flowers for them suggested others instead, but not without some jokes, friendliness and some info about what the flowers signify and the feelings they are meant to convey. Very cool.

Franks Shoe Repair and Dry Cleaning

My friends hate my Haflingers. They think they are starting to look less like fine German shoes and more like something they should be throwing to their dogs. Which is what happened to the last pair. The ones I have now are identical to said pair, out of respect for their predecesors most brutal end. Sadly, a hole was developing in the big toe area of the right one and I thought I had to just buy a new pair (it's lambs wool). But on a second thought I decided to take them in to see if they could be repaired. This place is *great*! They were able to hide the hole without pulling the wool from other parts of the shoe or it feeling lumpy on the inside, either. Very cool.

PROS: fast service, friendly assistance
CONS:

Bino's Limousine Svc

If you need a limo in the Chicago area, I would give these guys a call. The place we'd originally made plans to use wasn't picking up the line, so we decided - hang it all, we'll just call someone else. They were funny, lighthearted and great to talk to. That really counts when you're trying to arrange a lot of stuff at the last minute, especially in a stressful situation (when you thought it was taken care of). They were quick to get us a limo and handled everything very well. Recommended.

Supernatural Tours by Richard Crowe

The tour guide, Richard, sounded less like the typical robot like characters and more like a guy repeating the same jokes and tired anecdotes. It was almost embarassing. I wouldn't recommend spending money on this tour. It would be more intersesting to go to a paranormal sight and look for a list of places with known activity and going with a group than to endure this. He kept suggesting places that included his personal suggestions for bars and restaurants, which was uncomfortable.

Tour Black Chicago

Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago Bee Building, Elliott Donnelly
Youth Center, South Side Community Art Center, Street Scene and Bronzeville are among some of the sites you'll see on this tour. The focus is to highlight the landmarks and items of cultural interests created by African-Americans. The spoken part of the tour was informative and very interesting. We felt as though we could ask questions during the tour and have discussions as well. This was refreshing compared to the robot like tours I usually go to. Recommended.

Concorde Travel & Tours

I went in looking specifically for information on Tours in the Chicago area and ended up going away with other info about destinations my boyfriend and I are interested in travelling to as well. When I need more pricing or information about travelling or tours, I will give them a call. They were friendly, knowledgable and had the brochures that were on display for taking home.

Universal Travel & Tours

I went in looking for information, but not only were the people on the phone rude but the folks there as well. I was hoping to get some information online or in the mail, but they seemed to want to keep it for themselves or something because I think they wanted for customers. My first impression of their customer service and knowledge wasn't good, but I ignored it and I really shouldn't have. Not Recommended.