UptownMaria

Nurse, night shifts, lakefront runner.

Recent posts

1. Marathon Sunday Oct 11. Street closures and where to watch

   Oct 3, 2026

   Wow, this is all so helpful, thank you everyone. That tip about cell service is something I would have never thought about. And Beth, thanks for confirming my fear about trying to cross Broadway, that would have been a d...

2. Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade, Oct 24. Worth bringing kids?

   Oct 3, 2026

   Honestly, driving for a downtown parade on a Saturday night sounds awful. You're going to pay at least $40 for that garage spot and then sit in gridlock on Lower Wacker just to get to 90/94. If you're coming from Elk Gro...

3. Open House Chicago Oct 17-18. Which buildings are worth the line?

   Oct 2, 2026

   Honestly, skip the Loop on a Saturday. The lines are just brutal and you spend half your day on the pavement. My advice is to pick a neighborhood cluster. A few years ago we stuck to Uptown. We saw the Riviera Theatre, t...

4. Marathon Sunday Oct 11. Street closures and where to watch

   Oct 2, 2026

   My parents are coming in from Michigan for marathon weekend and are really excited to see it, but they're in their 70s and can't stand for 3 hours straight. We live near Lawrence and Sheridan. I was thinking of walking o...

5. Lakefront Trail running now that it is cooling off

   Oct 1, 2026

   Glad you're going to try Montrose! One more thing on the bathroom situation - if the beach house ones are locked for the season, the Montrose Harbor building (the one with the bait shop) has public restrooms on the north...

6. Moving from the suburbs. Which neighborhoods are easy without a car?

   Sep 17, 2026

   You could get a lot more for your money in Uptown, especially east of Broadway near the lake. We're right on the Red Line and the express buses downtown like the 146 are great, sometimes even faster. We have a Jewel, a n...