Chicago

Myopic Books is the coolest used book store in Chicago and appropriately in the hipster neighborhood of Wicker Park. It's huge (three floors) and their mystery book room is in the basement in a back room (so creepy but worth the look!). If you're a Chicgao local and love a good book store, definitely stop by Myopic Books!

One of the mythical ice cream shops of Chicago, the original rainbow cone has been a stalwart at Taste of Chicago every year. So the deal is that they load up 5 different flavors on one cone for you to give you that patented rainbow look. They also have their own flavour called the Palmer house flavour. The coolest part is that they have little cone holders with a little guard to catch any melting ice cream from getting to your hand. There are a ton of other options like sundaes for people who don't want to get adventurous. Rainbow cone is a must visit for any Chicago ice cream fanatic.

Maggie Daley park is a series of kids parks for kids ranging 2 to 14+. Each section is clearly labeled for what age groups. Throughout the park are slides, trails, metal horns that let you talk to someone else from the other end of the park, trees, swings, and a splash area. There are benches and grassy areas throughout the park so you can picnic or have a more quieter place to rest in between playing. This is the perfect place for families to hang out for the day.

This is a giant door near Greek town. In the corner of the window there is a little monster popping out. This is a cute place for locals to take their kids for a photo op. Though there isn't a lot to do there, to do it is a cute door to stop by if it is on your way somewhere.

Best way to travel in Chicago? Perhaps. Dryest way to travel in Chicago? Absolutely. If you want to avoid horrificly snowy days or a torrential downpour, walking underground in the tunnels below the city may be the key to what you're looking for.It's free and real, but sadly it's limited in where it will get you and how it all connects. The Chicago Pedway is an underground walkway connecting some of the buildings downtown. You can look up a map to see exactly what connects but it's a bit limited and you want to be sure where you're trying to get to connects to where you're coming from AND that it won't close before you get there! Different parts of the walkway close at different times! And after normal business hours, the pedway is nearly all shut down. Walking through the pedway, some areas will be nicer than others. Some have shops and are all decked out while other areas are dank, dark and pungent with urine. You'll see some good and some bad, some areas will be super hot while others will have nice A/C. Most are underground while other sections are elevated or at ground level. It's such a funny little path, completely disjointed but yet all connected. So the Chicago Pedway - a good way to get around if you know where you're going on it. If it can be worked into a trip between the CTA red line and going shopping, it's a funny little piece of Chicago that won't cost you a dime and boggles the mind!

There could not be a better place for gamers, hipsters, and nerds to hang out. Old school Street Fighter II? Check. Pinball? Check. Little tables next to games to put your drinks? Yup, got those too. The vibe here is on point. Drink menus are inside vintage yearbooks, there are little tiny lockers to charge your cellphone, a fireplace downstairs, and the checks come in ridiculously bad vintage books. They have a great beer selection and wine list too. You should definitely visit if you want fun drinks or a really cool party.

The Puppet Bike is a Chicago favorite - created by Jason Trusty, a performance can last from 2-4 hours and can be quite interactive! If you're lucky, you can find this custom-built mobile stage in downtown Chicago (around the Loop/Andersonville area), offering puppet shows featuring Clover, Lefty, Monkee, Squirrely, Amtrak, Other, Chock and Namy (the puppets are so cute!). There's a ghetto blaster installed to provide the music for the puppets to dance to. They were even featured on late-night talk shows, radios, etc. Your day can become even better when you get to high-five one of the puppets! When you get a chance, take some time to stand back and enjoy the show. One of the puppets even reminds you not to forget to tip if you enjoyed the performance!