Entertainment, places to go in NW suburbs (Chicago, Evanston: movies, living in)

[carnelian]

Those of you who live in such suburbs as Grayslake, Roundlake, Vernon Hills, Libertyville and further west--

what does a single person do for fun or meaningful activity, besides the movies or an occasional
outdoor concert, shopping, dining out? I have googled this, so I know what is on the internet and none of that interests me in the slightest. I'd like to know what residents actually do, not what trip advisor says you can do. Am not interested in most outdoor stuff--in Illinois.
I was thinking about moving there from a suburb very close to the city. Maybe I would be bored living
in these suburbs or wherever (if it is affordable anyway)--heck, I am bored sometimes now, as I have no job or family.

I always wondered what residents of smaller towns do for enjoyment?

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by carnelian

Those of you who live in such suburbs as Grayslake, Roundlake, Vernon Hills, Libertyville and further west--

what does a single person do for fun or meaningful activity, besides the movies or an occasional
outdoor concert, shopping, dining out? I have googled this, so I know what is on the internet and none of that interests me in the slightest. I'd like to know what residents actually do, not what trip advisor says you can do. Am not interested in most outdoor stuff--in Illinois.
I was thinking about moving there from a suburb very close to the city. Maybe I would be bored living
in these suburbs or wherever (if it is affordable anyway)--heck, I am bored sometimes now, as I have no job or family.

I always wondered what residents of smaller towns do for enjoyment?

First of all, these are not what people from Chicagoland would consider 'northwest suburbs.' These are, in fact, northern suburbs.

Even so, if you are thinking late-night bars and restaurants—the type of places where you will find large numbers of single people—you are going to have to make a trip into the city. The vast majority of suburbs do not welcome those establishments. If you aren't from the area, you will quickly learn that concerts oriented toward Millennials tend to start very late. A set time of 10:30 PM or later is not unusual at all, even on a weekday.

With that being said, living in Evanston and Lake Forest hasn't posed much of a problem for me. Obviously, heavy drinking and driving 25+ minutes is pretty undesirable—and no doubt about it, getting a cab or rideshare to take you anywhere outside of Chicago's city limits at 4 or 5 AM is very difficult and pricey.

The train is usually not an option, as both Metra and some CTA lines conveniently stop as the late hour liquor licenses expire for the night. You need to know your limit if you are a drinker and have some sort of a backup plan if you can't find a way home.

Other activities that attract a lot of young singles like street festivals, concerts and movies in the park, and trendy art galleries are heavily concentrated in the city. You just have to make an effort to go there.

[damba]

The OP is a retiree, I believe.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

First of all, these are not what people from Chicagoland would consider 'northwest suburbs.' These are, in fact, northern suburbs.

I disagree. I have lived in the NW suburbs for over 40 years and all of the suburbs mentioned are most definitely considered to be NW suburbs by those who live there. Buffalo Grove, where I live now, is clearly a NW suburb and it borders on Vernon Hills to the north which borders on Libertyville. Grayslake and Round Lake are much further northwest of all three.

[damba]

Originally Posted by wjj

I disagree. I have lived in the NW suburbs for over 40 years and all of the suburbs mentioned are most definitely considered to be NW suburbs by those who live there. Buffalo Grove, where I live now, is clearly a NW suburb and it borders on Vernon Hills to the north which borders on Libertyville. Grayslake and Round Lake are much further northwest of all three.

This is becoming more of a geography lesson than knowing the local vernacular. Your friends do not concur with my friends and family here.

FWIW, VH, Libertyville and Grayslake are north of BG. Of course since boundaries are quite odd in shape, a portion of either of those suburbs could technically be a little west of the westernmost portion of BG. That said, that does not necessarily put them with the NW suburbs. It’s not a requirement either to be east of 94 in order to be considered a north suburb.

Lake Zurich, Wauconda, Arlington Hts, Barrington, Hawthorn Woods- those are all NW burb examples. Mundelein is still considered a far north suburb but Wauconda is not.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by damba

This is becoming more of a geography lesson than knowing the local vernacular. Your friends do not concur with my friends and family here.

FWIW, VH, Libertyville and Grayslake are north of BG. Of course since boundaries are quite odd in shape, a portion of either of those suburbs could technically be a little west of the westernmost portion of BG. That said, that does not necessarily put them with the NW suburbs. It’s not a requirement either to be east of 94 in order to be considered a north suburb.

Lake Zurich, Wauconda, Arlington Hts, Barrington, Hawthorn Woods- those are all NW burb examples. Mundelein is still considered a far north suburb but Wauconda is not.

Wow. Folks who have lived most or all of their lives here (here meaning suburbs that are NW of the city) would say you are spectacularly wrong. So you are saying that BG is a NW suburb but Mundelein, Grayslake and Round Lake, all of which are NW of BG, are not? Really? If you ask 10 Grayslake residents if they are a north or northwest suburb, 9 would say NW. The 10th would say they are not a suburb at all due to being so far NW of the city.


None of this matters of course, except to confuse newcomers to the area!!

[BOBNCHI]

Afaik, realtors use this or similar, as a basic guide to define the suburban areas. One can always quibble about some locations.