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I like my bank, but since I moved to Waukegan the closest branch is 11 miles away so I have been thinking about finding something closer for a long time.
Do you know the difference between a...
I like my bank, but since I moved to Waukegan the closest branch is 11 miles away so I have been thinking about finding something closer for a long time.
Do you know the difference between a credit union and a bank? A credit union is not-for-profit. Having been raised in co-ops, I knew this was the way to go. These institutions exist to serve the members, instead of to make the bankers wealthy. Whatta concept! Don't tell George W., he'll shut em all down:)
In my new neighborhood there are several big credit unions. I was driving the 11 miles to deposit a check when I thought to myself, this is ridiculous. I knew Great Lakes was coming right up, so in I went.
The branch in Gurnee that I went to is very posh and upscale looking, not like the funky credit unions of my memory. I opened a checking and savings account. The whole experience couldn't have been better.
Professional and efficient without being cold and businesslike, can you imagine. The young guy who took care of me did as good a job as you could possibly expect. Thanks Karl Grom Jr.
They have all the bells and whistles too: internet banking, a debit card, overdraft protection, etc. all at the always right price: free. You just have to have $5 in your savings acct. to get free checking.
Highly recommended is my first impression. If this changes after time I'll let you know.
Note: the address listed is for the main office. They have branches in Waukegan, Gurnee and Libertyville.
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Independence Grove is a showcase forest preserve in Lake county,IL I started coming here last fall to walk and bring my grandkids to romp around and climb the boulders and roll down the grassy...
Independence Grove is a showcase forest preserve in Lake county,IL I started coming here last fall to walk and bring my grandkids to romp around and climb the boulders and roll down the grassy hills.
The more I have come here, the more I have come to love and appreciate this place. The heart of it is a good sized lake that was reclaimed from an old quarry. The first thing I notice when I started walking around it was that it had good population of red winged blackbirds.
I grew up in Lombard in an unincorporated area. There was a big marsh just West of our house and another pond nearby and these same birds used to hang out on the waters edge.
There is also a huge population of purple martins at Independence Grove. I had heard about these mosquito eating birds for years but never got a chance to see them up close and personal until strolling the lake at twilight out here.
People come here to picnic, fish, walk, sun bathe, canoe and paddle boat. It is just a charming, delightful very civilized park-like forest preserve.
It is free for Lake county residents. There is a small parking fee for everyone else. There is a cafe here too, and gardens, and all sort of nice green nooks and crannies to explore.
Note: the accompanying map is not quite accurate. This place is on the N. side of 137 just E. of Milwaukee Ave. The map shown indicates Adler Park which is also beautiful!
http://www.lcfpd.org/preserves/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.view&object_id=194&type=P
This is a little follow up written a day later. I went into the park for my evening stroll and was greeted by a very animated red-winged blackbird practically as soon as I got out of the car.
At first I thought I had ventured to close to his nest or something, but no, I realized he just was excited to see me and had a lot to say. The nearest I could get, to translate from Birdese: "Hey where you been? We've been looking for you! Thanks for the lovely words about us; we're glad you appreciate our beauty which many miss! Enjoy your walk!"
He fluttered around my head loudly cheeping away for a good 90 seconds. As I continued to walk, he flew off. You reach your own conclusions :)
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This is wonderful library. To me it represents the best of the American Dream. People of all races and ethnicities together in harmony enjoy all of the media of a free society in a state-of-the-art...
This is wonderful library. To me it represents the best of the American Dream. People of all races and ethnicities together in harmony enjoy all of the media of a free society in a state-of-the-art facility.
Gurnee has a great tax base thanks to A Great America amusement park and a booming shopping mall. This library is one of the perks, the main one if you ask me.
There is a huge parking lot with free parking. It has a nice little cafรฉ and gift shop as you enter. There is a used book store where you can buy books for cheap donated by patrons.
The main library is huge, airy, spacious and well organized. There are up-to-date book selections, and of course DVDs, VHS tapes, audio books, etc.
There is a lovely quiet room where the silence is delicious. There are banks of free computers with huge screens featuring fast internet access. The staff is friendly and helpful. There is delightful art on the walls.
There is free wi-fi throughout the library, with convenient electrical outlets. There are bunches of study carrels, big windows looking out on the suburban greenery, beautiful high ceilings with great lighting.
Please don't take this place for granted! Mankind has dreamed about this kind of place for generations; we get to enjoy the fruits of their labors and their sacrifices. God Bless America!
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I like the chicken chalupa supreme at Taco Bell and because this place is near my house, I have been here several times. I usually go through the drive through which is a little goofy because the...
I like the chicken chalupa supreme at Taco Bell and because this place is near my house, I have been here several times. I usually go through the drive through which is a little goofy because the drive-in window is on the passenger side.
Occasionally if I am short on cash I use my bank's credit/debit card. I felt a bit funny doing that for such a small purchase but hey, this is a new century, get used to it dude.
As you probably know, a lot of places Taco Bell included don't require a signature on a small purchase. They just hand you a receipt when they return your card. Check your receipt! I got charged $6.32 for a purchase which should have been $3.32. I didn't notice it until I was checking my balance online.
The manager here was very nice and apologetic and said just bring in your monthly bank statement. I did that and showed them the transaction, filled out a form and got my refund. But I could have saved myself a lot of hassle just by checking my receipt. Live and loin!
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Finding decent food in a food court in a shopping mall is an advanced skill. It requires great discrimination, a good nose, and good intuition. My usual procedure is to try the non-franchise places...
Finding decent food in a food court in a shopping mall is an advanced skill. It requires great discrimination, a good nose, and good intuition. My usual procedure is to try the non-franchise places first. You know you are living dangerously here; the primary virtue of franchise food is predictability. Of course that is why it gets so boring too.
I love Cajun food but have never found any outside of Louisiana that was worth mentioning. But I keep trying; thus I was drawn to this place. I have been quite pleased with the Bourbon Chicken and have actually been back several times for more.
It actually tastes like real food, not franchise. Chunks of chicken are marinated in a tasty spicy-but-not-too-spicy sauce. You get your choice of various sides, none of which are particularly memorable. But for $5 you get a pretty decent meal.
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Wendy's
Category:
Food & Dining
4150 Grove Ave.
Gurnee, Illinois 60031
(847) 336-3519
Wendy's is my favorite fast food place. There is a Wendy's I go to in Gurnee fairly regularly whose primary virtue is its proximity to the wonderful Gurnee public library, which often serves as my...
Wendy's is my favorite fast food place. There is a Wendy's I go to in Gurnee fairly regularly whose primary virtue is its proximity to the wonderful Gurnee public library, which often serves as my daytime office.
After sampling practically everything on the menu, I have settled onto a pretty good meal for dinner that costs $3 and change.
Here it is: A cup of chili, a sour cream and chive baked potato, and a Caesar side salad. Each item is 99 cents; sucha a deal!
I practice my Spanish when I go here. It is no secret that Spanish is a good language to know now and if you can speak it the chances of getting your order correctly the first time are increased by many percent.
How do you say croรปtons in Spanish? Why do they always forget them?
Hey Wendy's! Get free wif-fi! That will be worth another star!
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My laptop is my life. I write for a living and spend most of my time in local libraries taking advantage of their free wi-fi and their other amenities.
When my baby started shutting down from...
My laptop is my life. I write for a living and spend most of my time in local libraries taking advantage of their free wi-fi and their other amenities.
When my baby started shutting down from overheating I knew something had to be done. I started propping up the back so it could get a bit more circulation but it didn't help much.
I really couldn't afford to take it in for repairs, so I just lived with it. One night I was working late at home and it overheated. I just went to bed. I freaked out in the morning to find it still running hot, the fan cycling on and off.
I looked in the local yellow pages and called the place with the biggest ad. No time for online research. I brought it over and they said they would call me with a diagnosis.
The guy I talked to was 30ish and very friendly and helpful. He said that he and his father worked the business together.
I use the free computers in the local libraries when my laptop is not available, so I was able to get along fairly well.
I got my laptop back and that baby was amazing; reborn! Such a treat to have a well functioning machine again, especially when you spend most of your waking hours in front of it.
They had cleaned out close to a thousand bugs and viruses. I thought I did pretty good with that but that's why once in a while you just gotta go to the pros. They had installed some new free software that was much more effective than what I had been using.
They took it all apart and cleaned out all the dust which is what was causing the overheating. They completely solved the problem; it's like new.
One thing kinda weirded me out though. The desktop looked quite different when I got it back. I ended up taking it back and Rudy Senior very patiently explained why (more efficiency), and restored the stuff I was missing.
Altogether a very satisfactory experience. The price was very fair, the terms were kind and liberal, and Rudy Jr. and Senior were cool guys I really liked. Highly recommended.
http://www.zytekservices.com/
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Honest mechanic? Some folks think this is a cruel oxymoron but this rare beasty actually still does exist. I found one right when I needed it most.
My old beater had started leaking gas. I would...
Honest mechanic? Some folks think this is a cruel oxymoron but this rare beasty actually still does exist. I found one right when I needed it most.
My old beater had started leaking gas. I would come out to find a small puddle in the vicinity of my gas tank and of course the lovely fragrance which is so instantly recognizable.
I could not afford any repairs and I started doing things like driving around on empty, only putting in $3 at a time. I know it was dangerous to live with this, not to mention expensive.
I was at a local gas station putting in my umpteenth $3 worth and I thought, this is ridiculous. Right across the street there was this garage so I pulled in there to at least get a diagnosis and find out what it would cost to repair.
The place was clean, the help was friendly. I talked to the owner whose name is Eric. Family business, been here for years, all that good stuff.
I took the bus home and waited for the diagnosis. Turned out it was a line next to the gas tank. Eric showed me the ugly pipes which all looked like they were about to dissolve in a pile of rust.
He offered two options. The right way, and the cheap way. He said, considering the condition of the car, the cheap way is probably your best option. With out going into all the gory details, I okayed the repair.
He estimated it would cost around $150; it turned out around $200, mostly labor. He was very kind in arranging payment.
Basically I liked him and his help, I had a good experience with them, and I would recommend them.
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If you have any interest in the work of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's work, this place is a must see. It is one of the more interesting tours you can take.
In it you can get some real...
If you have any interest in the work of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's work, this place is a must see. It is one of the more interesting tours you can take.
In it you can get some real insight into how his vision evolved in the twenty years he lived here.
A high point is visiting the children's playroom. The arched ceiling, the leaded glass windows in the treetops, the balcony make for a memorable space.
Wright was one of the century's most influential architects. It is worth the visit to see the place where he lived and worked for years.
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If you are interested in sculpture or art generally, this is a worthy destination.
Considered to be the Master work of Lorado Taft, this enormous Fountain of Time took 14 years to...
If you are interested in sculpture or art generally, this is a worthy destination.
Considered to be the Master work of Lorado Taft, this enormous Fountain of Time took 14 years to construct.
In it the figure of Time stands across from a 110 foot wave of humanity; soldiers, lovers, youth, the sculptor himself, and many others.
This piece was designed to be part of a larger vision that was never realized. Time and pollution have not been kind to it either; it is in need of repair, but still worth a visit.
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