This is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's first domestic structure in the United States, and it is a beautiful example of Minimalism. The house is located outside Chicago, but is worth the drive and the tour guides are pretty great. Due to flooding, the house and the property will undergo major preservation changes beginning in the next decade, so it's hard to tell how long the house will remain in it's current state.

Chicago has great brutalist architecture but this is one I pass by all the time. It has been burned into my mind and I'm pretty sure it can fly.

The best new/used bookstore in Chicago––and with every sale, they put money towards buying books for classrooms in the neighborhood schools. Great selection, well organized, helpful staff, and they hold occasional events where they'll stay open late.

Making leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish accessible through research, preservation, education and community engagement

Open 6 days a week (closed on Saturdays), La Trailita (it's a food truck, but before their current truck, they were just a small trailer) serves some of the best tacos and quesadillas in Chicago, including tons of vegetarian options. They are open year round (even when it gets cold!). There is another taco truck across the street at the intersection, so make sure you're going to the right one (it's in front of a convenience store). I believe it's run by some ladies from the church it parks near. Recommend their tacos al pastor and potato quesadillas. Salsa is very tasty but very spicy!