Free Things To Do In Chicago

CHICAGOSUMMER

The sun is out, the air is warm, and there’s nothing to do.  That’s a lie.  The best part about summer is the abundance of activities available for you, especially the ones that are free.  Chicago, like all the great cities, has her list of summer fun so check them out when you have time.  Who needs TV and air conditioning when you can be having a great time with your family and friends and creating new memories?  Not to mention, all of it is free!  What are you waiting for?

Lincoln Park Conservatory

Part of the Chicago Park District, the Lincoln Park Conservatory is the place to go for all flora lovers.  Inside, the conservatory is split into four houses: the Palm house, Fern House, Orchid House, and Show House.  Each has a different display, some of exotic tropical plants and others of local flora found around the area.  Check out the dates and maybe you’ll even be able to catch one of the many flower shows that are held in the Lincoln Park Conservatory.

Jane Addams Hull House Museum

If history is your thing, the Hull House is a definite place to visit.  Step into the past and experience Jane Addams’ dream of helping the less fortunate.  Go through the house and check out the exhibits.  In Jane Addams’ room, you can find her personal history through pictures and diary entries.  In the gallery, you can see photographs of the house and the surrounding area when it was up and running.  For more information, check out the website:

Dearborn Observatory

For all the stargazers, Dearborn Observatory is opened to the public from 10PM-11PM on Fridays.  However, if you want to guarantee a chance to peer into the telescope and admire the stars, you can reserve a group tour for an hour earlier.  Located on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University, it’s a great place for a twilight stroll before a chance to see the stars.

Dance All Summer

For those more interested in physical activities check out Dance Chicago and the Chicago Summer Dance.  Get free dance lessons at the Park.  Afterwards, join the huge dance party as everyone rocks out to the theme of the night.  Whether it’s swing night or disco night, grab your partner or grab some friends and dance the night away for free.

International Museum of Surgical Science

For something out of the box, check out the International Museum of Surgical Science.  Explore and learn about the history of surgery and be amazed and the latest innovations and discoveries.  DNA science, plastic surgery,  human anatomy; if these are the things that perk your interest, definitely check out IMSS.

Finding Internet During a Move in Chicago, IL

INTERNET&MOVING

Nowadays, we are addicted to the internet.  We have the internet on our laptops, our phones, our eReaders, our mp3 players, etc.  Check your wi-fi connection and about 20 different routers pop up.  Using the internet is so ingrained in us when we lose it, we become lost and disconnected?  What do you do when you can’t look up gifs of flying cats or update our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter every 3 minutes?

In fact, the lack of internet can very well be one of the worst things about moving in Chicago, IL.  Forget about the mess of packing.  What’s the point if you can’t tweet about it?  Well, during that week or so you don’t have internet, check out some Wi-Fi hotspots to hold you over.

Fast Food Restaurants

Most specifically, go to McDonald’s.  Yeah, the food isn’t exactly healthy, but they have free Wi-Fi and that’s what counts.  Krispy Kreme has free Wi-Fi as well.  Other places like Wendy’s and Burger king operate on a store to store basis.  Some provide free internet while others don’t.

Bookstores

We all know Barnes & Nobles has free Wi-Fi and that’s basically the only big name book store left.  They also have a Starbucks and the workers won’t give you the death glare if you sit for hours between the shelves browsing the internet.

Parks

Wi-Fi is literally inescapable.  The issue isn’t finding it, but finding a public one.  Many parks now have Wi-Fi.  Also, if you are an Optimum customer, you can access their Wi-Fi at any time.  And of course AT&T Wi-Fi is everywhere as well.

Libraries

With libraries, it’s a toss-up if they have Wi-Fi or not.  The older, less modern ones most likely will not.  However, libraries are still guaranteed to have internet.  You’ll just need a library card which you should have anyway.

Coffee Shops

Most coffee shops have Wi-Fi and we all know for certain Starbucks does.  As long as it’s not busy hour, a coffee shop is an ideal place to relax and catch up with everything you’ve missed on the internet. Some places to check out in Chicago are Ch'ava and Metropolis Coffee Co.

Hotels

This is only really applicable if you are staying at a hotel between your move.  Most hotels have complimentary internet.  It can be either Wi-Fi or through an Ethernet cord, but either way, at least you’re connected back to the world!

Internet Cafes

How can we forget the best place of all?  Internet cafes!  With the increasing usage of Wi-Fi and home modems, internet cafes are becoming rarer and rarer.  That’s not to say they are completely gone though.  You can still find the occasional café here and there, serving food to intense gamers playing Starcraft.  Their internet is usually pretty fast and there are sometimes even partitions to separate you from the person next to you, giving you privacy.  The only con is that you have to pay according to how much time you spent on the internet. Try out Biznet or Chicago Computer Club.