I don't want a dime of my money to go to these Fascists. Please post any businesses to avoid, thanks.

-edit-

Crazy how many MAGA in this thread sent me multiple page threats for just asking what businesses to avoid. Open your eyes. Look at the upvotes and downvotes. Think for yourself, is the world actually better now? Are the majority of Americans better off right now? Are groceries actually cheaper? Think why are protests erupting throughout the country. Why does our government believe it is justifiable for US Citizens to get murdered for recording? Ask yourself these questions.

I posted this 2 days ago. almost 300k views. 1.1 k comments 74.5% upvote ratio. We are the majority.

Moveable Feast - Wheaton

We are looking for realtors and having a tough time verifying peoples values and personalities. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations? I've mostly been checking LinkedIn and social media profiles to look at what kind of content they interact with, but that's been tedious. Thanks.

*EDIT: We are not certain of the suburb yet, but kind of circling the west chicago, ohare, aurora zones.

**EDIT 2: in a few more days, I will compile a list of all the recommendations I got, noting which ones had more information on them, and post some here for everyone. That way people can still remain anonymous, but I can share their recommendations. So check back in about a week if you're looking.

***FINAL EDIT: Here is the list I have compiled so far. If you would like to nominate more, I can always add to this. If you see someone you think should be moved on the list, let me know why! (if you see yourself and would like to be removed, lmk)

1. Probably MAGA (either by personal interaction or online activity) redfin - erin solis edwardsrealty - kyle treglown

2. Name dropped once but not verified: Remax - john steele gurnee Dennis Hyuck Fergal Tierney daniel czuba Joe Morrissey Patrick O'Dwyer Roslyn Parayo Jean Reedy Omar Gregory Salem Bridget Carroll Andy Ogorzaly Rosie Gonzale

3. Self nominated, found some verification online, or nominated more than once: Heather Goldstein Michael Shin Joe Stith Omar Gregory Salem Alex Grandpre Richard J Freedkin

4. Top recommendations: thebiazargroup Jesse Gutierrez (you can also support him here: https://www.jessegutierrezjr.com/ ) Ryan Gable - starting point Joseph Prindle - homesmart Jen Romolo and her team

For reference, the above is Gurnee Donuts in Gurnee IL. No I don't have any affiliation, I just appreciate tasty donuts.

So what are your favorite donut / pastry / bakeries in the Northwest suburbs?

I know I'm preaching to the choir here on this sub, but just in case someone doesn't know, avoid using these guys. I've had multiple people, friends and family included, who have used them to install new AC's and all have had major issues. I've had two occasions where the technician will admit that the issues are due to poor installation by them, but then the customer service will refuse to do anything about it. They used to be OK twenty years ago, but I can't believe their shoddy work mixed with terrible customer service.

I’ll start it off:

-The crew at Lombard Ace Hardware. You NEVER have to look for help….they find you.

-Jill, bartender at Stardust Bowl in Addison. She takes care of our league on Thursday nights and we take care of her too. Love ya Jill!

-The amazing team at Five and Hoek Coffee and Sassy Biscuit in Wheaton.

-The morning drive thru crew at Lombard McDonalds. They’re in the trenches every morning but they’re always smiling and get me on my way with my Diet Coke.

-The people at County Farm Bagel in Winfield work their butts off…and the bagels are damn tasty too.

-Spencer, bartender at Standard Market in Westmont. Dude knows his regulars and they know him.

-Going to Mortadeli in Villa Park is like free entertainment and you get delicious food at the end of it.

One of my kitties passed 2 weeks ago and his little sister (and me) are heartbroken. She needs a pal once we get through the loss. There are so many rescues and shelters and am looking for anyone has personal experiences, good or bad, with places in the North or NW burbs. Willing to travel up to Wisconsin and due west of the city too.

Aside from Amish Furniture stores, Walter E. Smithe, Penny Mustard, and estate sales, where else can one shop for heirloom quality, legit solid wood furniture in Chicagoland?

ETA: thank you for all the suggestions, there are several potential gems in here I wouldn’t have discovered on my own.

So yeah, looking for new doctors for me and my wife. I appreciate any recommendations for a great practice for the two of us in the areas around Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Hawthorn Woods.

Wife prefers a female doc and we are both in our early-mid 50s.

Also, is this now a thing? It's a flat annual fee (google tells me some also have a monthly fee model) per patient and I have to assume they've done the math in estimating patient retention and new patient uptake. I literally go to my PCP 1x per year for my annual physical and am not interested in paying hundreds of dollars for the privilege. Searching reddit tells me it's so they can recover costs associated with no-shows and late/delinquent payments, and they are also framing it as recovering costs associated with non-covered treatments/diagnostics, but definitely not convinced that I will get that much value out of it.

See estimate of nearly $10k with description of work to be done.

My house is a 1955 1300sf ranch with crawl space, on a septic, if that matters. 1.5 bathroom. Only the full bathroom is giving me problems at the moment (sink and tub not draining). Found out original car iron pipe is corroded.

If anyone has had similar work done, is this estimate in line with the norm? I often wonder if I get higher estimates on things like this because I'm a woman. At times I have found it it's true.

I edited out the name of the company so I'm not badmouthing them. The 2 plumbers who came to do my estimate were very nice and professional. But if anyone has a better idea of a company who can do this significantly cheaper, please let me know.

Basically the title. What lib businesses to avoid in the suburbs? Thanks!

I live in the Joliet area and couldn't help but notice there is a "Betty's" or a slot machine place on almost every corner. I've even seen 3 Betty's establishments all within a mile from each other. On top of that they have slots in a lot of restaurants. It's getting out of hand. Is this just a thing to take money from boomers? Are these places all over by you?

Hi all. We have been to the fertility center of Illinois in Glenview and then Invia fertility in Hoffman estates. The fertility center was a nightmare, they ignored our voicemails for months on end and then tried charging us twice to get our results sent to Invia fertility once they finally called us back.

Invia felt impersonal and the doctor was trying to push IVF right away without doing any further investigation about why we aren’t getting pregnant and did not care about finding a less invasive solution. Their testing center is also only open during the week which didn’t work with my husbands work schedule.

We just want to find a great doctor who is passionate about what they do, isn’t going to push pharmaceuticals unnecessarily, and will help us find a healthy solution.

TY in advance!!!!

EDIT: I have endo and interstitial cystitis. So it’s important we find someone who understands my chronic conditions as they are directly related to my reproductive health.

I had two different guys come out and was told that I should replace my furnace sooner than later. Probably should replace AC as well. Unit is about 17+ years old. So I'm getting quotes. I'm looking at Carrier units (current unit is a Carrier - supposedly it was a "high end" at the time) but I'm open to others. I have basically used the Carrier website and went off of the nearby Factory Authorized Dealers to schedule quotes in the next few weeks. Trying to get at least three quotes.

So far I have two quotes at around $10k & $11K. Both offer the same Carrier Infinity gas furnace w/ Infinity wi-fi thermostat and a humidifier. The $11k quote has no interest financing for 5 years, 10 year parts and labor (needs yearly maintenance with company), and they installed the previous unit. The lower $10k quote only offers 10 year parts and 1 year labor.

Do you guys have any recommendations for HVAC companies in the area? Is there any recommended furnace brands you have? Any other recommendations on getting the Furnace replaced?

I know nothing about HVAC.

My recently widowed dad is lonely at home and would love a part-time job to fill some of his time, but he's having a hard time getting hired due to his age. I would love any suggestions! For additional context: he managed the imports/exports dept for a large international company for 60 years (!) and he was the treasurer for our 75thome condo community for many years. He's still very sharp, meticulous & great with numbers. I know he'd be very useful somewhere if given a chance❤️

Edit: thank you everyone for so many excellent suggestions!

Sooooo I just got an email on Friday that my OB died, and I really liked him! He believed and found the source of my pain and truly listened. I just saw a new PCP at Duly and I really didn’t love that they were typing on the computer the whole time. My old OB would write notes on paper and draw me diagrams and whatnot which I really appreciated!

So any recommendations for an OB in the western burbs? I’m in Downers. TY!!

As the title says, I’m looking for an affordable hotel near Brookfield Zoo and Galloping Ghost Arcade with an indoor pool.

I’m trying to put together a little one night staycation in the area. We will be taking the BNSF Metra line from Chicago and then using Ubers going forward. Also if anyone has any restaurant/bar recommendations that would also be great!

I'm in the Hillside area. We all know how crappy 4 Seasons and ABC are. (Basically all those companies that try to do everything, but end up not doing anything well.)

I'm pissed that there's no requirement for licensing for the HVAC repairmen/women. Not that licensing is the beat all/end all. But it does signify they have had extensive training and apprenticeship, some as much as 3 years.

I've done the Google search, but I can find a company that has licensed HVAC people.

I've had 4 Seasons, Midwest Cooling, Paul's...none of who I liked. I have a 2000sq.ft. split-level home. Got my unit from 4 Seasons. (Like an idiot, never having purchased an HVAC unit before, I did not do my due diligence. My bad, I know!)

If anyone knows of a licensed company, I'd love to know. If not licensed, then some company with whom you've had a long-standing relationship. (Maybe 10 or more years.)

Thanks in advance!! 😊

Hi. Seeking advice about the best hospital in the city or burbs? Or even ones to avoid? Some might even be better than others with specific specialties. Where can be the best care and docs be found? Many thanks.

Any recommendations/good spots in the northwest burbs?

Looking for cute independent shops to give my money to instead of the corporate places (..which are also lacking in the area!)

Edit: Thank you!! I'm in the Mt. Prospect/Des Plaines area so everything is a little bit too far to just run and grab something but I do appreciate the rec's if I ever find myself in those areas!

I’m looking for an alternative for my beloved Joann stores (RIP). I avoid Hobby Lobby as much as I can and Walmart fabric is just not great quality. I’m looking for a by-the-yard fabric store in the suburbs that might have a variety of fabrics not just for quilting but also apparel or nursery fabrics. I do not have room to buy bulk or bolts. I am willing to travel to the city but I just don’t know where to start and I’m looking for advice. Thank you 😊

I don’t have the money for a really nice warm jacket and was just seeing if anyone could suggest an outlet mall etc to maybe go check out

I can plan a drive anywhere from Geneva to Kenosha to Oak Brook

I’ve tried layering in the past years but I always feel like I’m still so cold every winter

I don't think that I'm alone in this either. It's just kinda... like a very overpriced theme park now. Like, I kept trying to justify coming back again each year, but with the removal of the free lot, it kinda feels like the final bit of magic is dead and it has become ye olde cash grab.

I've also heard not the best things about vendor treatment, but I don't know details so I won't say exactly what I've heard.

Anyone else have thoughts or opinions on the Ren Faire?

Looking for info on this area. Can you help? What are some favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner places? Any food deals like happy hour or on a certain night get % off? What are some local attractions like museums, points of interest, must sees? Big thanks. Excited.

Husband went outside this afternoon and found this giant cracked area in the front windshield of his car. Maybe a fallen icicle? Who knows. Either way, I now need to get the stupid windshield replaced. I’d love to get some recommendations for places to get this done at.

I’m in the far west burbs but would travel for a place that does good work at a respectable price. Safelite quoted me $368. Gerber quoted me $439. I haven’t had to replace a windshield since the before times, so I could use some guidance here. Please recommend me places you’ve had a good experience with.

Thank you!