Chicago Suburbs Ice Cream (& hog dog) Social!
posted June 28, 2018 8:30 AM RSS | iCal | +googleCal
Sun July 22 at 11:00 AM, Village Green Park
1810 Walters, Northbrook 60062 (Map & Directions)
Join us for an ice cream social at the Village Green Park in Northbrook! Bring a picnic, or buy a hotdog, and have some ice cream. Park features shady grassy areas, picnic tables, and a great playground if you bring the kids! (The small McGees will be there.) Hang out and chat with the grownups, or rediscover your inner child on the playground (we won't judge). 1 block from Metra, free parking for drivers.
Food options lining the park:
Ice Cream: Baskin Robbins and Graeters
Carry-out Meals: Little Louie's (Chicago-style hotdogs, plus burgers, wraps, salads, etc.), Sarpino's (pizza, calzones), Lou Malnati's, Jar Bar (hipster food, served in jars), Leonidas Chocolate Cafe (coffee, chocolates, breakfast foods)
Metra from Union, on Milwaukee District North towards Fox Lake, get off at Northbrook. Park is 1 block east of the station. The 10:35 from Union gets you there at 11:19. (Going the other way, a 1:33 train arrives at 2:22.)
Ice Cream: Baskin Robbins and Graeters
Carry-out Meals: Little Louie's (Chicago-style hotdogs, plus burgers, wraps, salads, etc.), Sarpino's (pizza, calzones), Lou Malnati's, Jar Bar (hipster food, served in jars), Leonidas Chocolate Cafe (coffee, chocolates, breakfast foods)
Metra from Union, on Milwaukee District North towards Fox Lake, get off at Northbrook. Park is 1 block east of the station. The 10:35 from Union gets you there at 11:19. (Going the other way, a 1:33 train arrives at 2:22.)
I will bring at least one big picnic blanket (I'm not sure if my others are in storage or not), and I'll see about bringing a bunch of juice boxes for kids and, I don't know, goldfish or something for snacking.
I also forgot to say, the park is largely accessible (and has some adaptive playground equipment, although not a ton), but if anyone has accessibility concerns, let me know and I'll either call to find out, or go scout the location and send you pictures of whatever you're concerned about (curb cuts? path slope?).
I'll also scout good locations for a gathering spot when I'm there with my kids next. :) Nearish the playground so we can see kids, but not so near we're getting run over; on the side of the park nearer the ice cream shops obviously! And obviously with good shade! And I'm open for suggestions for what would make a good "here be mefites!" signal so we'll be easy to spot! (My picnic blanket is a HIDEOUS orange, maybe that's enough.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:07 AM on June 29, 2018
I also forgot to say, the park is largely accessible (and has some adaptive playground equipment, although not a ton), but if anyone has accessibility concerns, let me know and I'll either call to find out, or go scout the location and send you pictures of whatever you're concerned about (curb cuts? path slope?).
I'll also scout good locations for a gathering spot when I'm there with my kids next. :) Nearish the playground so we can see kids, but not so near we're getting run over; on the side of the park nearer the ice cream shops obviously! And obviously with good shade! And I'm open for suggestions for what would make a good "here be mefites!" signal so we'll be easy to spot! (My picnic blanket is a HIDEOUS orange, maybe that's enough.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:07 AM on June 29, 2018
Yes!!!
posted by leotrotsky at 6:11 PM on July 5, 2018
posted by leotrotsky at 6:11 PM on July 5, 2018
The Sunday weather is looking sub-awesome but we'll wait to make a decision since they're saying "intermittent" rain so it's hard to guess if we'll get good weather or bad midday until we're a bit closer! If there's actual rain, we can consider meeting up IN a restaurant right there, or there's a community room in a building on the park I can look into, or there's a pretty big gazebo in the park if it's just patchy rain.
If the weather's decent, I'll spread out my ugly orange picnic blanket just south of the playground area under a grove of trees. It's a good spot out of the run of noisy children but easy to watch the playground and jump up if you need to deal with them! Nice and shady and pleasant. It's along Meadow Road (if you're parking your car), and easy to spot coming out of the northbound track shelter along Walters Ave.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:56 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
If the weather's decent, I'll spread out my ugly orange picnic blanket just south of the playground area under a grove of trees. It's a good spot out of the run of noisy children but easy to watch the playground and jump up if you need to deal with them! Nice and shady and pleasant. It's along Meadow Road (if you're parking your car), and easy to spot coming out of the northbound track shelter along Walters Ave.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:56 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
It is dreary but the rain should be done by 10:30 a.m. so see you guys there! Maybe bring something to dry the kids off if they slide through a slide-puddle. I'll be south of the playground, in a little grove of trees, with an ugly orange blanket!
(If it's super-duper wet on the ground, I'll be at the picnic tables in that same little grove, but I don't think it's that wet. I'll drape my ugly blanket over the table if so.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:33 AM on July 22, 2018
(If it's super-duper wet on the ground, I'll be at the picnic tables in that same little grove, but I don't think it's that wet. I'll drape my ugly blanket over the table if so.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:33 AM on July 22, 2018
I have an assortment of meats & cheeses & also some grapes, and it just started pouring in Chicago so I almost decided to leave all the picnic things behind, but I'll bring them!
posted by jessypie at 7:55 AM on July 22, 2018
posted by jessypie at 7:55 AM on July 22, 2018
Jessiepie, telepanda, and I had a great time, although we got a tiny bit wet! But we had a nice spot to chill and chat while the kids played & Mr. McGee watched them and jessiepie fed us large quantities of super-delicious cheese!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:26 AM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:26 AM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Can confirm deliciousness of cheese. A++ would devour again. Thanks for a slightly damp but utterly enjoyable time.
posted by telepanda at 12:06 PM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by telepanda at 12:06 PM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
It was very fun to see you both again and meet your kids!
posted by jessypie at 12:53 PM on July 22, 2018
posted by jessypie at 12:53 PM on July 22, 2018
None of us remembered to eat ice cream, though, so it was more of a cheese social! Whatever, it was dairy!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:24 PM on July 22, 2018
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:24 PM on July 22, 2018
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
For anyone on the north side of Chicago: I will get on the Metra at Forest Glen (near Foster/Elston) at 10:57. Feel free to join me at that station if it's a convenient one for you too.
posted by jessypie at 6:59 AM on June 29, 2018 [1 favorite]