Living in Evanston, IL

Joy Yee's was one of the first places in Evanston that I ate at. It is located on the side of a building. There is generally a short wait if you are eating at dining hours (11:30 - 1:30 or 6 - 7:30), but it is relieved somewhat by adding more chairs (and taking away space).

The best thing about Joy Yee's is the bubble tea. Nothing beats the Chicago summer/fall heat better than a cold fruit smoothie with tapioca balls. There are many premade and customer favorites available, and you can also "create your own" by picking several fruits and drinks.

Next comes the food. There are at least a hundred items available to order on the menu, almost all of which are under $10. The most expensive item there is at most $15, and is a platter of a lot of food.

There are many different items. You can get soup and noodles (traditional fare), or a traditional "Chinese" dish such as stirfry vegetables with rice and chicken. However, Joy-Yee's offers many varieties of food, such as Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.

The food is served in large portions (more than enough for one meal if you've been eating regularly all day), and just enough if you've had to miss lunch. The food is all very well cooked and very appealing to the mouth. The dining is fun and interesting, especially with friends as you share your entrees and gain a great experience eating Asian food with friends.

Clarke's is a great dining institution (in Evanston anyways). It is practically in the center of Evanston, and is less than a minute's walk from Northwestern, and only 3 minutes to the local El stop (Chicago subway) stop.

You walk in and are immediately seated by one of the many Northwestern students who work there. Clarke's is a great place to eat because it is very cheap (we're college students), there's a lot of good food to be had, and because it's open late (3am).

Clarke's has a wide variety of food, mostly breakfast, but also lunch/dinner entrees. They serve the same menu all day (meaning pancakes for dinner is allowed). They are famous for their "North Shore Potatoes" which are hashbrowns seasoned just right. They have omelets, waffles, pancakes, muffins, sandwiches, burgers, burritos, and hot dogs, plus salads (just to name a few).

Their breakfast entrees are probably the best deal if it comes to money, because every order comes with a choice of pancakes/waffle, bread (muffin, bagel, toast) and North Shore potatoes or fries. Where else could you get a 2 eggs, pancakes, bread, and hashbrowns for only $3.99 (plus tax)?!

The lunch/dinner fares are pretty good also. They have very good burgers, and also their burritos and quesadillas are very good. I love their salsa and guacamole.

Clarke's almost part of the institution of Northwestern University. Almost every student at Northwestern has been to Clarke's at least once. The waiters/waitresses are all very nice and friendly, and often aren't the "over cautious" and annoying ones you find at many other restaurants.

Go to Clarke's and enjoy it!

Evanston is a relatively small city, situated in the suburbs north of Chicago. This is the "famous" North Shore district of the Chicagoland district. However, the North Shore itself, is named after the many beaches which lie along the beautiful Lake Michigan.

Several of these beautiful beaches can be found in Evanston. These beaches are all free (with public access parking which is generally metered or free), and are often situated next to parks or trail areas. They offer peace and quiet which can often be hard to find in traditional ocean beaches, but still have all the makings and trapping of a "normal" beach. However, in addition, these beaches are opened year round, and due to their relatively central location (to Chicago and the local suburbs), offer many more activities than traditional coastline shores.

The beaches along Lake Michigan offer year round activity which make them a feature to many local residents, but also for visiting tourists. During the spring, most of the beaches offer sailing lessons for those who wish to learn, either for a minimum cost or for free (such as Northwestern's sailing school).

During the summer, the weather is more than warm enough to enjoy the water itself, and the beaches always have enough space to set down a towel and umbrella to just relax. In addition, most of the beaches are located next to a park area, allowing users to set up a picnic or dinner barbeque or grill out after a day of fun in the sun.

During the fall, the weather cools down summer, but the activities do not. There are many local music and cultural festivals which take place during the fall as the weather is the nicest, with a light breeze accentuating the cool fall nights. Enjoy local tastes and sounds during this time, as many of the suburbs businesses and arts try to hold free activities.

During the winter, the beaches are usually quiet, but in this they offer a serenity which cannot be found in many other places. As the lake freezes over, the beach becomes the front to a winter landscape whose quiet beauty cannot be equaled by much. Listening to the crunch of the frozen lake ice in the waves, the quiet wind cutting through the otherwise silent morning, it is very calming and settling.

So if you have the chance, try to experience Lake Michigan's beaches. Hopefully, you might be able to see the very different faces of Lake Michigan up front and decide which is your favorite.