What we’re about
🎉 Welcome to Windy City Wanderers! 🌆
We’re so excited to have you here!
Whether you’re new to Chicago or a lifelong local, this group lets you explore the city in fresh, unforgettable ways. Think of it as being a tourist in your own town—discovering hidden gems, fun facts, and unique experiences across Chicagoland. 🗺️✨
This group is the sister to our original, "1001 Things to See in Chicago Before You Die," and we’ll be hosting lots of joint events together! 🤝
🎟️ Membership Info:
- Enjoy a 90-day FREE trial
- After that, it’s just $12/year
- Want to skip the dues? Host an event, and your annual fee is waived! 🙌
🚇 Most events happen in the city or nearby suburbs like Oak Park, Evanston, and Park Ridge—and all are CTA-accessible.
❗Group Policy: We have a “3-strikes” no-show policy. Miss three events without updating your RSVP, and you'll be suspended for 3 months. This keeps things fair and respectful for everyone.
🎉 This is a year-round group—winter won’t slow us down! We’re all about meeting new people and having fun through one-of-a-kind outings all over the Chicago area.
💬 Got questions or ideas? Want to lead an outing? Message us anytime—we’d love to hear from you!
Let’s stay connected:
📘 Facebook Page
👥 Facebook Group
📸 Instagram
🌟 Sister Group on Meetup
Can’t wait to wander with you!
Giovina R.
Organizer, Windy City Wanderers 🌬️🚶♀️🚶♂️
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- 🌳🏠 Step Inside Edgewater’s Most Beautiful Homes — 34th Annual Tour! 🗝️✨Granville Ave United Methodist Church, Chicago, IL
🌳🏠 Step Inside Edgewater’s Most Beautiful Homes — 34th Annual Tour! 🗝️✨
🏡 34th Annual Edgewater Home Tour — Step Inside Historic Homes! 🏛️
Explore Edgewater North’s most stunning historic residences — beautiful interiors, lush gardens, and rich architectural history await!
📅 Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025
🕛 Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍 Meet/Registration: Granville Ave United Methodist Church, 1307 W. Granville Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
🎟️ Admission: $25 per person — includes a souvenir Tour Booklet with:
· 🗺️ Map of featured homes on Wayne, Lakewood, Magnolia, & Granville
· 🏠 Photos & descriptions of each home, including architectural highlights
· ✔️ Checklist of homes & tour sponsor info
· ☕ Refreshments at registrationBUY A TICKET AT THE DOOR!
✨ Tour Highlights:
· Guided access inside 10+ architecturally significant homes
· Volunteer docents share the history and unique features of each home
· Explore gardens and interiors from grand turn-of-the-century homes to charming historic residences
· Walking distance: ~1 mile💡 Neighborhood Notes: Edgewater, Chicago – Quick History
· Location: North Side of Chicago, along Lake Michigan, just north of Uptown
· Early History: Originally inhabited by the Potawatomi; settled by Europeans in the mid-1800s as part of Lake View Township
· Late 19th Century: Lakeside retreat for wealthy Chicagoans; large estates & mansions built
· Transportation Boost: Streetcars & Northwestern Elevated Railroad (now Red Line) increased accessibility & growth
· Early 20th Century: Edgewater Beach Hotel (1916) became a social hub; immigrant communities shaped the cultural fabric
· Mid-20th Century: Many mansions replaced by apartments; Edgewater Beach Hotel demolished in 1971
· Modern Edgewater: Ethnically diverse, historic architecture, lakefront parks, and active preservation of early 20th-century homes🚇 Transit: CTA Trip Planner: https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/
🚗 Driving/Parking: Street parking along main streets & surrounding side streets (watch permit signs). Special parking options may be available — updates to come!📌 RSVP / No-Show Policy
- Cut-off time to update RSVP = event start time
- 3 no-shows (without updating RSVP) → suspension from RSVPs for 3 months
- Must check in with host on arrival
🔗 More info: Edgewater Historical Society Home Tour Preview: https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/tours/home-tour-preview
🍴 Post-Tour Plans: Some of us may grab a bite in nearby Edgewater — location TBD on the day of the event!
- 🎤🌮🎶 Live Band Karaoke + Taco Tuesday! Multi-Group Meetup! 🎶🌮🎤All Star Seafood and sports, Chicago, IL
🎤🌮🎶 Live Band Karaoke + Taco Tuesday! Multi-Group Meetup! 🎶🌮🎤
⭐ Hosted by Deanna ⭐
Come on out for an incredibly fun Tuesday night—join multiple Meetup groups for Live Band Karaoke at All Star Seafood & Sports!
If you've never done live band karaoke before, you're in for a treat! This isn't your standard machine karaoke—the band plays live and helps you out if you don't know all the words or need support. Whether you want to take the mic or just watch and cheer on others, it's a blast either way.
✅ No experience necessary! The band will back you up and keep the energy high.
✅ Or just hang out and enjoy! Watching people perform with a live band is half the fun.
✅ Multi-group event: Expect a bigger, livelier crowd than the RSVP count—these typically average 10–12 people from our group alone, plus attendees from other groups.We want laid-back, non-judgmental, fun-loving folks who want to have a good time and support each other—even if someone can't carry a tune in a bucket!
🎉 TACO TUESDAY SPECIAL!
Come hungry and enjoy their awesome Tuesday Taco specials. Pair your food with drinks from their full bar.***
📅 WHEN:
Tuesday night! Live Band Karaoke starts at 8 PM.
🕗 Arrive early to get a good spot, hang out, grab food and drinks before the singing starts!***
📍 WHERE:
All Star Seafood & Sports
730 S. Clark St., Chicago, IL
✅ Website
✅ Facebook
✅ Menu***
🚗 PARKING INFO:
Street parking on Clark, Polk, and Wells Streets (watch for no parking and permit-only signs—it can be tricky).
⭐ Highly recommend using SpotHero or Parking Whiz for the safest and easiest option.
🚇 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
Plenty of CTA options—plan your route here: CTA Trip Planner***
✨ WHAT TO EXPECT:
✅ Sing with a live band (they’ll help you!)
✅ Amazing taco specials
✅ Drinks, friends, fun vibes
✅ A supportive crowd from multiple Meetup groups
✅ Outstanding food & a full bar
✅ Even if you don't sing, it's a great show!***
⚠️ OUR NO-SHOW POLICY:
✅ Please update your RSVP if you can’t make it!
❗ 3 no-shows without updating = 3-month hold from events.
✔️ Cut-off to update is the event start time.
✔️ Message the host if you’re running late.
✔️ Always check in with the host when you arrive.***
✨ Come sing your heart out, try some delicious tacos, cheer on your friends, and have an unforgettable Tuesday night with great people. Whether you’re the next Beyoncé or just want to laugh and clap along, this event is for you.
See you there! 🎤🌮🍻
- 🥢🍰 Bites of Uptown: A Global Food Adventure! 🍜🍷Uptown Business Center, Chicago, IL
🥢🍰 Bites of Uptown: A Global Food Adventure! 🍜🍷
🌮🥟9th Annual Taste of Uptown 🍴🌍
We did this last year and it was FABULOUS 🙌 — well worth the ticket price, especially if you are a foodie! We’ve done this for the past few years and everyone loved it.
👉 This year, we’re doing the BOWL Route — it has more vegetarian & vegan options! 🥦✨
🎟️ TICKETS (This is a TICKETED EVENT!)
You MUST purchase tickets online ahead of time — this WILL sell out (it did last year!).
👉 🎟️ Buy Tickets Here- $30 – Early bird (through Sunday, Aug 31)
- $40 – Regular (Sept 1 – Sept 21)
- $45 – Last minute (Sept 22 – Sept 23)
- $55 – Walk-in (if available)
⚠️ Make sure to choose THE BOWL ROUTE (there are two routes this year)!
🍴 What is Taste of Uptown?
The 9th Annual Taste of Uptown celebrates Uptown’s amazing cultural & culinary diversity. 🌏🥘It’s a restaurant crawl featuring small bites & samples from 24 Uptown eateries (some include liquor 🍷). You’ll receive a passport at check-in and stroll from spot to spot, trying signature dishes.
This is a foodie’s dream — a great way to explore new restaurants while supporting local businesses!
🚶 Our Walking BOWL Route (~2 miles total)
📍 Start: Uptown Chamber of Commerce – 4619 N. Broadway (near Wilson Red Line)
1️⃣ Demera Ethiopian Restaurant (4801 N Broadway)
2️⃣ Fat Cat (4840 N Broadway)
3️⃣ Nabala Café (4660 N Broadway)
4️⃣ Uptown Deli (4759 N Sheridan Rd)
5️⃣ RAKKAN Ramen (4926 N Broadway)
6️⃣ Rupee Wine & Spirits (4812 N Broadway – 21+)
7️⃣ Sun Wah BBQ (5039 N Broadway) 🦆
8️⃣ Hon Kee BBQ & Seafood (5009 N Winthrop Ave)
9️⃣ Kie-Gol-Lanee Oaxacan (5004 N Sheridan Rd) 🌮
🔟 La Patisserie P (1050 W Argyle St) 🥐
1️⃣1️⃣ Uni Uni Boba (1130 W Argyle St) 🧋
✅ End: Near Argyle Red Line station👉 Expect ~35–40 minutes of walking (not counting food stops).
👉 Wear good walking shoes 👟 and dress for outdoor weather ☀️☔.
🗓️ Event Details
📅 Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM
🌧️ Rain or shine event (no refunds, but you can resell tickets)🚗 Transportation & Parking
🚇 CTA Red Line: Wilson (start) / Argyle (end)
🚌 Multiple bus routes nearby
🚘 Metered Street parking (Broadway, Lawrence, Sheridan, Argyle) + free side streets (watch signs).
💡 Try SpotHero or ParkingWhiz for garages.
CTA Trip Planner: https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/📌 Meetup Notes
We’ll meet at check-in (4619 N Broadway) and start together.
We’ll walk as a group, but if one spot is too crowded, we can skip & move on.
Remember: we finish about 1 mile from where we start, so plan parking accordingly!🍽️ Food + drinks + community = guaranteed good time!
✨ Last year sold out — don’t wait. Grab your ticket and join us for this multicultural Uptown feast!
👉 🎟️ Buy Your Ticket Now (BOWL ROUTE!)
✨ RSVP / No-Show Policy
- Please RSVP only if you are certain you can attend — tickets are limited and the event usually sells out.
- If you cannot attend after RSVPing, please notify the group or transfer your ticket to another participant.
- No-shows without notice may affect future event invitations.
- 🍷🎞️ Lights, Camera, Sip! Coppola Wine Tasting at Buzzed by ZEA w/Michael 🍇🥂Buzzed By ZEA - Salon & Bar, Chicago, IL
🍷🎞️ Lights, Camera, Sip! Coppola Wine Tasting at Buzzed by ZEA w/Michael 🍇🥂
The Director’s Cut-Francis Coppola Wine tasting at buzzed Zea
Join us for an elevated wine experience with renowned Sommelier & Chocolatier Michael Roberts at Buzzed by ZEA Salon & Bar! ✨
We’ve loved doing these wine classes with Michael in the past at The Reveler and Francesca’s—and now he’s expanded to venues all over Chicago! These are always a blast, with great food, expert wine knowledge (no snobbery!), and a super social vibe.
This time, we’re diving into The Director’s Cut—featuring 4 wines from the Francis Ford Coppola winery! Join us for a captivating evening celebrating the artistry of wine making, inspired by the Oscar-winning director, Francis Ford Coppola. paired with small bites and Michael’s exquisite homemade chocolates.
NOTE: This is a pre-paid event. You MUST purchase a ticket via Eventbrite to attend. Space is limited and these tastings always sell out—so don’t wait!
👉 🎟️ $65 + fees (includes wine, food pairings, chocolates, taxes & service fees)
✅ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-directors-cut-tickets-1658188710069
***
📅 Event Details
🗓️ Date: 9/24/25
🕰️ Time: 6:30–8:30 PM Structured Class + Open Social Hour After
📍 Venue: Buzzed by ZEA Salon & Bar, 3344 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL
Host for this Meetup: Susie Brodie
***
🌟 What to Expect
✅ 4 expertly selected Francis Coppola wines 🍇
✅ Small bites thoughtfully paired with each wine
✅ Homemade chocolates crafted by Michael himself
✅ An approachable, fun, non-snobby class led by a true expert
✅ Post-class social hour to mix and mingleMichael Roberts is both a certified sommelier and chocolatier, with a deep love of all things food, wine, and chocolate. If you haven’t taken one of his classes before, you’re in for a treat! He makes wine approachable, educational, and fun.
Bonus: All wines and chocolates are available for purchase at discounted prices after the class!
***
🍸💇♀️About the Venue
Buzzed by ZEA is a unique, stylish neighborhood spot that’s half hair salon, half craft cocktail bar. During the day, you can sip a Manhattan during your haircut. At night, the lights go down and it transforms into a cozy, intimate lounge.
✅ Buzzed by ZEA Website
✅ Buzzed by ZEA Facebook Page
***
🚗 Transportation & Parking- CTA-friendly! Plan your trip: CTA Trip Planner
- Metered parking on Halsted + limited free side-street parking (watch for permit-only signs!)
- Highly recommended: SpotHero or ParkWhiz for stress-free garage options
***
⚠️ RSVP & No-Show Policy
✅ RSVP here on Meetup so the host knows you’re attending!
✅ But you MUST buy your ticket via Eventbrite to hold your spot.
✅ Please update your RSVP if you can’t make it.
✅ 3 no-shows without updating your RSVP = 3-month freeze from events.
***
Come raise a glass with us and enjoy a relaxed, delicious evening of wine, food, chocolate, and great company. Perfect for wine newbies and enthusiasts alike.🥂 Cheers to love, laughter, and delightful discoveries!
***
🎟️ Buy Your Ticket Now:
👉 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-directors-cut-tickets-1658188710069
