Trolling around the Internet tonight, I was pleased to discover this: that GolfWeek Magazine named a North Shore Chicago municipal course, the Thunderhawk in Beach Park, to its Top 10 Municipal Courses!

It’s no surprise we’ve got some seriously good golf in these parts – but it’s always nice to get a little extra attention. If you’re thinking about trying out a new course this summer, the Thunderhawk now has some serious street cred and feels a bit like a getaway for the day. It’s about an hour from the City proper, so depending on where you are on the North Shore, it could take less than that. You can make your reservation online or call 847-968-3100 for more information, including tee times. To get there, take I-94 north to IL Route 173. Exit IL Route 173 EAST. Proceed east to Lewis Avenue. Turn SOUTH (right) onto Lewis Avenue. Proceed south to 29th Street. Course entrance is is just past 29th Street on the west side of Lewis Avenue. Or from Route 41, head north to Wadsworth Road. Exit EAST on Wadsworth Road to Lewis Avenue. Turn NORTH (left) onto Lewis Avenue. Proceed north to 33rd Street. Course entrance is one-quarter mile north of 33rd Street on the west side of Lewis Avenue.

ThunderHawk Golf Club
39700 N Lewis Ave
Beach Park
thunderhawk@co.lake.il.us
847-968-4295 (phone)
847-872-1794 (fax)

Need something closer to home? Check out our list of great local courses!

Technorati Tags: North Shore Chicago golf, Beach Park golf, Thunderhawk golf

Sales of single-family homes dropped for the second straight year in Wilmette during the first quarter. The drop in sales was the most pronounced seen in the past 18 years in the area.

According to a report by the Chicago Association of Realtors, a total of just 34 single-family homes were sold in Wilmette during the first quarter, down more than 40 percent from the same period last year. It was the lowest total sales seen during the first quarter in more than 17 years in the neighborhood.

However, despite the sharp drop in sales in the area, homeowners and developers are seeing an improvement in the average market time. This may be due to the fact that some homeowners are waiting for better market conditions. It now takes an average of 172 day to find a buyer in Wilmette, down from the high of 180 days seen a year ago.

With sales at their lowest point in years, it’s no surprise that prices are starting to come down in the neighborhood. The average sales price during the first quarter posted a 16 percent decline from the same period last year, and could continue to fall if demand for North Shore Chicago Real Estate doesn’t improve in the short term in Wilmette.

Technorati Tags: North Shore Chicago Real Estate, North Shore Chicago Homes For Sale, Wilmette Homes

I had to come rave on a Saturday morning about my experiences (yes, plural!) with The Children’s Gift Shop in Northfield. After you read this, I expect everyone who hasn’t been to check them out!

Here’s the backstory: Every year, I put together a little goodie bag of stuff for each my kids to celebrate the end of the school year and start of summer. Nothing too much – a pack of baseball cards, a summer workbook to keep the noggin from turning to mush, a new paperback, and usually some interesting new toy.

In the past, I’ve always checked out Becky and Me first – they’re close by, and have a nice selection of cute things, but to be honest, my kids are starting to outgrow their target demographic, which seems to be up to about age 8 or so - so except for the board games and Bionicles, there isn’t much in there that my two oldest go crazy over. (And to be REALLY honest? Every time I go in with my kids, I feel like they are under surveillance - I find myself telling them not to touch stuff. It’s a toy store - that’s just wrong.) So this time, I took the extra 10 minutes to drive to Northfield (watch out for Willow Rd. - UGH!!!). Children’s Gift Shop is a tightly-packed world of oohs and ahhs, full to the brim of way cool stuff for kids of all ages. The area right up by the entrance is where I focused my attention, because it’s loaded with all sorts of fun, outdoor action toys I knew my boys would gravitate toward. I decided to try a baseball that has a digital read out of how fast you threw it - it was $24.99 and more than I would usually spend on a small gift item, but I thought the boys would have a blast with it.

Sure enough, they thought it was way cool. Unfortunately, we’re either wussies or functionally illiterate because the boys and my husband had a hell of a time to get the ball to work. I stupidly had thrown away the receipt. But what the heck - I thought I could at least try the store again to see if they could show me how to use it. When I went back, Markie the owner bent over backwards to help me - I had signed up for the mailing list, so even though I didn’t have a receipt, she was able to tell I had in fact purchased the ball, and together with one of her employees, the three of us tested a number of the baseballs at the store. (Note to self: Make sure your child is paying attention when you throw a ball at him!) She even let me take two different balls home to test with the kids, with the promise I would return one, or both if I wanted a refund. I cannot say enough about the customer service - Markie is awesome!

Children’s Gift Shop is my new favorite place to go - free gift wrapping, awesome selection, and all that goofy fun stuff kids love…(and parents do too! Check out the fun July 4th jewelry!)

Children’s Gift Shop
310 Happ Rd.
Northfield Village Center
Northfield
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9-5 & Sun-12-5
847-441-5975