Haunted Trails Family Amusement Center Review

It's a shame that Yelp won't allow me to post photos right now, because this is a pretty neat mini-golf course.  They have an eclectic Halloween theme--pretty cartoony, but still a lot of fun.  You've got a Creature from the Black Lagoon, a haunted house, a Dracula's castle, a giant skull, a bubbling pool of blood, and so on and so forth.  The garbage receptacles are five-foot pastel ghosts with wide-open mouths.

The course is fairly easy.  I shot an even-par 46, which included a true hole-in-one on the 12th hole, plus another on the final hole, which netted me a free game by shooting the ball down a narrow chute and into the skull's mouth.  However, on a couple of holes where you must shoot the ball up a ramp towards a structure (e.g. the haunted house) it is unclear where you should be aiming.  Also, there's no provision for when your ball goes into the water hazard accidentally.  I caught a freak bounce off the side bumper on the 5th, and my ball kicked up into the air, off the course, and into the water.  There are no signs posted around or instructions on the score card about lost balls.  So I climbed over the little fence and fished around in the drink with my club until I pulled out two balls; sadly, neither were my original one, but that was my penance for hitting a bad shot, I suppose.

After your round, of course you have to check out the games inside.  This facility is apparently the sister location of Enchanted Castle in Lombard.  I like the Lombard offerings better; Haunted Trails is smaller and lacks the really cool games such as dinosaur hunting.  However, they do have Skee-Ball for fifty cents per game (nine balls).  I love that stuff, man.

The candy selection seemed limited too, but we made off with some Twizzlers and Junior Mints and a Charleston Chew, and a few other delightful retro candies.

I would definitely come back here for mini golf.  I would say that this is one of the three or four best courses in the greater Chicago area.  I wonder if they are open through the Halloween season...

7759 S Harlem Ave
Burbank, IL 60459

(708) 598-8580

Novelty Golf & Game Room Review

I haz a sad because I have lived so close to this place for over ten years and only just recently had been able to see what it was all about.  This place is like Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, crammed into a tiny plot of land, and made it into mini golf, an arcade, batting cages and a snack shack.  Does it get any better than this?  I think not!

There are two courses for the mini golf and I suggest you go the first time without trying to keep score.  Definitely no scoring if you stink as bad as my niece and I did (uhm, as in having to reset the ball *on average* 4 times because you didn't hit the ball hard enough and it rolled back to you?  Yeah.) I feel like that is less our fault though than the mind playing tricks on you. You play tricks back! It's like you're unraveling a big cable-knit sweater that someone keeps knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting...

Ahem.

And as much as I would LOVE to come here at night and see how it looks all lit up, I have a feeling it is overrrun with mobs of families with a billion 8 year olds, or roving gangs of shrieking teenagers.  So save it for a nice afternoon, like we did.  Much calmer and more relaxing and you don't have to feel like you must rush through. And don't say  "I know you're right, but..."  because I will say "But what? Everyone I know has a big But...? C'mon, Simone, let's talk about *your* big "But".

If you ask nicely, the fine folks of NG will take you on a tour of their fine facility* which starts out something like this: "This is one of my personal favorite parts of the tour. Please say hello to our residents, Pedro and his wife Inez. Inez is holding a clay pot that she seems very proud of. She has carefully detailed it with lots of paint and glaze. And Pedro is working on an 'adobe.' Can you say that with me? 'Adobe'.

And when you are done with your fun filled afternoon I hope you will be sure and tell 'em Large Marge sent ya!

*OK, that might be a lie. Might not. Who knows?  Try it anyway and see.

3650 W Devon Ave
(between Lawndale Ave & Monticello Ave)
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
Neighborhood: North Park

(847) 679-9434

Olympic Club Review

A dear friend of mine is getting married in SF in the next year and we're researching venues.  I was reminded of my experience at the Olympic Club and thus inspired to write this review - it is only for the "wedding reception hall" thing (whatever it's called).

I have to preface this by saying that big (as in anything over 150 people), formal, glitzy, expensive weddings are just NOT something that makes me swoon.  In fact, just the thought of them makes me a little uncomfortable.  I'm the kind of gal who dreams of jetting off to Hawaii, renting a beach house and getting "Mauied" luau-style with a pig in the ground and free-flowing mai tais - just an awesome party with my closest loved ones. You following me? So needless to say, my style is not exactly the sort of wedding you'll find at what those in-the-know apparently call "Oly." Oh no. And before my experience here, I would have turned my nose up at an Olympic Club "wedding experience." Didn't sound like my idea of a good time. Oh, the irony.

I was a gal pal's "hot date" to an old college friend's wedding back in May.  I missed one of the last ski days of the year for this total-stranger's event, and lemmetellya... even with a long arse Catholic mass (Note to self: Yep, definitely getting Mauied. No mass.) in the city and what felt like an even longer chartered bus ride out of the city to the club, it was well worth it.  These people - the Olympic Club, that is - really know how to put a damn good party together... so good that as a *literal* wedding crasher, a stranger amidst 400 other guests (no joke), I had the best time at a wedding I've EVER had.

The grounds and building? GORGEOUS. I actually said something like, "Oooohhh..." as we drove up. The food? To quote myself in the middle of dinner, three times: "These rolls are A-mazing." The cocktails? In abundance and strong, albeit with slightly grouchy bartenders (apparently my request for some grenadine in my champagne is tacky! Gasp!). The atrium-like dance floor?  Small enough to be intimate and big enough to really get your groove on. It was dream like, like something out of your favorite 80's movie (and I'm not saying that because of the 80's cover band that played all night long). The service? Top notch and without even a hint of pretension (which I appreciated, feeling mighty out of place because I left my non-existent Louboutins and Herve Leger at home). The cake? Thank gawd I'm not diabetic, because I ate my date's too. And the best touch? The put out GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES at last call, and had a line of taxis waiting outside. And all of this was all coordinated and handled by OC. Brilliantly.

So yeah, I hope I get invited to another wedding at OC, although with my crowd it's unlikely, so I'll have to go back to golf 9 holes.  In any event, I'd highly recommend OC to any bride wanting to one-up Kim Kardashian's celebrity wedding.

599 Skyline Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94015

(415) 404-4300

Fleming Golf Course Review

Finally I get to use my SF Golf Card...Yay!...Cholo was more excited for me...he was already lining up..Lincoln...Golden Gate...he wants me to get out there and really feel how it is being on the fairway.

So okay, this is the 2nd 9hole course I have played at and its definitely much better than Cypress...(sorry Cypress).

Guy at the counter was extremely nice to me, esp with my 1thousand question and like always Cholo was just shaking his head, smiling from ear to ear.

I dont have a golf cart yet, so Cholo lent me his and he rented one that he will use, the one he calls "dorky" because of their huge wheels...lol.

Now, I feel more like a Golfer (not yet that great but hoping to get there), the scenery is definetly much better and you can smell the grass.

I have triple bogeys but who cares and besides this this is just the 2nd week that from I started, Cholo keeps saying that I am his best student by far...hmmm...since I get it and I listen to his coaching...(thanks).

We will definitely come back and soon.

99 Harding Rd
San Francisco, CA 94132

(415) 664-4690

Play 18 Review

Play 18 Chicago is a golfer's dream in the middle of downtown Chicago!  As you can see from the pictures, the place is really beautifully set up.  I went there for a lesson, and met both Scot and Dave.  Dave was helping me out with the lesson, and showed me some really great drills which had me making much better contact with the ball (and hitting it 15 yards further!) than I did when I came in.

The great thing is that the tips they give you are really more than just tips, they are memory building drills that really get you used to how you should feel when you hit the golf ball.  And we all know that golf is about feel and muscle memory!  Not to mention the cool robot they have there that will teach you exactly what a golf swing should feel like.  Oh, and the video taping and slow motion play back is extremely helpful as well!

They have a really great set up.  Hitting bays with special sensors that tell you everything from ball flight, carry yardage, total yardage, and even spin rate!  Then there are other hitting bays which have actually golf courses that you can play!  There is a bar, pool table, lounge chairs, and even lockers for members to store their clubs in.  Really, really nice.

I can tell this place is going to come in handy, especially on those cold winter nights and hot summer days.  Looking forward to improving my game!

17 N Wabash Ave
3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Neighborhood: The Loop

(312) 251-0540

Annandale Golf Review

Golfers... if you want old fashioned customer service, check out Annandale Golf. The store is tucked into a strip mall just inside the beltway off Braddock Road. At first glance it looks tiny, but once inside you realize they have a surprisingly good selection of golf clubs and accessories. They are also one of the few places to carry the Waggle Golf Pass offline. The owner, Jeff Lhee, is knowledgeable, helpful and easy to talk to. They have a hitting area where you can try out new clubs. They also repair clubs there too.

5248 Port Royal Rd
Springfield, VA 22151

(703) 321-7575

Drilling Tennis & Golf Review

I can't really speak to the tennis side of things, but the golf shop is awesome, especially for being in downtown Washington, DC.  Let's just be honest, we aren't really in golf mecca here, so us golfers must take what we can get and wait our time until we can hopefully leave DC for a better life. With that said, this place is awesome. The folks who run it are very knowledgeable and will match internet prices but let you try out the clubs. They are very generous about letting you try out a club before purchasing it, which is a big advantage from buying online. I sometimes even go here for lessons, although I prefer an outdoor lesson for obvious reasons. Still, the technology is pretty decent down below and also works for club fitting.

1040 17th St NW
(between N K St & N L St)
Washington, DC 20036

(202) 737-1100