Does anyone else follow Chicago Bites? I was very charmed by their most recent post Does Your Breakfast Bite? Here's What To Do About It. in no small part because the place they mention is pretty close to where I live.

Are there any local blogs you read regularly?

What are some of your favorite neighborhood independent businesses?

If you're interested in seeing more of Chicago, up close and personal, here are some Chicago area tours:

Chicago Neighborhood Tours offers tours of various neighborhoods and places of interest. It looks like they last 4-5 hours, cost $30 per adult, and feature "light refreshment."

The City of Chicago offers a Chicago Greeter service which is free, and looking for volunteers. Interested in being an ambassador for the city? Sign up here!

Chicago Food Planet has "food tours" of neighborhood restaurants.

Chicago Ethnic Grocery Tours offers tours of grocery stores with information about lesser-known ingredients and items carried in those stores.

Chicago Traveler has a collection of tours separated out by type (walking, boat, air, bus, etc).