About us
CLICK HERE to see our main meetup events calendar http://www.socialfundation.com
"Culture, Cuisine, Cocktails, Coffee & Convos = Community"
This is a Chicago-Suburban meet-up group designed for people who enjoy the cinema, fine cuisine and more. Most evening events will consist of a movie, dinner, or a combination of both. Others may include a matinee followed by a film discussion afterwards at a local cafe. From time to time there will also be a foreign film, Indie or Classic movie scheduled, or even live theater.
We will have dining venues which will include diverse cuisines from around the world or around the block. In addition, other fun activities such as music venues, bowling, wine tastings, outdoor music fests/concerts, and more! Join us for ongoing dinner events like Porkapalooza, an exploration of area BBQ places; and BurgerTime, the same concept, but with Burgers. Check out the Pages section for where we've been and where we're going. Please let us know if there's some thing/some place you'd like to try, or if you'd like to host an event.
Please note: While all are welcome, consistent no-shows and those who use e-mail/Meetup to disparage other members will be removed from the group.
Upcoming events
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🖨️🏙️ Ink, Iron & Industry — A Printer’s Row Walk! 🚶♀️📚
Monadnock Building, 53 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604, USA, Chicago, IL, US🖨️🏙️ Ink, Iron & Industry — A Printer’s Row Walk! 🚶♀️📚
Brand-New Tour! A South Loop Architecture & History Walking Tour
✨ Brand-new tour alert! Join us for a Sunday-morning stroll through one of Chicago’s most fascinating historic districts—where books, newspapers, catalogs, advertisements and ideas once rolled off the presses and traveled across the country.
Have you ever walked through Printer’s Row and wondered about the stories behind its towering brick lofts, early skyscrapers, old publishing houses and railroad buildings? Now is your chance! 😊
We’ll begin at the magnificent Monadnock Building and walk south through the historic South Dearborn and Printer’s Row corridor. Along the way, we’ll explore Chicago School architecture, the rise of metal-frame skyscrapers, printing and publishing, Linotype technology, industrial loft buildings, adaptive reuse and the railroad connections that helped make Chicago a national center of commerce and culture.
Come walk, learn, explore and meet fellow history and architecture lovers! 🌇
🎤 Led by your passionate, ever-curious guide — that’s me! 😊
Perfect for architecture lovers, history buffs, book lovers, photographers and anyone who enjoys being a tourist in their own city!
***
📍 TOUR DETAILS
🗓️ Sunday, October 4, 2026
⏰ 10:45 AM–approximately 1:15 PM
🚶 Approximately 1.5–2 miles at a casual pace
📍 Start: Monadnock Building 53 W. Jackson Blvd.
🏁 End: Dearborn Station 47 W. Polk St.
💰 $20 per person — due at the start of the tour
💵 Cash preferred (exact change appreciated) | PayPal, Zelle & Venmo also accepted
🌦️ Outdoors • Casual pace • Rain or shine🚗 Parking note: This is a one-way walk. Dearborn Station is approximately 6 blocks south of the Monadnock Building—about a 12–15 minute walk back to the start, depending on your route and pace. If you are driving, consider parking somewhere between Jackson Boulevard and Polk Street so you are not too far from your car afterward.
This is primarily an exterior architecture and history walk. We are not planning to go inside buildings, although a brief stop inside Grace Place/Grace Chapel may be possible if access is available.
***
🔎 TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
🏛️ Chicago School architecture and early skyscrapers
🧱 The Monadnock, Fisher, Old Colony and Manhattan buildings
🖨️ Chicago’s printing, publishing and typesetting history
🔠 Linotype technology and the revolution in printing
📚 Printer’s Row’s historic loft buildings and book culture
🏢 R. R. Donnelley, Lakeside Press and national publishing
🚂 Railroads, freight and historic Dearborn Station
🏙️ Historic preservation and adaptive reuse in the South Loop📸 Not a dedicated photo walk — but you'll definitely want your camera!
Stops may change depending on time, weather and the pace of the group.
***
**🏛️ SOME OF THE STOPS (**Stops and order are subject to change.)
🏛️ Monadnock Building
🏢 Fisher Building
🏢 Old Colony Building
🏛️ Manhattan Building
🖨️ Caxton Building
🏢 Old Franklin / Conkey Building
🏙️ Morton Building
🔠 Peterson Linotype Building
🖨️ Regan Printing House
📚 Printers Block / Plymouth Court
🔠 Mergenthaler Linotype Building
🏢 Moser Building
🏢 Pope Building
📖 Lakeside Press Building
🚂 Transportation Building
⛪ Grace Place / Grace Chapel
📚 Rowe Building / Sandmeyer’s Bookstore
🖨️ Donohue Building
🧱 Donohue Annex
🏢 New Franklin Building
🏭 Borland Manufacturing Buildings
🚉 Dearborn Station — our ending point***
🌟 WHY PRINTER’S ROW?
Printer’s Row is one of Chicago’s great historic districts — a neighborhood shaped by the city’s explosive growth, architectural innovation and its role as a national center for printing, publishing and transportation.In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, printers, publishers, typesetters, paper dealers and related businesses filled the blocks south of the Loop.
The buildings they left behind give Printer’s Row its distinctive character: tall brick façades, enormous windows, industrial details and some of Chicago’s earliest skyscraper architecture.
Today, Printer’s Row remains a special place for readers, writers, architecture lovers and anyone who appreciates a great Chicago street story. 📚🏙️
💟 WHAT TO BRING
👟 Comfortable walking shoes
💧 Water bottle
🌤️ Weather-appropriate clothing
☂️ Umbrella or rain jacket if needed
📸 Camera or phone
💰 $20 tour fee — cash preferred; exact change appreciated***
🚇 GETTING THERE
🚇 The Monadnock Building is near the Jackson CTA stations, with access to the Blue Line, Red Line and several CTA bus routes.
🚗 Street parking and paid garages are available nearby, but parking availability and rates vary. Please allow extra time for traffic, parking and walking to the starting point. Parking can be tricky here so SpotHero or ParkWhiz are good options
🚇 CTA Trip Planner:
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/
💡 Arrive a few minutes early so you’re ready to go at 10:45 AM!***
***
🍽️ OPTIONAL LUNCH AFTER THE WALK
Want to keep the conversation going after the tour? Join us for an optional bite after the walk! Depending on group interest, we may check out one of these nearby spots:
🥪 Half Sour
🌮 Flaco’s Tacos
☕ Meli Café
Post-walk food is completely optional, and everyone pays for their own meal.***
📱 RSVP & CONTACT
👋 Please check in with Giovina when you arrive!
📲 Lost or running late? Call or text Giovina at 312-835-4259.⚠️ Please update your RSVP if your plans change.
❌ Three no-shows without updating your RSVP = 3-month restriction from group events.
🚫 Continual no-shows may result in removal from group events.***
🖨️🏙️ Come explore BRAND NEW Printer’s Row with us!
Discover the skyscrapers, printing presses, publishing houses, railroad history and fascinating Chicago stories hiding behind the buildings of this historic South Loop neighborhood.
Bring your comfortable shoes, your curiosity and your camera — and come be a tourist in your own city! 😊
18 attendees
Join our Indoor Leagues! Get placed on a coed team! All skill levels are welcome
Leagues played at various locations in Chicago. See specific leagues for where the games are played!, Multiple Locations, Chicago, IL, USWhen everything fun heads indoors for the year in Chicago, stay active and social in our Simply Social intramural leagues! All skill levels are welcome and you can join by yourself or with friends and get placed on a coed team for the season.
Starting in late October and early November, we've got lots of great 5-7 week leagues to play in. Some are actual sports, while others are more of a super fun activity to break up the work week.
All of them are amazing for meeting new people and having fun! There's no better way to build lasting relationships than during a season getting together with the same people week after week.
WE'VE GOT INDOOR VOLLEYBALL, BOWLING, WHIRLYBALL, SINGLES SKEEBALL (FOR SINGLES!), DODGEBALL, FAMILY FEUD TRIVIA & INDOOR KICKBALL!
CHECK OUT THE FULL LEAGUE OPTIONS, DETAILS & REGISTER HERE: https://s3leagues.com/late-fall-early-winter-leagues
**GET $20 OFF INDIVIDUAL PLAYER FEES W/ PROMO CODE 'MEETUPHOOKUP'** GIRLS GET 50% OFF INDOOR KICKBALL & DODGEBALL TOO!
*Want to get on a team but can't make it to every game? No problem! We put extra players on every team for this very reason.
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To play, simply register on our website and you're in! Then before we start I'll email EVERYTHING you need to know for the season including your teammate info, the full schedule, how/where we play and TONS more.
REGISTER HERE TO JOIN US as we MEETUP for some recreational level sports and activities!
****Have questions on how this works? Send me a message and I'll get back to you right away!****
LEAGUES INCLUDE:
- 5-7 Week Season! (varies by league)
- We buy your team some drinks each week! (in most leagues)
- Team player shirt in your requested size! (in most leagues)
- Food and drink specials at your sponsor bar!
- Multiple champs win a prize in each league!
GOT A FULL TEAM? EMAIL BEN@S3LEAGUES.COM (THAT'S ME!) FOR MORE INFO AND FOR AN EVEN BIGGER DISCOUNT!
I hope you let me show you what makes S3 Simply Social Sports Leagues so popular and exciting. I guarantee it'll be a unique experience unlike anything you've ever been a part of :)
Please message me if you have any questions!
Cheers,
Ben100 attendees
Past events
1608
