Don't believe all the hype you hear from the talking heads on the T.V. It's not all doom and gloom, there are areas all over the country that are still appreciating. Besides, an educated investor knows how to make money if the market is going up, down, or sideways. It all comes down to being educated. When former Fed. Chairman Alan Greenspan was asked what he thought the difference was between the wealthy and the middle class, his answer was very simple, "The right education!" and he wasn't talk …

Chicago Harmonica Meetup is a relaxed community of men and women who play the harmonica. We welcome harmonica players of all ages and abilities, from the first time novice to the advanced player. All members are treated with respect and encouraged to grow. Much of our focus is on new player development; this is the perfect starting point for the interested beginner. Come on out and get started! There are no dues or fees to join the Chicago Harmonica Meetup community. Membership is free. Our Meet …

4-days after the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, Chicagoans of this Meetup started spreading the message that HAITI needs help for a long, long time. One of the inspiration to start this group was an e-mail received 1-day after the earthquake, from Meetup co-founder Scott Helferman. He suggested to think about how to help Haiti by means of using a Meetup. Obviously if you’ve donated your share already, kindly pass this information to someone who likes to further help. Honestly your word-of-mouth p …

We are an all inclusive group of paddlers. All ages! All ability levels All are Welcome! We LOVE BEGINNERS FAMILIES SINGLES....We welcome ALL Paddlers of all abilities. We help beginners get started by paddling right along with you and giving you some pointers. It's not hard! It's great fun! If you also share a love for the Illinois river, Mazon river, I & M Canal / Towpath then you have also landed in the right place. We will be putting together trips that involve either paddles, pedals, campin …

This is a meetup for the (new) Chicago Area Plone Users Group, a new group that started with World Plone Day this past April. There are more people using the Plone CMS in Chicagoland than meets the eye, so we're creating this meetup as a way for us all to come out of the wood work and start learning from and socializing with one another. We had a great sneak peak at Plone 4.0 (beta) back in April, and for our end of July (27th) meeting, we can take another look at Plone 4 (which should be a stab …

New group! Are you starting a small business in Chicago? Working hard on your own? With a business partner? Getting into the grind of finding clients and building your business relationships? Come relax, chill, and hang-out over dinner. The purpose of this group is to make room for you while you make room for your business in the world.  If you're maxed out from your cold calls and want nothing more than to have your dinner served up to you without lifting a finger - come!  If you've just snagge …

Updated April 18, 2013 Who are Chicago Amateur Bread Bakers? We are avid home bakers of yeasted, artisanal breads. Each month, we come together in-person to share our bread-baking experiences and learn from one another. All levels are encouraged--from those who have just begun bread baking, to those with years of experience. (If you are an advanced bread baker, you might prefer to join our spin-off group, CABB2.) Begun in January 2011, Chicago Amateur Bread Bakers is a grassroots non-profit tha …

If you are part of a couple, please make separate individual accounts for each member of your relationship. NO 'COUPLES' ACCOUNTS. Click on the Join us! button in the upper right to get started. Welcome to Poly-Under-40, we're proud to be the most active polyamory organization in North America.  Poly-Under-40 is as social network for young adults exploring polyamory or living our individual poly styles. If you are a young adult looking for a friendly, supporting social group where you can learn …

The downturn in the real estate market - which started in 2008 - dropped prices to an all-time low. This created new opportunities for all types of investors to enter the market; however, first-time investors are often challenged by their lack of funding and industry knowledge, while experienced investors must adapt their strategies to fit today’s market conditions. I created this group to meet with investors and entrepreneurs to discuss ways to overcome market challenges and conquer the new rea …

23 years ago we started a movement to bring a focused effort to have an Asian presence in Chicago's nightlife. Over 2,500 events later and over 2 million attendees, we're just getting started. This Meetup group is less about being informed about such events, and more about finding like minds within the events. With social being so synonymous with digital nowadays, it only follows that we have a proper medium to organize a party within the party. Whether you are new to Chicago or have been here y …

inspired by an amazing friend who started a very successful meetup to connect with like-minded new mommies, i've decided to start a little group too!  girls about town is dedicated to nurturing all of my favorite hobbies -- and hopefully yours too.  our events span a whole spectrum of socializing ranging from meeting up for a movie, trying delicious new restaurants, sunday brunching, art classes of all sorts, potluck dinner parties, a good day of spa-style pampering and much much more! we'll be …

This group started in May 2011, and we've read novels by Joyce, Malraux, Kafka, Wright, Mishima, Faulkner, Nabokov, Unamuno, Ellison, Hamsun, Woolf, Biely, Gide, and many others.  We try to have a good time discussing the books without descending to small talk, think critically without descending to pedantry, etc. Also, as the title shows, we've expanded our reading list since the group started.  We don't really want to title the group something as vague as "Chicago Literature Group," etc., and …

Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you work you just can't seem to get ahead financially? Have you ever felt unappreciated or underpaid by your boss or organization you work for? Have you ever felt powerless with your financial future like it seems so hard to make & save alot of money & often when you do it seems to disappear as fast as it came? Have you ever dreamed of having a better life, a life where you work because you choose to NOT because you have to? A life where you make a 6 or …

For anyone who is working for themselves or wish they could. Our goal is to build a support network of experienced freelancers, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers to help each other and anyone who wishes they could make the leap out of their unfulfilling, soulless jobs. We have great ideas on how to grow this group, but to kick things off we are starting a speaker series of experts to speak on topics like: Account & Legal for Entrepreneurs, Health Insurance, Communication, Financial Plannin …

Educelerate is a national education industry network with an initial focus on Chicago and the Midwest and new offshoots in Los Angeles and Phoenix. We are starting our efforts through this monthly MeetUp to grow and develop an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, investors and partners.

With the help of the good folks at Puppet Labs, we're trying to get a user group started for Chicago users of Puppet to get together and ... well, that's up to you! We'll start off with presentations about interesting things people are doing with Puppet, but it's up to the community to decide what's worthwhile.

Want to Have Fun! Want to meet other singles! Want to play sports! Play dodgeball with Cities and Sports Tuesday nights, starting 1/15 at Hamlin Park in Roscoe Village. Have fun playing with us and going out to the bar afterward. Cities and Sports will also have bowling leagues Wednesday nights at Diversey Rock and Bowl starting 1/23. Learn more about both leagues or to sign up as either an individual or a team, visit www.citiesandsports.com

Have Fun, Meet People and Play Sports.  In that order.  We are a new sports and social club in Chicago.  We have fun play and go to the bar and socialize after.  We promise you you will meet good people and play some good sports.  Start now with dodgeball! Dodgeball meetup October 2nd Tuesday night. Games times from 6-10 and head to the Riverview bar afterwards. Come on out and join us and start playing dodgeball today! Have Fun, Meet People and Play Sports.

We are a group of first or second generation Business Owners, Executives and Entrepreneurs that meet to discuss topics relating to starting up a business, scaling, selling, and planning for our exit from our business. We meet once a month. Each meeting has a presenter on a topic that Entrepreneurs want to learn more about. Some of our Past Topics include: Selection of a Business Entity, Acquiring Venture Capital, What to know about your Employment Agreements? Top Ten thing to know in being Acqui …

Are you new to Chicago? Are all your girlfriends getting married and having babies and your running out of those fun girl nights and friendships? Im starting this group so that 20's and 30's something ladies can meet new gal pals. We will have cocktail nights at lounges, bars and restaurants. I will also like to have charity events once a month with the gal pals group if your interested (not mandatory) You will have name tags offered to you if you like and feel free to bring your business cards …

Come join Clocktower Runners on Saturday morning for a run along the lakefront of 6-12 miles. We meet every Saturday morning in the parking lot for the Clocktower in Lincoln Park (behind the Waveland tennis courts)for a group run. From October to early June, we start at 8:00 a.m. and from June leading up to the Chicago Marathon, we start at 6:30 a.m. for the 18 week marathon training program. Distances and paces vary from 7:30 to 11:00 minute/mile.This is the friendliest running group you will …

Geekfest is a gathering of software development geeks every Tuesday at noon. It originally started at Obtiva back in 2007, and now it's at Groupon.

(1 minute video) This group is for people who value and enjoy deeper discussions with amazing people and who are also willing to rise to the occasion by joining us to help make these discussion opportunities an ongoing reality. The events held in this group are all about having fun nights of great people and 'deeper' discussions over dinner in a charming restaurant. This Meetup group was created by Glen Brauer as part of a non-profit global initiative using practical philosophy to bring togeth …

Are you having a hard time losing and/or getting healthy on your own? Well, you don't have to! This is an accountability group is for women who want to learn to be healthier and lose weight. Studies show that people lose 60% more weight when they have a buddy. Every few weeks we'll meet to check in with each other and rate our progress. This group will follow a 90 Day Challenge that starts Feb- April to see who can have the biggest transformation! Start setting your goals now and forming your su …

This club is for anyone (chico or chica!) who loves to dive in and digest the wisdom from authors like Williamson, Chopra, Dyer, and so on. I started this group because the only thing I love more than reading these books is discussing the self-growth and awareness with like-minded folks! We'll start by taking a few weeks to read the same book and then meet discuss our impressions in the Streeterville/Gold Coast area. My hope is that this group opens up hearts and minds, along with formulates n …

Yoga & BOOTCAMP Class Start with some basic stretching to get you warmed up and then work it! BootCamp will take your fitness to a new level in a supportive environment. Expand your focus with unique strength and circuit training classes to jump start your metabolism and increase your cardiovascular endurance. Classes combine strength training, aerobic activities, cardio drills, and muscle conditioning exercises. Enhance agility, speed, power, strength, and quickness. BOOTCAMP: Tom Stretching & …

Coffee with entrepreneurs, makers, developers, and creatives in the Chicago area. Meet other entrepreneurs and creatives, hear announcements on upcoming startup and creative events, and talk about startup and tech news. What better way could there be to start your day? Have a question? Get it answered at this meetup. Like to network? No problem here. Get caffeinated, start your day, and meet some interesting, creative, and smart people in the city.

Everything starts with connecting.. Be open to the possibility of success.. Every day we can make new face to face connections and with each connection the possibilities for success in whatever that may be increases, not linearly, not even exponentially but with infinite possibility. Networking here is for making connections with others. Connections lead to more connections and if approached with open minds and open hearts in what I call quantum connections, new business relationships may happen …