Pointe Plaza — Local services in Niles Township

So this is a big shopping plaza. How do I rate This?

Well, there are a number of good places to eat. And there are a number of good places to shop. There is a Wal-Mart so unless you are a snob this plaza is a destination for normal people. If you have kids, you can go to Wal-Mart, stock up, and then go eat at any number of places.

There is a Starbucks.

It's very convenient if you work in the industrial park to the east.

What brings it down is Touy (?) road. The traffic is always between terrible and awful. You can litteraly get stuck on the road which stinks when you are hungry and see all those places to eat. The roads around and in the plaza can be just as bad. It's a bit of a traffic maze and not a pleasant one. More like a what in the world were they thinking when they designed this???

Also the east side of the plaza is on the bleak side with lots of bizzare people walking around. I would not let my kids walk the eastern side of the plaza alone. Has a transient feel to it.

On the other side of the coin, once you are west of this plaza you are farther away from the city and for many people that is a good thing.

The expressway is just to...

Pointe Plaza is a vestige of the do-everything districts of the suburbs, reminiscent of the econo-sprawls of Schaumburg or Crystal Lake, but better-equipped than either. In fact, the only thing missing is a mall.

Good gods I miss malls.

The parking is surprisingly good. The layout of building can be a little complex for finding what you're looking for, but this also generates a cozifying effect, lending nooks and spots which give a sense of unique identity to many areas. This might not be so important for Fresh Farms or Walmart, where the goal is to do your thing, collect your hardware, and get the h* out of there (Fresh Farms is a much nicer experience than Walmart, but thats another review), but when you hit Corner Bakery and enjoy a soup and sandwhich in a spot with outdoor dining and trees, facing away from the hustle and bustle of expanded superstore parking and in walking distance of a Barnes and Nobles? You'll swear you're back in the 90s.

That alone may warrant 5...

Good shops. Dumb drivers. I guess the lines in the blacktop aren't clear enough for some. Maybe the location managers could cement in some decent structure. I almost get t-boned from idiots every few months. Heck I wa even in a fender bender with an old Grannie who forgot to brake at idling speeds. I'd call it "people of Walmart" but it's just across the board since the pandemic. Anyone else notice that people have been stupider about driving since the pandemic? Basic rules of the road mean nothing...