There's Northbrook Court Mall, and there's all the various Ye Olde Shoppes of Long Grove. I lived in Long Grove for a year so I know that area, but not so much anything else over there.

Or I guess there's the Bahai Temple, if you haven't seen that already?

Is driving downtown too far? That's probably where most of your actual fun options are.

meh, my best option is probably just to hang out at my father in law's at Oak Park (where I've been living up til tomorrow). I can bring my laptop and use his wifi. Oh well, was hoping not to drive that far.

No, don't go all the way into Wilmette. Save that for when you're on the North Shore. (That part is hell to get in and out of going east/west, unfortunately -- I lived there for years.)

Hmmm. I've never been here, but I know people who have. You'd probably get a kick out of it. The Motorola Museum of Electronics up I-90 a stretch in Schaumburg, and it's not far back to Arlington Heights. Call first -- they have weird hours or something and are frequently rumored to have closed.

Dunno if you're into roadside architecture/fast food/Americana, but there's the McDonald's First Store Museum. It's a replica, built a block or two away from the original site after the original was razed. (If you like that, you're not too far from the Superdawg.)

What else? Lessee. There's the John Wayne Gacy house (site) ....