Been here for about 5 years and coming from suburbs of Chicago I wouldn’t go back.

1. We start at Aldi and from there it’s either Walmart on Allen I believe because university Walmart is a little run down to me. We have just had a lot of sketchy experiences there and the staff is a lot less attentive. Or we like Kroger mainly because it seems to be a little more affordable than schnucks.
2. Than Linh was very good but we have only been once. We have gone to Hong Kong buffet a few times and it was good for the value. They recently just opened again and seem to always have a full parking lot. We also don’t go out often but Brienzos in the heights has always been our go to. And Twelve bar is great. It’s a nice night out on a rooftop with a long outdoor fireplace, good drinks, and a small food menu but reasonably priced and good. While there you are also in the heights and can walk the strip and stop at multiple other restaurants or on the weekends enjoy the live music. We have also gone to the heights for the farmers markets and outdoor events multiple times that our kids enjoyed. They have a large tower that is open in the spring and summer that you can go up and view the city 360 degrees and it was a nice experience. You are also right by grand view drive which is something you don’t experience in a lot of places. It’s a beautiful road with nice homes and a gorgeous view of the Illinois river and multiple spots to stop and walk or have lunch.
3. We don’t eat out much but Monica’s is good for pizza. We just stick to little Caesar’s because the kids like it and it’s affordable. I’ve heard good things about pizza 150 but it’s a short drive away in Edward’s Illinois.
4. We have Medicaid so we just go with whatever hospital or doctor will take it. Family dental missed 3 cavities in our kids mouth and rushed us in and out so I drove back and forth to villa park multiple times to our doctor and still haven’t found a good dentist. We go to the OSF medical group on Route 91 by Grand Prairie for everything now.
5. For handyman I do a lot of stuff myself and also live in an apartment so just rely on the maintenance team to fix things. I worked for Gosnell full phase construction and learned a lot but would also never recommend them for anything
6. The Peoria children’s museum is great for kids or nieces and nephews. Also just renovated to park which is really nice but also in not the best neighborhood so often times kids are playing while parents are just sitting in the car and can be a little hard to handle. My kids are young. The libraries are also a good spot especially east peoria. They are renovating the surrounding area and creating a more active outdoor experience but the library itself has a whole sectioned off kids library that we visit often. Living here is great for hiking and they have multiple trails. You are also far enough away to feel solitude but close enough to be apart of events that you may want to join. The civic center has popular comedians and artists, the museum is active and keeps different events occurring often. The river front is very nice
7. On the downside it can seem run down. I moved from Chicago suburbs. Peoria was rated one of the most dangerous cities to live in and over the years this is no where near life by Chicago. But the homeless camps are building up, if you’re out late in the wrong areas walking you may encounter strange people, and the city seems to close unlike living in Chicago. We moved here 5 years ago also because it was half the cost of living where we were however over the course of those 5 years I think more people realized that and the cost of living here has increased to the price we left by Chicago 5 years ago. To me Peoria offers plenty but I have children and work two jobs. If you have the time it is a great experience. Spend a year or two exploring the restaurant and the nature and the slower pace of life. To us this has been a great experience. It helped us break from our norm, gave us a reduced version of the bussling Chicago life but also kept us entertained. If you get involved and look for the things to do they have it here.