Our city's been making and preserving history since its incorporation back in 1837. Our municipal treasures can serve as inspiration for protecting your personal antiques in self storage. Chicago, IL celebrates everything collectible from art and architecture to science and ancient artifacts. These five museums are just a few of our favorites.

Five of Our Favorite Museums

1. The Museum of Contemporary Art: Browse away an afternoon enjoying one of the country's largest and most renown modern art collections. Finish with fine dining at the museum's on-site Marisol Restaurant.

2. The Art Institute of Chicago: This is the place to view art from almost every corner of the world. Exhibits showcase more than 300,000 pieces dating from antiquity to today.

3. The Clark House Museum: Walk back in time through Chicago's oldest surviving home. This 1836 Greek Revival residence in South Loop features extensive ceramic, glassware, and furniture collections.

4. The Museum of Science and Industry: Explore interactive exhibits that define our nation and our city. Navigate a World War II submarine, board a diesel-electric train, and walk a Chicago cobblestone street dating back to 1910.

5. The Field Museum: Lose yourself in the city's premier natural history museum while investigating an Egyptian tomb and making friends with a Tyrannosaurus rex. Learn more about both at the museum's 3-D movie theater.

Preserve Your Special Treasures

A visit to the city's museums renews our appreciation for the grace of age in so many things. Take care of your antiques by keeping them safe in climate-controlled self storage. These tips can help preserve your private collection.

• Protect antique furniture with layers of bubble wrap around legs.

• Drape furnishings with clean sheets that allow fresh air circulation.

• Wrap framed mirrors and paintings with glassine paper, and store upright.

• Preserve paper items like books and photographs inside acid-free sleeves.

Choosing the right storage unit for your antiques is very important. The temperature should remain as consistent, and the size should allow ventilation around all of your cherished pieces. Our on-site storage experts are here to help you find that perfect unit.

We're Just Around the Corner

Our city continues to make history every day, and we're proud to be a part of it all. We're here to help you preserve your personal treasures with our South Loop facility located at 1353 South Wabash Avenue, or any one of our 14 additional locations across Chicago, IL, including:

• Uptown – 5026 North Sheridan Road

• West Rogers Park – 6014 North California Ave.

• Beverly – 1909 West 95th Street

• Lake View – 2757 West Clybourn Ave.

• Hermosa – 4534 West North Ave.

Safeguard Self Storage is always just around the corner to house your most important collections.

In Germantown, storage units and college students are natural partners – especially with a new semester just around the corner. Whether you're relocating from across the country or just across town here in Philadelphia, PA, nearby self storage can be one of the smartest moves you make all year.

Keep Everything Close

If you haven't thought about self storage options close to campus, take another look at the list of things you’ll have with you in your new dorm or apartment:

• Sheets, blankets, and bedspreads
• Towels, toiletries, and a shower curtain
• Dishes, cups, and cutlery
• Cleaning and laundry supplies
• Enough clothes to last the semester
• Furniture, electronics, and stacks of books

If there isn't room for everything, you can always buy what you need later. If you lease a storage unit, you’ll be able to keep all your stuff just a few blocks away from the new address.

Know Your Space

For whichever school you're headed for here in Philadelphia, PA (we have several), storage off campus makes the move easier. Check dorm room or apartment square footage ahead of time, and find out what kind of furnishings your new place does or doesn't provide. Use your pre-move research to sketch out a floor plan and work on different layouts. If you're sharing with a roomie, think about friendly, Feng Shui privacy options like curtain dividers. Know your designated space, and keep options open for different arrangements by keeping spare furniture in a storage unit.

Get It to Work for You

A storage unit works for you on so many levels. It's a great staging ground for moves in and out of dorms and apartments. Use it to park outdoor gear, stash seasonal clothes, and file important papers. Storage units are a perfect fit for busy student lifestyles, and they’re also easy on student budgets. Month-to-month leasing holds down costs and increases your mobility. You may even consider keeping your unit indefinitely for future moves between home and campus. With online account management and 24/7 access, you make your storage unit work for you while you work your way through another semester.

We Help You Make Smart Moves

You have plenty to do setting up a new home, so let us make everything a little easier. Our Germantown Safeguard Self Storage facility is located less than two miles from both the Philadelphia University and La Salle University campuses. We're just around the corner, with storage units ready and waiting for you to make your smartest move this year.

Food is like fashion – there's always a new trend making its way around Instagram. The foodie scene in Brooklyn, NY leads the country with the new food trends finding their way onto menus. Whether it's a new kind of cake or a different way to serve fish, get ready to see some of the newest trendy foods popping up in Brooklyn, from the Flatlands to other nearby New York areas, in 2017. 

5 Food Trends in 2017

1. Poke

This isn’t the Facebook function you use to annoy your friends. Poke is a Hawaiian dish that made its way onto the scene in 2016. Don't expect it to go away in 2017, as this dish offers good eats for everyone. It comes with marinated ahi tuna over rice with avocado, onions, cucumber, seaweed, and sesame seeds.

2. Gravity-Defying Cake

A gravity-defying cake is made just like any other cake, but it's the presentation that makes it different. These cakes give the illusion of candy being poured from above and spilled onto the surface and down the sides. Here's a sweet cake recipe to try at home and to impress at parties.

3. Chocolate Banana Pudding

What could make banana pudding even better? The answer is chocolate, lots of chocolate. Thanks to Magnolia Bakery, expect its popular banana pudding made with chocolate wafers, chocolate pudding and bananas to be replicated in mass.

4. Filipino Dishes

Filipino food is making a comeback, starting with dishes like lumpia egg rolls and pork belly. If you like Filipino food, you might see fish-sauce rice porridge with chicken and ginger becoming a food trend this year.

5. Savory Yogurt

Yogurt has had the sweet treatment for years. In 2017, it gets the savory treatment. With new flavor profiles, including carrot, ginger, and pistachios, veggie-based yogurts might be a real hit in 2017. 

Start the Next Trend With Safeguard Self Storage

If you have or plan to open a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, now's the time to start your own food trends. Keep in mind that crazy flavor combos and an Instagram-worthy visual appeal are the top factors in creating new food trends. With a storage unit from Safeguard Self Storage, you can have extra space to store your kitchen equipment, business documents, and other supplies to continue experimenting on the latest and greatest in the food industry. Our storage units in the Flatlands have climate control, so you can keep your items stored in good condition, regardless of the weather, and nearby when you need them.

The folks in charge of Cook County's Forest Preserve District had a revolutionary idea back in 1916. They set aside 500 acres of green space to offset urban expansion, and their vision grew into our 1,800-acre Deer Grove Forest Preserve. Its natural beauty is impossible to resist, so give in, and get out. Join your neighbors raiding Palatine, IL storage units for outdoor gear, and join the warm-weather fun.

Follow Miles of Looping Trails

What kind of distance can you travel on two wheels? Get that mountain bike out of self storage, and conquer 10 miles of rugged trails. How far can you go on foot? Test your jogging talents on 4 miles of paved paths. Deer Grove's looping trail system offers infinite opportunities to stay on the move or just enjoy a relaxing nature walk.

Fly Over Reclaimed Prairies

Whether you build them or buy them, set your wings for takeoff over Deer Grove East. Join other model plane enthusiasts at the designated field just off Dundee Road, west of North Hicks. Your current Academy of Model Aeronautics membership card serves as your license for flying crafts over the preserve's recently reclaimed prairies.

Fish Deer Grove Lake

Local anglers keep their tackle boxes handy in nearby storage units, because Deer Grove Lake fishing opportunities are open year-round. You can lay back and catch sunfish or bang the banks for largemouth bass. Count on chorus frogs and blue-spotted salamanders to keep you company while you net bluegill and reel in bullhead cats.

Camp in the Urban Wilderness

Don't miss Camp Reinberg as you drive through the middle of Deer Grove on North Quentin Road. Deep oak forests surround the camp's tent sites, cabins, and picnic tables. Pitch your own, or reserve lodging, and plan on a weekend filled with activities. Preserve staff members do a great job organizing nature hikes and educational programs. 

Stay Prepared for Urban Adventures

Here in northwest Cook County, we all enjoy easy access to the great outdoors, just outside our backdoors. You can enjoy easy access to your favorite warm-weather gear with convenient self storage at our Palatine, IL facility located just southeast of Deer Grove Preserve. You can always be prepared for urban adventures when you store your things with Safeguard.

Finding a storage unit can be a stressful task. There’s often a set of criteria that you’re looking for in a storage facility. Among this list can include: location, security features, access times, and available unit sizes. But have you considered the facility’s response time as a factor? You have lots of options in self storage – and that means lots of questions. That’s why Safeguard has a guaranteed 48-hour service response time. It’s called self storage, but we want you to know that you’re not alone. 

What is Guaranteed 48-Hour Service Response Time?

This feature guarantees that you won’t have to wait around to have your questions answered. Whether you’re interested in storing with us, or you’re already a customer, we welcome your queries. With answers about any of our processes, including rentals and reservations, amenities, the online payment portal, and more, you’ll have access to the information you need. No matter what you need help with, we won’t leave you hanging. 

You can request information a couple of ways:

1. Call your local Safeguard facility directly
2. Fill out the online ‘contact us’ form

If you have a question outside of normal office hours or during peak calling periods, our 24/7 call center (877-779-6900) can take calls unable to be answered by individual facilities.

Why We Offer This Feature

All our facilities follow the 48-hour response time rule. At Safeguard, we want to be a resource for you during your storage journey. Our staff is professional, friendly, and ready to help you. Whether you’re trying to pay your bill online, figuring out how much space you need, or wondering what your local facility’s features are, our 48-hour response time will guarantee that you get your answer within 48 hours. You shouldn’t have to put your life on hold while waiting for an answer, and with Safeguard Self Storage, you won’t have to.

We Take Customer Service Seriously

We are here to help you keep self storage from becoming an extra hassle. To make your storage experience as seamless as possible we provide month-to-month leases, extended access hours, free packing and storing consultation, moving and packing supplies on site, and no-cost email billing. Experience the Safeguard Service difference; reserve a unit today.

Why spend vacation dollars visiting faraway places when you live in the Cruise Capital of the World? From the small islands off our west Miami shoreline to the city's cultural centers, explore these five wonderful spots most out-of-towners miss. Let out that boating, biking and beach gear from your Miami, FL self storage, and launch an unforgettable getaway right here at home. 

1. Set Your Sights North

Let the tourists trip over each other down at South Beach. Head up north, and hit the sand between 67th and 87th streets. This culturally rich stretch charms with a '50s atmosphere you won't find anywhere else in the city. North Beach is also a great destination for discovering delicious new mom-and-pop cafes. 

2. Get Your Kayak Wet

Just 3 miles farther up from North Beach puts you in Oleta River State Park with access to more than 1,000 acres of natural beauty on Biscayne Bay. These parts of north Miami are filled with canoes and kayaks, so bring your favorite watercraft, and join the local fun. 

3. Sip a Glass of Cortado

Head back into the city for a traditional sip of Cuban espresso while you relax in the heart of Little Havana. Raise your cortado glass as a toast to the area's monthly Viernes Festival. Dance to live music, visit neighborhood galleries, and feast on Latin cuisine. Don't miss free walking tours that give new life to Little Havana's history. 

4. Climb a Two-Story Sand Castle

Kids love helping grownups storm sand castle walls at the Miami Children's Museum. The unique, hands-on fortress is one of dozens of interactive learning experiences waiting to liven up your local family vacation. Just drive over to Watson Island for museum exhibits that even include a kid-size TV studio. 

5. Go Fat-Biking on the Beach

One of our most scenic bike routes becomes a boardwalk south of 21st Street, but Florida State Road A1A doesn't have to slow you down when you hit the sand. Just get your fat-bike with its oversized tires out of storage, and Miami, FL beaches are wide open to two-wheel cruises up and down the shoreline. 

Local, Easy, and Fun

Our Florida sunshine always sets up the perfect scene for enjoying a mini-retreat, so keep your favorite getaway gear ready to go in one of our west Miami storage units. Our Safeguard teams know how to help you make all your vacation adventures local, easy, and fun.

Daylight savings time has arrived once again to usher in more sunlight during the day. On March 12, it's time again to spring ahead and to welcome in the coming spring and summer seasons. With more daylight, the theory was, that you could be more productive. When daylight savings was put into practice, this was a major deciding factor. While electricity and technology now allow us to be productive at all times of the day, we can still take advantage of daylight savings – especially with the help of self storage.

How did Daylight Savings Time get Started?

The practice of turning the clock forward and backward has been around since the early 1900s. Germany was the first country to adopt daylight savings time, with the United States following soon after. In fact, the U.S. repealed this practice in 1919 even though some cities and states continued to manipulate their clocks. It came back in full force during the Second World War and was pushed mainly by businesses to take advantage of the extra daylight hours.

3 Ways to Be Productive During Daylight Saving Time

1. Take Up a New Hobby

 Springtime makes the perfect time to take up a new hobby; like art. Take a tour of the Ancient Sculpture Gallery in Garfield, NJ, and let it inspire you to sculpt and to create artworks of your own.

2. Clean Out the House

 Many people use the extra hours to spring-clean their homes. You can move clutter from the garage and your home into self storage, to make room for a tool shop, more organization, or your new hobby. Storage units are great for storing unused items while spring-cleaning and planning a potential yard sale.

3. Get Outdoors More

 Daylight saving time in March gives you extra hours for biking, walking, or hanging out in your own backyard. Use those few hours to play ball with your kids after work, handle those neglected lawn chores, or to finally build that deck. 

Don't Forget to Set Your Clocks Forward

Before you hit the sack on March 12, set your alarm clock forward by one hour. You don't want to be one of the many people who clock in late at work the next morning. If you're taking the time to spring-clean your home, store your stuff with Safeguard Self Storage. We have affordable storage units in Garfield, NJ for keeping your items stored away for as long as you need.

It's that time again when the annual Christkindlmarket comes to Chicago, IL. This winter event brings in more than 1 million people, including residents here in Uptown and West Rogers Park as well as visitors from across the country. This is the 21st year of this cherished tradition and features numerous vendors offering everything from toys to delicious German chocolates. Your local self storage experts at Safeguard Self Storage are here to show you what you’re missing.

Discover Christkindlmarket This Year in Chicago IL

This annual event began as an idea to promote trade between the USA and Germany and was first held at Pioneer Court in 1996. The event was moved to Daley Plaza a year later and has become an anticipated tradition in the area. Because it has become so popular, the Christkindlmarket committee has set up a second location in Naperville about an hour from the Lake View and Beverly areas of Chicago.

Although Christkindlmarket is known for its vendors, it's also the ideal place for teachers to take their students. German students can practice their skills at the market, which features many German-speaking vendors. The students can also take part in scavenger hunts and sing German holiday songs. Christkindlmarket really gives students a feeling for German traditions without having to leave the country. If you're a teacher from Lake View, West Rogers Park or anywhere in the Chicago area, consider a field trip to Christkindlmarket as a fun and educational gift to your students.

So Many Vendors, So Little Time

Christkindlmarket lasts from November 18 to December 24, so you have a little more than a month to visit the event. With so many vendors, it can seem overwhelming as you shuffle through the crowds and become entranced by the dazzling lights above the vendors' shops. You can purchase most anything from the vendors, like hand-blown and painted ornaments for your Christmas tree. Some German vendors sell nutcrackers and cuckoo clocks while others offer toys, jewelry and clothes.

You can buy German home decor and handmade crafts; you can even watch a wood carver make goods for sale on the spot. Try not to get hungry while you're making your way through the crowd as the tempting aromas from strudel, spiced wines and roasted nuts fill the air. You can stop at any time and quench your thirst with a German beer or fill your belly with sausage and potato pancakes.

If you're looking for unique gifts for the holidays, you can find them at Christkindlmarket. Whether it's toys for your children or beer steins for your friends, this annual event gives you a way to find something eclectic and original for those you love during the holidays. 

Keep Your Gifts Secret With Self Storage 

Don't let your trip to Christkindlmarket get ruined because your family and friends discover their presents early. Whether you're from Uptown or Beverly, Safeguard Self Storage has convenient storage units available close to home. We have affordable monthly plans, so you can invest in a short-term self storage solution for keeping your presents hidden from prying eyes. With temperature-controlled storage units and around-the-clock security, your gifts will remain a secret until you're ready to hand them out on Christmas Day.

Santa Claus stores his Christmas gifts with Safeguard Self Storage, shouldn’t you?

For those who have waited patiently for the NBA season to start, the moment has finally arrived. With the season just tipping off, it's time to reflect on our favorite sport and admire how it has spread across the entire world, from the Flatlands area in Brooklyn, NY to places like China and beyond. The NBA played its first game on November 1, 1946, when the N.Y. Knickerbockers faced the Toronto Huskies on Canadian soil. Today, Safeguard Self Storage talks about what basketball means to our area and the best places to play a game with friends.

Basketball in Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Nets weren't always a Brooklyn-based team. In fact, the Nets were called the Americans when the team was founded in 1967. The Americans moved to Long Island a year later and adopted New York Nets as the name. The team moved back to New Jersey in 1977 and evolved into the New Jersey Nets. After 35 seasons, the Nets moved back to New York, changed the team name once again and are now the Brooklyn Nets you know and love.

Famous NBA Players from the Area

Chris Mullin, an All-Star who played for both the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers, was born and raised in the Flatlands area. His plaque stands proudly in the prestigious College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Mullen now coaches St. John's in the NCAA, a position he gladly accepted in 2015.

Local Courts in the Brooklyn Area

Want to play a game in Brooklyn? You have more than 170 courts to choose from throughout the area. Of course, some are better than others. Our picks for the best basketball courts to play on include:

• Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 2, in Brooklyn Heights
• J.J. Byrne Playground in Park Slope
• Dean Playground/Conrad McRae Playground in Prospect Heights
• St. John's Recreation Center in Crown Heights
• Parkside Playground in Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Safeguard Self Storage Tips Off the NBA Season

Celebrate the 2016-2017 NBA season by getting out to play, or by watching your favorite team at home in Barclays Center. If you need a place to store your basketball equipment and gear, our local storage units make the ideal place. We have the perfect storage unit for your equipment while saving you space at home.

It's the largest of its kind in the Midwest. It has an amazing history, and it's surrounded by a remarkable urban forest. Argonne National Laboratory sits just a few miles south of Darien, IL. Safeguard Self Storage’s local storage units have a lot in common with this 1500-acre site, so it's easy to get charged up about science and research right here in our backyard.

Nationally Designated, World-Renown

Driving along Interstate 55, you might not see the laboratory for the trees. Argonne blends in beautifully with its setting in Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. The first buildings were erected in the 1940s as part of national security work on the Manhattan Project. In 1946, Argonne was officially designated as a national laboratory. Over the years, the site has become world-renown as a premier research facility focused on developing solutions to a wide range of challenges, including renewable energy and environmental sustainability.

Expanding Energy Storage

So, what does self storage have in common with the Argonne National Laboratory? They both make the most of affordable solutions that deal with limited space. Imagine long-term battery storage for the wind and solar energy that powers our nation's electric grid. Think about the environmental impact of technologies that make renewable energy an affordable staple for heavy industry. The dedicated research teams at Argonne are currently working on a battery that stores five times more energy than a traditional model for about 20 percent of the current cost.

Charging Up the Community

Like the best research facilities, Argonne Lab recognizes its role as a member of the surrounding community. You're always welcome to enjoy a guided tour of the site or join locals who follow the Argonne OutLoud public lecture series. Area teachers inspire students by inviting guest speakers from the lab to introduce young minds to the exciting world of science. Argonne sponsors middle school science bowls, recruits high school research teams, and thrills grade school scholars with kid-friendly workshops and field trips.

We tip our hats to the dedicated folks at Argonne Lab who contribute to our great community in so many ways. They're the kind of neighbors who make this part of Chicagoland a wonderful place to live, work and play. When you need to conquer your own storage challenges here in Darien, IL, Safeguard Self Storage stands ready to serve. We're always charged up about helping you expand your space at home, school and work.