Chicago
Chicago isn't an obvious choice when picking a vacation city, but it's very rare to hear anyone who's disappointed after visiting. The city doesn't have many of the superstar attractions that draw people to Los Angeles, New York City, or Miami, but it does have great architecture, history, culture, and nightlife that will leave no visitor bored. It also has a hard-to-describe charm those other cities lack. The locals seem friendlier and things seem cozy even though it's a huge city.
What To Do
The Sears Tower is certainly the most visible attraction in town. The tallest building in the US has amazing views and the observation deck is far less crowded late in the afternoon. It's a great place to start your visit to properly get the lay of the land. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the world's finest art museums. It contains American Gothic among its many famous works on display. Chicago has more than its fair share of museums and galleries including the small yet interesting Museum of Holography.
Chicago's food scene is also legendary. The Taste of Chicago festival in early July is a huge event and a major highlight, but you can do your own version any time of the year. The city center is very easy to deal with and contains many ethnic neighborhoods with plenty of authentic restaurants to match. The usual suspects of China, Italy, and Greece are represented, but neighborhoods representing Poland, Germany and Sweden are also nearby.
Getting There
Being near the middle of the country, Chicago is a great stop if you've decided to rent a car and take a road trip. Train service is also frequent and reliable if you aren't in much of a hurry and particularly if you are heading to or coming from the east. But most people will want to book a flight into Chicago O'Hare (code: ORD). A commuter train goes from the center to the airport round the clock and takes 45 minutes. There are two other smaller airports near Chicago, Midway (code: MDW) and Gary (code: GYY) and some smaller carriers fly discounted flights into those, but usually the better deals are into O'Hare.
Where To Stay
Chicago has a concentrated center, but it's still huge. Public transportation is very good, but it's still usually worthwhile to pay a bit more to be near the center rather than getting a cheap place and spending hours on the train each day. There are several hostels in Chicago and loads of hotels in Chicago. Prices tend to be high, but there are bargains and they sell out well in advance so plan ahead.
Attractions in Chicago
Address: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496
Commonly called just the Field Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History is the most popular cultural attraction in Chicago. The Field Museum dates back to 1906, although it’s only been in its current home in the Museum Campus section of Grant Park since 1921.
The featured attraction is Sue, the 42-foot long, 13-foot high Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. On display since 2000, this 67-million-year old skeleton is the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex yet discovered, and was named for Sue Hendrickson, the paleontologist who found the remains in South Dakota in 1990.
There is a large number of permanent exhibits on display at the Field Museum, including one called the Ancient Americas, which focuses on 13,000 years of human history in the Western Hemisphere. The Evolving Planet display takes visitors through a 4-million year history of life on Earth.
The museum also hosts revolving temporary exhibits for about 6 months at a time. Check the official Field Museum website for a list of what’s on when you’ll be in town.
Hours: 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily, although last entry is at 4 p.m.
Admission: Adults $12; ages 4 – 11, students w/ID, and 65+ - $7
Address: Grant Park, Chicago, IL 60605
Often referred to as Chicago’s front yard, this 319-acre park sandwiched between Michigan Avenue and the lake itself is the pride of the city for locals and a major destination for tourists. The park is popular for recreation such as jogging, biking, tennis, and softball, but it’s also home to many of the city’s most highly regarded and frequently visited landmarks.
The Art Institute of Chicago, which is one of the most important art museums in the country, housing American Gothic among other things, is within Grant Park. The recently refurbished Millennium Park sits next door, showing off its amazing Crown Fountain display.
Further south is the Buckingham Fountain, which is one of the largest fountains in the world and one of Chicago’s most famous landmarks and photo backdrops. From mid-April through mid-October the fountain operates from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m., with a 20-minute water display starting at the top of each hour.
The Chicago Museum Campus occupies the southern end of Grant Park, and it’s home to the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the popular Shedd Aquarium.
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
Address: 875 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois
The John Hancock Center in Chicago is the fourth largest building in the United States and the third tallest in Chicago. If you include the antennae at the top, the building stands exactly 1,500 feet in the air.
Completed in 1969, the building holds several records, including the world's highest residences and, on the 44th floor, the world's highest indoor swimming pool.
The luxury apartments at the top of the tower are home to several celebrities. TV host Jerry Springer lives on the second highest floor of apartments and comedian Chris Farley lived in the John Hancock center until his death in 1997.
Every February, a fundraiser for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago sees participants race up the 94 flights of stairs from Michigan Avenue to the Observation deck. The event is called "Hustle up the Hancock" and the record time is 9 minutes 39 seconds for the entire 94 floors.
The Hancock Observatory, at the top of the Hancock Center, provides spectacular views of the city of Chicago as well as Lake Michigan and the surrounding area from an open-air deck.
Observatory Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Admission: Adults (13-61) - $10.25
Seniors (62+) - $8.00
Children (5 to 12) - $6.50
Children (4 and under) FREE
Address: 700 N Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611
This section of North Michigan Avenue was nicknamed the Magnificent Mile during the 1940s, and the last few decades in particular have helped solidify this stretch as the most prestigious not only in Chicago, but also in the entire Midwest. It would be difficult to find a section of street anywhere in the world that has as high of a concentration of upscale businesses and residences.
The famous Chicago Water Tower landmark is along the Magnificent Mile, but most of the stretch is taken up by Chicago’s best hotels, restaurants, and office buildings. Among the hotels along this street are the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, the Peninsula, Intercontinental, Westin, and the Drake. Many of the city’s top eateries are either in or near these hotels.
The Water Tower Place and dominates the high-end retail scene on this street with a Macy’s and a Lord & Taylor. The Westfield North Bridge center has more small upscale boutiques in addition to a Nordstrom. The John Hancock Center is the tallest of four skyscrapers here, in addition to the famous art deco Palmolive Building, which used to be known as the Playboy Building.
The Chicago Tribune has their offices here, as do many of the city’s top advertising agencies, so even though it seems like the area would only be crammed with rich tourists, it’s always a mix of busy locals as well.
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free, it’s just a nice street
Address: 201 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
Millennium Park is a public center in downtown Chicago which, when it was built, transformed an area which had long been considered less than ideally designed into an important and well-loved city landmark almost immediately. Since its opening in 2004, condominium buildings circling the park have become the hottest and hippest addresses in town - as well as some of the most exclusive in the country - and they carry price tags to match. The 24.5-acre park, however, is fun for the whole family, regardless of your zip code.
Features of Millennium Park include the Pritzker Pavilion (designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry, it's an outdoor concert venue with room for around 10,000 people which hosts music events throughout the year), the Crown Fountain (part art installation, part fountain, it's two 50-foot tall towers which show enormous images of actual Chicago residents' faces while water cascades around them and sometimes shoots out from their mouths), the Cloud Gate (a steel sculpture which has been nicknamed "the bean" because of its shape) and the Lurie Garden (a public botanical garden which is built over the roof of the park's parking facility).
Hours: Daily, 06:00-23:00
Admission: Free
Address: 600 E Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60611
Completed in 1916, Chicago’s Navy Pier was built mostly as a cargo facility for lake freighters, but over the years its use has morphed several times and since the 1990s it has become one of the city’s most popular mixed-use entertainment complexes. This 3,300 foot long pier jutting out into Lake Michigan is now one of Chicago’s favorite public gathering places.
A 150-foot tall Ferris wheel is the easiest attraction to see from a distance, but a musical carousel and a giant old-fashion swing are nearby in the Pier Park amusement area. The Navy Pier is also home to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Children’s Museum, as well as the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows.
An Imax theater and a pair of performance stages in the Beer Garden area also host a variety of rotating events that peak during the busy summer months. Sightseeing cruises of the area leave from docks on the pier, with your choice of a tall ship, a steam ship, or a modern speedboat.
Not surprisingly, summer is the busiest season on the pier. Fireworks shows go at least twice a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but special events are celebrated here throughout the year.
Hours: 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. (weekends until 10 p.m.) for most of the year. During summer closing time is 10 p.m. (weekends until midnight)
Admission: Free, but most attractions cost extra
Address: 806 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
Built in 1869 on North Michigan Avenue, the Chicago Water Tower still stands as one of the city’s most notable landmarks. The 154-foot (47 meter) Gothic Revival tower was the only public building in the area to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and thus symbolizes all of pre-fire Chicago in the area.
The water tower was originally built to house a 138-foot tall standpipe, but that soon became obsolete and was removed in 1911. During the years of its centennial anniversary, the water tower was selected to become the first American Water Landmark.
Its location along the Magnificent Mile makes it really stand out as most of the rest of the district is lined with the newest and most posh hotels, office buildings, and retail complexes. Today the Chicago Water Tower serves as a visitor’s welcome center for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Admission: Free
Address: 233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606
Upon its completion in 1973, the Sears Tower surpassed New York City’s World Trade Center as the tallest building in the United States and also in the world. It’s been topped by other foreign buildings since 1998, but it looks to hold onto the American crown until at least 2010. At 108 stories and 442 m (1450 ft), the Sears Tower dominates the skyscraper-filled Chicago skyline without even adding in the huge antennas that bring the peak up to 527 m (1720 ft).
It’s not surprising that the tower’s Skydeck offers the best views in Chicago at 1,353 feet (412 meters), where you can see parts of 4 states on clear days. In addition to the stunning city views, visitors are also treated to museum-style exhibits that demonstrate the past and present of the city, as well as multi-language interactive kiosks that highlight Chicago’s other landmarks.
The Skydeck is very popular and usually crowded all day, especially during the summer. Arriving after 5 p.m. helps avoid the crowds and gives visitors the oncoming sunset perspective as well, but you must arrive at least 30 minutes before closing to be admitted.
Hours: April – September 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.; October – March 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Admission: Adults - $12.95; ages 3 – 11 $9.50; Skylights Audio Tour $6 additional
Address: 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
Opened in 1930, Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium was the largest indoor aquarium in the world at that time. The 5 million gallons (19 million liters) worth of tanks filled with over 25,000 aquatic animals and over 2,000 different species still make this one of the largest aquariums on the planet.
With its lakefront location next to the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium as part of the Museum Campus Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium gets over 2 million visitors each year, making it one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
In recent years the aquarium has added a variety of premium exhibits that drastically raise the admission charges when figured in. There is a Wild Reef shark encounter, an Oceanarium, exhibits on the Amazon and the Caribbean, as well as a Waters of the World show that features 90 different aquatic habitats.
Tip: On various Mondays and Tuesdays the Shedd has free basic admission, with extra fees for premium displays. Check the official website for dates.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week and until 6 p.m. on weekends and all summer. Thursdays during July and August have a special closing time of 10 p.m.
Admission: Adults - $8, ages 3 – 11 and 65+ - $6, but that’s for the basic aquarium. Various add-ons drive the price up to $27.50 for adults
Address: 410 N Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL
The Wrigley Building, longtime headquarters of the Wrigley Company (yes, the chewing gum people), is a landmark building in downtown Chicago. It was built in 1920 and sits at the southern end of the famous Magnificent Mile. The structure is actually made up of two buildings - the taller building with its trademark 30-story tower, and the larger building next to it. The two are connected by one walkway at ground level and two aerial walkways at the 3rd and 14th floors.
The architects of the Wrigley Building wanted to bring a little of the old world to Chicago, so they modeled their design on the Giralda tower of Seville's Cathedral. Well known for its sparkling white facade, the building maintains its brilliant appearance thanks to a glazed terra cotta cladding. At night, the Wrigley Building is floodlit from top to bottom, making it easy to spot day or night. The building takes advantage of its location right on the Chicago River with a small and quiet park area accessible by walking through the center doors.
Hours: It's a working office building, so it's open during business hours
Admission: Free
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