With its amazing architecture, sparkling lakefront, amazing parks, fabulous food and friendly locals, Chicago is consistently rated one of the world’s great cities. Here are some great things I was able to see and do on my latest visit. (I am not including the wonderful Obama Presidential Center as I wrote a separate story on it, which you can find here.)
SKY HIGH VIEWS
The Skydeck in Chicago offers fantastic views of the city. Choose Chicago Photo
It’s always good to get your bearings when you arrive in a city, and one of the great ways to do that in the city that pretty much invented the skyscraper is to take in a birds-eye view. I strolled from our downtown hotel to the Willis Tower to take in the view from the Skydeck observatory. You’re 103 stories above the city, so the views are incredible; including Lake Michigan, Wrigley Field, Navy Pier, and all the way south to Indiana. If you’re braver than I am, check out The Ledge, where you can perch on a 1.5 inch thick pane of glass and pose for photos. The Skydeck is part of the Chicago CityPASS program, which gets you great discounts on a variety of top attractions, including Skydeck, The Art Institute of Chicago (see below), the Shedd Aquarium, an architectural river tour (they’re outstanding), and more. (CityPass programs also are offered in Toronto, New York City, San Francisco, and many other destinations. I have used them in several cities and find them a great value.)
A FABULOUS PARK AND “THE BEAN”
The underside of Cloud Gate in Chicago, also known as The Bean. Jim Byers Photo
Millennium Park is one of the top urban parks on the planet. A highlight for most people is the mirrored Cloud Gate sculpture, a massive piece of art commonly known as “The Bean.” The reflections of the handsome buildings on Michigan Avenue are terrific, and it’s a great spot for selfies. Be sure to scamper underneath the sculpture for interesting views and photo opportunities. Just a few feet east is the wonderful Pritzker Pavilion with its silvery, wing-like exterior. It was designed by Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry and carries his distinctive, swooping design style. A very short walk to the south is the Crown Fountain, which features a pair of tall video sculptures that displays human faces and act as a waterfall/fountain in warmer months. Having Pritzker, Cloud Gate and the Crown Fountain in any park would make it great. Having all three within shouting distance of one another makes this park one of the world’s best.
AMAZING ART
The Art Institute of Chicago. Choose Chicago/
Abel Arciniega :: @tequilagraphics
Just south of Millennium Park is the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the world’s (here we go again) top museums. It’s a bit hard to navigate, but well worth the effort to see 12th century Buddhas, outdoor sculptures, American masters such as Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keeffe, and also such famous paintings as Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom” and George Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.” Lovers of Impressionist art will enjoy seeing works from Degas, Monet and many others. The colourful and complicated Marc Chagall windows are a huge treat.
A MAGICAL DINNER
The Grand Salon at The Hand and the Eye in Chicago. Choose Chicago Photo
I’ve never been a huge fan of magic shows, but our dinner and show at The Hand and the Eye was terrific. The show takes place in the evening at a restored mansion and restaurant just off Michigan Avenue, which the owners renovated to the tune of $50 million. It’s a glorious space that feels like a men’s club, or, at times, a luxury cruise ship. Our evening began with a cocktail in one of the beautiful, hotel-worthy bars. We took them with us to a small theatre, where our first magician of the night, Steve Valentine, entertained us with amazing feats of magic involving wallets and other bits. He was quite amazing and engaging. We went from there to another theatre for a second show, which was more of a mind-reading exercise. After that it was dinner in the clubby dining room, where you can order up juicy steaks, nicely cooked salmon and other treats, including roasted mushrooms and veggies. The final act wasn’t as strong as the first two, but it was a very enjoyable evening. It’s not cheap however; $239 per person, including a $75 food and beverage credit. They do have a brunch, which is $104 for those 13 and older and $82 for kids five to 12. This is a slightly formal evening, so appropriate attire (see the website) is required. If you love magic, good food and amazing cocktails, this is your kinda place.
CHICAGO GREETER TOUR
Navy Pier is a fantastic family destination in Chicago. Jim Byers Photo
Chicago Greeter is a free service provided by volunteers who love showing off their city. There are guides for a huge variety of neighbourhoods, so it’s not just downtown. Our guide, Christine, was a wonderful, passionate, and whip smart Chicagoan who told us great stories about the city. Our visit was pegged to Route 66 and Navy Pier, which is where our one-hour tour (we were told most tours are two hours) took place. Christine told us Route 66 originally started in 1926, (or had its eastern terminus) on Michigan Avenue, across from the Art Institute. That sign is still there, but officials made Navy Pier the new easternmost point in 1928, so there’s also a sign there for visitors to pose with or snap photos of. As for Navy Pier, it was built in 1916 out of some 20,000 logs brought in from Oregon. The pier, formerly known as Municipal Pier #2, was once home to glamorous theatres and ballrooms. Later it was a training centre for the U.S. Navy fighters, including former U.S. president George H.W. Bush. The pier is a great place for a stroll today, with lively restaurants, including Chicago-style pizza and a branch of the famous Billy Goat Tavern, made famous in the Saturday Night Live “cheezborger, cheezborger” sketches with John Belushi.There’s also a hotel, a Ferris Wheel (they were invented in Chicago), a children’s museum, a Shakespeare Theatre, docks for boat tours (see below) and the Chicago Flyover attraction. Which brings me to….
A “FLYING” TREAT
Chicago has a series of amazing beaches on Lake Michigan. Choose Chicago Photo
Chicago Flyover is an outstanding attraction where guests are strapped into floating/moving seats in front of a movie screen and treated to a fast-paced, immersive, moving tour of the city with sights and sounds. At times you feel like you’re falling straight down from the top of one the city’s iconic skyscrapers, which can be a little terrifying for the faint of heart. (I knew it was a movie, but I was gripping onto the bars of my seat pretty darn hard.) I’ve seen flyover films and this was by far the most realistic and active. Scenes include a musician at the top of the Tribune Tower, a soaring dash into a downtown theatre, and a trip across Lake Michigan, where your face is sprayed with a fine mist to replicate the feel of being on a boat on the water. It’s a tremendous ride. Tickets cost $35.95 at the gate or $27.95 in advance. If you buy two tickets, it’s $53.93 at the gate or just $41.93 in advance.
A DAY AT THE BALLPARK
Wrigley Field is the historic home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Jim Byers Photo
I love the new, retro-style ballparks like Camden Yards in Baltimore, but visiting the real, old-time parks like Wrigley Field is even better. Just walking into the stadium is a thrill, with the old-style architecture and century-old bricks (the building dates to 1914) and the ivy-covered walls, where baseballs sometimes go to die. The history here seeps into your bones. (If you can, book one of the fine Wrigley Field tours. We had a few years ago and it was tremendous.) There’s a large video board to go with the old-style, hand-operated scoreboard, and they also still have most of the old bleachers that rose from the roofs of the apartment buildings behind the outfield walls. They do have night games, but you should go during the day to get the full Wrigley effect. We had a great Chicago dog (they even have the celery salt and tomatoes and pickle spears and vivid, green relish) and a Goose Island beer so we could celebrate in true Windy City style. Be sure to go early to enjoy the Wrigleyville area, which is dotted with great bars, restaurants and baseball paraphernalia shops. Bonus: the elevated train stops just a block away from the ballpark.
A LAKE MICHIGAN CRUISE
A Lake Michigan cruise is a fine activity to try in Chicago. Jim Byers Photo
I’ve taken the Chicago River architectural tour a couple of times, and it’s wondrous. But our journey with Shoreline Sightseeing was the first time we did a boat ride on Lake Michigan. Our trip was a one-hour affair with Shoreline Tours and included a solid commentary about the city’s history, including facts about the first-ever brownies being unveiled (and, better yet, tasted) here at the Palmer House hotel and facts about the lake itself, the second largest Great Lake in volume of water. The views of the downtown skyline from the water are wonderful. We happened to be there on the weekend of the annual air show, so we also got to see fighter jets and other planes zipping across the sky in formation.
For more information, visit www.choosechicago.com
My visit was paid for by Choose Chicago. They did not review or see this post prior to publication.
