Chicago: A Visitor's Guide

Chicago, built along the banks of Lake Michigan and along its tributary, the Chicago River, is a dynamic city that combines an appreciation of its past with a yearning to lead towards the future. A city of approximately three million, Chicago offers the energy of a big city, but at the same time is able to maintain a humble personality that allows the visitor to feel welcome and to freely experience its local charm.

A common destination for any visitor to Chicago is its Museum Campus, a fifty-seven acre park built along shoreline of Lake Michigan. It is home to three of Chicago's most prestigious museums, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. The Adler opened in 1930 and has one of the world's most renowned collections of astronomical artifacts. It is also at the forefront of using state of the art technology in its public presentations and opened the world's first StarRider Theatre. The Shedd Aquarium is home to the world's largest indoor aquarium containing over 8,000 aquatic animals. Aquarium divers hand-feed the sharks, sea turtles, and eels at regularly scheduled intervals. The Field Museum is one of the most impressive museums of natural history in the world. Its latest addition of significant note is Sue, the most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex in the world. Forty-two feet long and thirteen feet high, Sue is approximately 67 million years old.

Other museums of distinction are the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Science and Technology. The Art Institute is best known for its extensive collection of Impressionist and American art. Included in its permanent collection are works by Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Lautrec, Seurat, Van Gogh, Picasso, Wood, Hopper, and Pollack. The Museum of Science and Technology is one of the first of its kind and is a special treat. Popular exhibits include the Aurora 7 Mercury Space Capsule, the Apollo 8 Command Module, the U-505 Submarine (the only WWII era German sub in the United States), the Great Train Story, and Yesterday's Main Street, to mention just a few.

Another popular destination is Navy Pier. When it was first built, it was primarily used by shipping and boating concerns on Lake Michigan, but today, the Pier is more a "playground" with shopping and dining and all forms of recreation for all ages. There is the Children's Museum, an IMAX theatre, a 150 foot high Ferris wheel, a botanical garden called Crystal Gardens, and the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, just to mention a few. The far end of the pier offers some of the best views of Chicago's skyline.

And speaking of great views, Chicago has two skyscrapers with observation decks open to the public. The Hancock Center is a 100-story tower 1,127 ft in height. It dates to 1969 and features Chicago's only open-air observation deck. There are also exhibits about the history of the city, most notably, the History Wall which features more than 100 photographs depicting Chicago's history. The Sears Tower dates to 1974 and is the tallest building in the United States, topping off at 1,451 ft. It has 108 stories; the observation area is on the 103^rd, and it features interactive, museum-quality exhibits highlighting Chicago's history and historic characters.

For shopping, as well as dining and just strolling and people watching, there are few equals to Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Broadly speaking, the Mile starts at the Chicago River at Michigan Avenue and moves north to Oak Street. It is host to nearly 500 retail establishments, 300 restaurants, and 50 hotels. Some names you might encounter include Cartier, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, and Tiffany & Co., as well as the department stores, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Marshall Field's and Lord & Taylor.

The city's largest park is Grant Park, and it's home to one of Chicago's most popular attractions, the Buckingham Fountain. A twenty minute water display takes place at the top of the hour, and at dusk, there is a light and music presentation. It has gotten international notice as a result of it being used during the opening credits of the popular television show, Married With Children.

Not too far away is the city's newest park, Millennium Park, which opened in 2004. It is home to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by the world renown architect Frank Gehry. A music bandstand, the pavilion, in true Gehry fashion, is made of rounded titanium panels. Adjacent to it is a matching bridge, which is, to date, the only bridge designed by Gehry.

The campus of the University of Chicago is one of the city's most overlooked gems. The architecture is a unique blend of the neo-Gothic, which was popular when the university was founded, and contemporary styles. There is one building on the campus that is regularly open to the public for tours, and that is the Frederick Robie House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Robie House, which dates to 1910, is credited with popularizing Wright's Prairie style of building.

The iconic untitled sculpture at Daley Plaza is the work of none other than Pablo Picasso. Dedicated in 1967, this monumentally scaled piece stands in at fifty feet tall and weighs 162 tons. It is locally known as the Chicago Picasso.

Probably the most beloved icon of Chicago, however, is the Water Tower. Built in 1896, it and its partner building are the only public buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1871, which laid waste to the city. The Water Tower is Chicago's connection with its past, but it also represents its citizens' ability to withstand adversity and overcome it.