Memorial Day - the Opening Day of Summer in Chicago

Chicago is a vibrant city with many cultural attractions and the opening ceremony of Chicago's Summer Season is the launch of the city's Memorial Day events, the Laying of the Wreath at Daley Plaza and the Memorial Day Parade.

Memorial Day can be a fun filled and educational day for the family. With careful planning, you can create memories that will last a lifetime without going broke.

Visitors from out of state have a variety of ways of getting into the city. The most cost effective way to travel to Chicago is found by flying into O'Hara International Airport or by traveling into the city by train. Both ways can save you the cost of car rental because Chicago has a strong and vibrant rail system that can take you from the airport into the city. Chicago's bus and subway system can take you into almost every corner of the city, so you do not really need a car if you plan to stay within the city limits.

A tip to traveling stress free by train is to travel light. By packing a just one backpack for each member on your trip, you can limit the bulk. The best way to do this is to have the kids carry the grooming products and lighter things and the adults can carry the heavier items.

Food is a major cost in traveling; make sure you find a hotel that offers a continental breakfast as part of its service. As for dinner and lunch, Chicago has many restaurants within the city limits in all price ranges. If your hotel room has a fridge, a trip to a grocery store can also save you extra cash.

For the quintessential Memorial Day weekend in Chicago make sure you see The Chicago Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony and Parade. Both events are scheduled for Saturday, May 24.

The Chicago Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony is planned to start at 11 a.m. The ceremony takes place in front of the Eternal Flame Memorial, which is found on Daley Plaza. Daley Plaza is located on the corner of Dearborn and Washington Streets. While visiting Daley Plaza, do not forget to get your picture taken in front of the Picasso sculpture! It is a signature Chicago landmark!

Once the Wreath Laying Ceremony is done go see the Memorial Day parade which starts at noon. Chicago's Memorial Day Parade is considered one of the largest events of its kind in the country. The parade proceeds south on State Street between the streets Wacker Drive and Van Buren Street.

After the parade, you have a number of choices in what to do for your next activity. To keep with the theme of Memorial Day and in remembrance of our Veterans, a visit to Chicago's National Vietnam Veteran's Art Museum is highly recommended.

The National Vietnam Veteran's Art Museum was created in 1981 by a few Vietnam combat veterans, these veterans created the world's only museum with a permanent collection focusing on the subject of war from an artistic perspective.

One of the crowning and most memorable exhibits at the museum is the Above & Beyond Dog Tag Sculpture. Memorial Day 2008 will mark the seventh anniversary of this memorable and permanent Vietnam War memorial.

This immense, musical, and moving sculpture is comprised of imprinted dog tags, one for each of the more than 58,000 service men and women who died in the Vietnam War. What makes Above & Beyond even more special is that it lists all those killed in Vietnam, making it only the second memorial of its kind in the United States, other than The Wall in Washington, D.C.

As an added experience, The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum encourages individuals to sponsor a dog tag. Dog tag sponsors can choose to receive a duplicate dog tag as a memento at no extra cost.

Getting there is easy via CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus. Take bus number 1, 3, or 4 heading south to 18th Street. Get off at the 18th street stop and walk one block east to the museum. There is an entrance fee, but all proceeds help support the maintenance of this noble museum.

As Mark Twain said about Chicago, "She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time." Chicago is the city for all seasons and Memorial Day is the launch of the most interesting of all, summer. The best part is that you do not have to break the bank in order to visit this jewel by the lake.