Date of trip: August 2006, April 2009

Chicago is one of America’s great cities and there are so many reasons to love it. Right away, Will and I felt at home there. It was safe, familiar and easy to navigate. We tried to think of a city it was similar to but Chicago is totally unique.

Highlights:

-Chicago is an art lover’s paradise. There are magnificent sculptures on just about every corner including Calders, Picassos and Miros. The parks are full of beautiful fountains and gardens and the architecture is equally impressive. It is obvious that many designers and artists have a fondness for the city and that Chicago cares about bringing culture and beauty into the lives of those that live there or visit.

-The Art Institute of Chicago is the most important museum in the city and one of the country’s premier art institutions. Among the famous paintings exhibited there are Grant Woods’ “American Gothic” (the farmer with his daughter, holding a pitchfork) and Seurat’s “A Sunday on the Island of La Grande Jatte” (the picture of all the people dressed up by the lake at a park…don’t know how else to describe it, but if you saw it you would recognize it). I was surprised at the size of Seurat’s painting as it’s really quite large.

-The parks in Chicago are a must visit. In addition to all the wonderful artwork on display, in Lincoln Park there is a great FREE zoo that rivals the Bronx Zoo and nearby there is even a beach! Have you ever heard of a city having a beach right downtown? In Millenium Park you can see Anish Kapoor’s awesome Cloud Gate and Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain and in Grant Park you can visit Buckingham Fountain…remember the fountain in the opening of Married With Children and in Friends? Yup…that’s it!

-As a New Yorker, I am partial to New York pizza, but when in Chicago, you’d be cheating yourself of the full city experience if you didn’t try their world famous deep dish. Will and I tried a pie at Gino’s East, a Chicago legend in business since 1966. The pizzas are small, but DEEP so a small is more than enough for two people. I have to admit…it was delicious. The sauce was chunky and light and the crust was like a crisp, golden pastry.

-The Field Museum of Natural History is considered a national treasure, but is most famous for Sue, the largest preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the world. The museum is cool, but if you’ve seen the Museum of Natural History in NYC it’s hard to compete. My advice would be to find out ahead of time what special exhibitions are going on and make your decision to visit based on those.

-Next to the Field Museum you’ll find the Adler Planetarium, the oldest in the country. I found this to be a much more interesting place to visit. Aside from the standard star show, they offer several others and there are three floors of fun and interesting interactive space exhibits.

-A visit to Chicago would not be complete without a trip to the top of the Sears Tower, the third tallest building in the world – the first if you go by number of floors. The observation deck does give you an unparalleled view of the city, but it will be crowded and don’t expect any extras, like a restaurant, bar or any cool exhibits. The height is really the only draw here. In case you’re wondering, Sears is no longer in the building.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Chicago Links:
Chicago Official Site
The Art Institute of Chicago
Lincoln Park Zoo
Gino’s East Pizza
The Field Museum
Adler Planetarium
Sears Tower