In August I had the opportunity to visit Chicago after a 10+ year absence. It’ s now in my Top 3 US cities [along with Seattle and Charleston]. It is a fun town… especially in summer when the weather is nice. There’s Navy Pier. The pier itself a has a more than 100 year history and the pier first opened to public entertainment in 1916. At one point, it even had it’s own hospital. Today it is Chicago’s #1 tourist attraction.
Navy Pier has a Ferris wheel, plenty of shopping and eating, a Children’s museum, public art…
It’s not Chicago without Wrigley Field. And this year, the Cubs are doing great, and the game I went to went into extra innings and the Cubs won so I was happy about that. Wrigley Field is over 100 years old, but it is still a nice place to catch a baseball game–even if just for the ambiance.
It has Lincoln Park Zoo, a FREE zoo, where the animals appear as if they are in the wild [minimal fences]
While the Lincoln Park Zoo is free, the Shedd Aquarium is not. But it is so worth it. Having been to several aquariums before [Georgia, SC, TN, Seattle, Anglesey Sea Zoo, ect], I knew what to expect, but I was still impressed by Shedd. Even the exterior of the building is impressive.
And if you like architecture, Chicago is the place to be. Not only is it the home of Frank Lloyd Wright and several of his creations, but it is also the home of modern steel and glass architecture and street art.
Fun street art below
The ‘Bean’, one of Chicago’s newer ‘attractions, is a little weird. It’s a huge reflective concave mirrored structure, and although you can walk through it, I don’t recommend it. For me, it was vertigo inducing.
Chicago is famous for its deep dish pizza. I, however, do not care for it… I am a flat, thin crust kind of girl so I concentrated on some of Chicago’s other food offerings.
And speaking of food, don’t these buildings remind you of corn on the cob?
and perhaps my one of favorites, a shot from Sears Tower [although they don’t call it that anymore]
OK, Chicago, I get it, you win… you are quite beautiful… especially in the summer
