Chicagoland, Illinois

Like my other pages on travel this links sites and lists sights geographically so that you can follow it on a map or — if you walk really fast — on foot.

Topics this page:

Site Map  
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Guidebooks

• The free Reader's gude to the museums provide opening/closing times.
• Chicago Traveler
• Hello Chicago.com
• City of Chicago.org provides volunteer greeters
• Yahoo Chicago
• Google Directory to Chicago
• AOL Guide
• CitySearch
• Chicago Convention & Visitor's Bureau
• New City Chicago
• Time Out Chicago weekly.

• 36 Hours: Chicago at New York Times
• Contribute to guidebooks by taking pictures with a professional photographer at

Transportation

Chicago is an efficient city. It "works". One reason is its compactness and public transporation around 52 draw bridges.

Chicago has great public transportion that CTA trains run from near both airports:

• From Midway airport (Southwest airlines), the Orange line terminal is a 2 block walk and a few stops to downtown.
• From big O'hare airport (United airlines) the Blue line is closer to airport gates but it takes longer to get downtown.

The Chicago Transit Authority's cta.com interactively creates routes on trains and calculates amount of walking to your specific address.

Carry quarters with you. Buses don't return quarters for the $1.75 one way fare. Buy the all day pass with a credit card to get a receipt.

Rent a Honda car for $6/hour from I-GO 866.446-7372 at the CTA Gateway Centre stop.

Architecture.org provides walking tours (for $12 at 10 and 1), providing little-known tid-bits about old and new buildings around the city.

Tour theaters 1 hour from 175 N. State at 11 or 12:30pm.

North of the River

On the METRA train running along the lake toward downtown Chicago is Northwestern University's Evanston campus.

Between the Oak Park and Harlem stations off the Green Line is where Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) lived and designed several homes and his own congregation's building: the Unity Temple, which some call "the first modern building". It was dedicated the same year (1907) as a gothic revival Catholic church, at a time when Victorian eclecticism and "ornamentation with small things" was still in favor. Lloyd requested that it be named a temple rather than a church because he sought the powerful simplicity of ancient temples. Its use of poured reinforced concrete allowed for a glass ceiling. Lloyd's signature "prairie" style was so named because his house was literally on the edge of the prarie in 1905.

Making visitors walk through short and cramped entrances and hallways creates a sense of "release" upon entering the santuary within.

The church where Ernest Hemingway's family went is across the street. Hemingway also demonstrated the power in simplicity in literature.

Frank Lloyd Home and Studio 951 Chicago Ave. Oak Park 708.848-1976

Ernest Hemingway Museum 200 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park 708.848-2222

Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art Northwestern University 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston 847.491-4000

The Bahai Temple ("House of Worship") in the Wilmette suburb is called "The Silent Teacher" The white structure is ornamented with lace-like images of many faiths. Open 10-5 (-8 in Summer).

The Magnificent Mile

http://www.gayot.com/best-restaurants/finestrestaurantsusa.html

One of the most significant public museums is along Eastern Chicago's waterfront to Lake Michigan.

The North museum (on North Street) is the Chicago Historical Museum (which offers walking tours and rich resources online). Between it (and the Segwick station on the CTA Brown line 4 blocks to the West) is the Second City Improv. (312.337-3992) at 1616 N. Wells.

For family night life:

• East on Grand is the large Navy Pier 312.595-PIER (under the 150-foot tall Ferrus Wheel) IMAX Theater, and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows. It's open til midnight on Summer weekends (til 8pm weekdays and 10pm weekends the rest of the year)
• ESPN Zone on the corner of Ohio Street and Wabash Avenue was among the first to have HDTV on a 16 foot screen.

The Chicago of today is called "Second City" because the Great Chicago fire of 1871 was so devastating. (The original Emancipation Proclamation was destroyed in the fire).

The Water Tower on on Michigan and Chicago Avenue is the only public buildings survive it. It's South of the John Hancock Tower next to Loyola University Chicago. From there Bike tours begin.

East on Chicago Avenue is the Museum of Contemporary Art 312.289-2660

Walk South on Michigan if you're in Chicago to shop big. Start from Filene's Basement below the F.A.O.Schwartz toystore.

The next four blocks along Michigan Avenue is a shopper's paradise called the "Magnificent Mile". You'll see just about every major retailer if you ride the double-long #3 bus:

West Side		East side
Numero Duo for deep dish pizza at Ontario and Wabash	900, anchord by Bloomingdales - 900 J. Crew, Gucci,	Bvlgari - 909
	Tweet Audio - 900
	Accent Chicago photos - 875 Victoria's Secrets Borders	Water Tower Place mall: Marshall Field's Department 56 - 835
	The Water Tower
	Banana Republic Pottery Barn Tiffany - 730	Neiman Marcus - 737
	Sak's Fifth Avenue - 700 Talbot's Chicago Place Mall	Sak's Mens Store Disney Store Brooks Brothers
	Sony	Apple Store - 679 Niketown - 669
	Crate & Barrel - 646
	Van Cleef & Arpels - 636
	Cartier - 630
	Burbarry
	Eddie Bauer Virgin Megastore - 540 Kenneth Cole - 540	541 - Allen-Edwards men's shoes
	Westfield by North Bridge: Armani, Hugo Boss, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Bahama, Virgin Megastore, LEGO - 520
	Hammacher Schlemmer - 446

The Terra Museum across from Niketown closed in April 2005.

4 more blocks down are the Shops at North Bridge within the Le Meridien hotel.

South of the Chicago River is Marshall Field department store that takes up an entire block at Randolph and State.

South of the River within the Central Loop

At the end of Monroe — where numbers on streets such as Michigan Avenue start from zero going North and South — Millenium Park land was once underwater, but was filled from the remains of the great Chicago fire of 1871. Frank Gehry designed the bandshell for 4,500 seats, but the metal trellis holds speakers that distributes great sound to 7,000 more on the grass. It's the site of the FREE Summer Grant Park Music Festival.com.

The park also has a garden, showers, and an open-air ice skating rink in the Winter and skate rentals in warmer months.

Bring a towel to jump in the Crowne Fountain video walls. It shows 1,000 faces of Chicagoans videotaped by artist Jaume Plensa at the City of Chicago's Cultural Center (the former Chicago Public Library) on Washington.

The 66 foot tall "bean" designed by Anish Kapoor was built by Performance Structures, a shipbuilder in Oakland, California who figured out how to produce "invisible" welds on the reflective skin. Well, it turned out the seams aren't quite invisible, so it's now in a white shroud while they work on their "cloaking technology." Is this perhaps a play on Chicago being called "Beantown"?

The Art Institute of Chicago (near the Adams station of the CTA Red line between Monroe and Jackson) has art from all over, but it's world renowed for its impressionsionism collection. The building was constructed for the 1893 world's fair. Take the whole day to enjoy tours at 11 and 2.

The cafeteria downstairs has innovative dishes among standard fare.
On afternoons (2:30-4:30), walk cross Michigan for Russian style afternoon tea.

2 blocks West is the historic Berghoff German/Austrian restaurant.

Walk one block East toward the Lake across Columbus Drive :

• Apr in Butler Field is Art Chicago In the Park
• Apr Chicago Blues Festival 312-744-3370 or 312-742-7529
• July 4th Taste of Chicago. Buy tickets at Dominick's stores at $5.50 rather than on site for $7 for 11 tickets.
• on Summer weekends at 6:30, there's free music in Grant Park's Petrillo Music Shell.

Walk South to the METRA Van Buren station to ride past the hugh Buckingham Fountain.

Or walk among hard bodies along the tree and grass-lined walkway to the massive Field Museum of Natural History, the John G. Shedd Aquarium (the first aquarium in the US), and (at the end of the jetty), the Adler Planetarium.
If you plan on doing all of the museums within a week (and not lose pre-paid tickets), it's a few bucks cheaper to get a "City Pass".

If you're still hungry for history after that, take the "METRA" further South to the 18th Street station to see

• The Glessner Historic House Museum
• National Vietname Veterans Art Museum
• Clark House Museum
• Wheeler House Mansion

Or if you're hungry for food, go Westward on Cermak Street:

• little burgers at the White Castle
• Go into a Prohibition-era "Roaring 20's" ($60/person) dinner theater "speakeasy" "audience interactive" show featuring mock gangsters (ala Al Capone) and girls in 1920's style "flapper" dresses at Tommy Guns's Garage 1239 S. State Street (South off the Roosevelt Red Line) 312-RAT-A-TAT (461-0102).
• two more blocks into Chinatown for a Dim Sum lunch or dinner at a restaurant serving "authentic" Chinese food.
  Note: the Penang Malaysian restaurant at the corner into is NOT Chinese.
  Bakery items and Chinese style beef jerky (from Canada) are my favorites!

The Red line can take you back North, but:
On weekends and everyday during the summer, take the CTA bus 10 South along Lakeshore Drive for 4 miles (off the map) to the Museum of Science & Industry 773.684-1414

On the island South of it is the Osaka Garden "White City", a remnant from the 1893 World Columbian Exposition donated by the Japanese government.

at 57th Steet in the Hyde Park district, where the Robie House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is located (near the University of Chicago).

• Get off the Harrison station, walk two block East, then South on Michigan Avenue for the Spertus Museum & Collection of Judaica and the adjoining
• the Museum of Contemporary Photography 312.663-5554 on 600 S. Michigan Ave

  Then, walk West on Balbo, then North up State to get back to the same station.

Before or after your visit, view these movies filmed on location in Chicago:
• Batman Begins, 2005.

• 2003 "In-Laws" starring Michael Douglas as a CIA troublemaker making Albert Brooks more neurotic. Its over-the-top ending is a wedding on the Navy Pier.

• 2002 "Chicago", from the Broadway musical about fame from murder in the 20's, with Richard Gere and Catherine Zeta Jones.

• 2004 "Shall We Dance?" starring a melancoly Jennifer Lopez and a lonely Richard Gere riding the EL train.

  Save The Last Dance with Julia Styles

• 2000 "Meet The Parents" with Ben Stiller trying for Robert De Niro to Randy Newman soundtrack.

• 1986 "About Last Night" starring sexy Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, (from David Mamet's hit play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago") was filmed in the Oak Park district.

• 1987 Adventures in Babysitting directed by Chris Columbus and starring a teen-aged Elisabeth Shue from Oak Park having a wild night in the city.

• 1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off starring Matthew Broderick

• 1993 The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford

• 1990 Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin

• 1980 My Bodyguard with Adam Baldwin, was filmed in the inner city.

• 1993 Rookie of the Year in the Chicago Cubs

• 1980 The Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi has over the years spawned a whole "House of Blues" industry. Pictured is a life-sized statue of the pair within the Midway airport terminal.

  Peter Cetera's "Chicago" band

  Bob Newhart TV show

Events & Activities

The city motto "Urbs in Horto" ("City in a Garden" in Latin).

Before you spend big bucks on the heavily advertised (and thus expensive) theaters, check out innovative shows by students and faculty at college museums and libraries listed here from North to South:

• Northwestern University in Evanston
• Loyola has a Water Tower campus and a lake shore campus
• shows within Columbia College 312-344-7663 at 33 E. Congress
• DePaul University
• Roosevelt University concerts
• Columbus University focuses primarily on the arts.
• University of Illinois at Chicago (West of the River)
• University of Chicago where Enrico Fermi developed the first nuclear reactor. It's also home to the "Chicago Manual of Style" that defines proper use of the English language — Court Theater at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 753-4472 and Smart Museum of Art at 5550 S. Greenwood Ave
• Illinois Institute of Technology

• Chicago's public library Harold Washington building is the largest municipal library building in the world, hosting events in the Pritzer Auditorium. Its digital collection is a treasury of historical photos.

Some shows play on Thursday nights
• Chicago Plays,
• Paybill magazine,
• Time Out Travel
• Metromix.com
• Broadway In Chicago offers a private space during intermissions for $35.

  The Chicago Reader free independent newspaper lists events.
  Their HotTix offers half-priced tickets to seats at the back of theatres for a hefty fee (as a Ticketmaster outlet). So check with the theater first to compare.

From April to June 2005, "Wicked" is a sure to be extended. The play is a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz", written by Frank Baum who lived in Chicago.

Famous Chicagoans:

Oprah Winfrey tapes her show at 1058 W Washington (on Chicago's Near West Side) Chicago, IL 60607 312-663-1000. The Reservation number 312-591-9222 is only answered if tickets are available. Note: Harpo Studios is "Oprah" spelled backwards.

Roger Ebert is a writer at the Chicago Sun-Times and the late Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune and the Siskel Film Center 312.846.2600 at 164 North State Street (N. of Randolph).

Peter Cetera's "Chicago" band

Chicago Businesses

At the turn of the century, Chicago provided a lot of meat to the rest of the country. By-products were sticking the river and the lake. So engineers reversed the flow of the river (to the consternation of downstream states).

To limit the power of gangsters, a law was passed to limit Chicago banks to a single branch.

$30 a night at the Hostelling International on 24 E. Congress at Wabash, was remodeling in 2000 and has no curfew.

Carl Sandberg called Chicago the "City of Big Shoulders".

In Illinois, "The Land of Lincoln"

SciTech 18 West Benton, Aurora 630.859-3434