What Are Some Must-See Places in Chicago?

[lacychef]

Hey, I was just wondering if any of you had a chance to visit some of the fun things in Chicago, in between conference? We went a day early to do some, & those in my cluster not directors (yet) did some extra during the director's event also.
We went to the Sears Tower--awesome view! Good thing we went the first day though, since it was rainy & cloudy the rest of the time! I was surprised it was only $11. We also walked around the Pier, wish we would have had more time there though. We also went to the Shedd Aquarium-definately recommend that! Awesome fish & such, & we even saw a dolphin show! Very cool. It was $23.
We ate at Bubba Gump's at the Pier, the Corner Cafe by the Palmer, the Old Chicago by the Palmer, the Weber Grill, & had ice cream at the Coldstone Creamery--all were AWESOME! Maybe next year we'll have Chicago pizza!
Just wondered if some of you all did anything or ate anywhere you'd like to recommend for next year--cause I know you're all going back again

 

[VeronicaW]

Tied in family vacation!My husband and I used my Hotel Certificates about 2 weeks before conference (wave 3) (3rd Conference for me). We wanted to check it out!
It was a Wonderful Anniversary trip! Number 18!
I wouldn't recommend that hotel, it was right down the street from the hospital, we heard sirens all night!
We walked a good couple miles, listened to an orchestra practice, ate Chicago Pizza (Giardano's -the best!), looked around at the street fair.
We went to another Park, Hughes, I think (it's outside the Navy Pier), and read books by the water for a couple hours - what a retreat!
We'll probably visit again, do something different. I read about a 'Gangsta Tour', sounds pretty interesting!

My family pulled the camper and stayed at the Indianna Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan. We explored and saw a BEAUTIFUL sunset the first night, Saturday.
We hopped on the train the next afternoon, the depot was right outside the Park, rode for about an hour and a half, straight to downtown Chicago!

How AMAZING is that?!

We walked to the hotel, checked me in and went to explore!
We went to Grant Park, it was a 'once in a lifetime' experience!
5 hotdogs, 4 pops, 3 bags of chips, 4 cones = we're talking at least $50!
We saw musicians, artists, many interesting things (Including things we didn't want our children to see!).

Our youngest, (on the verge of "7"), enjoyed the waterfall towers just outside Grant Park! No extra clothes and she got completely drenched! It was a cold ride on the air-conditioned train back to Dunes! But, she had a "Blasted Good Time" as how she puts it! We have been writing down her 'Briannaisms'.

We plan to do the same trip again this year! Of course, we'll do a few things differently!

Do you know of some places to go see?

GREAT Thread!

 

[lacychef]

Wow, I can't believe no one replied to this until now!

 

[AJPratt]

Really! I didn't see this thread, either! Next year, if all goes as planned, I would love to extend the trip a couple of days. I'm the 16th to 18th, so I'd love it if I could afford to arrive on Saturday and have Sat and Sun and part of Mon. I'm planning on taking hubby and hopefully baby if it happens.

 

[dannyzmom]

Hubby comes with me every year and we tack a few days onto the front and back of conference for sightseeing. This year we went and had dim-sum breakfast in Chinatown which would have been fabulous had I not ben hungover from going to "The Redhead Pianobar" the night before with some sister directors - LOL

We love to shop Michigan Ave...and we did the Field Museum the first year - awesome exhibits and then this year we had the Directors' Special Event there which just ROCKED!!

We found a great little breakfast joint if you leave the Sheraton and go straight up about 4 blocks - it's the Egg something Cafe...yummmmyyyy!!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Being a Cheesehead, it's very difficult to say the word, "Chicago" because it is usually followed by the word "Bears" which sends shivers up and down my spine.That said, I've spent enough time in Chicago that, for awhile, I thought I might have dual citizenship. One of the more interesting things that I've done is to take the river tour by boat. You can catch a boat tour at the Michigan Avenue bridge, near the Wrigley Building. The tour takes you down river (they reversed the direction of the Chicago River about a hundred years ago) as far as the AT&T Building, near Congress Street. It then reverses and takes you through the lock where the river meets Lake Michigan. You'll go out into the harbor and see the skyline from the lake.I was lucky enough to have a late afternoon tour that got into the harbor just at twilight. Watching the lights starting to come on as the sun was disappearing behind the skyline was breathtaking.See if your local library has copies of videos from WTTW by Geoffrey Baer. He did a series of one hour television shows that highlight Chicago architecture, the river tour, the lakefront and the parks as envisioned by Daniel Burnham, and a tour of Chicago neighborhoods by El. Interesting in their own right, they will give you an idea of what you might like to see while in the area. (There is a companion book by him that is worthwhile on its own.)In 1893, Chicago was host to the World's Fair. Dubbed, "The White City" it was a stunning event with every building painted white. All the modern marvels of the day were on display there, including vast electric lighting that was stunning at night. Only one of the buildings from the White City survived and is still in use today. See if your library has the video documentary about it entitled, Magic of the White City, narrated by Gene Wilder. You can see a trailer of the documentary at Magic of the White City. (One of the little known things about the World's Fair was that one of the most heinous serial killers of all time was operating just blocks from fair. It is documented in a book called Devil In the White City by Erik Larson and it is a great read!) That's where Captain Pabst's beer won the Blue Ribbon, resulting in the name and the famous label.There is so much to do there, and so much to see, that it isn't always easy to figure out what to see or where to go! Take in a game at Wrigley, see a show in the Theatre District, take a river tour, see Navy Pier, go bar hopping on Rush Street, shopping on Michigan Avenue and Water Tower Place (I'd rather go to State Street, myself) or spend time in River North. The museum campus offers the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and the Planitarium. While you're there, take a walk in Grant Park and see Buckingham Fountain. (Where else but Chicago would the statue of Lincoln be in Grant Park and the statue of Grant be in Lincoln Park?) The Art Institute is stunning and I could spend hours in there. You could go see the Museum of Science and Industry (a bit juvinille but great if you have kids) and see the only building left from The White City. I just saw Wicked at the Oriental Theatre last week (there's a thread about it) and I highly recommend it, but I don't think it will still be there during conference. Whatever you do, have fun!

 

[lacychef]

Being a Cheesehead, it's very difficult to say the word, "Chicago" because it is usually followed by the word "Bears" which sends shivers up and down my spine.

[/I]!

Spoken like a true Packers fan My husband would smile if he was reading this! We're Kansas cheeseheads!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

My favorite two teams are the Green Bay Packers and whoever is playing the Bears.My only consolation today is that both the Bears and the Vikings lost.

Notice the guy who made those great shows, about Chicago, for WTTW is a Baer.

 

[jaye]

I originally grew up outside the City. I haven't been back since my grandma passed 7 years ago. I am sooooo looking forward to next July, because we plan on taking the whole family and making a trip out of it, PLUS, it will be my first time going to conference.I still have family and friends up there and I have 3 PC shows on the books for the time that I am there. There is sooooo much to do, I have no idea what we are going to tackle with all there is to see and all the family and friends we have. I really want to take my kids to Lincoln Park Zoo. It's beautiful. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid. I am thinking of hitting a Cubs game or maybe the White Sox. I like them BOTH! I love the Field Museum and The Museum of Science and Industry. I would love to see that, but we will probably only have time for one.The Sears Tower is very cool, but it probably won't do anything for my DH, as he is from NY and used to go visit the Twin Towers.... It's crazy how much there is to do... BUT the definites are PIZZA, PIZZA AND MORE PIZZA... and not the Deep Dish, but the ORIGINAL THIN CRUST that I grew up on! <sigh> I miss my sweet home Chicago!!! (Not the weather tho!!!) Jaye

 

[DebbieJ]

I really want to take my kids to Lincoln Park Zoo. It's beautiful. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid.

Really? I find LPZ so depressing. Those animals are in such small spaces. Plus, they really don't have that many animals there! My son and I MUCH prefer Brookfield Zoo. The animals have wide open spaces, they have so many different animals, and the whole place is just better kept.

JMHO.

 

[jaye]

Really? I find LPZ so depressing. Those animals are in such small spaces. Plus, they really don't have that many animals there! My son and I MUCH prefer Brookfield Zoo. The animals have wide open spaces, they have so many different animals, and the whole place is just better kept.

JMHO.

Hmmmm... I haven't been there in a long long time.... so, maybe it's not what I remember.

One of things that I remember liking about it was that it was small, not the enclosures, but that things were close together and not sprawling. When I was kid... (thinking back 2 DECADES AGO! Brookfield had some nice enclosures, but it was really sprawling and not a whole lot was there. I am sure that they have done a lot since I was a kid. My family used to make a long day of it and drive up to Milwaukee to the MCZ. We loved that one!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

It's crazy how much there is to do... BUT the definites are PIZZA, PIZZA AND MORE PIZZA... and not the Deep Dish, but the ORIGINAL THIN CRUST that I grew up on!

Chicago has some of the best pizza in the world!

Why?

It's all covered with Wisconsin cheese!

 

[jaye]

Hey TKG - I'll dig that!! I have never been one of those WI haters! I know there is that whole thing with WI and IL, but since I have family in WI, too. I never took part in it. And since football is a non-event for me... I don't even get worked up about the Bears! Jaye

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

The Cheesehead/Flatlander thing is all in good fun - at least, I hope it is. It's much deeper than Bears-Packers, although those two teams have been rivals since 1919 and goes back to Curly Lambeau (Packers) and George Hallas, Papa Bear. Those two characters are inextricably linked in NFL lore. It's been a wonderful rivalry for decades!It's also Cubs-Braves, then White Sox-Brewers and now that the brewers have gone to the National League, it's Cubs-Brewers now. It's also Illini-Badgers, Toll Road vs. Freeway, Illinois license plates all over Door County and all over northern Wisconsin during the Summer. THAT irritation goes back to the days of Dillinger and other gangsters going "Up Nort." When a big Packard limo, with Illinois plates, pulled into downtown Rhinelander, well, why not just hang a sign on it? Dillinger had sense enough to steal Fords so he'd blend into the area but not all of those guys were that bright. (My father grew up in Rhinelander in that era and my mother grew up a few miles south of there in Langlade County.)In fact, the Kraft family used to Summer a few miles from my mother's home in northern Wisconsin at their Summer estate called "Kraftwood Gardens." My grandmother used to do laundry for the Krafts while they were there. There is a movement to restore the gardens, led by folks in Antigo. You can see some of the Wisconsin Historical Society info about http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/hp/hpweek/events.asp?id=476&dte=here.

 

[sillylittlechef]

Wow! kitchen guy! You should give tours for a fee at conference. You are so knowledgeable and interesting. I am glad that I saw this post. I have always lived in IL. within an hour of Chicago. I even lived in lincoln park for about a year. Sometimes living so close you forget what a great city it really is and all the fun things to do there. Thanks for reminding me everyone!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Thanks! Last time I was there, I knew more about New York than a school field trip of kids from Brooklyn.I'm a veritible walking compendium of useless information.

 

[mrssyvo]

Also, do not forget the most romatic spot in the city- Buckingham Fountain!!!!!! (after the sun sets, and the lights and music are sycronized!!!)

 

[chefann]

Also, do not forget the most romatic spot in the city- Buckingham Fountain!!!!!! (after the sun sets, and the lights and music are sycronized!!!)

Every time I see Buckingham fountain, I can't help but think of Married With Children, which is one of DH's favorite TV shows ever.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

[hijack] That was a real fun show for about four episodes. How did it stay on as long as it did? [/hijack]I saw a segment of some show on PBS, not too long ago, that gave an inside tour of Buckingham Fountain and how it all works. The 20 minute show, that runs every hour on the hour, is all computer controlled these days, but still uses all the plumbing and valves that it was built with in the 1920's. The four statues in the fountain represent the four states that surround it - Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.

 

[rebeccastt]

I'm a veritible walking compendium of useless information.

Compendium...nice word!

 

[chefann]

Gotta love anyone who uses "veritable" in everyday conversation, too.

One of my favorites is "veritable plethora".

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

From Merriam-Webster:

compendium
One entry found for compendium.
Main Entry: com·pen·di·um
Pronunciation: k&m-'pen-dE-&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -di·ums or com·pen·dia /-dE-&/
Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Latin, saving, shortcut, from compendere to weigh together, from com- + pendere to weigh -- more at PENDANT
1 : a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge : ABSTRACT
2 a : a list of a number of items b : COLLECTION, COMPILATION

veritable
One entry found for veritable.
Main Entry: ver·i·ta·ble
Pronunciation: 'ver-&-t&-b&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from verité
: being in fact the thing named and not false, unreal, or imaginary -- often used to stress the aptness of a metaphor <a veritable mountain of references>
- ver·i·ta·ble·ness noun
- ver·i·ta·bly /-blE/ adverb

useless
One entry found for useless.
Main Entry: use·less
Pronunciation: 'yüs-l&s
Function: adjective
1 : having or being of no use: a : INEFFECTUAL <a useless attempt> b : not able to give service or aid : INEPT
2 : The Kitchen Guy
- use·less·ly adverb
- use·less·ness noun