We like enjoy showing off our beautiful city to first time visitors. We believe that of all the places we've been to there is no city more beautiful or well kept. It was especially clean as it was preparing for the NATO conference the following week-end. Perhaps that is why we were also lucky to find it basically uncrowded whereever we went. Our first order of business was an evening ride into the city to enjoy the lights and get an overview of what they would see the next day. Our favorite view at night is from the Adler Planetarium. The sky was particularly clear that evening making it a spectacular evening to view the lighted skyline.
In the morning we took the train into the city and the water taxi to Michigan Ave. The top of Dot's must see list was the observation tower at Sears (Willis) Tower. We stepped out onto the glass platform which gives the illusion of standing over the city.The water taxi is a great way to explore the canyonesque effect of the skyscrapers. We were able to skip Navy Pier in favor of some of the more obsecure hidden treasures of the city as they had explored that on their own the day before we met up with them.
We emerged from the river onto Michigan Avenue in front of the Wrigley building and Tribune Tower. I wanted them to note the various rocks imbedded into the building from exotic places arount the country and around the world. They come from such places as the Parthenon, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Berlin Wall, the Alamo and the White House to name just a few.
The focus of our tour was amblilng straight down Michigan Avenue South from there especially to explore Millenium and Grant Parks.
We detoured slightly to see the lobby of the Chicago Cultural Center which will always be the old Library to us. The mosaic and marble stair case and celing are one of thos hidden treasures we were talking about. We were fortunate that there was a concert in progress up the stairs and the acoustics of the music drifting down the stairs was amazing. The security guard on duty noticed us trying to take pictures and offered his assistance. It turns out he is the photographer who takes all of the publicity and brochure pictures for the center.
We also introduced them to the Walnut Room in Marshall Fields, oops, I mean Macy's. This is one aspect of the store which Macy's left intact with all its elegance. In the world of Hard Rock Cafes and Cheese Cake Factorys, it seems like the Walnut Room is all but forgotten. In its day, it was the place to lunch when downtown shopping. The elegance and service remains untouched and our lunch provided quite a long respite from our exhausting walk.
Returning to Michigan Avenue, we spent considerable time exploring Millenium Park. There are so many areas of the park to find peace and beauty. Of course, the most unique is Cloud Gate or, as most Chicagoans call it, "the Bean".
And, of course, no trip to Chicago is complete without viewing Buckingham Fountain.
Dot likes museums and we had to tell her that if you had to choose one among Chicago's many to invest your time, it would be the Museum of Science and Industry. I have so many fond memories of the times our mother took us there as children. It has been considerably updated even since our last visit in even more recent years. Gone is the giant walk through heart which I sorely miss, and in its place is a giant virtual reality heart. A suitable replacement I suppose for the our technology rich generation. Most of the changes are delilghtful and thanks to it being a week day and very few children were present we were able to enjoy the interactive exhibits unimpeded. It was just plain fun. We closed the place down still wanting more.
We are proud of the city we call home, even though we live in the suburbs. If you enjoy it as much as we do, I am adding the rest of our pictures just for fun.
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