CHICAGO I TRAVEL
Even short getaway to Chicago is packed with inspiring sights
Architecture and more make even a short stay a pleasure.
IN THE PAST, I visited Chicago on business, but it was always work, work, work, and then go home. I never had much time to explore the city. But Chicago is close enough to be an option for a short getaway — a chance to just visit. And, wow, what a great place indeed. Let me start with a couple of quick notes on getting there and getting around in the city. • For local residents, a great option for this mini-vacation is to fly out of the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Breslau, on the American Airlines direct flight to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The one-hour flight departs at 6:30 a.m. and because you switch to central time, you pretty well arrive the same time you departed. The airport is easy to manoeuvre and the aircraft was comfortable; the hour flies by. • I downloaded an app to my phone, so it was easy to figure out Chicago’s transit system, from the airport and around the city. We found that buses and trains are well connected, so the wait for either is usually short. Taking city buses provides a street-level experience that always changes a holiday: on one hand, we lived like the everyday citizens of Chicago with our three-day bus and train pass and, on the other hand, we stayed in a >>
>> beautiful hotel just off Michigan Avenue in the heart of the shopping district known as the Magnificent Mile.
The first day of our trip was sunny as we headed to the Chicago River for a riverboat tour booked through the Chicago Architectural Foundation. The cruise includes a narration from a docent (tour guide/ lecturer) that explores the city’s history through its architecture. The boat cruises west and then explores both the north and south arms of the Chicago River. It’s truly wonderful, an absolute must.
The following morning, we toured the home and studio of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, about 20 kilometres from Chicago’s downtown. We took the train and walked several blocks to his home, which is now an exhibition showcase. (Tickets for the tour should be booked in advance: www.flwright.org or call: 312-994-4000.)
It’s a leisurely half day to do both the home and a self-guided neighbourhood tour where you can spot other Wright designs. Some of these homes have a plaque by the sidewalk describing the history. The properties are so well maintained I figured it was a combination of pride and low tolerance for any neighbourhood slackers. The one thing that really impressed us is that these homes are all more than 100 years old but have very unique and modern designs. Back in the city, you also don’t want to miss Millennium Park. Located on the east side of the Loop (as Chicago’s downtown business district is called), this park is a showpiece of civic pride and it has one of the biggest free attractions we have ever visited. It’s called the Cloud Gate, better known as “the Bean.” This is a sculpted work of art that draws you in like a fly to honey and, yes, it is shaped like a bean. Made of a wonderful reflective stainless steel, it is polished to a beautiful finish that makes it look like a mirror. The big “aha” for me was not the Bean, but how people behaved. Visitors from all over the world were smiling, laughing and helping each other with offers of camera exchanges for photo taking. We dropped by the nearby Jay Pritzker
Pavilion for a look — after all, this outdoor concert area was designed by architect Frank Gehry — and then it was on to the Crown Fountain. The latter has waterfall features at opposite ends of a shallow wading pool. These huge glass-brick slabs display digital videos of faces in a unique and entertaining display. After exploring the park, we walked over to the world-class Art Institute of Chicago Museum, in a neighbouring block to the south. The museum has an impressive collection ranging from Impressionists and Old Masters to contemporary art. It also hosts special exhibitions (one featuring Picasso when we visited). On our final full day in Chicago, we went to the Shedd Aquarium, one of the largest inland aquariums in the world. It has more than 32,500 fish and sea mammals so there is a lot to see. The highlight for us was a presentation on beluga whales in part of the marine mammal pavilion called the Abbott Oceanarium. This is a huge facility with pools containing about three million (U.S.) gallons of salt water. The beluga demonstration, which included training and care of these beautiful and exotic-looking creatures, takes place in a 1,000-seat amphitheatre that overlooks Lake Michigan, creating quite a nice impression. Shows run throughout the day and the animals featured change as well, depending on the aquarium’s schedule.
Early that afternoon, we went to the Field Museum of Natural History. It’s a huge building, with exhibits from around the world. One particularly striking exhibit was of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur skeleton called Sue, displayed in the middle of the main hall when you enter the building. Apparently this is one of the most complete and well preserved dinosaurs in the world.
Frankly, by the time we walked out of the building, we were exhausted from viewing all the incredible displays in the areas of anthropology, geology, botany and zoology. There are even a few working labs on display of paleontologists and conservators preserving specimens for future display.
Chicago certainly has a lot of great >>