Download the Chicago Visitors Mobile App
http://www.choosechicago.com/articles/view/Choose-Chicago-Mobile-App/306/?fmid=815
MUSEUMS
Buy a CITYPASS ($94 adult / $79 child) and enjoy VIP access to the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and 360 Chicago or the Museum of Science and Industry
Art Institute of Chicago
http://www.artic.edu
Charles Ray: Sculpture 1997 – 2014
May 17 – October 4, 2015
http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/charles-ray-sculpture-1997-2014
The Field Museum
http://www.fieldmuseum.org
Extinct Madagascar: Picturing the Island’s Past
August 30, 2014 to October 1, 2015
Museum of Contemporary Art
http://www.mcachicago.org
Faheem Majeed
March 10 – July 7, 2015
Museum of Science and Industry
http://www.msichicago.org
Numbers in Nature
Shedd Aquarium
http://www.sheddaquarium.org
one of the largest aquariums in the country
Adler Planetarium
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org
Chicago History Museum
http://www.chicagohistory.org
Railroaders: Jack Delano’s Homefront Photography
Open through August 10, 2015
Vivian Maier’s Chicago
1968 (Opens October 4)
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
http://www.naturemuseum.org
Butterfly Haven
Nature’s Struggle: Survival & Extinction
DuSable Museum of African American History
National Museum of Mexican Art
http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
ATTRACTIONS
Navy Pier
http://www.navypier.com
Fireworks Wednesday and Saturday evening
Stained Glass Museum
Millennium Park
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park.html
Frank Gehry designed Pritzker Pavilion, world class sculpture Cloud Gate (better known as the Bean to natives) by Anish Kapoor and Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa.
Lincoln Park Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
360 Chicago (also known as John Hancock Observatory)
http://www.360chicago.com/buy-tickets/
Willis Tower Skydeck (formerly Sears tower)
http://theskydeck.com
test your nerve on The Ledge (glass box extending 4.3 feet) from the skydeck of the tallest building in Chicago
Water Tower Place
Chicago Cultural Center
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_culturalcenter.html/
Two beautiful stained glass domes by Tiffany and Healy and Millet
Chicago Riverwalk
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/chicago-riverwalk/
Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs baseball
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=chc
Chicago White Sox baseball
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cws
Shoreline Sightseeing - $2 off an architecture tour
http://shorelinesightseeing.com
Guided architectural tours on the Chicago River and classic tours on Lake Michigan.
Use code: 5ICCH for $2 off of an architecture Tour. Offer expires June 30, 2015.
CHICAGO LIKE A LOCAL
Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
Thick and crumbly crust with a chunky tomato sauce – try:
- Lou Malnati’s, 805 S. State Street
- Uno’s, 29 E. Ohio
- Gino’s East. 521 S. Dearborn
Chicago also has Stuffed (additional layer of dough above cheese and below the sauce), the most famous of which is Giordano’s.
Chicago-Style Hot Dogs
All-beef hot dog with mustard (never ketchup!) at Portillo’s – 100 West Ontario
Chicago Jazz
http://chicagoist.com/2013/09/11/the_best_jazz_clubs_and_showcases_i.php
The Green Mill is a great venue!
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FROM O’HARE and MIDWAY AIRPORTS
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=cws
O’Hare Airport - Take the Blue Line downtown and exit at MONROE stop, walk east (one block) to Palmer House
Midway Airport – Take the Orange Line downtown and exit at MADISON/WABASH stop, walk south one block and west one block
WEATHER IN CHICAGO
June – from 61-80 degrees, bring a raincoat / umbrella
GET INTO THE CHICAGO MOOD
Films set in Chicago:
- The Blues Brothers
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Risky Business
- High Fidelity
- The Untouchables
- The Dark Knight
- North by Northwest
A $100 Weekend in Chicago
The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler offers suggestions for an inexpensive weekend in Chicago, not including airfare or accommodations. $100 Weekend in Chicago