What you can’t miss in Chicago

13 anos ago

Chicago was a special surprise for me. I don’t know why I never thought about the windy city as a hot spot to go, but from the time that I got out of the cab in front of my hotel, I simply loved the place. Yes it is cold, yes there is a strong wind, but yess, is so beautiful. A mix of modern and old European style, parks, high buildings and water surrounding the city creates the beauty of Chicago. Lot of history (and finance) involved.

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I will share with you some of the things you can’t miss:

Michigan Avenue: Long and large avenue known as the Magnificent Mile, Michigan Ave is the main commercial street of the city. It is full of stores, coffee shops, hotels and malls as well is the home of important symbols of the area as the Chicago Water Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Millennium Park. Great for a walk during the day or night.

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John Hancock Observatory: If you want to have a general understanding of the city, go to the Hancock Observatory. In the top of the building there is this area with a 360 degree view. The whole structure is made by glass so you have a perfect view of whatever you want to see. And you even can have an audio tour while looking for each part of the city. Beautiful.

Millennium Park: Beautiful park, in he middle of the city. The Millennium Park offers you a collection of art, architecture and landscape design in the same place. Is there that you will find the famous The Bean (mirror bean-shape sculpture made by Anish Kapoor), the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (beautiful outdoor concert venue designed by the architect Frank Gehry) and the Lurie Garden (huge garden with a combination of different plants and flowers). It also connect through a modern bridge (Nichols Bridgeway) to the Art Institute’s West Pavilion. What can I say… Chicago is culture!

Shedd Aquarium: The Chicago’s Aquarium is located in another beautiful place, the Museum Campus, where it is world-class museums (Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum and Field Museum), vast expanses of public parkland, sports, a dazzling skyline and that big lake. Shedd Aquarium is billed as one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world, so you can imagine how big is the venue, where you can find all type of species of fish and mammals. After waiting for hours in line, I can say that it was a valuable experience.

Museums: The Art Institute of Chicago and The Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago. I’ve been just to the second one, and I enjoyed a lot. Just make sure to check the exhibitions, so you have the chance to see the artists that you like.

North Side – Golden Coast: I tried to find more specific information about this area (to share here) that for me was one of the best parts to walk in Chicago. North of Rush Street in the North Side neighborhood you will find high-brand stores, really good restaurants to have lunch and dinner, bars and beautiful houses and buildings. Nice to go for a walk during the day and night. In the other side of this area it is the Golden Coast with the view of the Lake, beautiful.

Dinner – Gibsons Steak House: You can’t miss a delicious dinner at the Gibsons Steak House. The restaurant is located in the heart of the North Side, north of Rush Street, and offers a highest quality of products, efficient and fun service in a causal and elegant place. Gibsons is always full, probably because the meat, sides, salads and huge cakes (I say h-u-g-e) is unforgettable. The sides are big, so sharing is the best option. What is interesting is that they bring to the table all different cuts of meat so you can decide what is better for you. A MUST have dinner. (I wish I had pics to show).

* The Uno or Duo is the world famous pizza, located in Chicago. I wouldn’t recommend, because for me is more like a pie (thick and heavy ) than a pizza. But if you want to try a traditional Chicago dish and place, go for.

** I hate to do bus tours or other kinds of tours, but in Chicago it was an intelligent idea. We saw everything in the city in one day because the bus takes you everywhere. And the best about these tours is that, if you want to stop in one of the tourist places in the city, another bus will probably stop there to pick you up later on. Good option if you want to understand the geography of Chicago.