An Illustrated Guide of Chicago

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Things to See & Do in Chicago

Modern Art & Achitecture in The Loop

  • The southern part of downtown, called The Loop, is short of being an open-air modern art museum. Within a few blocks, you can find large works of Picasso, Miro (facing each other), Calder, Chagall (a mosaic) and Nevelson.

Millennium Park (link)

  • This park has been opened on July 16th 2004, and features some additional works. A good portion of the space is taken - no suprises - by Frank Gehry's Pfiztker Pavillon, a magniloquent example of Gehry-style.
  • However, the show is stolen by the Cloud Gate, a bizarre and enormous shape mirroring downtown's skyscrapers in all directions, and by the Crown Fountain, an installation that mixes water and video art, and that seems that have already become one of the favourite summer pastimes of the Chicagoans.

Art Institute Of Chicago

  • This is a labyrintine affair (difficult to understand, or even follow, the logic of the rooms) collecting works of art from all ages and all cultures.
  • Most interesting perhaps the Asian sections (India, Japan, China) and Impressionism.
  • In the modern art section, some nice works of Ellsworth Kelly.

Chicago Bulls Arena - United Center (map)

  • This is of course a must-see for basketball fanatics, and a must-skip for the others.
  • Be advised that the United Center is located in a depressed neighborhood, and for some reasons the closest Metro stop is nearly 1 mile away. The best way to get here from downtown is to take bus #20 from Madison & Michigan.
  • A monument to Michael Jordan stands in front of the center.

Lincoln Park

  • Nice to bike around, enjoy a view of the skyline, or go to the beach.

Navy Pier.

  • Basically, a tourist trap, in the same style as Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco

Food

Breakfast at Lou Michell's. An old-time local diner with colossal portions for a wonderful brunch.

Dinner at the Signature Room, the restaurant on the top floor of the John Hancock Center.

Chicago Pictures

Calder's Flamingo in Downtown

Breakfast at Lou Mitchell's

Morning Sun on the Sears Tower

Cleaning time for a skyscraper

The Picasso

Gehry's Pavillon

Cloud Gate

Crown Fountain

Chicago: from the rail to the skyscraper

If you close your eyes, you can still see him play

The North Pont

Skyline from Lincoln Park

 

 

 

© Lorenzo Casaccia