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Things To Do
Sports & Outdoors
Sports are considered sacred to Chicagoans, who will loudly defend their sports teams. The venues themselves are reason enough to check out a baseball, football or basketball game in the city.
1. Built in 1914, the legendary Wrigley Field is enveloped in
thick ivy and natural grass. Chicago Cubs players take fans on tours of the stadium several times during the baseball season. For more information, please call 773-404-CUBS. 1060 W. Addison, Chicago.
2. With its open spaces and natural grass, Soldier Field, the
home of football’s Chicago Bears, is a revered landmark to many Chicagoans. Along with football games, the recently renovated stadium hosts soccer games, concerts, circuses and rodeos throughout the year. For more information, please call 312-235-7000. 1410 S. Museum, Campus Drive Gate 14, Chicago.
3. Renamed U.S. Cellular Field in 2003, Comiskey Park is home to the recent
World Series Champions, the Chicago White Sox. The baseball stadium features an
exploding scoreboard and a Sony Jumbo Screen. For more information, please call
312-674-1000 (General Offices) or 866-SOX-GAME (Tickets). 333 W. 35th Street,
Chicago.
4. Sports and music lovers congregate at the United Center, home of hockey’s Chicago Blackhawks, basketball’s Chicago Bulls and the best in entertainment, including ice skating, circuses, college basketball and concerts. For more information, please call 312-455-4500. 1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago.
Arts Museums & Landmarks
A trip to Chicago is not complete without a visit to some of the city’s most important sites, including the Sears Tower, Millennium Park and Navy Pier.
1. The Skydeck of the Sears Tower is open 365 days a year, featuring unparalleled views of the city and surrounding area. The immediately recognizable landmark stands 110 stories tall, complete with a broadcast platform, conference center, fitness facility and seven restaurants. For more information, please call 877-SKY-DECK. 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago.
2. Navy Pier, arguably Chicago’s top attraction, offers a 150-foot Ferris wheel, miniature golf course, musical carousel, the Chicago Children’s Museum, Festival Hall and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. For more information, please call 800-595-PIER. 600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago.
3. Known as the “front lawn” of Chicago, Millennium Park is a 24.5-acre area filled with interactive public art, manicured landscapes, fountains, alfresco dining and a band shell. Completed in 2004, Millennium Park sits just north of Grant Park, and admission is free. For more information, please call 312-742-1168. 201 E. Randolph Street, Chicago.
Guests will never stop learning at the museums and exhibits presented in some of the world’s most prestigious collections here in Chicago. Visitors can explore the creative, scientific and historical artifacts collected over hundreds of years.
1. Considered one of the world’s premier art collections, the
Art Institute of Chicago contains exhibits spanning centuries
of artistic human endeavor. Highlights of the museum include
Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Monet’s Impressionist
masterpieces. For more information, please call 312-443-3600.
111 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
2. At the Museum of Science and Industry in the Hyde Park area,
explore the Aurora 7 Mercury Space Capsule, learn the basics of DNA in the Genetics exhibit and walk through a larger-than-life model of the human heart. For more information, please call 773-684-1414. 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.
3. Located off Lake Shore Drive at Grant Park’s Museum Campus, the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum houses historical space artifacts and interactive exhibits such as the built-to-scale model of the solar system. During 2006, admission is free on Mondays and Tuesdays from September 11 through December 19. For more information, please call 312-922-STAR. 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.
Dining
Chicago is home to world-famous deep-dish pizza, gourmet hot dogs and various ethnic specialties.
1. Café Absinthe, perfect for a first date or quiet dinner with friends, uses the alley as the entrance to a candlelit dining room. This Wicker Park (West Chicago) eatery features Mediterranean-influenced fare with a daily-changing menu. For reservations, please call 773-278-4488. 1954 W. North Avenue, Chicago.
2. Featuring some of Chicago residents’ favorite deep-dish pizzas, Giordano’s has been serving the world-famous pies since 1924. The chain restaurant has various city locations, and out-of-town pizza lovers can relive the experience with the restaurant’s overnight delivery service. For reservations and locations, please visit www.giordanos.com.
3. Jackets are required at one of Chicago’s best restaurants, Charlie Trotter’s. The turn-of-the-century converted townhouse holds 100 guests, and the daily-changing menus include the Grand Menu, the Vegetable Menu and the Kitchen Table Menu. The restaurant is open for dinner only Tuesday through Saturday, and reservations are required. For reservations, please call 773-248-6228. 816 W. Armitage, Chicago.
Shopping
World-class shopping awaits in Chicago, with many independently owned boutiques surrounding the Magnificent Mile and other behemoth shopping malls.
1. Eight blocks of North Michigan Avenue make up the Magnificent
Mile, with more than 400 stores and boutiques, 200 restaurants and 50 hotels. This shopper’s paradise is lined with chichi boutiques, bakeries, galleries and souvenir shops. For more information, please call 312-642-3570. 625 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 401, Chicago, Ill.
2. The largest mall on Michigan Avenue, Water Tower Place, whisks
guests up and down eight levels in glass elevators. The mall features more than 100 stores and restaurants. For more information, please call 312-440-3580. 835 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
Events
Summers in Chicago are punctuated by three popular events: the Taste of Chicago, the Gay Games and the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival.
1. Beginning at 11 a.m. each day from June 30 to July 9, 2006, Grant Park hosts the 26th annual Taste of Chicago, featuring Chicago specialties, ethnic cuisine and gourmet samples from more than 60 restaurateurs. Admission is free. For more information, please call 312-755-3315. 300 S. Columbus Drive, Chicago.
2. The popular Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival takes place at various Chicago venues during the week of July 15 to 22, 2006. Starting with the International Rainbow Run, the opening ceremony is hosted at Soldier Field on July 15. During the following week, a cheer/color guard exhibition and more than 30 sports competitions take place. Millennium Park hosts the cultural performances and arts festival, as well as the medal ceremony. The closing ceremony takes place at Wrigley Field on July 22. For more information, please call 773-907-2006. 4753 N. Broadway, Suite 602, Chicago.
3. Locals and tourists alike can grab a blanket and congregate under the stars during July and August for the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park. Classic films are shown on a 50- by 34-foot movie screen every Tuesday at sunset, from July 18 to August 29, 2006. Admission is free, and free bicycle valet parking is available at the northwest corner of Lake Shore Drive and Monroe Street. For more information, please call 312-744-3315. 100 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.
Gay Pride Events and Gay Parades in Chicago
Neighborhoods
Chicago is America’s last great city, boasting world-class sports venues, vibrant ethnic neighborhoods and famed skyscrapers. Wander through one of the city’s parks, bike along the 18 miles of lakefront paths, catch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field or sing the blues at one of the city’s music clubs. Chicago appeals to locals and tourists alike, providing entertainment and industry at all levels.
1. The Loop/Grant Park/Millennium Park
Downtown Chicago is enclosed by the continuous hum of the elevated trains, commonly known as the “El.” Within the loop of the El is the core of downtown, home to the Sears Tower, the Art Institute, Grant Park, Navy Pier and Millennium Park.
2. Magnificent Mile
The northern tip of Chicago houses the Magnificent Mile, stretching from the Chicago River to Oak Street on Michigan Avenue. Another notable landmark in this area is the 100-story tapered John Hancock Center, which includes apartments, offices, shopping, a hotel, ice rink, restaurants, and radio and television facilities. The Magnificent Mile area hosts the Chicago Tribune offices, the Water Tower, the lavish Drake Hotel and Chicago’s prime real estate overlooking Lake Michigan. O’Hare International Airport is located 18 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
3. Lincoln Park/Lake View/Wrigleyville
The Lake View area is festooned with rainbow-colored pylons up and down the streets of Chicago’s gay community. A few blocks northeast is Wrigleyville, filled with taverns and hot nightspots surrounding the Wrigley Field baseball stadium. Lincoln Park, for which the neighborhood was named, contains a rowing canal, North Pond restaurant, zoo and outdoor theater. The neighborhood is composed mainly of recent college graduates and young families. DePaul University calls the Lincoln Park area home.
4. McCormick Place/Southwest
Tourists flock to the southwestern area of Chicago, where they can visit Soldier Field, McCormick Place, Comiskey Park and the Museum Campus. Chinatown and Hyde Park can be found in this area, as well as the Field Museum of Natural History, Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium. Midway Airport is located 10 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
5. Gold Coast
A prosperous neighborhood, the Gold Coast sits on Lake Shore Drive. The second-wealthiest urban area in the United States after the Upper East Side in New York City, the Gold Coast consists mainly of high-rise apartment buildings. Located just north of the Loop, the area boasts a fascinating historic district..
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