A food tour to look for the mythical Chicago sytle pizza. A visit to Millennium Park. Architecture tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, historical skyscrapers, and modern skyscrapers. And a four day free jazz festival.
The El in the Loop Took CTA from Ohare and it rose into the El at the Loop. I came to Chicago for Architecture, Jazz, and pizza not necessarily in that order. I wasn't disappointed with any of them.
Oak Park Frank Lloyd Wright's first home was in Oak Park you can tour the house and see the beginning of his ideas. It's also the place where he built many of the houses. I walked the streets with a rented ipod nano and listened to an audio about the neighborhood.
Millennium Park and Grant Park Plensa's Crown Fountain is two towers showing images of typical Chicagoans staring and smiling and then letting loose a spray for everyone to cool everyone off. Kids of all ages love it.
It's a perfect match with Chicago previous landmark the Buckingham Fountain that opened the MTM show.
The Bean is really a Cloud Gate but Kapoor's name didn't stick. But the crowds stick as everyone wanders around watching themselves, the city, and the crowds reflected in a metal fun house mirror.
The amphitheater was designed by Gheary and holds many free concerts. Great sound.
The Chicago food tour takes you on a walking, culture learning, neighborhood viewing, eating, smelling, and tasting tour of North Chicago. Along the way you visit some local ethnic places and some exotics like the Spice House where Tom of the food network talked to us about pepper and cinnamon. Tasty.
A lot of stops were just Chocolate. Choose one.
But what can I say the highlight was still Bella Bacino's Chicago stuffed pizza.
Jazz Fest Three days of free jazz on three stages after an kickoff show by Sonny Rollins in Gheary's amphitheater.
With Sonny Rollins, Vjay Iver, and Ornette Coleman, this was the most adventurous selection of groups I've seen in a major festival and the shows were packed. Well it helped that they were free and the weather was perfect.
Robie House The Robie house in South Chicago near the University can be reached by taking the CTA and walking (quickly) out of the ghetto and across Washington Park hoping that you don't run into the bicyclist who complained about me being on his path. Surprising because everyone else in Chicago was amazingly friendly. A father and son stopped in Oak Park to ask if I needed directions. A woman on the CTA to South Chicago asked if I needed directions. Overall the friendliest city experience I've had in the US. At any rate, for the return trip I took the bus from the museum to get back to the loop.
But before that I visited the Robie house. The house is considered Frank Lloyd Wright's premiere Prairie House design. The exterior has been renovated but only a room or two inside. Still an interesting place.
Architecture Tours Chicago has many of the early Skyscrapers in America and now many of the modern ones. The Chicago Architecture Museum has many tours and cruises that highlight the culture, history, and architecture of Chicago led by well trained guides. The tours are interesting because you are joined by people from around the world and the US but no one from Chicago.
The Historical Skyscrapers covers Burham from White City and Louis Sullivan and the Art Deco era. Fascinating stories about the building the city from scratch after the fire.
Chicago is the closest US city to Shanghai in terms of new skyscrapers. The modern skyscraper tour takes you past the tallest building in this hemisphere the Sears Tower and explains several other modern and post modern buildings. Great tour
The Night train leaving the loop heading back to Ohare.
A short trip to Iowa to see a mound of dirt. Well mostly an excuse to take a hike and see the Mississippi again.
Effigy Mounds National Monument Native Americans built numerous mounds throughout the country which mystified Europeans. Only some contain burial remains. Many were plowed under or built over. These are among the best remaining. Some are in the shapes of animals. This one shows the outline of Little Bear. It would be easy to pass them by without the outlines marked. But it's a nice walk with great overlooks of the Mississippi.
Done with the Mighty Mississippi and Wisconsin's corn and soy fields. It's time to leave the dirt behind and head to Chicago for architecture and jazz. Chicago
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A stop in Milwaukee! to the Museum of Art and then a visit cranes and Frank Lloyd Wright summer home.
A quick trip over the Mississippi to see Little Bear and some of the other mounds in Effigy Mounds National Monument.
A food tour to look for the mythical Chicago sytle pizza. A visit to Millennium Park. Architecture tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, historical skyscrapers, and modern skyscrapers. And a four day free jazz festival. 
