Time to go, already? I haven't seen anything yet!
Written: Oct 03 '00 (Updated Oct 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Postcard city with lots of stuff to see and do
Cons: Not enough time...., some road construction
The Bottom Line: Chicago is definitely the place to visit for the attractions, food, metro buzz. I only wished I had more time.
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| maceyr's Full Review: Chicago |
I recently had the chance to visit Chicago on my trip to Cincinnati. I did have to make a six hour drive to get there for a short weekend visit. In my couple days of a visit, I have to say that Chicago is a great city. I only wished I had more time.
The attractions that I did get to visit within my short visit were: Museum of Science & Industry, Museum of Broadcasting, Chicago Cultural Center, Navy Pier, and Buckingham Fountain.
I currently have a review of the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago so, please read my review on that for more information.
http://www.epinions.com/./trvl-review-313E-74865B7-39D98C5D-prod1
Museum of Broadcasting is a little gem I discovered while flipping through my AAA travel book. It is a small museum that houses archives of old radio shows, tv programs and commercials of the golden era and located on the first floor of the Chicago Cultural Building. Inside the Radio Hall of Fame, you can actually enter Jack Benny's vault or open Fibber McGhee's closet among others. There are several booths in which you can view program clips, commercials, and take trivial quizzes. All around the museum are an assortment of radios and television consoles from yesteryear. There is also an MBC Television center in which you can "be" an anchor and have your performance taped for $19.95. The Advertising Hall of Fame shows the development of a commercial and its role in American broadcasting. The AC Nielson Jr. Research Center contains an extensive archives of tv and radio shows, tv commercials and newcasts. If you're a nostalgic nut, you'll spend hours there. And best of all, it's free.
The Chicago Cultural Center is a beautifully restored building with stained glass domes, and a grand marble staircase that awes the sights and senses. The dazzling architecture of its interior with the arched pillars and designs majestically evokes the grandeur of an earlier period. Originally the home of the Chicago Public Library, it now houses the Museum of Broadcast Communications, a library of books, art exhibits and a small theater. I was very lucky to witness the rehearsal of an orchestral concert when I visited there and was pleasantly surprised to discover the crispness, clarity and delightful music that resonated from the rehearsing musicians on the third floor. It was quite a sight to watch the musicians play in perfect harmony, oblivious to the intrusion of visitors admiring their work.
Navy Pier is probably the number one attraction of Chicago that is a must see. It is a site for the whole family. It is a peninsula about a half mile long that contains an assortment of shops and restaurants, as well as a Children's Museum, a 150 feet high Ferris Wheel, a recreation of a 1920s musical carousel, a one acre Indoor Botanical Garden (Crystal Garden), Skyline Stage outdoor theater and a Cineplex Odeon 3D IMAX theater. The pier is great for a relaxing stroll along the promenade on a summer day. You can board on one of the many boats docked on the pier for tours of the city by water. During the winter, you can still stroll the length of the pier indoors and shop, dine and browse at any of the numerous establishments at the pier.
One bad point about Navy Pier is the parking. Unfortunately, the parking lots at the site were full and we were turned back. The parking lots in the surrounding areas are quite pricey. Even if you paid the money, you'd still have to walk a fair distance to get to the pier. We went to Navy Pier on a Saturday night (bad time) and had much trouble finding parking. We settled on a parking lot that had a big sign with a rate of $10 or so flat rate. Okay, we thought, we'll pay it. So, we ended up driving up 8 floors up (because the parking was mainly for its residents of the building and parking started on the 7th level or something like that). We ended up paying $18.00 for a couple of hours parking. WHAT?!!! Apparently, the flat rate was for Monday to Friday. Night parking was a flat rate of $18.00! Never in my life have I ever paid more than Cdn$10.00 for parking. What a total rip off! Nonetheless, I was quite steamed and felt cheated.
Buckingham Fountain is located in Grant Park on Lake Michigan and is one of the world's largest fountains. It has three basins one on top of the other. Four bronze sea horses surround the main basin, apparently to represent the four states bordering Lake Michigan. Every two hours, the fountain has water displays and at night the water displays are run with colored light. While driving down Lake Shore Drive, don't be surprized to find your windshield soaked by the spray of the fountain on a windy day. Because of the size of the fountain and the gust of the wind (quite common in Chicago, afterall it's called the "Windy City"), you will get sprayed with water on Lake Shore Drive or if you're anywhere near the fountain.
There is currently something called a "Chicago CityPass" which covers general admission to 6 of the city's well-known attractions at a discounted rate. You get general admission for the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Sears Tower Skydeck, and Shedd Aquarium. The price of the pass is currently $30.50. It is valid for 9 days from the first day of use and can be purchased at the entrance of any of the six attractions or at the www.citypass.net web site.
As I said before, due to the limited time I had, I wasn't able to visit many of the well-known attractions of Chicago but from what I've seen, I am very impressed. The next time I'm in Chicago I will definitely check out the following attractions: Art Institute of Chicago, John Hancock Center, Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Sears Tower, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade and Field Museum. And, being a jazz fan that I am, I will definitely have to check out the jazz clubs next time.
Chicago, looking from the view of North Avenue Beach, located on the lake between Fullerton and Oak Street is quite a beautiful city. The view of the city from the beach creates almost a perfect postcard image. I could just lie there on the sand and watch the waves the whole day. If only I had more time....
One last tidbit of info. If you plan your visit to Chicago, you could visit some of the major attractions for free! The Shedd Aquarium is free on Mondays. The Adler Planetarium is free on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it's the Field Musuem. Thursday is Museum of Science and Industry. That's all for the free attractions. Friday is usually considered a weekend. Shucks.
Thanks for taking the time to read and rate my review.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
maceyr
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Location: Canada
Reviews written: 129
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About Me:
I hardly have time for Epinions anymore but do try to read and rate.
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