Visiting Chicago

Chicago, Illinois is a beautiful city with many attractions available nearby. And some are unique in the United States and even the world. I've visited a few over the years. In this post, I provide links to my blogs about various Chicago sites.




Chicago Travel Guide From Lonely Planet


On arrival at the airport (ORD), I purchased a CTA multiday pass. The Blue Line took me to a stop near my hotel on Michigan Avenue. From there I was able to walk to the Museum Campus and Willis Tower and get a Metra train down to the Museum of Science and Industry. There are beautiful parks nearby, plenty of restaurants, and supermarkets for those on a budget.



I recommend checking out the City Pass, which I picked up at the Field Museum when I visited there in May 2019. At that time, I paid $108 to see five attractions. The cost included additional items like exhibits, shows, or films.

You might sample some local foods like Chicago Dogs and Chicago style Deep Dish Pizza.















Here are some places I have visited in or near Chicago.

Morton Arboretum

Willis Tower (Formerly called the Sears Tower)

         The Willis Tower as Architecture

Museum of Science and Industry- near Hyde Park

      About the U-505 Lone Wolf  at the Museum of Science & Industry

Museum Campus near Lake Michigan

The whole area is a nice place to walk, run, ride a bike, and enjoy a picnic.

  Adler Planetarium

 Field Museum (Think Dinosaurs)
 
  Shedd Aquarium


Here's a link to my Chicago Playlist of videos on

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxYjYcgwalAX9ChGni2XlxarHOWPfWoY9


Transportation note

Metra travel 2017

When I visited, the CTA pass worked for CTA trains and buses but did NOT include travel on the Metra trains. Check out their websites for details.

Adler Planetaruim

There are a number of exhibits dealing with space science, space travel, the solar system, telescopes and more.

I saw two movies, which are child friendly. They are impressive on the large ceiling screen viewed from reclining chairs. The childish numor can be annoying or entertaining, depending on your taste or tolerance.

I'd allow 2-3 hours for a basic interest level visit.

Location: The Adler Planetarium is located on the Museum Campus by Lake Michigan.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details.

Crowds: I went after lunch on a Saturday. It was not crowded.

Hours: 9:00 - 4:00 - Open daily --check the website for the latest details.

Food: There are places to purchase lunches and snacks. I was able to bring in my own food.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map is available to visitors.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Parking: Available and expensive.

Website:

Shedd Aquarium Chicago Illinois

I almost skipped the Shedd Aquarium because I have seen several in varioius cities around the world, including a very good one at Wonders of the Wildlife in Springfield, Missouri. However, I am glad I went.

The Shedd Aquarium is worth seeing for the range of sealife inlcuded in the large exhibits.

Seals are entertaining. I was only a few feet away from this one. See video below.

The Beluga Whale exhibit is quite impressive. You can see them from the surface and below the water level.

The penguin exhibit is another favorite.

As you might expect, there are many informative, unusual, and colorful exhibits throughout the aquarium.

The glass was clean and the lighting did not interfere with photography at most displays. This is a valuable lesson other aquarium designers should consider.

My City Pass included a film. I chose the 4-D film about sharks- great fun.

Check out the video clip from the Dolphin Show.

Here's a video clip from the seal show.

Location: The Shedd Aquarium is located on the Museum Campus by Lake Michigan.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details.

Crowds: It did not take long after opening for lots of groups of children to arrive. The aquarium is  large enough that it did not feel crowded.

Hours: Open daily --check the website for the latest.

Food: There are places to purchase lunches and snacks. I was able to bring in my own food.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map is available to visitors.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/


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Willis Tower aka Sears Tower Chicago Illinois

The views from the Willis Tower (formerly called the Sears Tower) in Chicago are amazing. I went a day after rainy days in May and the lines to stand on the glass ledge were long. But judging by the wait area, the lines could be much longer in peak season.

The ledge is a worthwhile experience, but it was limited to 60 seconds when I visited.




Some folks thought I was brave on seeing my picture. I guess if you are troubled by heights or worried about human engineering errors, it could be scary.

The tower has 110-story and stands at 1,450. It is the tallest building in the Western hemisphere.


You walk around the top and see different views before reaching the section where the glass ledges are located. Most of the glass was clean but you may have to get close with your camera lens to get a clear picture. My iphone worked better than my expensive 4K camera.

I thought it compared favorably with the Shard in London, England



Location: 233 S Whacker Dr. Chicago IL 60606 

Admission: It's expensive. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Check the website for details.

Crowds: The line was only moderately long when I visited. It seemed to move quickly. Having my advanced ticket helped a little.

Hours: Open days and evenings but hours change with time of year so see the website.

Food:  There are places to purchase refreshments.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.willistower.com/  And the Skydeck Ledge Experience



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Museum of Science and Industry Chicago Illinois

It's hard to know where to begin in sharing a few photos of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. The size of the museum is massive. A few photos of huge objects may help imagine how large it really is.

One standout attraction is the German U-Boat 505, which was captured 4 June, 1944. The full size original submarine is on display along with film, story board, and models depicting life in a sub. Tours are available but were all booked when I arrived.

In addition to the locomotive pictured above, there's a Stephensons Rocket nearby and a full size Pioneer Zephyr on display.





















Planes are here too. You can walk through a Boeing 727,  see World War II planes, and view the exhibit about the beginnings of flight.





And there's a large model railway display featuring city, lakeside, and mountain sections.

There's so much more to see and do with many interactive exhibits friendly to children of all ages.


















Location: The Museum of Science and Industry Chicago is near Lake Michigan BUT it is not on the Museum Campus. It's further South at 5700 Lake Shore Drive Chicago IL 60637. I used the Metra line train near my hotel on Michigan Ave.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details. Map link.

Crowds: It did not take long after opening for lots of groups of children to arrive. The museum is so large that it did not feel crowded.

Hours: Open daily 9:30 - 4:30 with various exceptions so you will need to check the website for the latest.

Food: I was allowed to bring my own lunch and eat in designated areas . There are places to purchase lunches and snacks.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map of the museum is online and paper copies are available to visitors.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.msichicago.org/


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Field Museum Chicago Illinois

The Field Museum in Chicago has a fantastic collection of artifacts and specimens from all over the world. Most on display focus on natural history and include those massive dinosaurs that capture so much attention. They have a fine collection of contemporary animals, plants, and geological specimens as well. Standard and special exhibits help us explore other cultures.

Sue, the T-Rex is clearly a main attraction and comes with an interesting story of discovery. There's also a multisensory film, which I enjoyed.

Although there is a fine museum (Wonders of the Wildlife) in my hometown, the animal collection at the Field Museum is brilliant.

I was a bit disappointed in the limited displays portraying human origins. I think the Smithsonian is much better.

Location: The Field Museum is located near Lake Michigan on the Museum Campus. I stayed at a hotel on Michigan avenue within walking distance. Look for the Dino outside.

Admission: It's expensive for those of us from out-of-state. I bought a City Pass to save on costs at five attractions. Some exhibits or events cost extra. Check the website for details.

Crowds: It did not take long after opening for lots of groups of children to arrive. They did take up most places in the lunch rooms at midday. They seemed mostly happy and although noisy, they were not unruly. On the day I was there, many of them seemed to leave by early afternoon. They also seemed to focus on the popular exhibits like the dinosaurs.

Hours: Open daily 9-5 except Christmas, but check the website for the latest.

Food: I was allowed to bring my own lunch and eat in designated areas downstairs. There are places to purchase lunches and snacks.

Friendliness: All the staff I spoke to were friendly.

Maps: A map of the museum is online and paper copies are available to visitors. I still needed directions to the 3D movie, which was off in a distant part of the museum.

Accessibility: See the website for details.

Website: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/visit

A couple more photos.

Morton Arboretum

I visited the Morton Arboretum in March so my view lacked Spring foliage and flowers, summer green, autumn colors, or winter snowscapes. I say this to give context to my perspective that this place is nice but the entry fee did not offer much more than can be found in many well-maintained parks.

I spent most of several hours on various trails through different treescapes. I appreciated the great variety of trees and saw a small variety of birds plus a few squirrels.

The Arboretum is worth a visit and I suspect it would be great to visit often if living nearby. 

In addition to the trails, there are educational programs as well as mazes and play areas for children. 

The store and cafe were inviting but as usual in similar places, the prices are not cheap. The toilets were clean and well-maintained. 

There appears to be plenty of parking. 

Check the website for details on  fees and events.