48 Hours in Chicago

Most recently I had the opportunity to return to my hometown, Chicago.  I only had 48 hours to visit some of my favorite places and take in a few new sights.  Here are my suggestions for anyone on a tight deadline for touring Chi Town in the summer.

I never tire of this magnificent view of downtown Chicago from Lincoln Park Zoo.

One of the newer attractions in the downtown area is Millenium Park (map).  An award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design, Millennium Park is a 24.5-acre park that features The Crown Fountain, Cloud Gate and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.  There is always something going on and if you’re lucky you’ll hear live music, see unique art exhibits and enjoy wonderful people watching.

The interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa was inspired by the people of Chicago and the city’s historic connection with water, including Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.  The fountain consists of two 50 foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool.  The towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens.  My favorite part is the hole allowing water to come out of what looks like the persons mouth.  The crowd below gets drenched with water.

Anish Kapoor’s hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture or better known by locals as “The Bean” is a 110-ton elliptical sculpture forged of a seamless series of highly–polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city’s famous skyline and the clouds above.

As you approach Cloud Gate, you realize that you can walk under it revealing a concave chamber.  This chamber invites visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives.

One of the only free zoos left in the world, Lincoln Park Zoo (map) is a natural oasis amidst the urban jungle.  The zoo features over 1,200 different species and hosts one of the most significant zoo-based conservation and science programs in the country that attracts an estimated 3 million visitors per year.

Lake Michigan is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area.  It is the cause of the ever-famous “Lake Effect” which brings high winds and cooler temperatures to the city.  Sailboats, speed boats and tour boats take advantage of the blue, deep waters and are a fantastic way to see the skyline that makes the city famous.  Navy Pier (map) has a variety of boat tours available.