What to do in Chicago
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Sight Seeing
Riding your very own Segway will forever change the way you see and remember Chicago
as it is more intimate than a bus or driving tour and allows you to cover much more ground than any walking
tour.
One of the nation's largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since
1945.
The Adler Planetarium- America's First Planetarium- was founded in 1930 by Chicago
business leader Max Adler. It is home to one of the world's most important antique instrument collections.
The Art Institute of Chicago was founded in 1879 and built on the rubble from the
1871 Chicago Fire. The collection now encompasses more than 5,000 years of human expression from
cultures around the world.
Have you ever gotten eye-to-eye with a dolphin? Or met a penguin on a stroll to the
South Pole? Or immersed yourself in an Amazon flooded forest? At Shedd, it's all possible.
Traveling through the heart of the city, the docents will provide an indepth
perspective on why Chicago's architectural heritage is known and studied around the world.
The HOP ON HOP OFF Tour has been the gold standard
for an entertaining & informative tour as well as low-cost transportation to shoping, dining & attractions.
Experience Chicago as it was in the 1920s and 30s as you cruise the city in
search of the old hoodlum haunts, brothels, gambling dens, and sites of gangland shootouts.
Visit not only the most haunted places in the city of Chicago, but take a look at the
"dark underbelly" of Chicago as well. This tour is designed to showcase the unusual aspects of Chicagoand
what makes it so haunted, weird & unique!
Standing at 1,450 feet and 110 stories high, Willis Tower (formerly the Sears
Tower) is the tallest building in the western hemisphere.
With its unprecedented combination of architecture, monumental sculpture and landscape
design, the 24.5 acre Millennium Park has become the crowning achievement for Chicago in the tradition of
its original founders.
Historic Navy Pier is Chicago's lakefront playground. It's also the Midwest's #1 tourist and leisure
destination, attracting more than 8.6 million visitors a year.
Athletics
Looking for a fast tempo run on a Monday night? A long jog on Saturday? Or how about a run that caters to women only? This Group has an up-to-date list of fun runs throughout the Chicagoland area.
Entertainment/Music
The Second City, the world's premier comedy theatre and school of improvisation, specializes in sketch comedy and has been delighting audiences for over 50 years.
Patterned after Clark Monroe's Uptown House in Harlem (as it was during the '40s), the Mill is uniquely comfortable to all audiences from the sequined Saturday night date to the progressively dressed offbeat student. The magic of the Mill is that the audience commingles in its mutual respect for the music.
Since, 1982, Metro has accomplished its goal of establishing itself as one of the country's premier, cutting edge new music venues.
The Vic doubles as both a cutting-edge music venue and a frequent
Brew-and-View location.
opened in 1996, the House of Blues is located in the historic Marina City complex on the Chicago River. Modeled after the spectacular "Estavovski" Opera House in Prague, the spectacular views from the exclusive Opera Boxes are a unique and unforgettable experience.
One of Chicago's premier Blue's clubs led by famed musician Buddy Guy.
As Chicago's oldest and largest Blue's club, the Mines has been voted "Chicago's Best Blues" joint 13 years in a row by the Chicago Music Awards.
A large hole-in-the-wall bar that is anything but empty when the doors are open. A fun atmosphere with a jukebox and weekly live music.
This slick Lincoln Park spot operates as a jazz club a couple of nights a week,and a nightclub on the weekends (and Mondays, when it plays host to the legendary Boom Boom Room).
A local tavern with great food and live music, nightly.
Hailed as one of the "Best Bars in America" by Esquire and touting one of the "Best Cocktails in America" as chosen by GQ (the Juliet & Romeo), The Violet Hour is a throwback to the Speakeasies of the 1920's.
Restaurants/Food
Billed as the "Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium," Hot Doug's is everything you could hope for in a Chicago hot dog joint. http://www.hotdougs.com/ Chicago Bagel Authority- One of Chicago's premier Sandwich shops.
Named for the late Hall of Fame baseball announcer, Harry Caray's opened on October 23, 1987 and has become one of the most nationally recognized restaurants in the Midwest. This legendary Italian Steakhouse serves the finest prime, aged steaks and chops in a truly warm Chicago atmosphere.
Say "ribs" in Chicago and the automatic response from most people is Carson's. The reason these ribs win such accolades is the sauce - a pungent spicy-sweet brew with a smoky aftertaste that rib lovers savor.
Goose Island brews an innovative selection of over 50 craft beers at the brewpub, the best of which are bottled at the Fulton Street brewery. Featuring several locations, this is a great place to grab a bite and a brew.
A Chicago staple, Portillo's boasts so many Silver Platter awards (the "Oscars" of the food industry) that the company was retired from competition for 5 years to give others a chance.
Considered the oldest family name in Chicago pizza, Lou Malnati's is as rich in history as its pizza is in flavor.
Housed in the space made famous by Mr. Kelley's, where Streisand and Sinatra performed, Gibsons continues the star studded tradition with a nightly procession of the famous and powerful.
In a city known as the "Pizza Capital of the World", The Original Gino's East is still the number one pizza restaurant where customers from near and far return year after year to scribble their names into the wood and stucco walls of the flagship restaurant in downtown Chicago.
President Barack Obama has named Roy Yamaguchi's restaurant his favorite in the city of Chicago. European techniques and Asian cuisine meet Hawaiian hospitality to create a fine dining experience unlike any other.
Executive Chef Paul Kahan and Chef de Cuisine Brian Huston have crafted an eclectic menu inspired by simple farmhouse fare in a space evocative of a European beer hall.