I'm visiting family in Milwaukee and will be shooting down to the Chicago area this coming week. Currently, my plans are to do the Frank Lloyd Wright tours in Oak Park, but I also need other sites not to miss... any thoughts?
Well, this will one of the only times where you can see crown hall on the IIT campus completely covered with scaffold and tarp, maybe you should swing by on the green line train at night. Just a thought.
Ditto, John Hancock bar. It's free, it has drinks and it's one floor above the skydeck floor that costs like $5.00
Tadao Ando house on Wrightwood.
Cubs game.
Place below the Addison El stop has best burritos in town.
Walk along the river would be good, from 333 West Wacker (KPF) & the Morton Salt Building (Ralph Johnson) to Marina Towers (Bertram Goldberg), IBM Plaza (Mies) & the Wrigley Building (don't know). That boat tour might be good although you can take the river taxi from the Train Station for $1.00 - just as good. You used to be able to go into the Sun Times building and watch the presses but I don't know if that's still in operation.
Billy Goat below Michigan Avenue.
have lunch at the atwood cafe in the reliance building ie burnham hotel. go shopping. why waste your time looking at buildings look at the women. chicago is full of hotties.
Tadao Ando house on Wrightwood.
HA!!!
have fun with that, all u see is a blank wall from the street.
it is a great house but u can't see anything unless u hop the fense.
The best thing bout Ghery's band shell is the view from the west through the grid of the city. you see the sculptural form set within the strict lines of the grid and it is truely a something to experience. Go to the signature room and get smashed for sure. Go to a blues bar. check out university of chicago's campus. Robie house, Vinoly's buliding for business school and Pelli's athetic facility (this building sucks). if u have a car make sure u approach the city from the south on lakeshore drive. this is truely a fantastic sight to see. voted one of the best drives in the country. go to north beach and get trashed at castaways bar. stay away from rush street bars cause they all suck, just head to lincoln street or wrigglyville for the nightlife. eat at gino's east. have fun.
you can get up and behind the Bandshell...watch out for the guards. I took my whole class over ther once and we were back documenting details for a good 15 minutes before the guards found us. Go to base of bandshell near stage on east side...follow around to back...cool to see everything so close up...and realize what a crappy job they did. Everything is coming apart already...
Right on... thanks you guys. I was up til 4:30 am researching some things and watching these posts today (inbetween my cousin's wedding).
My wife and kids will be "in tow" and I was wondering if the architecture boat tour is worth the $23 each? The water taxi sounds a BIT cheaper! I'm going to need a good map of downtown to locate the major landmarks/buildings, any suggestions? Any good wife/kids places that I can keep them happy while snapping pics and investigating architecture + design? I have a deep interest in early modernism and the american arts & crafts movement. Sullivan, FLW, what others should I be looking for?
go to the green mill too. if you like sullivan go to the museum of decorative art (which is really a store)in lincoln square. its located in sullivan's krause music store. drop the kids and wife at lincoln park zoo and then go do the boring architecture photograph thing.
If you're going to be on the IIT campus, Rem Koolhaas new student center bldg is there, also Murhpy/Jahn's recent student dormitories (these two are fairly close to each other, I think).
I'm not sure about the water taxi, sounds interesting though. The boat tour is pretty cool, you see how they get the water to flow in the opposit direction.
Also, if you get the chance there's a gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright near where Clark and Shore Drive are, in Old Town. And eat as much as you can--Chicago has by far the best food in the country. At least in comparison to New york and LA.
It's not really an architectural visit, but the kiddies will love it...the field museum /science museum / planetarium all over by the lake. I think the science museum is a remnant of the columbian expo way back in the day. and check out the FLW stuff in oak park. portillos has some tasty chicago food (hot dogs, italian beef) it's on ontario and clark. oh and i think that crazy three story mcdonalds that use to be rock and roll mcdonalds is almost done(this thing is just plain ridiculus)
Fields is having some kind of design exhibit right now. Saw it in a mag somewhere... so it'll be worth checking out. It's a great museum anyways as well.
you can also read the chicagoist.com for updated list of events, shows, galleries etc...
On a related not, does anyone have any resources for finding rentals in Chitown besides craigslist and the papers? I am having a hard time finding temp housing out there.
monday- chicago historical society; great exhibit on chicago fire
tuesday - art institute of chicago; take in milleneum that day
wednesday - mexican fine arts center or lincoln park zoo;
thursday - chicago childrens museum at navy pier
Friday -- ??? oak park [not free] or boat tour
Sat -- ??
sunday -- DuSable Museum of African American History; take in south side including flw robie house and vinyoli's new school of business, location of first nuclear reaction, etc. lots of interesting things here.
your better off going to the 95th lounge / bar [its ok for kids] at the hancock. you can walk all around for free, closer to the lakefront, and sit and have a refreshment or light snack for the less than the price of admission to the obersvation floors [your 2 floor above i think]. great seats to watch the sunset. or even in the evening afte the lights come on. really great when heat thunder storms roll in as they are always from the west.
the hancock formal observation is better over sears because you can see up and down the lakefront, see back to down town. sear is furter west from the lake and is down town.
graceland cemetery (see mies' simple gravestone flat on grass), sullivan's buildings and other historical work that gave modern architecture a birth.
the whole city is a live museum for architecture of 20 th century and two week visit should be a requirement for every architecture student.
The Museum of Science & Industry is (more or less) an exact reproduction of the Expo's Palace of Fine Arts (original was built of plaster & chicken wire). Possibly the coolest place in a city of cool places.
i second graceland cemetary... you can also see several sullivan tombs (and sullivan's tomb). it's very "park-like" so your kids might even have a little fun climbing on the gargantuan monuments
visited chicago about a month ago.. i highly recommend the chicago architecture foundation's "highlights by bus" tour. it takes you to basically all the big name stuff, robie house, crown hall, rem koolhaas' iit student center (a must see), and a bunch of other buildings in the city like the rookery (check out the staircases, amazing). it was well worth my time and money.
CHICAGO | What places not to miss?
I'm visiting family in Milwaukee and will be shooting down to the Chicago area this coming week. Currently, my plans are to do the Frank Lloyd Wright tours in Oak Park, but I also need other sites not to miss... any thoughts?
Well, this will one of the only times where you can see crown hall on the IIT campus completely covered with scaffold and tarp, maybe you should swing by on the green line train at night. Just a thought.
There's also an architectural boat tour that takes you through the city via the river. That might be interesting.
devil dogs.
take a walk through millenium park and be disappointed.
john hancock building (be sure to get a drink at the top).
lakeshore drive.
marina towers.
the reliance building.
Check out the Hotel Soffitel on Rush. Its probly the most dynamic building in the city and gets no press for some reason.
Ditto, John Hancock bar. It's free, it has drinks and it's one floor above the skydeck floor that costs like $5.00
Tadao Ando house on Wrightwood.
Cubs game.
Place below the Addison El stop has best burritos in town.
Walk along the river would be good, from 333 West Wacker (KPF) & the Morton Salt Building (Ralph Johnson) to Marina Towers (Bertram Goldberg), IBM Plaza (Mies) & the Wrigley Building (don't know). That boat tour might be good although you can take the river taxi from the Train Station for $1.00 - just as good. You used to be able to go into the Sun Times building and watch the presses but I don't know if that's still in operation.
Billy Goat below Michigan Avenue.
yes go to soffitel and then head over to le colonial. spend some ducats dude.
have lunch at the atwood cafe in the reliance building ie burnham hotel. go shopping. why waste your time looking at buildings look at the women. chicago is full of hotties.
dont miss a potbelly sandwich... seriously, you'll thank me for it
Tadao Ando house on Wrightwood.
HA!!!
have fun with that, all u see is a blank wall from the street.
it is a great house but u can't see anything unless u hop the fense.
The best thing bout Ghery's band shell is the view from the west through the grid of the city. you see the sculptural form set within the strict lines of the grid and it is truely a something to experience. Go to the signature room and get smashed for sure. Go to a blues bar. check out university of chicago's campus. Robie house, Vinoly's buliding for business school and Pelli's athetic facility (this building sucks). if u have a car make sure u approach the city from the south on lakeshore drive. this is truely a fantastic sight to see. voted one of the best drives in the country. go to north beach and get trashed at castaways bar. stay away from rush street bars cause they all suck, just head to lincoln street or wrigglyville for the nightlife. eat at gino's east. have fun.
you can get up and behind the Bandshell...watch out for the guards. I took my whole class over ther once and we were back documenting details for a good 15 minutes before the guards found us. Go to base of bandshell near stage on east side...follow around to back...cool to see everything so close up...and realize what a crappy job they did. Everything is coming apart already...
steve--
events+time.
if you are in chicago friday the 13th plan on the iit student opening at crown hall, always great work, food, drink. fun fun fun
look at the reader web site.
http://www.chireader.com/listings/static/daily.html
http://www.chireader.com/listings/static/readings.html
if you are here for a short time, plan your events around our cities energy and events. fun fun fun.
Right on... thanks you guys. I was up til 4:30 am researching some things and watching these posts today (inbetween my cousin's wedding).
My wife and kids will be "in tow" and I was wondering if the architecture boat tour is worth the $23 each? The water taxi sounds a BIT cheaper! I'm going to need a good map of downtown to locate the major landmarks/buildings, any suggestions? Any good wife/kids places that I can keep them happy while snapping pics and investigating architecture + design? I have a deep interest in early modernism and the american arts & crafts movement. Sullivan, FLW, what others should I be looking for?
go to the green mill too. if you like sullivan go to the museum of decorative art (which is really a store)in lincoln square. its located in sullivan's krause music store. drop the kids and wife at lincoln park zoo and then go do the boring architecture photograph thing.
If you're going to be on the IIT campus, Rem Koolhaas new student center bldg is there, also Murhpy/Jahn's recent student dormitories (these two are fairly close to each other, I think).
I'm not sure about the water taxi, sounds interesting though. The boat tour is pretty cool, you see how they get the water to flow in the opposit direction.
Also, if you get the chance there's a gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright near where Clark and Shore Drive are, in Old Town. And eat as much as you can--Chicago has by far the best food in the country. At least in comparison to New york and LA.
also the rookery is available to check out.
It's not really an architectural visit, but the kiddies will love it...the field museum /science museum / planetarium all over by the lake. I think the science museum is a remnant of the columbian expo way back in the day. and check out the FLW stuff in oak park. portillos has some tasty chicago food (hot dogs, italian beef) it's on ontario and clark. oh and i think that crazy three story mcdonalds that use to be rock and roll mcdonalds is almost done(this thing is just plain ridiculus)
Fields is having some kind of design exhibit right now. Saw it in a mag somewhere... so it'll be worth checking out. It's a great museum anyways as well.
Get a Vienna beef hotdog while you're there.
you can also read the chicagoist.com for updated list of events, shows, galleries etc...
On a related not, does anyone have any resources for finding rentals in Chitown besides craigslist and the papers? I am having a hard time finding temp housing out there.
unfortunately the cubs will not be in town this weekend. the boat tour would be a nice break from walking. be glad dave matthews isn't in town.
lincoln park zoo woud be a good place to drop the family off. or just direct them to michigan avenue.
just wander around the loop. or head out milwaukee (blue line) towards bucktown/wicker park or up clark (brown/red line) to lincoln park.
"id like to welcome you to da most beautiful city in da world....my chicaga"
Museums: A Guide to Chicago's Museums and their Free Days
weeks agenda to free days with kids:
monday- chicago historical society; great exhibit on chicago fire
tuesday - art institute of chicago; take in milleneum that day
wednesday - mexican fine arts center or lincoln park zoo;
thursday - chicago childrens museum at navy pier
Friday -- ??? oak park [not free] or boat tour
Sat -- ??
sunday -- DuSable Museum of African American History; take in south side including flw robie house and vinyoli's new school of business, location of first nuclear reaction, etc. lots of interesting things here.
Thanks for all the great advice! Sears Tower Observation Deck or the Hancock Tower ... which is the better viewing platform above the city?
your better off going to the 95th lounge / bar [its ok for kids] at the hancock. you can walk all around for free, closer to the lakefront, and sit and have a refreshment or light snack for the less than the price of admission to the obersvation floors [your 2 floor above i think]. great seats to watch the sunset. or even in the evening afte the lights come on. really great when heat thunder storms roll in as they are always from the west.
the hancock formal observation is better over sears because you can see up and down the lakefront, see back to down town. sear is furter west from the lake and is down town.
definately the hancock. if you can, show up about an hour before sunset.
graceland cemetery (see mies' simple gravestone flat on grass), sullivan's buildings and other historical work that gave modern architecture a birth.
the whole city is a live museum for architecture of 20 th century and two week visit should be a requirement for every architecture student.
The Museum of Science & Industry is (more or less) an exact reproduction of the Expo's Palace of Fine Arts (original was built of plaster & chicken wire). Possibly the coolest place in a city of cool places.
might help
boo. no metromix! bad bad bad!
centerstage chicago
understandably lame, just dispensing info - not a filter
i second graceland cemetary... you can also see several sullivan tombs (and sullivan's tomb). it's very "park-like" so your kids might even have a little fun climbing on the gargantuan monuments
i'm shameless kreynolds, just a little personal promoting!
You could come to my graduation ceremony!!!
sigh....
visited chicago about a month ago.. i highly recommend the chicago architecture foundation's "highlights by bus" tour. it takes you to basically all the big name stuff, robie house, crown hall, rem koolhaas' iit student center (a must see), and a bunch of other buildings in the city like the rookery (check out the staircases, amazing). it was well worth my time and money.
True that jwnam, and you can pick up a mean map to wander the city by if you don't want to take the bus tour.
also go to the prairie avenue bookshop if you got time its on wabash.
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