Check out all of the early Jenney, Burnham, and Sullivan skyscrapers downtown.

Check out the Tadao Ando house near Clark and Wellington in Lincoln park.

Check out IIT for the Mies, the Rem, and the Jahn.

Go to Oak Park for the most complete collection of early FLW houses.

Skip Oak Park (except fo the church) but head out to the Robie House at UIC's campus.

Robie House is around and owned by University of Chicago, not UIC.

i don't know about millenium park as one of the best architectures in Chicago, but it sure is an entertaining place.

josef kleihues' center for contemporary arts near the water tower is beautiful in its combination of over-the-top rational geometry with some purely sensual/figural moments.

you won't believe it was built by an american contractor. seriously. i think the ceiling joints on the second floor are perfectly aligned with the control joints at the curb.

i always enjoy flw's house and studio in oak park. and, yes, unity temple.

and i still think having a drink in the bar at the top of the hancock tower is a necessary chicago experience.

see what's brewing at the chicago architecture foundation, a short walk from millenium park. they might point out some things that you might not otherwise see - small things, current things, etc. like what's studio gang got going on around town? or zoka zola?

BTW, the Tadao Ando house is located on Wrightwood (not Wellington), about halfway between Clark and Orchard.

No architect's trip to Chicago would be complete without a trip to the Prairie Avenue Bookstore (Wabash, just south of Van Buren). But be sure to either bring a lot of money or no money at all, because the urge to spend it on books will be irresistable.

and as i have stated preveiously, prairie ave does not have a john, but there is a starbucks up the street.

i like oak park

i like walking up michigan avenue on a cold snowy day from the loop up to and across the bridge to the wrigley building.

if its tuesday go to the art institute or the moca its free.

the chicago cultural center is in a jewel box of a building with a tiffany skylight...

as far as cities go i would rather look at people(women) than buildings and eat good food and drink...

vado, i'm all for eating good food and drinking lots, don't worry! i'll definitely take suggestions for places to eat and drink as well...

Vado - certainly the Chicago Cultural Center is one of the best American Public Buildings There is. The low arches inside and spectoral mosaics as well as the voluptiuous stairs, make it easily one of my favorites.

And the atheneum museum of architecture and graphic arts is right near by, as is the Bean.

Pick a neighborhood, such as Wicker Park, and just start walking

there's a couple of sullivans that have been burned down... actually, if you go down to IIT to see Crown, the MTCC (Rem), and the SSV (Jahn), i think it's definately worth it to go over to Sullivan's Pilgrim Baptist church that burnt down. The massive stone walls still stand (except for the one side with the towers that fell)

CAF tours are good, of course the weather isn't very cooperative this time of the year.

Inland Steel Bldg, Monadnock, some other fav's are always good to check out...

someone tells me the k+s' jesuit insitutue construction is really interesting right now...

another great thing about the cultural center is the museum of broadcasting which has film clips and stage sets of four of my childhood favorite shows. bozo the clown, garfield goose and friend, ray rayner and family classics. i am an old nostalgic hag.

go to the billygoat tavern. ask for pepsi and french fries with your burger.

i agree vado & evil,

the cultural center rocks on a fairly consistent basis

building aside, it's just got a ton of great stuff in it all the time.

what's playing at metro?

ah! The billygoat tavern! Haven't been there for years...its still around?

not only is it still around, there are crowds of tourists wandering through the traffic lanes of lower wacker every day trying to find it

No kidding!!! Pretty hilarious…

now i'm not even going to try... i'm the tourist you'de be laughing at!

If you are a tourist, you have some pics to share! Show us a few Wacker drive / Billygoat pictures and we might let you off the hook! Com'n it will be fun!

But seriously, take some pics from the billygoat tavern on Thursday and post them on this thread!!!

megarama, I will let you in on a little secret.

There is a stair leading directly down to Billygoats from the left (west) side of Michigan Ave, just past the bridge over the river and the Wrigley Building. The stair comes straight down from the Michigan Ave sidewalk and it is easy to miss. Signage and fanfare are minimal. Now that you know that you can be a saavy world traveler like me. Good luck.

cook county jail downtown is pretty spectacular. if you make the trip up to see ando's concrete block as suggested, check dan wheelers floating concrete block in lincoln park. but for short time, you cant beat the loop: mies fed center, inland steel, and all the late 19th cnetury stuff already mentioned. have fun.

BTW, Demon Dogs no longer exists. It was sacrificed to the CTA gods so they could rebuild the Fullerton 'L' stop.

go see the rookery if you end up in the loop. adams and lasalle.

Oh I forgot Cook County Jail! I *love* that building.

Oak Park is a neighborhood full of gems (by Wright and others).
A true Place.

Robie House is a diamond, but a singular thing nevertheless.
I would recommend visiting both, if you have the time.

Have fun. Chicago is an amazing city.