WEB EXCLUSIVE: Exploring Chicago
by the editors of Frommer's Chicago 2004 -- Publishers Weekly, 5/3/2004
Let’s face it, when you get back from BookExpo America,
your friends aren’t going to ask about the trade show floor, they’re going to want to know what you did in Chicago. Here are some of Chicago’s highlights that are easy for tourists to take in.
IN AND AROUND THE LOOP
Art Institute of Chicago
You shouldn’t miss the Art Institute: Choose a medium and a century, and the Art Institute has the works in its collection to captivate you: Japanese ukiyo-e prints, ancient Egyptian bronzes and Greek vases, 19th-century British photography, masterpieces by most of the greatest names in 20th-century sculpture and modern American textiles. For a good general overview of the museum’s collection, take the free “Highlights of the Art Institute” tour, offered at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays.
If you’ve got limited time, you’ll want to head straight to the museum’s renowned collection of Impressionist art (including one of the world’s largest collections of Monet paintings); this is one of the most popular areas of the museum, so arriving early pays off. Among the treasures, you’ll find Seurat’s pointillist masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Your second must-see areas are the galleries of European and American contemporary art, ranging from paintings, sculptures and mixed-media works from Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Salvador Dalí through Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. Visitors are sometimes surprised when they discover many of the icons that hang here. (Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks are two that bring double takes from many visitors.) Allow three hours.
111 S. Michigan Ave. (at Adams St.). (312) 443-3600. www.artic.edu. Suggested admission: $10 adults; $6 seniors, children and students with ID. Additional cost for special exhibitions. Free admission Tues. Mon, Wed–Fri and holidays 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Tues 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sat–Sun 10 a.m.– 5 p.m. Bus: No. 3, 4, 60, 145, 147, or 151. Subway/el: Green, Brown, Purple or Orange line to Adams, or Red Line to Monroe/State or Jackson/State.
Grant Park
Modeled after the gardens at Versailles, lakefront Grant Park is Chicago’s front yard, composed of giant lawns segmented by allées of trees, plantings and paths and pieced together by major roadways and a network of railroad tracks.
The immense Buckingham Fountain, accessible along Congress Parkway, is the baroque centerpiece of the park, composed of pink Georgia marble and patterned after—but twice the size of—the Latona Fountain at Versailles, with adjoining esplanades beautified by rose gardens in season. From April through October, the fountain spurts columns of water up to 150 feet in the air every hour on the hour.
The northwest corner of Grant Park (bordered by Michigan Ave. and Randolph St.) is the site of Millennium Park, one of the city’s grandest recent public-works projects. It’s a winning combination of beautiful landscaping, elegant architecture and public entertainment spaces (an ice rink, the music and dance theater). The park’s centerpiece is the dramatic, Frank Gehry–designed Music Pavilion, featuring massive curved ribbons of steel. The Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and Chorus stages a popular series of free outdoor classical music concerts here most Wednesday through Sunday evenings in the summer.
For a schedule of concert times and dates, contact the Grant Park Music Festival (312) 742-7638. To get to Grant Park, take bus no. 3, 4, 6, 60, 146, or 151. If you want to take the subway or the el, get off at any stop in the Loop along State or Wabash, and walk east.
Chicago Cultural Center
Built in 1897 as the city’s public library and transformed into a showplace for visual and performing arts in 1991, the Chicago Cultural Center is an overlooked civic treasure. Its basic beaux arts exterior conceals a sumptuous interior including Preston Bradley Hall’s majestic Tiffany dome, said to be the largest of its kind in the world.
The building also houses one of the Chicago Office of Tourism’s visitor centers, which makes it an ideal place to kick-start your visit. If you stop in to pick up tourist information and take a quick look around, your visit won’t take longer than half an hour. But the Cultural Center also hosts an array of art exhibitions, concerts, films, lectures and other special events (many free), which might convince you to extend your time here.
Guided architectural tours of the Cultural Center are offered Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 1:15 p.m. For information, call (312) 744-8032.
78 E. Washington St. (312) 744-6630, or 312/FINE-ART for weekly events. Fax (312) 744-2089. www.cityofchicago.org. Free admission. Mon–Thurs 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Bus: No. 3, 4, 20, 56, 60, 127, 131, 145, 146, 147, 151, or 157. Subway/el: Brown, Green, Orange, or Purple line to Randolph, or Red Line to Washington/State.
Grant Park Museum Campus
With terraced gardens and broad walkways, the Museum Campus at the southern end of Grant Park makes it easy for pedestrians to visit the city’s most beloved institutions: the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum; Field Museum of Natural History and the John G. Shedd Aquarium.
The campus is about a 20-minute walk from the Loop and is easily reached by bus or subway (a trolley runs from the Roosevelt Rd. el stop). To get to the Museum Campus from the Loop, head east across Grant Park on East Balbo Drive from South Michigan Avenue, and then trek south along the lake shore path to the museums. Or, you can make your approach on the path that begins at 11th Street from South Michigan Avenue. Follow 11th to the walkway that spans the Metra tracks. Cross Columbus Drive and then pick up the path that will take you under Lake Shore Drive and into the Museum Campus. The CTA no. 146 bus will take you from downtown to all three of these attractions. Call 836-7000 (from any city or suburban area code) for the stop locations and schedule.
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
The first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, the Adler Planetarium was founded in 1930. A $40 million expansion and renovation, completed in 1999, added the 60,000-square-foot Sky Pavilion, which should be your first stop. The don’t-miss experience is the StarRider Theater, which takes you on an interactive virtual-reality trip through the Milky Way and into deep space, featuring a computer-generated 3-D-graphics projection system and controls in the armrest of each person’s seat. Six high-resolution video projectors form a seamless image on the domed ceiling—you’ll feel like you’re literally floating in space. The Sky Theater shows movies with an astronomical bent. The planetarium’s exhibit galleries feature a variety of displays and interactive activities designed to foster understanding of our solar system and more. The best current exhibit is Bringing the Heavens to Earth, which traces the ways different cultures have tried to make sense of astronomical phenomena. The planetarium’s signature exhibit, From the Night Sky to the Big Bang, traces changing views of the cosmos over 1,000 years and features artifacts from the planetarium’s extensive collection. On the first Friday evening of the month, visitors can view dramatic close-ups of the moon, the planets and distant galaxies through a closed-circuit monitor connected to the planetarium’s Doane Observatory telescope. Allow two hours, more if you want to see more than one show.
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr. (312) 922-STAR. Fax (312) 922-2257. www.adlerplanetarium.org. Admission (including one show) $13 adults, $12 seniors, $11 children 4–17, free for children under 4. Free admission June 6–11. Summer hours: Sat.–Wed. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Thurs. 9 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.–10 p.m.;. StarRider Theater and Sky Shows at numerous times throughout the day; call (312) 922-STAR for current times. Bus: No. 12, 127, or 146.
Field Museum of Natural History
Boasting nine acres of floor space and scores of permanent and temporary exhibitions, it’s no wonder that the Field Museum of Natural History was cast as the home to Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones.
Start out in the grand Stanley Field Hall, which you enter from either the north or south end. There you’ll find the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever unearthed. Named Sue for the paleontologist who found the dinosaur in 1990 in South Dakota, the specimen was acquired by the museum for $8.4 million following a high-stakes bidding war. The real skull is so heavy that a lighter copy had to be mounted on the skeleton; the actual one is displayed nearby.
Head downstairs for two of the most popular exhibits. The pieces in Inside Ancient Egypt were brought to the museum in the early 1900s, after researchers in Saqqara, Egypt, excavated two of the original chambers from the tomb of Unis-ankh, son of the Fifth Dynasty’s Pharaoh. This mastaba (tomb) now forms the core of a spellbinding exhibit. Visitors can view 23 actual mummies and realistic burial scenes, a living marsh environment and canal works, the ancient royal barge, a religious shrine and a reproduction of a typical marketplace of the period.
Next to the Egypt exhibit, you’ll find Underground Adventure, a “total immersion environment” populated by giant robotic earwigs, centipedes, wolf spiders and other subterranean critters. The Disneyesque exhibit is a big hit with kids, but—annoyingly—requires an extra admission charge ($5 on top of regular admission for adults, $2 for kids). Allow three hours.
Roosevelt Rd. and Lake Shore Dr. (312) 922-9410 or (312) 341-9299 TDD (for hearing-impaired callers). www.fmnh.org. Admission $10 adults; $7 seniors and students with ID; $5 children 3–11; free for teachers, armed-forces personnel in uniform, and children 2 and under. Free admission June 6–11. Daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Last admission at 4 p.m. Bus: No. 6, 10, 12, 130, or 146.
John G. Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd is a city treasure and the world’s largest indoor aquarium. The only problem with the Shedd is its steep admission price. You can keep your costs down by buying the “Aquarium Only” admission, but then you’ll be missing some of the most stunning exhibits.
The first thing you’ll see as you enter is the Caribbean Coral Reef. This 90,000-gallon circular tank occupies the central rotunda, entertaining spectators who press up against the glass to ogle divers feeding nurse sharks, barracudas, stingrays and a hawksbill sea turtle.
You’ll pay extra to see the other Shedd highlights, but they’re quite impressive, so I’d suggest shelling out for at least one. The Oceanarium, with a wall of windows revealing the lake outside, re-creates a Pacific Northwest coastal environment. In a large pool flanked by an amphitheater, a crew of friendly trainers puts dolphins through their paces of leaping dives, breaches and tail walking. Check out the Oceanarium schedule as soon as you get to the Shedd; seating space fills up quick for the shows, so you’ll want to get there early. The newest signature exhibit is Wild Reef—Sharks at Shedd, a series of 26 interconnected habitats that house a Philippine coral reef patrolled by sharks and other predators. The floor-to-ceiling windows bring those toothy swimmers up close and personal (they even swim over your head at certain spots). Allow two to three hours.
1200 S. Lake Shore Dr. (312) 939-2438. www.sheddaquarium.org. All-Access Pass (to all exhibits) $21 adults, $15 seniors and children 3–11; admission to aquarium and either Oceanarium or Wild Reef, $17 adults, $13 seniors and children 3–11; aquarium only $8 adults, $6 children and seniors. Free admission June 6–11. Fri.–Wed. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Thurs. 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Bus: No. 6, 10, 12, 130, or 146.
NORTH OF THE LOOP: THE MAGNIFICENT MILE AND BEYOND
The Hancock Observatory
While not as famous as the Sears Tower, for many locals the Hancock remains the archetypal Chicago skyscraper, with its bold, tapered shape and exterior steel cross-bracing design. The Hancock Observatory delivers an excellent panorama of the city and an intimate view over nearby Lake Michigan and the various shoreline residential areas. The view from the top of Chicago’s third-tallest building is enough to satisfy, but go out on the Skywalk open-air viewing deck—a “screened porch,” to feel the rush of the wind at 1,000 feet. On a clear day you can see portions of the three states surrounding this corner of Illinois (Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin). A high-speed elevator carries passengers to the observatory in 40 seconds, and the entrance and observatory are accessible for people with disabilities. Allow one hour.
“Big John,” as it’s referred to by some locals, also has a sleek restaurant, the Signature Room at the 95th, with an adjoining lounge. For about the same cost as the observatory, you can take in the views from the latter with a libation in hand.
94th floor of the John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave. (enter on Delaware St.). (888) 875-VIEW or (312) 751-3681. Fax (312) 751-3675. www.hancock-observatory.com. Admission $9.75 adults, $7.75 seniors, $6 children 5–12, free for children under 4 and military personnel in uniform or with active-duty cards. Daily 9 a.m.–11 p.m. Bus: No. 125, 145, 146, 147, or 151. Subway/el: Red Line to Chicago/State.
Museum of Contemporary Art
The MCA claims to be the largest contemporary art museum in the country, emphasizing experimentation in a variety of media—painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, dance, music and performance. The gloomy, imposing building (designed by Berlin’s Josef Paul Kleihues) looks like something out of Communist Russia, but the interior spaces are vibrant, with a sun-drenched two-story central corridor, elliptical staircases and three floors of exhibition space.
You can see the MCA’s highlights in about an hour, although art lovers will want more time to wander. Your first stop should be the handsome barrel-vaulted galleries on the top floor, dedicated to pieces from the permanent collection. For visitors who’d like a little guidance for making sense of the rather challenging works found here, there a free tour (1 and 6 p.m. Tues.; 1 p.m. Wed.–Fri.; 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Sat–Sun). The museum also features Puck’s at the MCA, a cafe operated by Wolfgang Puck, with seating that overlooks a one-acre terraced sculpture garden and a store, Culturecounter, that’s worth a stop even if you don’t make it into the museum. The museum’s First Fridays program, featuring after-hours performances, live music and food and drink, takes place the first Friday of every month. Allow one to two hours.
220 E. Chicago Ave. (one block east of Michigan Ave.). (312) 280-2660. Fax (312) 397-4095. www.mcachicago.org. Admission $10 adults, $6 seniors and students with ID, free for children under 12. Free admission on Tues from 5–8 p.m. Tues. 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Wed.–Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Bus: No. 3, 10, 11, 66, 125, 145, 146, or 151. Subway/el: Red Line to Chicago/State.
Navy Pier
Built during World War I, the 50 acres of pier was used as a training center for pilots during WWII. Now transformed into a bustling tourist mecca, the Navy Pier is a combination of carnival, food court and boat dock.
Midway down the pier are the Crystal Gardens, with 70 full-size palm trees, dancing fountains and other flora in a glass-enclosed atrium; an open-air Skyline Stage that hosts concerts, dance performances and film screenings; a carousel; and a 15-story Ferris wheel that’s a replica of the original that debuted at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair. The pier is also home to the Chicago Children’s Museum, a 3D IMAX theater (312-595-IMAX) and the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Summer is one long party at the pier, with fireworks on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Take the half-mile stroll to the end of the pier, east of the ballroom, where you can find a little respite and enjoy the wind, the waves and the city view, or unwind in Olive Park, a small sylvan haven with a sliver of beach that lies just to the north of Navy Pier. You’ll find, moored along the south dock, more than half a dozen different sailing vessels. Dining options include a food court, an outpost of Lincoln Park’s popular Charlie’s Ale House, and the white-tablecloth seafood restaurant Riva. You also find a beer garden with live music; Joe’s Be-Bop Cafe & Jazz Emporium, a Southern-style barbecue restaurant with live music nightly; and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. & Market. Allow one hour.
600 E. Grand Ave. (at Lake Michigan). (800) 595-PIER or (312) 595-PIER. www.navypier.com. Free admission. Summer Sun.–Thurs. 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 10 a.m.–midnight. Bus: No. 29, 56, 65, 66, 120, or 121. Parking: Rates start at $11 for the first hour and go up to $21 for up to 24 hours. However, the lots fill quickly. Valet parking is $7 with a restaurant validation. There are also surface lots west of the pier, and free trolley buses make stops on Grand Ave. and Illinois St. from State St. Subway/el: Red Line to Grand/State; transfer to city bus or board a free pier trolley bus.
Lincoln Park Attractions
Lincoln Park is the city’s largest park and certainly one of the longest. Straight and narrow, Lincoln Park begins at North Avenue and follows the shoreline of Lake Michigan northward for several miles. Within its elongated 1,200 acres are a world-class zoo, a half-dozen bathing beaches, a botanical conservatory, two excellent museums, a golf course and the usual meadows, formal gardens, sporting fields and tennis courts typical of urban parks. To get to the park, take bus no. 22, 145, 146, 147, 151, or 156.
Chicago Historical Society
At the southwestern tip of Lincoln Park stands one of Chicago’s oldest cultural institutions. Inside the Historical Society’s red brick and glass-walled building, you’ll find well-designed displays of significant objects, artifacts and artwork—but the overall effect is instructive rather than interactive (this isn’t the place to bring young children).
Casual visitors can get a good overview of the highlights in about an hour; history buffs will need more time. The must-see permanent exhibit is A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln, which explores the institution of slavery in America and the devastation of the Civil War (items on display include the bed that Lincoln died in and an original copy of the 13th amendment abolishing slavery, signed by Honest Abe himself). Another highlight is the CHS’s costume collection, which includes clothing worn by George Washington and John Adams, Michael Jordan’s uniforms and numerous gowns by contemporary fashion designers.
The museum’s Web site is worth checking out before your visit, especially the impressive online “exhibit” on the Great Chicago Fire. Allow one to two hours.
1601 N. Clark St. (at North Ave.). (312) 642-4600. www.chicagohistory.org. Admission $5 adults, $3 seniors and students, $1 children 6–12, free for children under 6. Free admission on Mon. Mon.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun. 12–5 p.m. Research center Tues., Thurs.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Wed. 1–4:30 p.m. Bus: No. 11, 22, 36, 72, 151, or 156.
Lincoln Park Zoo
This is one of Chicago’s don’t-miss attractions, and because it’s free, it’s worth at least a quick stop. But you’ll probably want to wander for a while. A complete tour of the various habitats takes two or three hours—a convenience factor even more enticing when you consider that the nation’s oldest zoo (it was founded in 1868) stays open 365 days a year and is one of the last free zoos in the country.
While many zoo residents used to wander listlessly in stark concrete pens, exhibits have been renovated and expanded to reflect natural habitats. The new Regenstein African Journey is home to elephants, giraffes, rhinos and other large mammals; large glass-enclosed tanks allow visitors to go face-to-face with swimming pygmy hippos and (not for the faint of heart) a rocky ledge filled with Madagascar hissing cockroaches. The Small Mammal–Reptile House is a state-of-the-art facility, housing 200 species and featuring a glass-enclosed walk-through ecosystem simulating river, savanna and forest habitats. The popular Sea Lion Pool, situated in the center of the zoo and home to harbor seals, gray seals and California sea lions, features an underwater viewing area spanning 70 feet and an updated amphitheater. Allow two to three hours.
2200 N. Cannon Dr. (at Fullerton Pkwy.). (312) 742-2000. www.lpzoo.com. Free admission. Year-round Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., buildings & farm 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; summer Sat.–Sun. 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Bus: No. 151 or 156. Free trolley service from area CTA stations and parking garages on Sat–Sun and holidays 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Built into the rise of an ancient sand dune—once the shoreline of Lake Michigan—Chicago’s newest museum bills itself as “an environmental museum for the 21st century.” Throughout, the focus is on interactivity, making this a good stop for active kids.
Don’t miss the Butterfly Haven, a greenhouse habitat where about 25 Midwestern species of butterflies and moths carry on their complex life cycles (wander through as a riot of color flutters all around you). Another top exhibit is City Science, a 3,000-square-foot, two-story “house” with functional rooms where visitors can view the pipes and ducts that connect our homes with power sources miles away. Water Lab is a model river system demonstrating the uses and abuses that a waterway undergoes as it meanders from rural to urban environments. It’s probably safe to say that the Children’s Gallery is the only place in town where kids can clamber in and out of a model ground-squirrel town or explore a beaver lodge from the inside. Allow one hour.
Fullerton Ave. and Cannon Dr. (773) 755-5100. www.chias.org. Admission $7 adults, $5 seniors and students, $4 children ages 3–12, free for children under 3. Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sat.–Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Bus: No. 151 or 156.
Exploring Hyde Park: The Museum of Science and Industry & More
Although it’s quite a distance from the rest of Chicago’s tourist attractions, Hyde Park is worth a trip south of the Loop. It’s easy enough to get here without a car; your best options are the no. 6 Jeffrey Express bus or the Metra Electric train from downtown (the no. 10 bus runs from downtown to the museum’s front entrance during the summer).
How to get there: From the Loop, the ride to Hyde Park on the no. 6 Jeffrey Express bus takes about 30 minutes. The bus originates on Wacker Drive, travels south along State Street and ultimately follows Lake Shore Drive to Hyde Park. The bus runs from early morning to late evening seven days a week, with departures about every five minutes on weekdays and every 10 minutes on weekends and holidays. The southbound express bus adds a surcharge of 25¢ to the normal fare of $1.75 (there’s no surcharge if you use a CTA transit card). The no. 1 local bus originates at Union Station on Jackson Boulevard and Canal Street and takes about an hour.
For a faster trip, take the Metra Electric train on the South Chicago line, which goes from downtown to Hyde Park in about 15 minutes. Trains run every hour (more frequently during rush hr.) Monday through Saturday from 5:15 a.m. to 12:50 a.m., and every 30 to 90 minutes on Sunday and holidays from 5 a.m. to 12:55 a.m. Downtown stations are at Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue, Van Buren Street and Michigan Avenue, and Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue (near the Museum Campus in Grant Park). Printed schedules are available at the stations. The fare is approximately $2 each way.
For CTA bus and Metra train information, call (312) 836-7000. For taxis: (312) TAXI-CAB; for Yellow Cab or (312) CHECKER for Checker. The one-way fare from downtown is around $15.
The Museum of Science and Industry
The massive Museum of Science and Industry is the granddaddy of interactive museums, with some 2,000 exhibits. The museum’s permanent exhibits can attract amusement-park–length lines, but shouldn’t be missed. Get to the U-505, a German submarine that was captured in 1944, and the full-scale Coal Mine, which simulates a trip down into a dark mine, early. Kids who love planes, trains and automobiles also shouldn’t miss All Aboard the Silver Streak, a refurbished Burlington Pioneer Zephyr train with on-board interactive exhibits; or Take Flight, an aviation exhibit featuring a full-size 727 airplane. Also fascinating is the giant walk-through model of the human heart. Girls love Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, a lavishly decorated miniature palace filled with priceless treasures hidden away on the lower level.
A major newer addition to the museum is the Henry Crown Space Center, where the story of space exploration is documented in copious detail, highlighted by a simulated space-shuttle experience through sight and sound at the center’s five-story Omnimax Theater. The theater offers double features on the weekends; call for show times. Allow three hours.
57th St. and Lake Shore Dr. (800) 468-6674 outside the Chicago area, (773) 684-1414, or (773) 684-3323. www.msichicago.org. Admission to museum only, $9 adults, $7.50 seniors, $5 children 3–11, free for children under 3. Combination museum and Omnimax Theater $15 adults, $12.50 seniors, $10 children 3–11, free for children under three on an adult’s lap. Omnimax Theater only, evening shows $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children, free for children under three on an adult’s lap. Mon.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Bus: No. 6, 10, 55, 151, or 156.
Robie House
One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s finest works, the Robie House is considered a masterpiece of 20th-century American architecture. The open layout, linear geometry of form and craftsmanship are typical of Wright’s Prairie School design. Docents from Oak Park’s Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation lead tours here, even though the house is undergoing a massive, 10-year restoration (the house will be open throughout the process, but your photos may include plenty of scaffolding). A Wright specialty bookshop is located in the building’s former three-car garage—which was highly unusual for the time in which it was built. Allow two hours.
5757 S. Woodlawn Ave. (at 58th St.). (773) 834-1847. Admission $9 adults, $7 seniors and children 7–18. Mon.–Fri. tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.; Sat.–Sun. every half-hour. 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Bookshop open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Bus: No. 6.
Beaches
Public beaches line Lake Michigan. The most well known is Oak Street Beach, at the northern tip of the Magnificent Mile. The most popular is North Avenue Beach, about six blocks farther north, which has developed into a volleyball hot spot; this is where the Lincoln Park singles come to play, check each other out, and fly by on bikes and in-line skates. For more seclusion, try Ohio Street Beach, an intimate sliver of sand in tiny Olive Park, just north of Navy Pier, which remains largely ignored despite its central location.
Beaches are officially open with a full retinue of lifeguards on duty beginning about June 20, though swimmers can wade into the chilly water Memorial Day to Labor Day. However, only the bravest souls venture into the water before July, when the temperature creeps up enough to make swimming an attractive proposition. Please take note that the entire lakefront is not beach, and don’t go doing anything
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