Chicago is one of the favorite cities of tourists traveling to the United States of America. Many tourists consider it as vibrant as New York in terms of attractions.
And it is that the City of Winds has imposing buildings that make up a spectacular landscape with the river, urban art in the streets, beaches for endless fun, vertigo viewpoints, museums with extensive collections, and a high-level gastronomic scene.
1) Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate, is known as The Bean, and is located in Millennium Park. It is a 110-ton elliptical sculpture forged from a perfect series of highly polished stainless steel plates. It is inspired by liquid mercury.
The surface of the sculpture reflects the famous Chicago skyline and the clouds in the sky. The concave chamber below represents a doorway to those clouds. Hence its name: Puerta a las Nubes. In addition, tourists see their image reflected in different perspectives.
2) The Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is known for its astonishing collection, including 300,000 works featuring some of the most famous paintings on the planet. The art of Hooper, Warhol, Kandinsky Modigliani, Dalí, and Picasso stand out. There is art dating back 5,000 years and contemporary art.
3) Navy Pier
Navy Pier or Navy Pier is located on Lake Michigan and currently is an entertainment center with rides, places to play golf, outdoor activities, IMAX cinema, and exhibitions. It is one of the top things to do in Chicago.
4) Gino’s East and Portillo’s
Your trip to Chicago won’t be complete if you don’t eat deep dish pizza. The most popular chain of restaurants to try this delicacy is Gino’s East. Delight in a fluffy and flaky pizza full of mozzarella cheese and the toppings of your choice. Accompany it with a craft beer.
Don’t miss the opportunity to eat Portillo’s famous hot dogs, either. Choose a jumbo, chilli con Carne, or Polish sausage.
5) Skydeck at Willis Tower
Chicago is known as the city of architecture, and you have to admire it from above. Go to the Willis Tower, the tallest building in Chicago, and climb the Skydeck, its observation deck with glass walls and floor. You will feel vertigo at 412 meters high, and you will have an unforgettable experience.
6. Lincoln Park Zoo
You can observe around 1,200 different animals of different species. You will find monkeys, zebras, and flamingos in one of the last free zoos in the country. The 35-acre attraction connects visitors to animals from around the world. There are various seasonal events and special programming to keep visitors entertained each time they attend the zoo.
7. Art Institute of Chicago
Protected by a pair of iconic bronze lions, the Art Institute of Chicago has a permanent collection of more than 300,000 works on display in a complex that spans galleries and corridors. In addition to classical paintings such as Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Grant Wood’s American Gothic.
8. Garfield Park Conservatory
It was described as “landscape art under glass” when it opened in 1908. The conservatory is one of the largest in the world and features revolutionary architecture.
With the building’s haystack shape and layered with stone walls, landscape architect Jens Jensen thought of the fern room in particular, with its “prairie waterfall.” It is a stone and water component within a crystal structure, which he considered one of his greatest achievements.
9. The second city
You’ve probably heard of Second City and improvisations. This is the place that has stood out for being one of the great spaces for improvised comedy. Most of the demos are still top-notch.
10. The Country Museum
This massive natural history museum remains one of Chicago’s most beloved institutions. With around 350,000 square feet of permanent displays to examine, you could spend many days immersed in the thousands of artifacts on display housed in this amazing museum.
