The heart of the city. Better and less crowded than the Bean…read more This fecal fountain is a fun little photo op when you're in the city, and it's right down the street from Kasama, making them an unlikely but excellent pair.

Exactly what you'd expect: a statue that looks like poop. There was also a super friendly outdoor…read moreorange cat nearby named Mister that made my entire day. He was so cute and so worth the visit to the Shit Fountain. It's also near Kasama, so you can definitely make a trip out of this or take a quick detour if you're in the area.

Such a cute instagram worthy spot which also had the mirror illusion right around the coner. The…read moreweather was agreeable and we took some great photos for our girl's getaway trip!

Finally got to check out my neighbor during Open House Chicago. This place was really cool…read more If you've ever gone down this stretch of Racine, surely you've seen the oversized door with the big green monster peering out at you. They are a toy test lab for Fisher Price. It was a fun looking workplace with stuffed animals and toys at every turn. Also had a nice small world moment meeting a new art director from SCAD, where my nephew is going to school.

There it was! The giant bean that Chicago is very known for. Loved that it was accessible and ADA…read morefriendly so everyone could enjoy it. We came early on a Monday to beat the crowds. The later it got, the more people showed up. I was lucky to snap this photo before more people started to come in. Really cool sight to see. It's a giant mirror and has two sides, the park side and the city reflection side. So the view from both and don't forget to check out the middle.

Cloud Gate, otherwise known as the Bean, sits in the middle of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago…read moreand is one of those public art installations that consistently surprises people who encounter it for the first time despite being one of the most photographed objects in the city. I walked up to a seamless polished stainless steel form that reflects everything around it without a single visible seam or joint across its entire surface. That engineering achievement alone is worth appreciating before I even started engaging with what the reflections actually do. The reflections are the experience. I watched the Chicago skyline curve and distort across the surface in a way that shifted constantly depending on where I was standing, and walking slowly around the perimeter gave me a different composition every few steps. Walking underneath the concave arch in the center, which locals call the omphalos, produced a funhouse mirror effect that reflected me and everyone else from overhead in a way that was consistently disorienting and engaging regardless of how many times I have seen it. On a clear day with blue sky the effect was particularly strong, with the skyline wrapping around the sculpture against a bright background. On overcast days the palette shifts toward silver and grey and produces its own version of the thing. Admission is free and the park is open and accessible, which made Cloud Gate an easy addition to my Chicago itinerary without any planning required. It gets crowded, particularly on weekends and during summer, and the area immediately around the sculpture fills with people taking photos throughout the day. Early morning visits before the crowds build give you a more relaxed experience and better light for photography. It is one of the few landmarks in any city that genuinely lives up to what people say about it.

The Loop, when I visited Chicago was, the elevated train that "looped" around the heart of the…read morecity. The Loop, or "the L" enclosed Chicago's downtown. My middle eldest sister and I enjoyed our brief visit to Chicago and enjoyed riding "the L!" The Loop was the first elevated public transit I had experienced! It was magical, reasonably priced, and not at all scary! I did not realize the Loop is as old as it is. From the Chicago Loop Alliance, "The first "L" train was built in 1892, and its inaugural journey took place on June 6, spanning 3.6 miles in 14 minutes." This unique transportation really stands out vividly in memory as one of the coolest things we experienced during our Spring Break trip to Chicago and Evanston, Illinois.

The Loop is the place that tourists are referring to when they talk about all of the great things…read moreto see and do in the city of Chicago. Cloudgate (The Bean) at Millenium Park is a great place to visit. From there you can go to the beach, find a great place to shop, visit a museum (Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry), or get a bite to eat and drink. Trying a slice of deep dish pizza is a must! There are always new things to try. The Loop is a fun day trip or a great place to get lost in for a week!

State Street is arguably less popular than Michigan Avenue, which has greater name recognition at…read morethe very least. But State does play an important function in that the intersection of State and Madison is the zero point for the Chicago Grid--that wonderful innovation that makes it so easy to fin you away around the city. The density and character of this street changes drastically as you drive it. In the Loop, it's full of lots of trendy restaurants and shops, hotels, and so on. The Chicago Theatre is right here amongst a bunch of other theaters on surrounding streets. I love wandering along State during the holiday season to see the holiday windows at Macy's. I haven't ever taken in the Thanksgiving parade, but I may just have to do that whilst I still live in Chicago.

North South through the loop! State Street is like the…read moresecond street in the Second City. It's kinda outdone by Michigan Ave, but State Street is a pretty impressive address too. It goes all the way through downtown, and there's plenty of history and shopping along this street. All addresses in the City of Chicago are measured from the intersection of State Street and Madison. That intersection is like the 0 mile marker for the city. It started off as a trail for cowboys and horses back in the day. Y'ah! Mayor Daley did a famous revitalization project back in the day which made this place a lot easier to navigate and really opened the street up. Walgreens has a flagship store on this street. Michael Jordan opened up his restaurant on this street! Sinatra sang about it- this street is legendary. There's lots of shopping, restaurants, and things to see and do along here. Every detail has been fretted over around here, as real estate is at a real premium along this famous street. Good luck finding any parking through here. Yea right.

I asked him to print a poster on glossy paper, and the quality turned out excellent. The price was…read morethe lowest I could find in Chicago, which was a great bonus. He even replied to my email over the weekend, which I really appreciated. Highly recommended!

Highly recommended. The business made me static-cling vinyl race car number decals. They came out…read moreperfect, within the tight deadline I needed, at a very reasonable price, and pickup time was super flexible.

There's an underground pedestrian walkway in downtown Chicago. "Minimum hours are M-F 7am-5pm. Some…read moresegments also open evenings and weekends." So it's great for people working and shopping, and it's also the home of some nice visual arts. We entered in Millenium Park (Nov 2025) to cross Michigan to see some cool stuff in the Chicago Cultural Center. Then we continued on to Macy's. Near Macy's, we saw maybe 20 stained-glass works on display. Very cool! This part of the Pedway says it's open on Sat, too. All the Pedway sections combined are about 5-miles of free bright clean tunnels, hallways, and some walkways, connecting buildings and shops in the north loop, with some sections scattered around the loop and a section north of the river. There's maps at the entrances we used, and there are maps online, too.

I spent a lot of time in Chicago in the late 90's early 2000's. Yeah I'm old, but I never new about…read morethe 5 miles of tunnels and halls under the skyscrapers of this amazing city. During my visit to Chicago last week during really cold weather this underground Pedway was a life saver keeping me out of 0° temps with wind and snow. Underground has some shops, restaurants, dry cleaners, shoe shine, barbers, a Macy's, a Mall that has been killed by Amazon and Covid, Metra Trains including the Red and Blue lines. I was shocked to find beautiful stained glass art over 100 years old, which should be in a museum IMO. Amazing find! Another find from the tunnel, was access to the Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan and Randolph. This center has a revolving display of art and design from the diverse residents of Chicago. The final surprise was the largest Tiffany Glass dome in the world riding high in the top floor of the cultural center. More on that in another review. But a must see. Overall I was glad I found the Pedway to save me from the cold. Some areas have security, such as the mall, but like anywhere in the city exercise caution to keep yourself safe. I was only able to explore one section. Two others exist that I have yet to discover. Enjoy!!

The Tribune Tower is a 463 ft tall,, 36 floor neo-Gothic skyscraper. The early 1920s international…read moredesign competition for the tower became a historic event in 20th-century architecture. It was built & named for the f Chicago Tribune owner, The Tribune Tower Is a residential & office building. Almost 150 fragments from famous structures & historic sites around the world are embedded in Tribune Tower's first story walls. Chunks of the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramid of Cheops and the Berlin Wall are visible here.

Chicago Tribune Building---Slices of History, Both Inside and Out…read more Spend some time exploring this neo-Gothic landmark on Michigan Avenue. It was built based on a contest that awarded architects prize money totaling $100,000, including a $50,000 first place award which was substantial considering some workers at the time made $1 per day. On the outer walls of the building, there are slices of places from around the world-such as the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, Hagia Sophia, the Palace of Westminster, petrified wood from the Redwood National and State Parks, the Great Pyramid, The Alamo, Notre Dame de Paris, Abraham Lincoln's Tomb, Independence Hall, and the Berlin Wall. More recently a piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center was added to the wall. So much fun exploring and discovering new landmarks on each visit. On the inside in entrance lobby, the walls have famous quotes related to freedom of speech and the press. More restricted access due to the Tribune Tower being converted into multimillion-dollar luxury apartments. Still a great place to see slices of history.

Wings of Mexico…read more Beautiful wings. Gold. Always a line for taking picture. Nice. Clean place. Lots of people. They placed the wings in the perfect place. Highly recommended

You will find this pair of gold wings in the front of The Plaza of America. They tempt you to hop…read moreup there and take a photo with them. The wings are made of bronze with cement and iron bases and were installed in the Plaza in May 2022. They are the work of renowned Mexican artist Jorge Marín, who intended the piece to proudly symbolize the immigrant journey. Marin partnered with the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago and Visit Mexico for the piece. The wings are well traveled. They were actually made in 2010 and before reaching its current home in Chi-town, it began it journey in Mexico City, with stops at 25 other locations, from California to Dubai. It was scheduled to be moved to Brookhaven, Georgia in October 2022, but for some reason still remains in Chicago as of April 2023. I like the concept of the wings and its backstory. It takes all of those wing murals popping up across the county to the next level. It is rare to see them in sculpture form. I really like these wings, even though they are pretty basic. They are still very detailed, eye catching and they are definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. Parking to get a closer look at this sculpture is difficult to do, as is most parking in the Windy City. This sculpture is not a destination piece and most of its viewers will be passerbys such as myself. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. Also, be very careful if you are going to get a closer look, as i previously mentioned, this is located at a busy roundabout. With that being said, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

This bright red/orange piece, that resembles a cross between a praying mantis and an elephant. It…read morejust sucks you in. You cannot pass by it without looking. There is metered street parking and commercial lots within a reasonable walking distance, but most viewers of this statute would be passers by, on their way to another destinations. You will find this piece at the Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building The steel sculpture is the work of Alexander Calder. It stands 53 feet tall and weighs 50 tons. It was commissioned by GSA in 1974. This piece is well maintained and looks great, especially for its age. I think it is supposed to represent a flamingo, but does not even come close to that. I think at a minimum the piece should have been painted pink versus its current international vermillion hue. As with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a destination piece, nor a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area (and there are many of them), or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Another fun iconic sculpture in downtown Chicago! We had no problem finding it while walking back…read moreto Union Station from the Art Institute of Chicago. It's located at the intersection of W. Adams and S. Dearborn streets. American artist Alexander Calder installed the 53 foot tall steel sculpture in October, 1974. It is painted a bright red, vermillion red, which is now called Calder red. Enjoy!!