The Marquette Building is a beautiful example of the Chicago School of architecture. The early…read moresteel framed sixteen story skyscraper was built in 1895. The steel frame is what allowed long "Chicago windows" due to less pressure of the masonry. It was designed by Holabird and Roche. The skyscraper was named for Father Jacques Marquette, the first European settler who explored Chicago in 1674-1675. Mosaics, sculptures and bronzes honor this expedition in the Marquette's entry and lobby. The bronzes and sculptures show the trip and important historic figures that were met along the journey. The railing around the atrium features beautiful Tiffany designed mosaics. Louis Comfort Tiffany was commissioned to create a mosaic frieze to detail the story of Marquette's life, the exploration of Chicago and the Native Americans that he met. Art panels are made of lustered Tiffany glass, mother-of-Pearl and semi-precious stones. It is stunning! The building is free and open to explore. Ask the security guard for a brochure or if you are lucky, he may even share some history about the building. There is also a small exhibit behind the lobby that discusses Chicago skyscrapers and architecture.

Chicago September 2019…read more Walked into the Marquette Building in downtown Chicago to view the beautiful artwork in the lobby. No admission fee. Just walk in and enjoy the view. The lobby is not too big but filled with stain glass art work that is eye catching. One can view the art from the first or second floor. Many Yelpers have already posted photos with great historical commentary. I'll just add a #metoo. No where to park around here unless you want to spend $30.00 ... I just jump on the CTA and pay $2.50 one way (or $5.00 round trip). Many of the buildings in downtown Chicago have fantastic art work in their lobbies. Most are free to explore. Welcome to Chicago !

Got to visit this important part of Chicago history. It may only be the entrance but it's still…read morequite impressive. The Union Stockyards was where most of the meat came from and got packaged. At the entrance was this gate with a cow. You can still go through it, and check out a memorial to city firefighters. A lot of butchering went on here, and it got pretty smelly in this area. It's been redeveloped into an industrial park. The gate was designed by Daniel Burnham and John W. Root in 1879, and is the only important structure still intact from the stock yards. It's located just west of Halsted. This is located on Exchange Avenue at Peoria Street. Beyond here is a memorial to city firefighters. In 1934 a significant fire leveled the yards. A few other fires occurred in its history. The gate was added to the National Register Of Historic Places in 1972, and restored. John D. Sherman was the stockyard superintendent, and he had a favorite bull. This bull was named Sherman, and there's a bust of him on the center arch, welcoming workers to the stockyards where the other bulls weren't as lucky. History is here even though this area looks pretty boring. It's just a bunch of factories and other buildings, with almost no signs of what used to be here. There's not a whole lot of other stuff to look at, but this is pretty cool stuff though.

I also visited Sherman, the bull sitting on top of the grand arch introducing the Chicago…read moreStockyards. Sherman stands for a prize-fighting bull that was named after John Sherman, one of the founders of the Stockyards. This historical site is out of the way but worth a visit if you are a history buff or interested in the culture and flavor of Chicago's past. There is a some good reading on the informative plaque and the arch stands right next to the railroad crossing. You can just imagine the animals traveling on the tracks and the horrific suffering that they and the immigrants working at The Stockyards underwent before Upton Sinclair wrote his muckraking piece "The Jungle." The drive back will also take you through the South Side of Chicago to see the infamous neighborhood, and you can roll out around Hyde Park to check out the old grounds from the Chicago Exposition of 1895.

I was on my way to Tizzy's for ice cream. When I noticed this beautiful scenery of flowing water. I…read morequickly pulled over and got out of my car. I was mesmerized by the water flowing down the dam. There is free parking and benches for you sit down and inhale the scenery. The sight is just so relaxing and peaceful. Such a remarkable historical landmark in Lyons. The river itself is amazing. It's very enjoyable and will relax your mind. I was excited to learn the history about this amazing tower. "Hoffman Tower is the name of a tower in Lyons, Illinois, named after the brewer George Hoffman Jr. " It was built in the year 1908 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978." The Tower is reputed as the first building in Lyons to be lighted by electricity."

Stumbled upon this by chance seen it off in the distance and had to stop...so much history in this…read morebuilding

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!!

Centerpiece of the Logan Square green space is this column. It certainly is an impressive work out…read moreart and an important part of area history. The Illinois Centennial Memorial Column is the meaning of this large structure. A lot of interesting facts about it. You can find out more online. Basic story about it is this was placed here to celebrate the State of Illinois' 100th anniversary. It was built in 1918 and designed by Henry Bacon, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial. This is the main attraction of Logan Square. It's known as a Doric column. On the base are reliefs of Ceres, Daniel Boone, and Hiawatha. At the top is an eagle. This is a reference of the state flag, which has an eagle on it. Alongside the column is a flagpole. There's a concrete plaque dedicated to soldiers who died in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. Also the column is based on the proportions and scale of the Parthenon's colonnade. This explains the use of the figures of Greek mythology. Also there's a few seating structures around it. This makes it a good place for a rest and stuff. Have to get a closer look to appreciate the craftsmanship and history. It's certainly a very impressive structure. There's lots of history to read up on about this so you can go check out more about the architect who made this and other things.

If you have ever visited Logan Square neighborhood, a key site that stands out in the inner portion…read moreof the neighborhood is the Illinois Centennial Monument because of its height and intriguing design. Built in 1918, the monument was honored 100 years of Illinois statehood, designed by Henry Bacon, famed architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Evelyn Beatrice Longman sculpted the eagle, along with the bas reliefs of the base, which the eagle measures ten feet in height. I tend to utilize this monument as my key landmark while running or cycling in the Logan Square neighborhood. Since I have been a fitness enthusiast for well over a decade, I have always made historic landmarks like the Illinois Centennial Monument my key point during workouts because it adds extra enthusiasm to the adventure. From my perspective select parts like this of Logan Square are perfect for a cyclist because it is scenic, and Logan Boulevard is not too shabby of a road for road or triathlon bikes, plus it has a good stretch to it from the monument towards Bucktown & Wicker Park neighborhood. Most people tend to just walk through the area of the Illinois Centennial Monument, but it looks to be the perfect place where you can relax and read a book. The monument itself has no individual parking of its own, but if you ever wish to view it up close, there are several businesses surrounding in the area that are open for you to park, as well as neighborhood parking. Thomas G

Get some good views from this small park close to Navy Pier that gets overlooked a lot. It being…read moreclose to a big tourist attraction means it gets ignored by most people. Jane Addams Memorial Park is a hidden gem in plain sight basically. Lots to see around here. This is popular with yoga classes and those coming for a workout. A small park located by Ohio Street Beach. It's a small park and there's not much as far as facilities. This used to be called Navy Pier Park. Located not far from the popular tourist area. This was renamed in 1996 to honor the social reformer and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Check out the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum to learn more about her and her activism. This meanwhile is a pretty good place for chilling, or working out as there's many bicyclists and runners around it seems. Has a pretty good location. It's close to a popular area for tourists. There's also sights like the skyline and other good views.

Such a cute, beautiful, and serene park…read more I walked here on top of the snow that I saw for the first time in my life and it was such a beautiful experience. This park has nice trees and benches. Easy to walk and then a little bit farther you can even see the water and the view it's marvelous.

This used to be my favorite store in the late '60's and early '70's. While working downtown, and…read moregoing to college downtown, i used to eat my lunch almost every day. They had the absolute best cream of mushroom soup. Tons of mushrooms in a delightful cream sauce. And those desserts!!! I can still taste that wonderful cake slice with a thick layer of butter cream frosting. And people were all dressed up so nicely to go shopping in those days. I remember how well trained staff were. So polite and knowledgeable about what they were selling. And just the feeling of shopping in such a magnificent building. And such an enormous building. Such great memories.

Another free treasure. This historical building used to be Marshal fields and now is the Macys on…read moreState street. It's a beautiful building ... took some inside pics from different angle and perspectives. It's famous for the mosaic ceiling which is a work of art that pics can't capture ... but i tried. It's beautiful. The dome ceiling was designed by renowned glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany (it's the largest Tiffany mosaic in existence) and crafted by a group of 50 artisans who worked atop scaffolds for over 18 months to complete the project. This work of art shimmering vaulted ceiling that covers 6,000 square feet and comprises 1.6 million pieces of iridescent glass. If you like it and are looking for more free art treasure check out the ceiling in the chicago cultural center for another gorgeous Tiffany ceiling. Love that Chicago offers so much to see and do free or for little cost. I also like looking and and looking down at the different floors. afraid of heights but it was still worth a glimpse over the railings. Also check out the restaurant .. very elegant .. i think it's the walnut room.

Beautiful and relaxing park east of Soldier Field. It's bigger than it looks. Gold Star Family…read moreMemorial Park honors local law enforcement that have lost their lives with various monuments and plaques. Has a good amount of paths to walk along. There's not much as far as parking but from the Museum Campus it's pretty easy to get to within a fast walk. A park like this has physical beauty along with an additional meaning that makes it bittersweet. It's also meant as a memorial for Chicago police officers who died protecting the city. There's a round wall featuring the names of these officers. A monument featuring a bronze statue of a police officer being celebrated by family and others features the red stars of the city as blue. There's also another monument with a waterfall. Bigger place than it appears. This is actually large enough to spend a few hours. Good place for honoring local police officers in addition to being a nice park to walk around. It's still a good park regardless of how one feels about police officers. Taking consideration of just how the park itself is compared to other parks it's pretty good compared to most of these.

An extremely important memorial for our fallen police heroes. Very well done and unique. Just make…read moresure you go to the right place as some GPS takes you to the completely wrong location. The correct one is south of Grant Park... not in the middle of the city as we found out.