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.

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 !

Aha! Pump it! Pump it real good! This is an actual pumping…read morestation! There's huge pipes up in here that transport lots of water up from Lake Michigan to all the thirsty Chicago people. This building is real old- it predates the great fire by two years. This is when they knew how to build things to last. This water tower pumping stationis kinda hollow inside, but full of water works infrastructure. There's a tour you can take. There's also an art gallery that's free and worth checking out, even if just for a few minutes.

This was awesome! You just walk in and find the pumping station operating behind glass enclosure…read more It takes you back in time for a quick minute. My dad was a union plumber in NYC, so of course I can appreciate this awesome structure available to the public. Visiting Chicago has been a great experience!!!

Chicago has a first class China Town with regards to food. The area's entrance, or gate is a cool…read morefeature for the businesses. I've seen more impressive like San Francisco. It's a place to get a photo op at a minimum. The Chinese restaurants are actually on both sides of the main road.

An important part of any Chinatown is the gate. It proudly stands at the entrances to these…read moreneighborhoods letting people know this is where Chinese Americans call home. Lots of authentic restaurants and shops around here. Even though these kinds of gates aren't unique, it's still a Impressive work of architecture. There's usually announcements about festivals posted onto it so check it out to find out what's going on. Gate is located at the north entrance to Chinatown on Wentworth Avenue. It has a design based on a gate in Beijing. This has an inscription in Chinese. It reads "the world belong to all." This is an important message about inclusion. It seems to be a popular place for selfies and making Instagram posts, so watch out for these people if you happen to be driving. The gate was designed by Peter Fung, a notable Chinese American architect who designed other things around here. A very quick walk from the CTA station on Cermak. It's at the intersection of Archer and Wentworth before the main Chinatown entrance. There's more to Chinatown north of it too.

This is a unique fire house, and a pretty adorable one at that. Established in 1902, it's…read moreoriginally was home to Hose Company 2, and when Engine Company 98 was created that company took over. It was designed by C.F. Hermann and is amongst the oldest in the city. Built to look like a medieval fortress, it retains some of those old-timey touches one associates with a firehouse, like using a brass pole (there are two!); yet, it has been modernized to turn the prior stable into the kitchen, and what once was a hayloft is now a workout room. Made of limestone,and is the only fire station in the city with landmark status. It's a highly visible house given its location on Chicago Avenue just east of Michigan Avenue, behind the Water Tower. By many accounts it's a friendly house, perhaps in part because not only do the neighbors have a good rapport with the firefighters but it attracts a lot of tourists. If you're a visitor or a local wandering near Seneca Park or the Water Tower, you might be greeted warmly by these heroes.

This is just the cutest dang fire station I have ever seen!…read more The small, historic department is up the street from the old water tower and right across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was a surprise for us, as we made our way to the museum. But it caught our eye. Absolutely cute and cool.

The Nine Dragon Wall is a landmark across from the Chinatown entrance that says "Welcome to…read moreChicago's Chinatown". This wall is a miniature version modeled after a wall built on the south wall of the Imperial Perfection Gate. The original was built under the reign of Emperor Qianlong, during one of China's most prosperous rulers. In China, 9 symbolizes the supremacy if the emperor and dragons are also a representation of royalty, as you will see the ancient time Chinese Kings have a lot of dragons on their attire. The colors red, gold, and blue are auspicious colors for good fortune. I'm glad I got to see this miniature version in Chicago, but I would love to see the original version one day. It must be even more majestic if this is the mini.

Another piece of architecture in Chinatown. If you've seen the Chinatown Gate, this may be the next…read moremost important thing you see around here. Nine Dragon Wall is pretty cool looking. Maybe you think this is actually the most important thing in Chinatown, and many others believe it. This is also a popular place for crazy pictures and selfies. Basically this is a reproduction of a wall in Beijing. It has tiles that were actually made in China. This is one of the few times "made in China" is a good thing. It gets its name because there's nine dragons of course. Well actually there's nine large dragons. Look closer. There's many smaller dragons too! Nine is a number of good luck in China. This might bring you good luck. Conveniently it's located next to the public parking lot on Cermak. It's also easy to get to from the CTA station just by here. This way you can avoid paying anything for parking.

Almost all of the staff are polite, professional, friendly and informative. Unlike other DMVs, the…read morecashier and photo line were 5 stars. The security guard, even with a level of sternness, was cool. I can't compliment those other employees enough! But somebody seriously needs to take one employee through harassment training. I thought it was odd that he went from helping at the information desk to coming around to the area where they verify info for renewed IDs. I assumed he did so because the information line was slow. He immediately told me he lived near me and his address. I nodded politely and looked out the window. Then he asked me my weight twice and said he "just doesn't see it." I made a comment about "weight yo-yo-ing" in hopes he would let this go. Women and their weight are already a touchy subject, and I was agreeing to not change a HIGH weight. Still, I hoped he was verifying it to make sure nothing changed like he did after examining my eye and hair color. He claimed to be "impressed" that I checked the front and the back of the form before signing it. But then after the second time he recited my weight and said he didn't see it, he said, "It must ALL be back there." Wildly inappropriate. I just stared at him. No smile. I was relieved when another employee walked over, loudly asked him what he was doing "processing" (so he clearly isn't usually working in this department) and handed him some kind of pink drink to try. She said she wanted to stand there and wait for him to try it, and I couldn't have been happier she was there so I could get my ID paper and get as far away from him as possible. I appreciate the friendliness from the rest of the staff. They clearly understand the line between "friendly" and "creepy." And talking about my butt literally crosses the line, especially with a coat on that CLEARLY covered it.

A dark basement area is where you must go to deal with license plates. A quick trip will do the…read moredeed, if you arrive prepared with all requisite paper ! Driver licenses and state IDs are issued in a separate area that always has a long line snaking through! There's a food court in the basement. There are shops on the ground floor. A mini Post Office is available. The CTA el station closest to the building is the Clark-Lake station. A major transfer hub! Interesting architecture to the building!

"The Cows Come Home" Sculptures are currently on-site grazing and soaking up the sun and seeking…read morerefuge from the heat at the Plaza/Park dedicated to Chicago's former first female Mayor Jane M. Byrne. Here are some contributions that Mayor Jane M. Byrne made to Chicago according to "The Chicago Tribune" and her daughter, Katherine C. Byrne. Taste of Chicago- "If they've feasted at the Taste of Chicago, they have Byrne to thank for helping to start the Grant Park food festival in 1980, her daughter said, offering a list of her mother's ideas and accomplishments." Orange Line to Midway- "If they've taken the train to Midway or O'Hare, they can nod in appreciation to Byrne. She proposed the Orange Line in 1980 and pushed for the Blue Line extension." Navy Pier- "If they've ever gone to Navy Pier with out-of-town guests, it was Byrne who helped spearhead its revival into a popular tourist attraction." Museum Campus- "If they've walked to Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium or Field Museum without having to cross traffic, it was Byrne who proposed the idea of creating a continuous museum campus." Blues Brothers Film- "If they've seen the 'Blues Brothers,' it was Byrne who was instrumental in promoting movie filming in Chicago." The Social Contributions to the City of Chicago- "'Those were all Jane Byrne's ideas and things that have continued for decades and have brought much joy and in fact are simply a part of the fabric of the city so that you don't even know that they didn't used to be here,'" her daughter said." "That is a wonderful honor for my mother to know that people have simply integrated the things she brought into their lives." Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/redeye-water-tower-plaza-named-after-jayne-byrne-20140729-story.html